using twitter for education professional development - jen quimbey

Using Twitter for

Professional Development

Jennifer Quimbey

November 2014

What is Twitter?

Online social networking service that enables users to send and read short 140-character messages called "tweets.“

Twitter Facts

Twitter was created in March 2006 and by July 2006 the site was launched.

As of July 2014, Twitter had more than 500 million users, out of which more than 271 million were active users.

Twitter Inc. is based in San Francisco and has more than 25 offices around the world.

The logo is a Mountain Bluebird.

Why use Twitter for PD?

Access links, ideas, opinions, and resources from a hand-picked selection of global professionals.

Share ideas and get instant feedback.

Reflect on what is going well and what needs improvement, and receive supportive or challenging feedback.

Stay up-to-date on news and current affairs, as well as on the latest developments in areas of interest like school leadership and technology.

Expressing yourself in 140 characters or less is difficult. Learn to communicate professionally without waffling or cushioning.

Time-Saving Tool

Although some people argue that Twitter is one more distraction in a tech-saturated world, David Cosand says it's been a time-saver for him. He was writing a grant proposal recently to buy more technology for his school and realized he needed to learn more about document cameras. "I put a tweet out asking people which cameras they have found useful. In half an hour, I got great feedback from all over the country," he says, and he wound up narrowing down the list to an AVerVision CP300 model.

How to use Twitter for PDUse Hash Tags: Hashtags are a great way for

engaging in professional conversations. Get to know the trending hashtags in your field and use those hashtags when you tweet. You can also create your own hashtag to start a new conversation.

Use Twitter Tools: There are several web tools that have been created specifically for Twitter users. These tools can help you perform a wide range of activities you could not otherwise do using Twitter alone. Some of these tools can help you conduct effective searches on Twitter, others turn your twitter into a magazine with recent tweets as prominent headlines, and many more.

How to use Twitter for PD (cont.)Use Twitter for Research: Reach out to other

educators and ask them for help when you need it, ask for guidance. Keep updated about what others tweet and always make sure you interact with their tweets by favoriting or retweeting. Use the research functionality in twitter to look for resources and links and again you can ask people for help.

Share what you Read: If you read an interesting book or an article then make sure to share it on your Twitter. People will get to learn from you too and you will get to build an online reputation. This is also a good way to spark academic discussions with your followers.

Examples of Helpful Twitter Posts

Examples (cont.)

How to Set Up an Account

Go to Twitter.com. Fill in the fields. Where they ask for your Full Name, use your real name if you want people to recognize you.

Once you've completed the registration process, click Sign up for Twitter. It will ask you to enter some text to ensure you're not a robot.

Navigating Twitter

A Tweet is an expression of a moment or idea. It can contain text, photos, and videos. Millions of Tweets are shared in real time, every day.

Navigating Twitter (cont.)

Favorite a Tweet to let the author know you like it.

Reply to a Tweet and join the conversation.


Retweet to share a Tweet with your followers. You can even add your own thoughts before sharing it.

Hashtags assign a topic to a Tweet. So, for example, Tweets that contain #WorldCup are about just that. Click on a hashtag to see Tweets related to a topic.


Where do Tweets Live?

When you follow people, their Tweets instantly show up in your timeline. Similarly, your Tweets show up in your followers' timelines.

Compose?

Write a Tweet, post a photo, or share a video.


Notifications allow

you to see when

someone retweets

or favorites one of

your Tweets, replies

to you, or mentions

you.


Messages allow you to have private conversations with your followers.

Click on your picture to access your profile, lists, followers, and the people you follow.


Quickly follow people by adding their usernames. Perfect for when you meet someone and you're exchanging info.

Sample Home Page

Popular Education Hashtags

#edchat – Wide range of educators worldwide, many U.S.

#schools – Wide ranging but used far less than #edchat or

#ukedchat

#teaching – Largely used for jobseeking

#lrnchat – Learning chat

#TT – Teacher Tuesday, educators suggest others to follow

#kinderchat – Discuss kindergarten-aged children

#ukedchat – UK Education

#GlobalEd – Education with a global dimension

Tech in Education Hashtags

#edtech – a very wide range of tweets relating to the use of

technology in education

#elearning – eLearning topics

#mlearning – the use of mobile technologies in education

#edapp – educational apps

#gbl - games-based learning

#slide2learn – iDevices and learning

#vitalcpd – effective use of technology in the classroom

Subject-Specific Hashtags #mathchat – mathematics

#scichat – science

#engchat – English

#artsed – the arts in education

#musedchat – music

#eltchat – english language teacher

#STEM – widely used for posts and resources in STEM education

#SSChat – social studies chat

#RETeacher – Religious Education

#HistoryTeacher – History

#GeographyTeacher – Geography

#PhysicsEd – Physics

Specific Area Hashtags

#pgce – widely used, great way to share ideas and support

#gtchat – gifted and talented education

#esl – English as a second language

#Bullying – bullying resources, not confined to school bullying

#cpchat – connected principals discussion

#ntchat - new teachers

#spedchat – special educational needs

#homeschool – everything related to home schooling

#playoutdoors – outdoor play and learning ideas

#TLChat – Teacher Librarians’ discussions/resources

Popular People/Organizations to Follow in Education

@edutopia: inspiration and information for what works in education.

@Edudemic: educators and technologists looking to enhance learning.

@E_Sheninger: Eric is the principal of New Milford HS ( NJ ), winner of the National Digital Principal Award ( 2012 ), Google certified teacher and Adobe education leader.

@medkh9: Educators technology - where technology intersects with learning.

Edutopia

Edudemic

Eric Sheninger

Popular People/Organizations to Follow in Education (cont.)

@MindShiftKQED: explores the future of learning, covering cultural and tech trends and innovations in education.

@WeAreTeachers: ideas, inspiration & information for your best days & double that for your hard ones. Supporting kids means supporting educators, always.

@isteconnects: advances excellence in learning and teaching.

Tweet Like Your Mama & Principal are Watching

Just like other forms of social media, it’s up to you to protect yourself and your career when using it.

Keep separate personal and professional accounts.

If you wouldn’t say something in front of a superior, don’t tweet it – even if you have your account set to private. Being set to private doesn’t prevent others from re-tweeting your tweets to their followers.

Personal Accounts

Fun!

Follow friends, family, athletes, celebrities

Vote on reality shows like The Voice

Express your personal opinion, but still act like your principal is watching.

Other Twitter Tools and Features

There are several web tools that have been created specifically for Twitter users. These tools can help you perform a wide range of activities you could not otherwise do using Twitter alone.

Twitter Chats

Popular Education Twitter Chats

Nearbytweets

Nearby tweets allows you to search local tweets from Twitter by location and keyword.

By default it will show you tweets near your current location.

WeFollow

With WeFollow you can search for people by interest and sort them by their Prominence Score.

This ranking system lets you quickly discover, follow and learn from the most prominent people around the world.

The Tweeted Times

This is a real time personalized newspaper generated from your Twitter account.

You can create a newspaper for any topic of your interest.

Topical newspapers are based on streams produced by Twitter lists or Twitter search.

Twitter Cheat Sheet / Tips Follow for Quality, not Quantity.

Don’t just be a consumer of Twitter, share too. If you were having a conversation with someone and you weren’t responding, the conversation wouldn’t go very far, would it?

Keep it interesting by offering a good variety in your stream of links, blog posts, retweets, responses, and questions.

Use keywords that are important to your field to attract followers.

Use some of the Twitter tools out there to help with getting connected, researching and organization.

ReferencesBoss, S. (2011, April 22). Twittering, Not Frittering: Professional

Development in 140 Characters | Edutopia. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/twitter-professional-development-technology-microblogging

Brumley, M. (n.d.). Twitter for Professional Development: Ultra Beginner Edition » Teach Amazing! Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://teachamazing.com/twitter-for-professional-development-ultra-beginner-edition/

Caron, S. W. (2013, January 7). Education World: Using Twitter for Professional Development. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/using-twitter-for-professional-development.shtml

Dunn, J. (2011, October 3). The A-Z Dictionary of Educational Twitter Hashtags | Edudemic. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.edudemic.com/twitter-hashtag-dictionary/

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. (n.d.). The Best 15 Twitter Hashtags for Teachers. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/best-15-twitter-hashtags-for-teachers.html

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. (n.d.). Top 14 Educational Technology Tweeters to Follow. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/08/top-14-educational-technology-tweeters.html

Edudemic. (n.d.). The Teacher's Guide to Twitter. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.edudemic.com/guides/guide-to-twitter/

Walker, L. (2009, April 16). Nine Reasons to Twitter in Schools | Tech Learning. Retrieved November 10, 2014, from http://www.techlearning.com/curriculum/0035/nine-reasons-to-twitter-in-schools/45908

What Is Twitter About. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2014, from https://about.twitter.com/what-is-twitter