Twitter is famous for providing a minute-by-minute update of a person's day and complaints. However, now it's being used to expand the Professional Learning Networks (PLN) of educators all over the world. A PLN is "a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues anywhere at any time" (Whitby 2013). Twitter, a tool used by educators to create a PLN, is often described as a microblogging tool because it combines text messaging, blogging, and social networking all into one resource (Boss 2008). Each tweet is 140 characters or less, so scrolling through the information on a Twitter feed is quick and easy. Tweets can be comprised of photos, quotes, videos, and website links. Tagging another user with the "@" symbol allows those users to quickly see and respond to your post. Hashtags, denoted by the "#" symbol, are also helpful in being able to view a scrolling (and constantly updated) list of tweets that are all connected to the same topic. Favoriting tweets allows users to save the information for a later time and provides further resources for their followers. With such a useful network that connects users globally, think of all the places you'll go!
In "Using Twitter for Professional Development," Caron writes that there are six steps to getting started on Twitter:
- Set up a free Twitter account.
- Write a few practice tweets.
- Follow, follow, follow.
- Join the conversation.
- Tweet like your mama and principal are watching.
- Follow @education_world on Twitter.
In the article, Caron also provides a list of helpful hashtags for following conversations that are already taking place. Some of these include #edchat, #elemchat, and #kinderchat (Caron 2011). Ray provides a more detailed list of hashtags and the days and times that the chats take place on Twitter in his article titled "How to Use Your Twitter to Grow Your PLN." The Twitter chats are geared towards teachers of specific subjects and grade levels, as well as topics such as English Language Learners and Pre-Service Teachers (Ray 2010). Following @education_world provides a network for finding other education related Twitter users. Once you click "follow," a suggested list of Twitter users will become available. Scrolling through the followers of @education_world also gives a list of possible users to follow. In a matter of minutes, you can become globally connected with educators and conversations centered around education topics.
As Barnes shares in his article, "Twitter is the World's Best Free Professional Development Tool," creating a network is quite simple once you have signed up for an account. In his article, Barnes writes about his own experience with creating a Twitter account and having a diverse and global network within just 45 minutes (Barnes 2014). The global network expands colleagues from being confined within the walls of a school to being unlimited across all the borders of the world (Caron 2011). Twitter provides national and international connections with numerous individuals and businesses. The network allows users to both share and receive resources and ideas that are being implemented in classrooms all over the world. The source also provides grounds for conversing about the current and future states of education. Having a diverse network comprised of educators and administrators of different genders, ages, ethnicity, experiences, and countries creates a more globalized conversation with a wider perspective. This approach opens the way for a better education system.
Taking a look at my own current feed, I have been provided access to numerous articles about current news topics related to education, videos for promoting healthy habits during the flu season, ways to build relationships with middle school students, important updates on the Common Core standards, and much more. These resources are being displayed by accounts such as @EducationWeek, @Edutopia, and @Education Nation. Before being challenged to view Twitter as a source for creating a PLN, I had honestly not touched my Twitter account in about three years. When I logged on and started searching for education related users and hashtags, I found myself intrigued by all of the information that I was seeing. I began scrolling down further and further to see what all I could learn, ranging from interesting articles to inspirational quotes. Here is some information about the accounts that I have found quite useful:
- Scholastic Teachers (@ScholasticTeach) - tweets about books, education trends, and life as an educator
- Edutopia (@Edutopia) - tweets about research articles, teaching tips, infographics, and personal relaxation and development
- Education Week (@EducationWeek) - tweets about education news from around the world
- US Department of Education (@usedgov) - tweets about news and information from the US Department of Education
- Education Nation (@EducationNation) - tweets from @NBCNews about articles and teaching tips
- Huffington Post Education (@HuffPostEdu) - tweets about education news
- Discovery Education (@DiscoveryEd) - tweets about resources for education
- Khan Academy (@KhanAcademy) - tweets about programs, events, videos, and other information available on the Khan Academy website
- TED-Ed (@TED_ED) - tweets about TED Talks pertaining to education
- NatGeo Education (@NatGeoEducation) - tweets about information for students from teachers
- BBC Education (@BBCEducation) - tweets about education news presented by BBC
- Fun Educational Apps (@EducationalGame) - tweets about newly found fun, educational apps
- Carson-Dellosa (@CDPub) - tweets about products from and events held by Carson-Dellosa
Since fall break, I have discovered and begun following many of the accounts above. Each time I followed one account, many similar accounts would pop up. Now, rather than being a small, personal account where I follow friends, professors, and my university, I have a huge network of resources for using inside and outside of the classroom. The accounts that I follow have provided me with news, such as the passing of a new bill to replace 'No Child Left Behind.' I also have access to interesting information to share with my students, like this article, "How a 5-Ounce Bird Stores 10,000 Maps in its Head." There are also articles with helpful tips, like ways to help students manage stress and ways to help students complete their homework. All of the resources that have become available are helpful for me as a pre-service teacher, preparing for student teaching and being in the classroom full-time. I am provided with many different things to think about and consider before creating my own classroom environment. The network of accounts and unlimited amount of resources will be very helpful in growing professionally, but will also be useful for sharing with my future students and parents. As I enter the elementary classroom, I will be able to recommend accounts for my parents to follow that will provide useful tips as they are helping their students continue their learning at home. By following the accounts, parents will also be able to provide their children with useful resources for help with completing assignments and studying for quizzes and tests. Two accounts particularly useful in this area are @KhanAcademy and @EducationalGame.
Because Twitter is free, educators save hundreds of dollars that would have been spent on conference fees, hotel accommodations, and gas expenses. They also save on having to prepare lesson plans for a substitute teacher! With Twitter, educators are able to get the information they need from those conferences through short, concise tweets. They're also provided with an unlimited amount of other resources and options, including the opportunity to ask and answer questions, learn from experts, react to events, share links to news articles and blog posts, plug in to real-time events, and give or accept invitations to online chats and Webcasts (Boss 2008). Twitter users can share their own ideas and resources with the entire Twitter world, a personal network, or specific individuals (Boss 2008). The microblogging tool can be customized to best suit the user's needs and intentions.
As a pre-service teacher, I find Twitter a useful tool for staying up-to-date with the latest news regarding education, finding useful information for thinking about how my own classroom will be set up and run, and connecting with top educators and education businesses around the world. Progressing forward, Twitter will become an essential tool for being connected and staying up-to-date so that my classroom represents the innovative side of the twenty-first century. Twitter has become a way of bringing collaboration and creativity into the classrooms all around the world through the unlimited variety that users can share and have access to. Some teachers have described Twitter as a great way to reinvent a lesson plan or get some extra help with preparing a lesson plan because there is usually a wide range of quick responses. Schools, classrooms, principals, and teachers from all different countries can be connected in reinventing education so that it best sparks the fire of the next generation. Twitter is a tool educators can use to continue their own learning. As John Cotton Dana stated, "Who dares to teach, must never cease to learn" ("Teaching Quote").
References
Because Twitter is free, educators save hundreds of dollars that would have been spent on conference fees, hotel accommodations, and gas expenses. They also save on having to prepare lesson plans for a substitute teacher! With Twitter, educators are able to get the information they need from those conferences through short, concise tweets. They're also provided with an unlimited amount of other resources and options, including the opportunity to ask and answer questions, learn from experts, react to events, share links to news articles and blog posts, plug in to real-time events, and give or accept invitations to online chats and Webcasts (Boss 2008). Twitter users can share their own ideas and resources with the entire Twitter world, a personal network, or specific individuals (Boss 2008). The microblogging tool can be customized to best suit the user's needs and intentions.
As a pre-service teacher, I find Twitter a useful tool for staying up-to-date with the latest news regarding education, finding useful information for thinking about how my own classroom will be set up and run, and connecting with top educators and education businesses around the world. Progressing forward, Twitter will become an essential tool for being connected and staying up-to-date so that my classroom represents the innovative side of the twenty-first century. Twitter has become a way of bringing collaboration and creativity into the classrooms all around the world through the unlimited variety that users can share and have access to. Some teachers have described Twitter as a great way to reinvent a lesson plan or get some extra help with preparing a lesson plan because there is usually a wide range of quick responses. Schools, classrooms, principals, and teachers from all different countries can be connected in reinventing education so that it best sparks the fire of the next generation. Twitter is a tool educators can use to continue their own learning. As John Cotton Dana stated, "Who dares to teach, must never cease to learn" ("Teaching Quote").
References
[A Dr. Seuss inspired guide to twitter]. Retrieved from http://dailygenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/dr-seuss-twitter.jpg
Barnes, M. (2014, May 24). Twitter is the world's best free professional development tool. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.brilliant-insane.com/2014/05/twitter-is-the-worlds-best-free-professional-development-tool.html
Boss, S. (2008, August 13). Twittering, not frittering: Professional development in 140 characters. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/twitter-professional-development-technology-microblogging
Caron, S. (2011). Using twitter for professional development. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/using-twitter-for-professional-development.shtml
Ray, B. (2010, June 7). How to use twitter to grow your PLN. Retrieved October 27, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/twitter-expanding-pln
"Teaching Quote." Flickr. Yahoo!, 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
[Twitter for teachers]. Retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/92/b9/64/92b9643eae8ac72fb8aafef92b98348d.jpg
[Twitter logo]. Retrieved from https://g.twimg.com/Twitter_logo_blue.png
Whitby, Tom. "How Do I Get a PLN?" Edutopia. 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
