As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been intentionally trying to soak up as much professional learning as I can from Twitter. My focus is now shifting to that of a contributor of ideas as I’m becoming more comfortable with putting my thoughts out there for the world to see. If I had to sum up the benefits of Twitter in one word, it would be CONNECTION.
Just this morning as I spent about ten minutes perusing my Twitter feed I came across a tweet from a director of professional learning for a district in a neighboring state, whom I had the privilege of meeting this year at the annual conference of the Institute for Learning. He retweeted the tweet of one of his district’s principals who was sharing her experiences in transitioning her school to a 1:1 digital learning environment over the past school year. I then viewed her social media story on Storify to learn about this digital learning transition in her school. In the span of about five minutes I was able to gain tremendous insights into how this initiative unfolded and started thinking about how I could use Storify to share ideas, student learning, etc. in my own school. Thus, I gained content and also a different approach to presenting content in the few minutes I took to follow the link in my new friend’s tweet. Connections… starting with an in-person connection at a conference and continuing through connected learning via Twitter that begets even more connections to other educators.
One method for connecting to professional learning through Twitter is by following prominent educational authors and thinkers. When I start a new book I always look to see if the author has a Twitter presence. Following authors allows you to see more of their thinking through their tweets and gives you access to others with which to connect as you can see who they are following. It’s also rather exciting to tweet your thoughts about the book and tag the author by including their Twitter handle in the tweet. You may get a reply or a retweet and trust me, it’s rather thrilling!
One of the most powerful methods of connection for educators through Twitter is through the variety of Twitter chats tailored to content areas, specific educator groups, and special topics in education. I spend most of my time with #satchat, which is a network specifically dedicated to educational leaders (principals, assistant principals, district leaders, and teacher leaders) that convenes on Saturday mornings at 7:30. The beauty of the Twitter chat is that you can participate in real time or check in when you have time by searching for the tweets associated with the hashtag assigned to the chat. I recently discovered a chat for new teachers (#ntchat) and plan to explore this one further to share with the new teachers at my school. To further dive into the variety of Twitter chats available for educators, check out the following link. Twitter Chats & Hashtags for Teachers
As you begin to explore the opportunities available through Twitter chats keep in mind that you don’t always have to engage in the discussion to glean benefits from the learning. If you’re more comfortable as a “lurker” you will still be able to soak up tons of information and new ideas to take back to your colleagues. I encourage you to begin with small steps and then venture out to become a full participant in a chat that interests you. Oftentimes, the moderators of the various chats will designate certain topics for discussion and publish those in advance to give participants the time necessary to come to the table with their own perspectives and insights. Start by following a chat as a lurker and then when you see an upcoming topic that you can contribute to, jump into the conversation and start building those connections.
As you begin to tweet, retweet, like, and participate in Twitter chats you will find that your professional learning network will organically expand. Participants in Twitter chats will reach out to you by following you, retweeting your tweets, and responding to your tweets. For example, a couple of years ago I connected with a principal through #satchat who started a Twitter trend for educators called #CelebrateMonday. He encourages educators to tweet about the positive things that are happening in their schools on Monday, so that we can transform the first day of the work/school week into a positive learning experience for our students. Mr. Gaillard is great about responding and retweeting all #CelebrateMonday tweets. What a great way to connect with other educators and illuminate the amazing things happening in our schools!
The connection possibilities afforded by Twitter are endless. Educators can connect with each other to share new learning, innovative ideas, and positive student learning experiences. I encourage you to join me in continuing to learn and explore through Twitter and most importantly… make connections. Happy tweeting!
-Beth
Leading to Learn 