It’s not just for your students. Let’s Talk Twitter…for Professional Development

Where are you in the Twitosphere? Which best describes you? Do you have an account, but only tweet pictures of your children? Do you have an account, but rarely use it? I know about Twitter, but I don’t use it. My school blocks Twitter. Is this like Facebook?

Up and Running on Twitter Create a name that reflects your classroom, your interests, or subject matter. Create a profile and add a link to your school or class website. Upload a picture…you, an avatar, a subject related image.

What is a Hash Tag? Anytime something is popular it is usually accompanied by a Hash Tag. They look like this: # So, if I LOVE Justin Beiber, everytime I tweet, I might add: #beiberfan at the end of my tweet. That is my hashtag. If I love a new product or saying, or style of clothing, I can create any hash tag I like and tack it on to the end of my Tweet.

How are Hash Tags used? They help Twitter build the list of what is trending daily. You may notice on the right side of your Twitter screen is a list of the top five trending topics. Hash Tags help do this. There is another innovative way to use Hash Tags. They are used to build communities. I call these Hash Tag Communities.

Real example: #fycchat Let's look at an example. On Twitter, I consider myself a part of the #fycchat group. This group has a designated weekly time where everyone will be online and "tweet". Each time we tweet a message we include the #fycchat hash tag. The result? A live time dialogue among educators with the same interests. Our community is public, archived for free, and has the potential to catch the eye of other readers. The community grows by invitation, by key word searches, and subgroups have emerged. We exchange ideas and communicate about things that we all care about professionally. The reach however is so far beyond the brick and mortar of our own schools, that it can only be described as global.

I Don’t Have Time…I Have Common Core to Worry About! Is this you? Then you REALLY need Twitter. The Common Core Reading Standards work backwards from the competencies required for freshman composition. All students, regardless of grade level, have expectations derived directly from these college standards. WHY NOT TALK TO THOSE WHO TEACH WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO GET YOUR STUDENTS READY FOR? A bridge between those who teach college students and those who prepare students for college is critical. We have to talk to each other.

Hash Tag Communities #engchat English Teachers #sschat Social Studies Teachers #scichat Science Teachers #mathchat Math Teachers #STEMchat Science, technology & Math #spedchat Special Education Teachers Need more? Check out a few 100 here…find what matters to you and create your own learning opportunities:a few 100 here

So, What’s Next? So, what's next? Follow a hash tag, lurk a bit, share it with a colleague! The potential for collaboration is promising and may just change how educators communicate, plan, and impact student achievement. See you