What is Twitter?
Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and view messages, called "Tweets", of 140 characters or less. This website can be used for many different types of communication needs. Twitter allows you to connect with people around the world with one "follow" or one "Tweet". You can upload statuses, pictures, links, and even videos to your Twitter page for others to view, while being able to easily access these same media types of people you follow.
How does Twitter work?
At first Twitter can be a bit overwhelming. Twitter is a very simplified networking site once you understand all the necessary beginning steps, and then like anything else once you get the hang of it it will become second nature to you. Once you sign up and create a username you will be brought to your twitter page where you can begin writing your "Tweets" and following other people who are also signed up on Twitter. A Tweet is essentially a status that is put onto your Twitter page for your followers to see, something that is either on your mind, or an article that you want everyone who follows you to read, that would be visible as a link. A tweet must be short, as I said before it only allows 140 characters in order to keep your audience engaged and from skipping over a lengthy tweet. Once your tweet is posted to page, your followers are able to read it and can decide if they want to "favorite" it, "retweet it," or reply to it. When someone favorites your tweets it means that your tweet is now saved in a folder on their Twitter page that they have access to if they ever wanted to go back and look at that tweet. You are notified when one of your followers favorites your tweets and you can also go to that followers page and view their favorites folder. Next is when someone retweets your tweet, it puts your tweet on their page for all of their followers to see as well, and as with your favorites you are also notified when this happens. Last, you are able to reply to the people you are followings tweets. Your tweet will appear on your page and the page of your followers but it will have the person you are replying to tagged in the tweet and others will be able to view the tweet you are replying to.
On the other side of Twitter, your tweets are also crucial in creative a professional learning network. By posting you thoughts, views, and links to educational articles/videos, those who follow you are given the opportunity to reply. Their replies could have information relating to the subject of your tweet that you did not know about. They can also reply with articles and videos in order to enlighten you on an educational subject. Another way to gain a good following base it to use and search hashtags. Hashtags are clickable words in a tweet that are attached to the "#" symbol. "Following hashtags will often lead you to people who share your interests. If there is a specific hashtag that you follow, #Edchat, #Edtech, #SSchat, #CPchat,etc... you may find tweeters frequenting those tweets" (Whitby,2013). This can lead you to great accounts with useful knowledge that you may not have even known existed, expanding your professional learning network.
How can I create a Professional Learning network using my Twitter?
On the other side of Twitter, your tweets are also crucial in creative a professional learning network. By posting you thoughts, views, and links to educational articles/videos, those who follow you are given the opportunity to reply. Their replies could have information relating to the subject of your tweet that you did not know about. They can also reply with articles and videos in order to enlighten you on an educational subject. Another way to gain a good following base it to use and search hashtags. Hashtags are clickable words in a tweet that are attached to the "#" symbol. "Following hashtags will often lead you to people who share your interests. If there is a specific hashtag that you follow, #Edchat, #Edtech, #SSchat, #CPchat,etc... you may find tweeters frequenting those tweets" (Whitby,2013). This can lead you to great accounts with useful knowledge that you may not have even known existed, expanding your professional learning network.
How can I create a Professional Learning network using my Twitter?
A professional learning network is a place where educators can connect and receive and share notable information amongst one another. "Building a professional learning network consisting of quality educators, who responsibly share quality information and sources, takes time and requires a plan" (Trust, 2012). It is very important to gain accounts to follow as well as a following for yourself. The people you follow is what appears on your newsfeed and what information you surround yourself with. Twitter in the classroom is a great way to incorporate social media in the classroom.
Twitter is a big discussion point when it comes to social media and if it acceptable in the classrooms. In this article it is for teachers to use twitter in 50 different ways so that it can be beneficial to the students. With the students going on their social media sites every few seconds the new feeds would be beneficial to high school students so if there is a test tomorrow the teacher can tweet or post on Facebook that there is a test tomorrow and maybe add a pic of a study guide or a "quizzlet" that the student can take while they are looking at what happened on social media while they ate dinner, or just got back from practice. This would be beneficial to those students in the secondary range, because the little kids in the elementary range are not going to be whipping out their iPhones to check what happened on social media when they got back from from Kindergarden.
Using social media in the classroom with the WEB 2.0 it is all about creating and publishing our own work for others to see, and that is what the teachers are doing now to help out their students not only in the classroom, but online as well. If the social media is used correctly there should be no reason why it would cause a negative perpective. Students on their off time are usually on some piece of technology, which in fact could be beneficial if that teacher decides to take a different approach and incorporate social media in his/her classroom. Two key factors when using technology are problem solving and encouraging independence when using social media. This is not bad letting the students use social media to help with homework, as long as answers will not be posted, and copying will not occur.The student will get to learn how everything works, and that will even come at a price of exploring that website and making mistakes to get it right. This is a way to expand the minds of the students for their good. Using technology and social media in the schools should be looked at as a positive and a way that is going to further the education of the children because the world is forever changing and the newer generations needs to keep up with the world.
Here are some examples where you can use twitter in a professional learning network:
Twitter is a big discussion point when it comes to social media and if it acceptable in the classrooms. In this article it is for teachers to use twitter in 50 different ways so that it can be beneficial to the students. With the students going on their social media sites every few seconds the new feeds would be beneficial to high school students so if there is a test tomorrow the teacher can tweet or post on Facebook that there is a test tomorrow and maybe add a pic of a study guide or a "quizzlet" that the student can take while they are looking at what happened on social media while they ate dinner, or just got back from practice. This would be beneficial to those students in the secondary range, because the little kids in the elementary range are not going to be whipping out their iPhones to check what happened on social media when they got back from from Kindergarden.
Using social media in the classroom with the WEB 2.0 it is all about creating and publishing our own work for others to see, and that is what the teachers are doing now to help out their students not only in the classroom, but online as well. If the social media is used correctly there should be no reason why it would cause a negative perpective. Students on their off time are usually on some piece of technology, which in fact could be beneficial if that teacher decides to take a different approach and incorporate social media in his/her classroom. Two key factors when using technology are problem solving and encouraging independence when using social media. This is not bad letting the students use social media to help with homework, as long as answers will not be posted, and copying will not occur.The student will get to learn how everything works, and that will even come at a price of exploring that website and making mistakes to get it right. This is a way to expand the minds of the students for their good. Using technology and social media in the schools should be looked at as a positive and a way that is going to further the education of the children because the world is forever changing and the newer generations needs to keep up with the world.
Here are some examples where you can use twitter in a professional learning network:
- TeacherToolKit (@TeacherToolkit)
- This account is run by a Deputy Headteacher who writes the most influential blog on education.
- This account is a great resource for teachers because it constantly is tweeting links to other accounts and other web pages to help educate teachers.
- This is also a good way to get more information on new lessons or to generate ideas for your own classroom.
- Teaching & Learning (@TeachLearnConf)
- A compilation of what is popular at the teaching & learning conference each year. This is a twitter account is based off of the Teaching and Learning website.
- This twitter is a great resource because you can sign up to receive notifications or direct messages from them when conferences or new learning events are coming up.
- U.S. News Education (@USNewsEducation)
- A compilation of all current events in the Education field around the world.
- This is a great learning tool because it helps to keep you up to dat on current events in the education world. You can subscribe to their tweets to be constantly in the loop about what is going on.
- US Department of Education (@usedgov)
- This is a great tool to use to see what is happening around the country and how we can improve in our classrooms.
Following real educational accounts like these keep me up to date on new information that is going on in the world of education which is always changing. It also allows me direct contact with these companies and organizations to ask questions or communicate any concerns I may have. I also think that it is important to follow accounts of real teachers such as Tonya.Following other teachers is a great way to get ideas for your own classroom and hear what has worked and what doesn't work.
The false promise of classroom technology .(2013). Retrieved September 9 2015
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-11-11/the-false-promise-of-classroom-technology
Social media marketing .(2014). Retrieved September 7 2015
http://ryonswebdesign.com/services/social-media-marketing-smm/
Trust, T. (2012). Professional learning networks designed for teacher learning. Journal of Digital Learning in Teach Education 28(4), 133–138.
References
Promo teto perform. (2015). Retrieved September 6 2015
http://promotetoperform.com/top-tips-on-how-to-make-the-most-of-twitter/
The false promise of classroom technology .(2013). Retrieved September 9 2015
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-11-11/the-false-promise-of-classroom-technology
Social media marketing .(2014). Retrieved September 7 2015
http://ryonswebdesign.com/services/social-media-marketing-smm/
Trust, T. (2012). Professional learning networks designed for teacher learning. Journal of Digital Learning in Teach Education 28(4), 133–138.
