You're on Twitter? You're Not?

The reality of Twitter can be seen in this video clip..."
You're on Twitter? You're Not?"

http://viewrz.com/video/draft-day-clip-you-re-on-twitter

To Tweet or Not to Tweet? Are you ready to jump on the bandwagon? Twitter is a powerful professional development tool. With mobile devices you have access to PD 24/7. The hardest part about Twitter is powering off. So how can Twitter help you? Why is it important for education? I believe these four concepts are the backbone for using Twitter as professional development tool or a PLN (Professional Learning Network).

1. Professional development should increase knowledge 
• Rebore (2012) described that the main purpose for a staff development program is to “increase the knowledge and skills of employees and thereby, increase the potential of the school district to attain its goals and objectives” (p. 112).
2. Effective Professional Development
• Research indicates that professional development is most effective when:  “it involves the participants in concrete tasks; is participant driven while rooted in inquiry and reflection; is collaborative, connected to and derived from teachers work; and includes ongoing support” (Cooper & Johnson, 2013).
3. Try Online Teacher Professional Development (oTPD)
• Online teacher professional development (oTPD) operates using Web 2.0 tools, like Twitter, which  have the potential to maximize principles due to flexibility and personalization for the educator.
4. Collaborate Professionally
• Using Twitter, users are able to collaborate professionally with other educators about interests personalized to them (Cooper & Johnson, 2013).

When I first started using Twitter the first step was to find others in the same area of education as myself. I was starting a new job and needed to increase my knowledge base concerning instructional technology. As I found other professionals with the same type job, I began to follow them, read their tweets, study the resources that were readily at my fingertips. Eventually, I ventured out and started sharing my own experiences and resources that I found valuable to education and my job. I even went one step further and started to collaborate professionally with those I followed on Twitter. Because of that I learned how to add a MailChimp RSS campaign to my blog so readers could subscribe and only be notified when I made a new post. Thank you David Kapuler, @dkapuler, for teaching me how to use MailChimp. Though David and I have never met in person, he was able to answer questions about set up when I struggled to understand. With Twitter one has the opportunity to connect with other professionals globally and collaborate on areas of study. 

Consider using Twitter. Create an account. Search for other professionals with the same interests as you. Read their bios. Follow them. Spend time reading resources they share. Start collecting tools that would benefit you as an educator. 

Follow Me: @kjohnsontech

Five Technology Things to Try in 2014

Image credit: acucucu / 123RF Stock

1.  Twitter in the Classroom

• Consider adding Twitter to your classroom this new year. Twitter is a powerful tool  for secondary students. It is a great way to conduct book talks, class discussions, review for exams, etc all through custom hashtags. Click here to read "60 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom" by Ian Jukes.

2.  Student Response Systems

• Response systems are a great way to get instant feedback from students. Try using response systems as an entrance ticket to class, exit ticket, whole class discussions, backchannel for when students need more information about a concept being taught, etc. Click here to learn about my three favorite student response systems.

3.  Google Drive

• Using Google Drive in the classroom allows students to take notes, add comments to documents, build/view presentations, create spreadsheets, and all in real time via the web. My favorite part of Google Drive is that it is a step in taking your classroom to a paper-free environment. Check out this infographic on 12 Ways to Use Google Drive in the Classroom by Jeff Dunn.

4.  Grading with Voice Comments

• Most students write or type their papers to turn in for teachers to hand grade. Why not try something new? Students can type their papers in Google and then share that document with their teacher. The teacher can then open the document using Kaizena, add voice comments to the document and then share that audio file back with students. The students original document is not altered in any way but now students can hear a teachers comments on areas that are excellent and areas that need work. Click here to read more about using Kaizena with Google Docs by Richard Byrne.

5.  Infographics

• Wikipedia defines infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. Look above on #3 to see an example of an infographic. Click here to read ways to use infographics in the classroom.

15 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom

Social media offers great opportunities for learning, collaborating, and bringing together schools, students, teachers, and parents. Twitter is a great teaching tool at the secondary level. After reading many blogs and articles on using Twitter in the classroom, I compiled a list of practices by category that will offer guidance to teachers wanting to use Twitter in the classroom. 

Organization

• Gather class comments: See how Monica Rankin uses weekly hashtags to gather comments, questions, and feedback that students used in class.
• Twitter recaps: Teachers can summarize what has been learned in the classroom from reflections shared throughout the day.

Communication:

• Facilitate class discussions: Using hashtags, teachers can facilitate class discussions on units of study being taught, a book study, writing activities, science lab experiements, etc.
• Keep students in the loop: Students not able to attend class can follow along with class conversations by following hashtags assigned to that class, subject material, topics, etc.
• Post supplementary material: Tweet articles, interesting tidbits, etc that are relevant to classroom discussions.
• Ask questions: Mr. Jason Blackmor, Chemistry teacher at Northwest HS, uses Twitter for students to ask questions about Chemistry problems. This provides assistance for students outside school hours and is essential for parents who are not able to offer academic assistance to their student(s).
• Parent communication: Parents can learn about activities, test, projects and more by following teachers, school, athletics and district Twitter account.
• Silencing blurters: For students who struggle with blurting out, allow them to tweet during instruction.

Resources:

• Partner with local organizations: Find and discuss community educational events on Twitter.
• Conversations as public study tool: Students can look back at lecture discussion and read important points made on the Twitter timeline about that topic.
• Gather real-world data: Search Twitter for data like temperatures, opinions, locations, interesting facts, etc.
• Talk to career experts: High school students can explore career options by talking to professionals in the career they are considering.

Twitter Activities:

• Twitter Book Club: Establish book clubs and assign hashtags for discussion.
• Collaborative event watching: Students can watch important events like presidential debates, political speeches, etc. outside the classroom and continue the discussion in the classroom.
• School field trips: Students can share experiences from school field trips or activities by using a common hashtag assigned to that particular trip.

Sources:

TeachThought Staff. "60 Ways To Use Twitter In The Classroom By Category." TeachThought. 

         TeachThought Staff, 26 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

Kirkpatrick, Marshall. "How One Teachers Uses Twitter in the Classroom." ReadWrite. ReadWrite, 

         1 June 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

Miller, Samantha. "50 Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom." TeachHUB. TeachHUB, 

         10 Oct. 2005. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.

9 Simple Ways to Connect with your Students on Twitter

Interested in reaching your students long after they leave the classroom? Want to know how to connect with your students? This article from Francesca Catalano on Edudemic will highlight nine ways to connect with your students using Twitter. Twitter is a great social networking tool that many teenagers are using very actively. Learn how to use this tool for educational purposes.



9 Ways to Connect with your Students using Twitter:

1. Don’t require that students follow your account.  Suggest it to students as an option, or use it as extra credit if that works for your course.  Remember that not all students use or want to use social media.  Additionally, if students feel obligated to follow you and see it as an assignment they won’t persist after the course ends and any interest they show in your account will be perfunctory. 
2. Commit to posting at regular intervals.  For maximum value, post a reasonable number of times each week.  Don’t post six times in one day and then wait a week before posting again; students are more likely to read all the tweets if they aren’t bombarded with several at once. 
3. Vary the time of day of the posts.  Don’t always post at the same time of day.  Remember that students may keep different hours than you do, and twitter works by showing the most recent posts relative to the time of access.   Additionally, if students are in different time zones than you are it makes sense to change the time of day in which you tweet to maximize the likelihood that they read your post.
4. Post links to content that is user friendly.  Avoid linking to sites that are geared toward professionals or people with advanced degrees; remember your audience.  Examples in science include popular magazines like Discover or teaching centric sites like NASA.
5. Know your audience’s interests.  The secret is to connect the content to the everyday lives of students; avoid content that is too dry or inaccessible. Tie the content to topics your student demographic follows: current events, sports, and pop culture are instant wins.
6. Don’t just retweet, generate original links.  Retweets are good but your students want to hear what you have to say, too.  This goes double for tweets while class in is session.
7. Suggest people, organizations or magazines to follow... but explain why you think they are meaningful for your students.  The idea is to encourage critical thinking, and by explaining your choices you help to build a library of reliable sources for your students to mine for future courses.
8. Be personal. Give your students glimpses of your personality and interests.  Don’t be afraid to show your passion and pursuits in your field!
9. … yet avoid the overly personal comments.  Focus your account only on your discipline and leave other opinions to a personal account.  If you teach two different disciplines or sub-disciplines consider creating two different feeds.

How Twitter became my Professional Learning Network

Professional Development has always been an important part of my job as a classroom teacher since it allowed for growth. However, last year when I moved out of the classroom I was now in a role where I would be responsible for my own professional growth.  As an Instructional Technology Specialist, how to find resources become a focus, as I envisioned helping teachers implement technology. With the fast pace of the 21st century, I knew that innovative technology was available, but I wasn’t sure how to put my hands on them.

Twitter was on the rise, and I had many friends using it as a social networking tool. I created an account, still not knowing the full capabilities that awaited me. Once day I happened upon @TeachPaperless and that was the beginning of an amazing journey. From there I started what has been referred to as a PLN (Professional Learning Network). I quickly began to find articles on Twitter regarding the “what and why” behind building a PLN.
 
What I found was amazing and beyond anything I had ever experienced before. Twitter allowed me a plethora of current technology resources in education. I follow some amazing people who share incredible projects, articles, and the latest news regarding technology. Each morning I look forward to learning something new on Twitter. 

Developing a PLN using Twitter was powerful in my new position as an Instructional Technology Specialist. A few resources to get you started with Twitter:

• How to get started using Twitter (click here for instructions)
• How to create and use lists on Twitter (click here for instructions)
• Apps for mobile devices: TwitBird Pro ($2.99 has a great layout and easy to view), Tweetdeck/Echofon (Free. Also there is a desktop application.)
• Feel free to look at the professionals I follow on Twitter under the "Instructional Tech" list.