Twitter is one of the most popular social media sites, boasting of a whooping 304 million active monthly users. For people of any age it is a popular choice. For most, it offers a chance to stay up to date with friends as they post about their day-to-day lives. However, for educators it provides a unique opportunity that is easier through Twitter than it ever has been before. Twitter serves as a great platform to craft a network of education resources for teachers. They can use it to follow others that will keep them up to date on the latest practices, tools, and information a teacher may need. Twitter allows teachers to stay on top of the latest teaching trends while helping them ensure that they won't fall behind when new technology comes out. By carefully selecting who to follow, teachers can be sure that they will constantly have relevant and current information in their subject area.
As an aspiring high school English teacher, my twitter consists of popular authors, technological educators, and other teachers. Although a lot of modern authors aren't taught in the classroom yet, I still find their tweets not only interesting, but important. Opinions of authors that they voice on twitter are great insights into their minds and the motivations behind their novels. Not to mention, some of them offer opinions on movies and books they've read. Stephen King, in particular, seems to quite enjoy not only sharing glimpses into his mind and day-to-day life, but also giving reviews of media he has consumed. These opinions, when coming from a published author like King, push me to look into his recommendations. Books that I find this way are often filed away in my mind as possible teaching books, whenever I have the option to pick a book of my own for the course.
What I feel like is the most crucial part of my profession learning network is the technological educators. Since twitter is a perfect platform for keeping yourself up to date on the latest information, that makes it even better for technology updates. Technology is constantly evolving, so a fast-paced social media site like twitter will be able to keep me on top of the latest trends, as long as the people I follow are on top of the trends. I follow two technology based blogs (or at least they post a decent amount of technology) and between the two I catch most of the updates I need for different tips and tricks for technology in the classroom. These twitters are Jane Bowser (@jbowser) and Jonathan Wylie (@jonathanwylie). While Jane Bowser follows Jonathan Wylie and often retweets his posts, I find that I like following him myself as well, because I think almost all of his tweets are great. Jane Bowser is a great twitter to follow because she retweets from numerous different sources, some of which I don't always choose to follow because I find a lot of their tweets extraneous. Between the two I feel like I'm constantly up to date on the latest trends to hit the educational scene.
Aside from these twitters, I like to follow some other educators and people working to advance the education field. I find that these people, who come from diverse backgrounds, all offer different insights into the classroom. They look at the classroom very differently and many are working on different goals they hope to see achieved in the educational realm. I enjoy following these people not only because I learn a lot about new teaching techniques and what is happening in classrooms across the country, but also because it reminds me constantly of all the issues I'm going to face when I teach. People like Melinda D. Anderson (@mdawriter), who tweets about the racial inequalities in education, are voices of real people who have experienced these issues. Melinda Anderson posted an article about the struggles of English language learners in the classroom. The article highlights the issues these students face as teachers and the educational system often tries to assimilate the students, frequently shoving the student's heritage to the side. Valerie Strauss (@valeriestrauss), writer for the Washington Post, is another valuable resource, for a similar reason. She writes strictly on education for the Washington Post and tweets many of her articles, meaning I don't have to go searching for the ones that interest me; their titles will simply pop up in my twitter feed. She recently posted this article about what students really need at school but won't be getting. The article explores the struggles of being a student (especially a high school one) in this day and age and what sacrifices students have to make to stay afloat in school. The article is a potent wake up call that reminds parents and teachers not to over work their children and students.
When it comes to what the professionals have to say, David Warlick weighs in on his ton ten tips for improving your Twitter PLN. His tips suggest ways to keep yourself organized and maximize your learning without consuming all of your time. However what I think his best tip is number six: "Your aggregator can grow temporary limbs. If you are teaching a new unit, find sources that will help you prepare for it and subscribe to them. When you’ve learned what you need, sever the lines." His use of gardening metaphors helps clarify what he means and makes it relateable for any reader. I think this sixth tip is really useful because we sometimes don't want to let go of resources I've found helpful. But, once we no longer need that particular line, there is no need to keep it. We need to keep out PLNs trimmed and focused so that we don't get lost in all of the Twitters we've followed. Catherine Trinkle also writes about some of her best practices for creating a PLN on Twitter. She offers great advice but a reoccurring message of her article is to reach out and connect with others on Twitter. "Twitter is best when it is interactive and collaborative, so when you are asked for a resource or other assistance, reply. Your followers will return, in kind, to your requests for information, and your Twitter experience will be truly collaborative." In the words of Trinkle, Twitter really shines when we use to to actively collaborate instead of just reading the tweets and articles that show up in our feed. That is what makes it one of the best platforms for creating a PLN: it is so easy to make it interactive.
This second half of the semester I've found three people I've followed have been more educational than some of the others. The first person I followed that I felt like really helped me evolve was Jonathan Wylie (@jonathanwylie). HIs frequent posts about different ed tech tools that are being released and updated keeps me constantly posted on different ways I can be using technology in the classroom. Recently he even posted an article on how to make the most out of limited tech in a classroom, which I thought was honestly one of the most useful things he has posted in while. Because not every classroom is going to have a lot of technology access, so knowing how to deal with this is important. The second person I found really informative was Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher). She posts helpful links that help me become a better educator all around. The link selection is well rounded and very informative. Although sometimes I find some of her tweets superfluous, in general I think she was a great choice for a follow because I feel like I've learned a lot. Lastly, I'm really glad I followed Melinda Anderson (@mdawriter). As a middle class, white American, I know that at times I am blind to the struggles of this country's poorer students of color. Her twitter reminds me of many of the struggles they face. Since this is not something I personally face, I think it is important to be reminded that these things happen and that I should always remember this in the classroom, because it will definitely affect my student and their personal life.
Who you follow on Twitter really matters when you are crafting your professional network. Pick twitters that are interesting to you and tweet things of real substance and importance. Keep it strictly business but I think twitter can be a great tool for teachers because it keeps them current. Outdated teaching practices really don't work, so teachers need to strive to keep their methods current and update their lesson plans and courses as the years go by. Twitter can be a great tool to stay on top of the latest news and scope out the best teaching practices. When used properly, Twitter can really help a teacher become even better than they were before.
References:
Trinkle, Catherine. (2009). Twitter as a Professional Learning Community. School Library Monthly, 26. Retrieved from http://web2integration.pbworks.com/f/Twitter+as+a+Professional+Learning+Community.pdf
Warlick, David. (2009). Grow Your Personal Learning Network: New Technologies Can Keep You Connected and Help You Manage Information Overload. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ831435
What I feel like is the most crucial part of my profession learning network is the technological educators. Since twitter is a perfect platform for keeping yourself up to date on the latest information, that makes it even better for technology updates. Technology is constantly evolving, so a fast-paced social media site like twitter will be able to keep me on top of the latest trends, as long as the people I follow are on top of the trends. I follow two technology based blogs (or at least they post a decent amount of technology) and between the two I catch most of the updates I need for different tips and tricks for technology in the classroom. These twitters are Jane Bowser (@jbowser) and Jonathan Wylie (@jonathanwylie). While Jane Bowser follows Jonathan Wylie and often retweets his posts, I find that I like following him myself as well, because I think almost all of his tweets are great. Jane Bowser is a great twitter to follow because she retweets from numerous different sources, some of which I don't always choose to follow because I find a lot of their tweets extraneous. Between the two I feel like I'm constantly up to date on the latest trends to hit the educational scene.
Aside from these twitters, I like to follow some other educators and people working to advance the education field. I find that these people, who come from diverse backgrounds, all offer different insights into the classroom. They look at the classroom very differently and many are working on different goals they hope to see achieved in the educational realm. I enjoy following these people not only because I learn a lot about new teaching techniques and what is happening in classrooms across the country, but also because it reminds me constantly of all the issues I'm going to face when I teach. People like Melinda D. Anderson (@mdawriter), who tweets about the racial inequalities in education, are voices of real people who have experienced these issues. Melinda Anderson posted an article about the struggles of English language learners in the classroom. The article highlights the issues these students face as teachers and the educational system often tries to assimilate the students, frequently shoving the student's heritage to the side. Valerie Strauss (@valeriestrauss), writer for the Washington Post, is another valuable resource, for a similar reason. She writes strictly on education for the Washington Post and tweets many of her articles, meaning I don't have to go searching for the ones that interest me; their titles will simply pop up in my twitter feed. She recently posted this article about what students really need at school but won't be getting. The article explores the struggles of being a student (especially a high school one) in this day and age and what sacrifices students have to make to stay afloat in school. The article is a potent wake up call that reminds parents and teachers not to over work their children and students.When it comes to what the professionals have to say, David Warlick weighs in on his ton ten tips for improving your Twitter PLN. His tips suggest ways to keep yourself organized and maximize your learning without consuming all of your time. However what I think his best tip is number six: "Your aggregator can grow temporary limbs. If you are teaching a new unit, find sources that will help you prepare for it and subscribe to them. When you’ve learned what you need, sever the lines." His use of gardening metaphors helps clarify what he means and makes it relateable for any reader. I think this sixth tip is really useful because we sometimes don't want to let go of resources I've found helpful. But, once we no longer need that particular line, there is no need to keep it. We need to keep out PLNs trimmed and focused so that we don't get lost in all of the Twitters we've followed. Catherine Trinkle also writes about some of her best practices for creating a PLN on Twitter. She offers great advice but a reoccurring message of her article is to reach out and connect with others on Twitter. "Twitter is best when it is interactive and collaborative, so when you are asked for a resource or other assistance, reply. Your followers will return, in kind, to your requests for information, and your Twitter experience will be truly collaborative." In the words of Trinkle, Twitter really shines when we use to to actively collaborate instead of just reading the tweets and articles that show up in our feed. That is what makes it one of the best platforms for creating a PLN: it is so easy to make it interactive.
This second half of the semester I've found three people I've followed have been more educational than some of the others. The first person I followed that I felt like really helped me evolve was Jonathan Wylie (@jonathanwylie). HIs frequent posts about different ed tech tools that are being released and updated keeps me constantly posted on different ways I can be using technology in the classroom. Recently he even posted an article on how to make the most out of limited tech in a classroom, which I thought was honestly one of the most useful things he has posted in while. Because not every classroom is going to have a lot of technology access, so knowing how to deal with this is important. The second person I found really informative was Vicki Davis (@coolcatteacher). She posts helpful links that help me become a better educator all around. The link selection is well rounded and very informative. Although sometimes I find some of her tweets superfluous, in general I think she was a great choice for a follow because I feel like I've learned a lot. Lastly, I'm really glad I followed Melinda Anderson (@mdawriter). As a middle class, white American, I know that at times I am blind to the struggles of this country's poorer students of color. Her twitter reminds me of many of the struggles they face. Since this is not something I personally face, I think it is important to be reminded that these things happen and that I should always remember this in the classroom, because it will definitely affect my student and their personal life.
Who you follow on Twitter really matters when you are crafting your professional network. Pick twitters that are interesting to you and tweet things of real substance and importance. Keep it strictly business but I think twitter can be a great tool for teachers because it keeps them current. Outdated teaching practices really don't work, so teachers need to strive to keep their methods current and update their lesson plans and courses as the years go by. Twitter can be a great tool to stay on top of the latest news and scope out the best teaching practices. When used properly, Twitter can really help a teacher become even better than they were before.
References:
Trinkle, Catherine. (2009). Twitter as a Professional Learning Community. School Library Monthly, 26. Retrieved from http://web2integration.pbworks.com/f/Twitter+as+a+Professional+Learning+Community.pdf
Warlick, David. (2009). Grow Your Personal Learning Network: New Technologies Can Keep You Connected and Help You Manage Information Overload. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ831435
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