Social media is quickly transforming from a solely recreational outlet to a resource for professional development. Facebook, Instagram and the like are being used for their incredible social power to attract businesses, promote progress, and connect people.
Twitter is one of these social media resources, and arguably the best. The platform, which allows you to express yourself in 140 characters or less, makes it easy to get your point across quickly and efficiently in order to grab a readers attention and get them interested. It's free and easily accessible from any smartphone, tablet, computer or device with the Internet in order to always stay in touch with the world around you.
Joining Twitter is fairly simple—all you need to do is visit the website and create an account! To create an account, you must come up with a Twitter handle. This will be your username and what people will see when they try to contact you through Twitter, so it's important that you choose something reflective of what you intend to so with your Twitter. Because we will be using Twitter as a Professional Learning Network, I would recommend using something mature and marketable.
Once you've logged in, there is some "housekeeping" to do. Like any other form of social media, it is important that your profile communicates who you are, professionally speaking. Uploading a picture, including a short biography, and adding relevant personal information are all ways you can make your Twitter most effective.
When Tweeting, you can use two important tools that increase the visibility of your Tweet. The first is tagging other users by using the "@" sign. For example, if I would like to tag myself in a Tweet, I would write @nicoleafont. This literally "tags" me in the post, notifying me, and making it easy for me to see and retrieve later.
The other tool essential to Twitter is the hashtag, "#." This is one of the best ways to find common ground with other users. Hashtags are typically words that are most relevant to your post or the subject at hand and serve as buzzwords for the rest of the community. When you hashtag something, the hashtag becomes a hyperlink which directs users to every tweet with a common hashtag. Most notably, hashtags are used in popular television shows, advertising campaigns, and the like.
Other tools that Twitter provides are "Favorites" and "Retweet." When you Favorite a Tweet, you essentially save it for yourself to reference later. When you Retweet a Tweet, you repost the Tweet on your own profile and credit the source of origin.
The only way to make your Tweets relevant to the world around you, though, is if other people get to see them. This is where the Professional Learning Network (PLN) comes in. According to Brianna Crowley, a PLN is "a vibrant, ever-changing group of connections to which teachers go to both share and learn. These groups reflect our values, passions, and areas of expertise" (Crowley, 2013). She emphasizes that it is a group of people that an educator can trust and rely on in order to learn and grow as a professional. By following other educational resources and educators on Twitter, you can effectively create a PLN that provides you with support and advice when you need it.
Following someone is, essentially, like "Friending" someone on Facebook. When you Follow someone on Twitter, you get to see both their profile and their Tweets. When building a Professional Learning Network, it is useful and important to follow other related accounts in order to collaborate and exchange ideas.
In order to immerse myself in the world of Twitter and begin to build my own PLN, I created an account of my own at the beginning of the semester. I had a Twitter before this, but I was using it for social purposes and didn't find much value in it, so I deleted it a few years ago. Now, though, I am using it for things relevant to my future. I made sure to include photos of myself which suited a workplace. Eventually, though, I am going to get professional photographs taken of myself to use for professional development.
Right of the bat, I chose to follow accounts pertaining to education. A few of them are Education Nation, edutopia, and Education Week. These filled my newsfeed with articles, photographs, and advice that I really liked. Although I found some really great stuff, I recognize that I have a long way to go and many more accounts to follow. Building a PLN is a process, and although it takes a long time it is definitely worthwhile.
Experts have spent years creating networks for themselves that give them access to other professionals who provide advice, support, ideas, and share their work. This is especially important in the field of education because it is constantly evolving and improving.
Sarah W. Caron, a writer for Education World talked specifically in an article about how to use Twitter to keep up with the constant changes. Most notably, Caron referenced a blog by Shelly S. Terrell which compiled a list of "helpful education-related hashtags" (Caron, 2013).
The following are Terrell's suggested hashtags:
#edchat
#sschat
#kinderchat
#cpchat
#ntchat
#elemchat
#edscape
#tlchat
#subject
#edcampKC
I found these hashtags to be most helpful in developing a PLN because they linked me directly to conversations about education and provided me several useful profiles to follow. They are constantly being used and updated, so if I'm ever looking for new ideas, I can search for them using the hashtags.
The only way to make your Tweets relevant to the world around you, though, is if other people get to see them. This is where the Professional Learning Network (PLN) comes in. According to Brianna Crowley, a PLN is "a vibrant, ever-changing group of connections to which teachers go to both share and learn. These groups reflect our values, passions, and areas of expertise" (Crowley, 2013). She emphasizes that it is a group of people that an educator can trust and rely on in order to learn and grow as a professional. By following other educational resources and educators on Twitter, you can effectively create a PLN that provides you with support and advice when you need it.
Following someone is, essentially, like "Friending" someone on Facebook. When you Follow someone on Twitter, you get to see both their profile and their Tweets. When building a Professional Learning Network, it is useful and important to follow other related accounts in order to collaborate and exchange ideas.
In order to immerse myself in the world of Twitter and begin to build my own PLN, I created an account of my own at the beginning of the semester. I had a Twitter before this, but I was using it for social purposes and didn't find much value in it, so I deleted it a few years ago. Now, though, I am using it for things relevant to my future. I made sure to include photos of myself which suited a workplace. Eventually, though, I am going to get professional photographs taken of myself to use for professional development.
Right of the bat, I chose to follow accounts pertaining to education. A few of them are Education Nation, edutopia, and Education Week. These filled my newsfeed with articles, photographs, and advice that I really liked. Although I found some really great stuff, I recognize that I have a long way to go and many more accounts to follow. Building a PLN is a process, and although it takes a long time it is definitely worthwhile.
Experts have spent years creating networks for themselves that give them access to other professionals who provide advice, support, ideas, and share their work. This is especially important in the field of education because it is constantly evolving and improving.
Sarah W. Caron, a writer for Education World talked specifically in an article about how to use Twitter to keep up with the constant changes. Most notably, Caron referenced a blog by Shelly S. Terrell which compiled a list of "helpful education-related hashtags" (Caron, 2013).
The following are Terrell's suggested hashtags:
#edchat
#sschat
#kinderchat
#cpchat
#ntchat
#elemchat
#edscape
#tlchat
#subject
#edcampKC
I found these hashtags to be most helpful in developing a PLN because they linked me directly to conversations about education and provided me several useful profiles to follow. They are constantly being used and updated, so if I'm ever looking for new ideas, I can search for them using the hashtags.
Overall, I believe that Twitter is such an incredible resource for any profession, but education in particular. Because of the fluidity of education, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the demand of being a teacher. It's important that we rely on each other to alleviate some of this stress. By creating a Professional Learning Network, we can find ideas, connect with other educators, and improve upon our techniques in order to better ourselves for our students.
To check out my Twitter and follow me, click here!
To check out my Twitter and follow me, click here!
Resources
Caron, S. (2013, January 25). Using Twitter for Professional Development. Retrieved April 21, 2015, from http://instructionaltech101.weebly.com/blog/using-twitter-for-professional-development
Crowley, B. (2013, December 31). 3 Steps for Building a Professional Learning Network. Retrieved April 21, 2015, from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/12/31/3-steps-for-building-a-professional-learning.html
[Twitter logo]. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from http://www.clohound.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Twitter-Logo-4.png
[Square Twitter logo]. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130329090125/warframe/images/1/1a/Twitter_logo.png
[PLC diagram]. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from http://theinteractiveclassroom.org/Welcome/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CoP-and-PLCs.png
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