Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Power of Twitter as a PLN


The Power of Twitter as a PLN

Presently, I adore Twitter for all the power it holds in the pursuit of advancing educators. However, there was a period of time when such adoration was not present...

I'll be the first to admit it, I’m a twitter convert. When I first heard about using Twitter as an educator I thought, “isn’t that a hyped up Facebook? What is the purpose? I really don’t need to know the continuous stream of thoughts amongst celebrities.”  

This rather narrow thought process of mine continued for several years. I know, quite the blasphemy...

In fact, I continued to fight the Twitter epidemic for nearly two years following such. I kept questioning the entire use of Twitter in what I thought was a world too drowned in social media. Why did I need to make matters worse? Yet, I was not the only one who thought such. I was a member of rather large bandwagon against the use of Twitter. 

I, and my fellow bandwagon goers, couldn’t have been more wrong. I could not have misunderstand more than anyone the significance, and power behind the Twitter epidemic. And for that reason, I hope other misinformed educators will listen, or at least come to understand, that this tool is meant to serve as much more than a portfolio of continuous status updates; it is a community of professionals. 

What educators need to come to understand and reflect upon is their own personal teaching philosophy. If we choose to inspire students to be lifelong learners, then we ourselves must choose to do so as well. The pathway of lifelong learning includes risking, collaborating, and integrating in order to be the educators our students need us to be in the ever evolving world. 

So on that note, with an open mind, consider the power of Twitter...

Why Tweet? 

Not for reasons of voicing a personal stream of thoughts on all matters related to your life. Rather, “tweeting” allows you to become digitally literate by fostering a promotion of learning through the exchange of ideas and resources.

There are hundreds of educators on Twitter including nationally recognized educators, principals, authors, technology directors, educational reform advocates, etc. Truly, the list could go on. Collaboration is no longer “door-to-door,” but rather global. Weekly twitter chats have allowed myself, and other educators to collaborate with one another in as far reaching areas as Australia and Finland.

Tweeting for the Unimaginable Years Ahead

It is your ability to sensor through and connect with the aforementioned educators that will result in your satisfaction with the social media tool. It is a great arena for discussion topics ranging from educational technology, content specific instructional tools, educational reform, new teacher support, and educational leadership discourse. 

Think of it this way. 15 years ago, Google was born. What will another 15 years bring? How will you prevent your practices from becoming obsolete? How will you allow yourself to foster a learning environment for your students rooted in the 21st century, or more so in the unimaginable times that is our present world? 

A school of professionals exchanging ideas will help, but a global exchange of ideas? With like-minded passionated educators? With educators willing to learn? Individuals who are searching for solutions? Individuals forgoing the dreaded “teacher lounge” chats?

Now that has power in it. 

For those of you willing to move a step further in collaboration, consider the power Twitter has for not only you, but the most important individuals in your profession, your students. Resources, support, and ideas from professionals around the world. Truly, consider the power of Twitter as a PLN. 

On that note, please read below for helpful tips as you begin the journey of developing your global PLN.

RMS

Tips and Tricks 

The most important tip to know when beginning the use of Twitter regards to the use of hashtags, symbolized by #. The following site, developed by Dr. Kimberly Tyson, lists the chats common in the educational twitter world http://www.teachthought.com/social-media/cheat-sheet-twitter-for-teachers/. These hashtags will come to serve as the link to the unlimited resources, ideas, and your soon-to-be global PLN.

Twitter has rolled out with “Twitter Lists” making it easy to keep up-to-date on a spectrum of educational topics. This feature allows you to easily organize your followers into “lists” so you can quickly scan for specific news. Ally Kazmucha has written a guide here:  http://m.imore.com/how-use-twitter-lists-keep-news.




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