I must admit that I was not really a fan of using Twitter until recently. I will admit though that I do utilize Facebook quite a bit. Who doesn't right? Well, I will say that I am using Twitter for a completely different reason as opposed to Facebook. I am finding that Twitter is a great way to professionally grow.
Two Tuesdays ago, I participated in an online conversation through 'tweets' with other people interested in education. Each person who wanted to contribute to the conversation utilized a hashtag #edchat. This way, everyone was able to see each others posts. The particular theme that night was about textbooks verses tech devices such as iPads. It was an interesting conversation to follow to see where people are currently with the issue and what their thoughts are around the idea. What I really like about it is the fact that I am communicating with other people that I might not have followed previously. In addition, I have found people to follow as well as some blogs to follow (see my technology tab on my homepage to learn more).
Twitter has also opened my eyes to quick news facts. I am following CNN and WMUR (a local news channel). Throughout the day, I can learn about what is going on in the world.
Basically, for those of you who are not using Twitter, you should. It is a great, quick way to learning about what is going on in the world, other than knowing that Craig Sheil is sleeping. Just remember, if you are posting a comment, it must be done within 140 characters or less. Also, if you have a link that you think people would be interested in, you might want to use a website called 'TinyURL' so that it can shrink the url to the website. This way the url does not eat up all 140 characters!
Happy Tweeting!
Teachers need to experience twitter in a professional development setting to really appreciate the value or connecting with others.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reflection and for inspiring others to jump in!