Teachers Tweeting on Twitter

I was recently speaking with two peers of mine, both student teachers, as we left a seminar together. Jess (@MsSiegelReads) and I were sharing some of the many uses of twitter and how much we were learning and connecting to other educators and our PLNs. We mentioned to the third person, our friend Brittany, that she needed to get on twitter and start using it a lot more.

Brittany explained that she was hesitant to have one. “What if students, or even worse, parents find it?” “That’s.. kind of the point,” we tried to explain to her. Still, Brittany wasn’t sold. She was nervous and afraid of the potential harm that social media can place upon us. I know this is a common feeling among many educators.

Not many think of twitter as a resource, but that’s exactly what it is. It’s an amazing hub for exchanging and sharing information and ideas. I’m constantly clicking on links to blogs, articles and apps to check out and use in my classroom. I would not have found these blogs, articles and apps without twitter.

Twitter chats are also a great way to learn and connect. Chats are usually held weekly at a specific time and using a certain hashtag. Each chat (hashtag) is dedicated to a topic each week that we come together to discuss. In one hour, I have sometimes learned more about a topic than an entire semester at my university. These passionate and inspiring educators are up to date in their field, want to share their wealth of knowledge, and want to learn just as much from everyone else sitting around the virtual table. In #TeachChat, I even won these “Better Choice Chips” because of the answers/tweets I was sending (thanks again, @ReallyGoodStuff!).

I realize that most of my readers are tweeters, bloggers and educational progressives, so perhaps most of you skimmed this week’s blog more than read it. Still, maybe this post needs to be shared with someone who isn’t quite as comfortable; whether it’s an administrator, fellow teacher, peer or mentee. Hopefully it could at least inspire a conversation. I know I’ll be sending the link to my student teacher friend, Brittany. Maybe she’ll find a little more comfort in tweeting.

Did you find my blog through twitter? Did you find my twitter though blogger? Let me know in the comments and then be sure to follow both Jess (@MsSiegelReads) and Brittany (@LetsLearnMoore). ...and of course, if you’re not already following me @CallahansClass!