What I Have Learned from Using Twitter

As skeptical as people are about Twitter, I have found the social networking site to be a valuable resource and my favorite professional learning community. As an educator, Twitter allows me to connect and share with educators all over the world. I have been using Twitter for over a year and now and this is what I have learned.

1. Use a Twitter client to follow tweets. I don't believe you can fully utilize Twitter without the aid of a Twitter client. I suggest Tweetdeck because you can follow tweets, get the TwitScoop of what people are talking about, follow your favorite hashmarks, AND keep up with your Facebook updates all from one place.

2. Figure out how to follow people with your interests. The people you follow are important to your Twitter experience. Try using Twubble, TwitterLocal, and Twellow to find people with the same interests you do. Follow them.

3. Make meaningful posts. This one is super important. Do a Google search for yourself and you will quickly find out why meaningful posts are important. With Google and Twitter joining forces, your Twitter page AND all your updates rise to the top of the search. Employers, friends, and family can read your Tweets without being on Twitter (unless you lock your account which kind of defeats the purpose). Before you tweet, ask yourself...is this meaningful and valuable to others? The fact that you are eating a PB&J or just finished grading 100 essays isn't going to help other teachers.

4. Join a Twitter community. People use hashmarks or keywords in order to make it easy to search posts related to a particular topic. I like hashmark #educhat because each Monday they hold Twitter meetings and share great insights and resources.

5. Read about Twitter. With millions of users, there are plenty of sites out there for you. Spend some time exploring the Twitterverse and use it. Below are some great sites to get you started:

How Twitter Works

Using Twitter in your Classroom

Twouble with Twitter (Hilarious YouTube Video)

ESL Resource for Online Teachers

Today, I was lucky enough to come across a great site with some really useful tools for teachers using Moodle, Blackboard, or have their own website. The Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR) at Michigan State University is a Language Resource Center that has been funded since 1996 by the U.S. Department of Education. After signing up for an account, you will have access to a wealth of great resources, most of which are free.

One resource I was really interested in was the audio dropboxes. These dropboxes allow students to record audio directly from its location and automatically "drops" the audio in the teacher's inbox. My mind immediately started thinking about what a great tool this would be for homework, ESL practice, elementary reading practice, etc. For districts with strict Internet policies, ask your district tech person to set up a space for you on your school server.

Below is an active dropbox. Free free to try it out.