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)
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