Module 5 -Journal Entry 2- The Role of Twitter in my PLN

I signed up for a Twitter account in the fall as a result of a different course I was taking. I used it for that time and then became less active once the course was complete.  When I attended PZ I began to recognize a deeper value of Twitter. It is a very quick way to share experiences and on a selfish note, keep track of significant ideas.  It was also an easy way to stay connected with the presenters.

When I returned from PZ I was inspired and motivated to start being active on Twitter once again.

And, once again – similar to my previous experience in the fall – after a week of posting, I stopped. 
At that point, I began to ask some questions:
  • Do I have anything worthwhile sharing?
  • Is it always okay to re-tweet?
  • What are the retweeting norms?
  • Who should I be tagging?
I soon realized I needed to learn more about the role that Twitter can play in a professional learning community.

I began some light research on Twitter as a professional learning community.  I quickly found a lot of resources to support the use of Twitter for connecting with other educators.

Twitter Posts can range from posting:
  • new resources
  • asking and answering questions
  • making observations
  • drawing conclusions
  • sharing exciting news as it happens

Twitter as a Learning Tool for Teachers 


Another very helpful resource for me was the Twitter Glossary

It clarified some simple, but essential parts of Twitter:
 #Hashtag
A hashtag is any word or phrase immediately preceded by the # symbol. When you click or tap on a hashtag, you'll see other Tweets containing the same keyword or topic.

TheComplete Guide to Twitter Etiquette

 Here is some information I took about retweeting:
“Sometimes you'll want to share another user's clever tweet. That's fine. Stealing it is not. Passing off another user's content as your own may not be illegal, but it's still a form of plagiarism and it will net you major bad karma.
There are two ways to retweet. By clicking "Retweet" on a post you can share it, as is, with your followers. If you want to add commentary, manually retweet it. Include "RT," the poster's handle and his original tweet after adding your own insight. You can also use "via," followed by the poster's handle, if you've modified the content of the post, or give a H/T (hat tip) to a user who pointed you in the direction of something interesting.”

 The site How to use Twitter to Grow your PLN has a list of live chats of educational discussions in specific areas, that support teachers.

 After reading and researching, and thanks to the initiatives of this course, I began tweeting again!






Comments

  1. Denise NielsenAugust 8, 2017 at 5:25 AM

    I would have to say that I love Twitter as PLN. I get so many great ideas there and enjoy discussions with colleagues near and far. I find it invaluable. The biggest problem is curating it all so you can find that great idea you saved when you need it.

    There are some fabulous educational chats that happen regularly, both by subject (ie: #teachwriting) and in general (ie: #edchat).

    I've connected with so many fab educators and administrators, although many of the people I follow are also in the book publishing industry where I worked prior to becoming a college professor. I'm going to give you a follow...Hope to see you there!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Corinne MuirAugust 10, 2017 at 12:47 PM

    Thank you so much for this post Erin! I am so scared to go on Twitter yet my school has Twitter and everyone else I know! The article you attached "Twitter as a learning tool for teachers" was a great read for me. I know that I have to eventually dive in and your post has definitely made me step a little closer. Your one questions in particular mirrors mine! Do I actually have anything valuable to say? I think though once I am on Twitter and am reading and keeping up with what others are working on and tweeting about, I will have something to contribute. Thank you again1 Such a valuable post!

    Corinne

    ReplyDelete

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