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Education Week - Peter DeWitt's Finding Common Ground

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Educators are trending on Twitter. Trending means that more and more of them sign up every day. With access to resources and research, tips and tools, chat sessions and a virtual professional/personal learning network that could compare to the ones we may have in our own school, there are numerous reasons why educators are joining Twitter.

Tweeting is even becoming common language. Presenters, facilitators, tech directors and conference organizers begin their sessions or conferences by providing a Twitter hashtag so they can Storify everything that people Tweet. It sounds exciting and engaging...right?

Well, not for everyone...

There seem to be 4 groups of educators when it comes to Twitter. Those groups are:

Tweeters- Those Twitter users who connect with their PLN every day and create authentic relationships. They Tweet. They re-Tweet AND they engage!

Lurkers - They get on Twitter and read what others are Tweeting. They don't usually re-Tweet because then someone may find them out! However, one a daily basis they are dipping their toes in the water. They just need a little persuading to dive in head first.

Eggheads/ Twitter Wannabe- No, seriously. I'm not being mean. These users have an account but they haven't added a picture yet so it's a picture of an egg. A wannabe is someone who has added a picture but they haven't Tweeted, don't lurk, and when people ask them if they are on Twitter they say yes...and then add..." But I really don't know how to use it." They need an intervention!!! If you Tweet regularly be that person who will help them!

Twitterphobes - These are the people who say they don't need Twitter but have never given it a try so they don't know what they don't know. Or they don't like social media so they refuse to use Twitter because they think it's a fad that is going away.

I do not want any of those categories to sound harsh. I truly believe that most educators would love to activate a Twitter account or use their account more, but they need a helping hand. Maybe a Twitter 101 course!

So in an effort to help move the conversation along, I have included a few blogs from the past that may help get people going. They are:
In the End
Finding a balance is very important. We need to take Stephen Covey's advice and learn to sharpen the saw. Getting on Twitter takes an effort and consistency so educators can get used to the format, but we should always make sure that we use it because we want to and not because we think we have to.

There are great educators on Twitter and I'm not just talking about the ones who write books or have big names. Teachers, leaders, parents and students who make an impact on their school environment are on the social networking giant just looking to engage with you.

Give it a try.

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Educators are trending on Twitter. Trending means that more and more of them sign up every day. With access to resources and research, tips and tools, chat sessions and a virtual professional/personal learning network that could compare to the ones we may have in our own school, there are numerous reasons why educators are joining Twitter.

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I have heard that educators are the #1 users of Twitter. Twitter acts as a PLN (Personal Learning Network) to connect educators together to share ideas, find ideas, provide moral support, make connections, engage in discussions, and to keep current on trends in teaching. Here are some tips to help you build your PLN on Twitter.

1. Do Not Follow Your Friends: Twitter is not about following your friends, it is about making yourself a better educator. Follow people who share, provide resources and are willing to help you when you ask.

2. Be a Rabid Unfollower: Do not be afraid to unfollow someone. If you are frequently seeing irrelevant tweets in your Twitter stream you're going to be less likely to check Twitter often. It is not personal, you are simply customizing your stream.

3. Do Not Read Everything: Twitter is in the moment. When you check Twitter scroll a little, but do not feel you need to "catch up."

4. Multiple Twitter Accounts: If you are into teaching and baseball create a Twitter handle for each. People who follow you follow you for a reason, they probably are not into both of your interests.

5. Bio and a Picture: People will not follow the default egg picture. Post a picture of your face to help connect with your PLN. (Hint: Smile in the picture, even snarky things sound nice when you're smiling.) You are trying to attract educators to your PLN, make sure your description says you're a teacher and other information to attract people with like demographics.

6. Keep it on Topic: Again, people follow you for a reason. The majority of your tweets should be about education.

7. Use a Hashtag: Try to post a hashtag to almost every tweet. A hashtag is a topic. This helps you to connect with others interested in the same topic.

8. Click on a Hashtag: Hashtags are live links in a tweet. Click on a hashtag someone used to see what others are saying on that same topic.

9. Jump In: Twitter is public. People post on Twitter to engage with a public audience. Do not feel you are intruding on someone else's conversation. Reply and retweet.

10. Reply: Replying to a tweet is a great way to engage with and build your PLN. Just remember, if your tweet starts with the @ symbol, it is semi private. The tweet only publishes to the stream of tweeps who follow BOTH of you.

11. Retweet: A retweet republishes the tweet to your followers.

12. Recognize Others: Give others credit and lift others up. This is a great way to build your PLN.

13. Join a Twitter Chat: Twitter chats are a scheduled discussion that takes place on Twitter for one hour. Each chat has a topic for the week, find a discussion that interests you. Check out bit.ly/educhatcalendar to locate a Twitter chat. Click Here for how to participate in a Twitter Chat.

14. Allow Access: Allow others access into your day to day creative. When you share, others will share with you. Tweet pictures of what your students are working on. Take pictures of your classroom walls. Tweet out ideas you have so your PLN can help you develop them.

15. Leave Twitter Open: Leave Twitter open on a tab in your browser all the time. This makes it quick and easy to check your Twitter stream really quick to get an idea.

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I have heard that educators are the #1 users of Twitter. Twitter acts as a PLN (Personal Learning Network) to connect educators together to share ideas, find ideas, provide moral support, make connections, engage in discussions, and to keep current on trends in teaching. Here are some tips to help you build your PLN on ...

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So you've set up a Twitter account and are learning from the tweets that roll across your feed. You're just not sure that's enough. You want to start to get more from the connections you've made on Twitter. Recently Cindy Wallace, who joined Twitter in January, contacted me to ask for ways to reach out to other educators. I loved the question but, since I couldn't answer it in 140 characters, I decided to jump over to this space to tell a little more.

Many people join Twitter, but then walk away. There's only so long a person can just watch tweets roll across the screen. Connecting and getting involved is the secret to making Twitter work for you. Here are a few suggestions for reaching out on Twitter:

Acknowledge: Let people know you find something they shared useful, relevant or helpful by sending a reply or direct message.

Ask Questions: Ask questions about tweets shared by others or start your own conversation.

Join Conversations: If you see an interesting conversation happening on Twitter, just jump into it. That's the great thing about Twitter; people are hoping to engage others. If two people want a conversation to be private they will move the discussion to their direct message box, so feel free to add to the chatter. The more the merrier!

Mention Others: Just asking a question won't always bring feedback, but mentioning others (adding a Twitter name with the @ symbol, i.e. @cathymere) who might be able to speak to a topic is a smart way to get feedback in response to a tweet you send. Questions can roll through the feed without notice, but mentioning someone can assure a response.

Use Hashtags: Include hashtags in your tweets to reach a wider audience. Hashtags will assure groups will see your tweets. Choose a hashtag that will send your tweet to people interested in your topic. Are you tweeting for help with a classroom practice? If you teach first grade use #1stchat. Are you talking about books? Try adding #nerdybookclub or #titletalk. (Here are some educational hashtags shared by @cybraryman.)

Retweet: On occasion, retweet tweets you find helpful or from people with whom you're trying to connect.

Join Chats: Chats often happen weekly or monthly around topics of interest in education. Find a chat that fits your needs, and join the conversation. You'll form many connections by participating in these events.

Visit blogs: Stop by the virtual blog spaces of those you follow and leave comments. This will not only allow you to join the conversation, but grow connections for more conversations.

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So you've set up a Twitter account and are learning from the tweets that roll across your feed. You're just not sure that's enough. You want to start to get more from the connections you've made on Twitter. Recently Cindy Wallace, who joined Twitter in January, contacted me to ask for ways to reach out to other educators.

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https://padlet.com/hmprune1/6rys4j2t6iqs

(Heather's Padlet)

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Janet Boyle Cavagnaro

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You can personalize your Twitter feed to follow the people and places in which you are most interested. Here are some professionals we like to follow on Twitter: Long Island Writing Project Educators @liwpwriters1 (LIWP account) @DarshnaKatwala @Teachpeace19 (Heidi Atlas) @MrsSokolowski @alessi_…

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Tweets by MrsSokolowski

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Lidia Horyn & Carolyn O'Gorman
Farmingdale Schools

Using Twitter
in School

Carolyn O'Gorman
cogorman@fpsmail.k12.ny.us
Twitter: @AAELibrary

Lidia Horyn
lhoryn@fpsmail.k12.ny.us
Twitter: @wwplib

or this?

When you think of Twitter
do you think of this?

tech tools

lesson plans

Professional development

promotion

connections

collaboration

conversations

new ideas

current information

a powerful personal learning
network

What you had for breakfast

Twitter is...

Eric Sheninger
Principal New Milford HS

Link to your web site

Handle

Name

Background Image

Bio

Avatar

Create Your Twitter Identity

Bio: 160 characters-tell something about yourself!

Remember to keep it short-save characters!

Choose a username:
Your Real Name: @DrBillBrennan
Your organization: @wwplib @AAELibrary
Something fun: @wimpykid @coolcatteacher

Don't be an egg head!

Tweet: 140 character message on Twitter

Follow: sign up to get another user's tweets

Mention (@): reference to another Twitter user (put any character before @ to go to all)

Hashtag (#): a way to tag a topic of conversation

RT (Retweet): forward another user's tweets to all your followers

Twitter Lingo

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Lidia Horyn & Carolyn O'Gorman Farmingdale

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Lidia Horyn & Carolyn O'GormanFarmingdale Schools Using Twitter in School Carolyn O'Gormancogorman@fpsmail.k12.ny.usTwitter: @AAELibrary Lidia Horyn lhoryn@fpsmail.k12.ny.usTwitter: @wwplib or this? When you think of Twitterdo you think of this? tech tools lesson plans Professional development promotion connections collaboration conversations new ideas current information a powerful personal learning network What you had for breakfast Twitter is...

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How I Hacked My PD: The Power of Twitter as a 24/7 Learning Tool 

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How I Hacked My PD: The Power of Twitter as a 24/7 Learning Tool 

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Have you ever wanted to be in two places at the same time? Do you often feel as if you're being pulled in twenty different directions? In my roles as District Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ELA teacher, and father of four I frequently feel this way. Saturday was a good example of this as there were two education conferences in the NY Metropolitan area that I really wanted to attend, but family responsibilities prevented me from going to either of them. However, Twitter made it possible for me to "be" in three places at once!
Long Island Connected Educators Summit 2015 (#CELI15) Teachers' College Reading and Writing Project 88th Reunion (#TCRWP) Learning NEVER Stops on Twitter
The awesome power of Twitter allowed me to participate in both conferences simultaneously while at my son's snowy LAX practice. As I sat in my car, I "rode" or followed both hashtags simultaneously using TweetDeck. I was immersed in learning: gathering lesson ideas for my ELA classes, favoriting new EdTech apps for my students and teachers to try and interacting with the participants in both conferences. This was pure bliss for an education technology geek like myself. It's a prime example of Personalized PD and it's absolutely FREE!
Six Take-Aways From My Personalized PD Session on Twitter:

1. Six Signposts Prezi Presentation: Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading is an excellent book co-written by one of the keynote speakers at the TCRWP reunion. I'm somewhat familiar with the book, but the golden nugget I found yesterday was discovered via the #NoticeandNote hashtag. Jamison Renfro had shared a truly awesome Prezi of the six signposts that authors of fiction use to alert you to important information. This outstanding presentation includes video link examples for each signpost. It is one of the coolest Prezi's I've seen. You can view it and save a copy of it here: Six Signposts Prezi

2. Sneak Preview of the Six Nonfiction Signposts: Kylene Beers gave attendees a preview of her brand new Nonfiction Signposts and Allison Wasserman tweeted it out.

3. ParentCamp & Voxer: Amy Nardone shared her team's entire presentation on google slides. Now the world can view this awesome presentation on maximizing Family-School partnerships! ParentCamp & Voxer Presentation

4. Teaching Figurative Language With "What Does the Fox Say?" Paul McNeil shared this excellent video that I will use to review different types of figurative language in class tomorrow.

5. Scratch: If you'd like to change the face of education, implement Scratch Julian Aptowitz shared this amazing website that allows students to create and share stories, games and animations while learning to code. You can check it out here: Scratch

6. SLIME: Students of Long Island Maker Expo: WWP Library in Farmingdale, NY shared this flyer for an amazing expo celebrating the creativity and innovation of Long island students in grades K-12. Click the image to get your free tickets to this event.

This is just a little taste of what I learned in one afternoon of riding hashtags. The awesome power of self-directed, personalized PD on Twitter is simply remarkable. I've learned more in a few months on Twitter than in years of traditional professional development. I strongly suggest you choose a hashtag or two and RIDE!!
For Further Reading How to Become a Better Educator How and Why Educators Use Twitter: A Survey of the Field Engagement Through Microblogging: Educator Professional Development via Twitter

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How I Hacked My PD: The Power of Twitter As a 24/7 Learning Tool

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Have you ever wanted to be in two places at the same time? Do you often feel as if you're being pulled in twenty different directions? In my roles as District Coordinator of Instructional Technology, ELA teacher, and father of four I frequently feel this way.

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The Transformative Power of Twitter: LIWP presentation 

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The Transformative Power of Twitter: LIWP presentation 

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The Transformative Power of Twitter - LIWP - Blue

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The Transformative Power of Twitter Darshna Katwala Kathleen Sokolowski April 25, 2015

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Why would any teacher want to be on Twitter?

It is the kids' turf. It's their space for wardrobe selfies, social angst, sports action shots, and Mean Girls quotes. So, what good could come from teachers invading the land of vanity and self absorption? What good could possibly come from communicating in 140 characters at a time?

A lot, actually.

Growing

Twitter is a powerful social media tool for community. If you take the time to reflect and listen, with humility, to what other teachers have to say on Twitter, you will be amazed by what you can learn. There was a time when teachers' professional growth was limited to interactions with people in their own buildings or to state and national conferences. Now, we are in a brave new world where you can learn from those that teach the same content, fight the same battles, and search for similar answers. No longer are you limited to your district, now your learning community is the world.

What's the most effective way to use Twitter? Should you follow teachers? Should you follow professional groups? You could, but chats are where it's at.

What's a chat?

It is a one hour conversation around a common hashtag (#). A host selects a topic, posts questions, and allows participants to reflect on their teaching while learning from each other. Want to learn from other educators in New York? Join #nyedchat on Monday night at 8:30 ET. Need tips on how to improve as an instructional coach? #educoach meets at 10pm ET on Wednesdays. AP Human Geography? Yep, there's a chat for it too. It is one of the 46 educational chats that meet on Thursdays.

Think of Twitter chats like a mega-mart, there is something for everyone there. Whatever your needs or interests, Twitter has a chat for it. Search the master list of Twitter chats, and find what's right for you.

Sharing

Sharing ideas on Twitter allows teachers to exist beyond the four walls of the classroom. Giving from that deeper place, where you seek to benefit a larger community beyond your classroom, is a wonderfully powerful experience.

It is a mutually beneficial process. In my two years on Twitter I have helped teachers reflect on their practice and they in turn, have enabled my own growth. It widens the horizon. In seeing other approaches, you have a greater view of what is possible.

Because of Twitter I have learned of the usefulness of Socrative to practice multiple choice questions. I picked up the unforgettable acronymy P.E.E. for body paragraphs (make a Point, give Evidence for that point, and E xplain why the point and evidence are relevant to the topic). And, I have chatted with novelists about their writing process, which I, in turn, have taken back to my students. Twitter makes it possible to pay it forward.

Uniting

Mr. Rogers once said, "When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone."

I have met some incredible teachers on Twitter. What's the common element? It is not subject or grade level. It is certainly not region. It is that each arrives on with a sense of humility, acknowledging the difficulty and complexity of teaching, yet wanting to improve. They come so that, after the hour, they are a bit wiser, a bit more aware, and a bit more connected to other teachers.

So, we talk.

After spending all day talking to kids - instructing, coaching, assigning, clarifying, repeating, and a whole lot more - why would a teacher want to talk some more? We need this talk. We need this professional dialogue. We make time to talk to adults because we want to be united with other teachers that share the same joys, feel the same frustrations, and have that same sense of humility. By talking, not only is our own existence validated, we do it for others as well. And that's when a the roots of belonging grow deepest.

Healing

Teachers have been cut to the core in the modern era of testing and accountability. They have been demoralized by scripted lessons, humiliated by cheating scandals, and demonized by some politicians. For many, these wounds have yet to heal. In many parts of the country it is a dark time to be a teacher. Enrollment is down in teacher-preparation programs. New teachers are leaving the profession in droves. Twitter soothes the pain of these injuries. It transforms hurt into hope.

What's your favorite Twitter chat? Please share in the comments below.

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Why Twitter Matters: 4 Reasons for Teachers

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Why would any teacher want to be on Twitter? It is the kids' turf. It's their space for wardrobe selfies, social angst, sports action shots, and Mean Girls quotes. So, what good could come from teachers invading the land of vanity and self absorption?

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Top Reasons Why Teachers and Educators Should Use Twitter 

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Top Reasons Why Teachers and Educators Should Use Twitter 

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Twitter- a great way to connect and follow as many personalities as one may want to. Apart from the youth Twitter interests all age groups. Teachers can be an interesting tool to deal with. Apart from why Twitter interests them there are various reasons

so as to why they might be using it. Top reasons why Twitter is so popular or sought after among the teachers and educators can be witnessed below.

Firstly focusing on personal interest gives us the following reasons why Twitter is such a hit among them

Teachers can follow leading educationalists and professors to gather information about teaching techniques.

It will enable them to stay updated about on goings of the world and developments in their field and elsewhere.

Study material can be availed by following eminent personalities.

Self-learning and education can be done for improving the quality of teaching.

Secondly it is a great help for planning and propagating

Collaborating with other teachers , parents, students. If one finds similar interests with other academic, Twitter can be used to work together on research ideas, classroom solutions, and other topics.

Twitter can be used to review lessons and remind students what is going to be covered in class that day or the next. Teachers say tweeting a few quick review questions and some good Web sites add depth to their lessons. In turn, students can tweet their own questions and observations.

Collaborating with other classrooms in the same school, district, or another country. Why work alone when you can connect with other college classrooms? That's just what many college classes are doing these days.

Sharing some of your lesson plans. Educators and academics can come together to share and collaborate on lesson plans quite easily using Twitter

One can create their own classroom hash tag. One way to keep classroom tweets organized is by having a shared hash tag that all students use. (Visit this List of Twitter Hashtags in Education)

Lastly teachers can help their students benefit a lot by using Twitter

Twitter is a great way to keep your students thinking after class. A quick provocative question about a social studies lesson, for example, that will keep their brains active

Twitter helps students crystallize thoughts, focus attention, and make connections that weren't possible a few years ago.

Teachers can help their students to connect to a wider audience by linking students of other countries. Employing Twitter to facilitate discussion and collaboration between students in their classrooms and their counterparts in different countries can be beneficial in several ways. (You may want to refer our article on Twitter Uses in Elementary classroom. )

Teachers can share their experiences with students in a more friendly way of teaching and learning.

Host reading discussions. Holding a reading discussion over Twitter gives everyone a chance to chime in, even shy students who might not otherwise speak up.

Without sharing phone numbers teachers can Tweet links to additional reading material, announcements and reminders.

Twitter allows for personalization of learning according to the student's ability and interest.

Teachers can quickly provide students with multimedia source links (YouTube, Pinterest) through tweets.

Teachers can help students in exploring their knowledge. Twitter helps students improve their research skills.

Therefore Twitter can be a teacher's new best friend which would help at all times during one's career be it personal enhancement or professional.

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Top Reasons Why Teachers and Educators Use Twitter

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Twitter- a great way to connect and follow as many personalities as one may want to. Apart from the youth Twitter interests all age groups. Teachers can be an interesting tool to deal with. Apart from why Twitter interests them there are various reasons so as to why they might be using it.

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Made for a challenge -"Tell us about twitter in 60 seconds" I made EVERY effort to properly credit the CC licensed photos I used.

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60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom 

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60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom 

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via Online Universities
Social media offers some great opportunities for learning in the classroom, bringing together the ability to collaborate, access worldwide resources, and find new and interesting ways to communicate in one easily accessible place. Teachers around the world have found innovative ways to use Twitter as a teaching tool, and we've shared many of these great ideas here with you. Read on, and we'll explore 60 inspiring ways that teachers and students can put Twitter to work in the classroom.

Communication

Twitter makes staying in touch and sharing announcements super simple and even fun. These ideas offer a great way to put the tool to good use.

1. Twitter as a bulletin board: Jim Newman at Northern Illinois University uses Twitter as a bulletin board for his class, letting students know about last minute news like canceled classes.

2. Ambient office hours: With Twitter, Howard Rheingold at Berkeley uses Twitter for group contact, which he calls "student-to-teacher-to-student ambient office hours."

3. Keep students in the loop: Using hashtags on Twitter, students who were not able to make it to class can follow along and stay on top of the conversation.

4. Assignment coordination: Instead of emailing each other or waiting to meet in class, students can collaborate on projects and keep track of changes by using a Twitter hashtag.

5. Silencing blurters: For students who have trouble with disruptive blurting, allow them to instantly tweet their blurts silently instead of out loud.

6. Student engagement in large lectures: In large lecture classes where student participation can be intimidating and logistically problematic, Twitter can make it easy for students to engage and discuss during class time.

7. Parent communication: Parents can sign up to receive tweets from teachers, learning about activities, tests, projects, and more.

8. Instant feedback: Twitter makes it easy to get instant approval and disapproval of discussions, issues, and more right in the classroom.

9. Attendance reminders: For students who have trouble making it to class on time, send reminders before school to get them in the door earlier.

10. Digital faculty lounge: At Kent State University, college of education teacher William Kist uses Twitter as a "digital faculty lounge" for networking with other professors.

11. Stay on top of the learning process: Ask students to tweet and reply about what they're learning, difficulties they've faced, tips, resources, and more as an online logbook.

12. Classroom notepad: Using a Twitter hashtag, it's easy to organize inspiration, reading, ideas, and more for the classroom to share.

13. Completed assignments: Students can let teachers know when they've finished their work by alerting them on Twitter.

14. Teaching bite-sized info: Share medical terminology, Shakespeare quotes, kindergarten activities, and more on Twitter.

15. Twitter pop quiz: Send out quick quizzes on Twitter, and have them count for bonus points in the classroom.

Organization

Twitter's hashtags and other tools share a great way to organize information for your classroom.

1. Twitter recaps: At the end of the day, teachers can summarize what has been learned in the classroom, encouraging reflection and discussion between students.

2. Classroom connections: Classrooms around the world can collaborate using Twitter as a communication tool.

3. Collating classroom views: Students can share their opinions on issues or any open questions, and they can be organized using Twitter.

4. Corraling comments in class: Monica Rankin at the University of Texas at Dallas uses weekly hashtags to organize comments, questions and feedback that students have used in class, while also projecting live tweets in class for discussion.

Resources

Use these ideas to take advantage of the vast resources that Twitter has to offer.

1. Finding great resources: Teachers can ask for recommended books, teaching tools, and ideas for lessons, crowdsourcing resources for the classroom.

2. Following historical figures: There are many Twitter accounts set up that share the lives and personalities of historical figures, and students can follow them for fun and learning.

3. Building a brand: Long after school is over, a personal brand will live on for students. Using Twitter in the classroom to build a brand is a valuable exercise for students.

4. Partner with local organizations: Discuss cultural and educational events in the area on Twitter.

5. Talk to career experts: High school students exploring their career options can talk to professions in the paths they're considering on Twitter.

6. Conversations are a public study tool: Long after the conversation in class is over, students can look back on the lecture discussion to find important points when it's time to take exams or write essays.

7. Source evaluation: Students can share resources and discuss whether it's a good or bad source of information, encouraging comments.

8. Foreign language news stream: Students in a foreign language class can build their reading skills and stay on top of the news with a foreign language news stream.

9. Gather real-world data: The classroom can ask Twitter for data from their network, like temperatures, opinions, locations, and interesting facts.

10. Following the government: Often, local and national political figures have Twitter feeds, and students in the classroom can track their progress.

11. Ask for help or advice: Using Twitter, teachers can find out if anyone has advice about teaching issues, like when certificates expire or how to handle classroom management.

12. Communicating with experts: Find authors, scientists, or historians on Twitter and get connected; a great resource for the classroom.

Writing Skills

These are just a few of the great opportunities that Twitter offers for building reading and writing skills.

1. Vocabulary building: Students can tweet sentences using a particular word to build vocabulary learning.

2. Twitter can improve writing and punctuation: As long as students are held accountable for their grammar, using Twitter offers a great opportunity for improving writing and punctuation.

3. Daily word games: Ask students to unscramble anagrams, contribute synonyms, or give vocabulary definitions on Twitter.

4. Grammar review: Students can tweet past tense, run on sentences, compound sentences, and more.

5. An exercise in learning to be concise: At the College of the Holy Cross, assistant professor Daniel Klinghard uses Twitter to teach students to be concise, summarizing major political texts without going over Twitter-imposed character limits.

Twitter Exercises

From scavenger hunts to Twitter stories, these exercises offer great ways to use Twitter as a teaching tool.

1. Inspirational quotes of the day: Allow students to become more familiar with Twitter, and exercise reading and writing skills by having a student post an inspirational quote tweet each day, preferably relating to course content.

2. Conversations can continue outside of class: When students participate in Twitter discussions in class, there's a great opportunity for conversations to continue to develop even after the lecture is over.

3. School trip tracking: Whether it's a field trip or a long journey, students can log and track their progress on a school trip using Twitter.

4. Bringing characters to life: At California State University-San Marcos, students in a literature course use Twitter to bring Twilight characters to life, choosing characters from the series to personify on Twitter.

5. Class newspaper: The entire class can come together to create a newspaper, contributing to sections using hashtags.

6. Conference following: Students can follow professionals and industry conferences to see what's going on in that particular realm.

7. Bonus assignments: Give students optional bonus work to do at home, assigned via Twitter.

8. Meme tracking: Students can study communication and sociology through the tracking of ideas and ads that spread through Twitter.

9. Reading assignment summaries: Students can build 140-character summaries based on reading assignments, forcing a focus on quality.

10. Link sharing: With Twitter, students can share websites with class, making relevant link finding and sharing a classroom assignment.

11. Trend mapping: Using Twittermap, students can track what people are talking about where.

12. Researching locations: The class can send out a tweet, asking people to give them their location, and then research that particular location.

13. Twitter puzzles: Tweet a puzzle each week, giving a prize to the first student who shares the correct answer.

14. Language learning: Teachers can send foreign language students tweets in a different language, and have students continue the conversation in the same language.

15. Twitter poetry: Create a collaborative poem where each student contributes one line.

16. Twitter book club: Within the classroom, willing participants can engage in a Twitter book club for extra credit.

17. Word tracking: Using Twitter, students can track a word, staying on top of any posts that contain a particular word, like a movie title or store name.

18. A Twitter story: Students can take turns tweeting stories together, using a hashtag to keep it all together as each student takes a turn to tweet the next line.

19. Sharing microreviews: Using Twitter, students can write a short review of movies, books, and music that they've enjoyed (or not).

20. Twitter haiku: Using Twitter, students can share short poems to express how they feel about a subject.

21. Twitter art show: Students can curate their own art shows, using Twitter to share what they think belongs in a particular exhibit.

22. Collaborative event watching: Students can "watch" presidential debates, political speeches, and other important events together outside of class time, and then continue the discussion back at school.

23. Current events: By Twitter stalking, students can stay on top of current events through users, such as @BarackObama during the presidential elections.

24. Find foreign pen pals: Students can use Twitter to communicate with students in a different country, learning about their hobbies, home, school, and more.

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60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom

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via Online Universities Social media offers some great opportunities for learning in the classroom, bringing together the ability to collaborate, access worldwide resources, and find new and interesting ways to communicate in one easily accessible place. Teachers around the world have found innovative ways to use Twitter as a teaching tool, and we've shared many of these ...

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Update: This post was updated November 2013 to reflect current statistics and tools.
Do you have a parent, friend or colleague ready to ditch his or her digital training wheels and head into Twitter's open wilderness? These pointers should get them started. And even Twitter experts might benefit from a quick refresher on the platform's valuable tools.

First, the basics: What is Twitter all about?

It's a platform wherein users share their thoughts, news, information and jokes in 140 characters of text or less. Twitter makes global communication cheap and measurable. Profiles are (usually) public - anyone in the world can see what you write, unless you elect to make your profile private. Users "follow" each other in order to keep tabs on and converse with specific people.

On Twitter, following someone is not necessarily an admission of friendship, but nonetheless affords interaction and conversation - at least in short bursts.

The first step is to understand and master the vernacular. There are certain words and jargon native to Twitter that you may already have heard in passing. These terms and their abbreviations (in parentheses) are essential for understanding the network.

Tweet: A 140-character message.

Retweet (RT): Re-sharing or giving credit to someone else's tweet.

Feed: The stream of tweets you see on your homepage. It's comprised of updates from users you follow.

Handle: Your username.

Mention (@): A way to reference another user by his username in a tweet (e.g. @mashable). Users are notified when @mentioned. It's a way to conduct discussions with other users in a public realm.

Direct Message (DM): A private, 140-character message between two people. You can decide whether to accept a Direct Message from any Twitter user, or only from users you are following.
You may only DM a user who follows you.

Hashtag (#): A way to denote a topic of conversation or participate in a larger linked discussion (e.g. #AmericanIdol, #Obama). A hashtag is a discovery tool that allows others to find your tweets, based on topics. You can also click on a hashtag to see all the tweets that mention it in real time - even from people you don't follow.

Twitter has a great online glossary that you can refer back to, should you get mired in a vocab morass.

Read on for the Twitter basics, but remember that Twitter is an experience. The more you use it, the more enjoyable and resourceful it will become. We hope you stick with it, as it can pay dividends in great conversation and personal connections with people around the world.

1. Signing Up

In order to engage in conversation, you must introduce yourself. By creating a handle (see glossary above) you can quickly describe who you are. A handle is essentially your address or calling card, and is how people will interact with you and include you in conversation.

Your profile pic, header image and bio should also reflect who you are. Unless you're planning to create a satire or spoof account, you should use your actual picture and real name, so people feel more comfortable interacting with you.

Check out a few more hilarious Twitter parody accounts here:

2. Following and Followers

We once heard Twitter described as a crowded banquet hall. Picture people milling about, having conversations - some are snacking on delectable treats, some are staring at the ceiling. It's a lot to take in all at once, but if you hone in on a few people that seem interesting and start a genuine conversation, you might encounter a new and interesting network of contacts. Before you know it, you'll have a nice little group of people with common interests.

Once you've squared away your username, photo and bio, you need to seek out people to follow. You can find them in a few different ways.

Our advice is to follow your friends and people you know, at first. When you open your account, Twitter's algorithm doesn't know you very well, and thus, cannot logically suggest people for you to follow, just yet. (However, the company is trying to improve its suggestions feature.) It merely suggests random celebrities and other folks with thousands of followers. Therefore, following people you know will make your initial foray more worthwhile.

You may also want to explore people your friends are following to naturally increase your Twitter perspective.

Once you get rolling, Twitter will give you better follow suggestions, based on the industries/fields associated with your interests. With time, you'll become adept at discerning who is worth following and who is not. There's no set strategy for this - it's completely up to you and your own personal tastes. If someone follows you, there's no requirement to follow them. If someone is tweeting too much and clogging your feed, feel free to unfollow him immediately.

Based on your interests and profession, you might find some of these Twitter users interesting:

3. Entering the Fray

Now that you've been observing the updates and musings of those you follow, it's time to join the conversation. You could try to send a 140-character observation into the ether and hope someone sees it, but there's a better way to engage with people around your interests.

The next time you see a particularly fascinating tweet, click "reply" and add your two cents. Interacting with ordinary people is a great way to get the hang of the "@mention" (just use the "@" sign before that person's handle). Clicking "expand" or "view conversation" on a tweet will display all the responses that message received, including tweets from people you aren't following. You can see when someone follows or @mentions you in the @Connect tab at the top of the page.

You might also notice a vertical blue line connecting some tweets. When two or more users you follow are involved in a conversation, Twitter automatically groups those messages together on your timeline, displayed chronologically from when the most recent tweet was sent. Up to three messages in the conversation will appear on your timeline, connected by the vertical line. If there are more than three messages in the conversation, click on any one to view the entire conversation.

Once you feel comfortable with these tools, it's time to start interacting with more influential Twitter users. Twitter gives you the power to directly connect with government officials, celebrities and cultural movers and shakers. By @mentioning specific people, the odds that they see your conversation increase drastically. Who knows? They might even respond or retweet to their own personal audiences.

4. Direct Communication

Another way to communicate with Twitter is through direct messaging (DM). The messages are private, between you and the receiver, but keep in mind what you say could still be leaked - so make sure whatever you send is something you'd feel comfortable having publicly posted.

Since the network's debut, it was believed that a user had to be following you before you could send them a direct message. However, it was discovered in October 2013 that a feature in settings allowed users to choose whether they wanted to be able to receive messages from their followers, even if they didn't follow them back.

To enable the feature, go to settings and look under the "Accounts" section, where you should see a check box marked "Receive direct messages from any follower." At time of writing, the feature wasn't available for everyone. We'll update as more information becomes available.

5. Retweeting

Retweeting is a common way to share something interesting from someone you follow to your own set of followers. Pertinent information tends to spread virally via retweets. It's important to remember that a retweet should be thought of as quoting someone or citing a source.

There are a couple of ways to retweet someone (see image below). You may choose to simply hit the retweet button that appears when you hover your mouse over someone else's tweet. When you click this button, the tweet will be sent to your set of followers, using the original tweeter's profile pic alongside a note that you have retweeted the post. Additionally, a small green icon will appear in the top-right corner of the tweet. This is illustrated in the top example of the picture below.

Another way of retweeting arose from the Twitter community itself. This way is a ever-so-slightly more labor intensive, but gives you the opportunity to comment on a tweet before you retweet it. Simply click to expand the tweet, copy and paste its text, and then create a new tweet by clicking the compose icon in the top-right of your profile page. Be sure to include the letters "RT" and the handle of the person who originally tweeted the information. (This is illustrated in the lower example in the picture below.) Notice that the tweet now appears in your timeline, with your profile pic and your comment before the original tweet.

Again, these are two ways to perform essentially the same action. It's up to you to determine when it's appropriate to include a comment in your RT.

6. Hashtags

Hashtags label and indicate the subject matter of certain conversations taking place on Twitter. The hashtag is represented by the number sign "#." Putting one of these little symbols in front of a word or phrase indicates a subject you think is worth talking about. The words you use after the hashtag become searchable because Twitter tracks them. That is to say, if you click on a particular hashtag, you'll be able to see all tweets that have also used that hashtag. It's a grouping mechanism that allows you to get the general public's sense about a specific topic or issue.

This is a very convenient way to drop in on subjects as broad as #OrganicFood or as focused as #BehindTheLaunch. Feel free to create your own subjects - just make sure you don't use any spaces between words in a hashtag. The #Discover tab at the top of the page will display content and hashtags that might interest you, based on your own tweets.

For more examples of Twitter hashtag trends and practices, see these resources:

7. Mobile Apps

Twitter is all about what's happening now. And let's face it: Not a ton of interesting things happen at your desk. That's why it's important to keep up with Twitter while you're on the go. Maybe you'll snap an excellent photo with your smartphone. Maybe a brilliant tweet will pop into your head while you're at the supermarket.

Twitter is available on both iOS and Android devices.

We suggest using the official Twitter app first. When you're ready to try some advanced functionality, there are some great third-party apps. Check out our recommendations for Twitter iPhone apps.

When you're ready to move beyond the mobile basics, check out these additional third-party Twitter apps:

8. Crafting Your Voice

Now that you're up and running, focus on being yourself and crafting your online beat. When you start to situate yourself as an expert in a specific subject area (for example, in comedy or politics), you'll notice that people will begin to follow you for advice and expertise. You may not know who they are, but that's perfectly acceptable. Twitter isn't about following people you already know; it's about engaging interesting people from all over the world.

As you start building your "brand" on Twitter, think about why people are following or talking to you. Are you an expert in a particular industry? Are you opinionated? Funny? Do you share great news articles or interesting photos?

The bottom line: Be authentic and true to your values and you'll quickly become a valuable member of the Twitter community.

9. IPO Filing

In October 2013, the company filed an S-1 form with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise $1 billion in public offering. Read it below:

On November 6, 2013, Twitter set its final IPO price at $26 a share - meaning it would actually raise around $1.8 billion and be valued at around $18 billion. Facebook, by comparison, went public at $38 a share and raised $16 billion from its public offering.

We just priced our IPO. pic.twitter.com/NWXaO4Myq0

- Twitter (@twitter) November 6, 2013

10. Changes to Photos and Videos

Twitter also announced in October 2013 that all photos and videos in tweets would begin, by default, appearing in full - making its appearance more like that of Facebook. (Up until this point, photos and videos, such as Vine videos, had appeared as links which users could expand by clicking.)

Reception across the board was mixed. Some users argued it was a positive feature that meant less clicking and easier scrolling; those who opposed said it opened up the door for seeing photos and videos they might not necessarily want to see (think: NSFW content.)

Although it's a default function, it's still possible to disable it. For mobile devices, simply open the settings in the app and deselect the "Image Previews" tab. There's not yet a concrete way to disable the function on desktops, but if it's inappropriate content you're worried of coming across, open the settings tab on Twitter.com and choose to be alerted whenever "Sensitive" media pops into your feed. It's a heads-up, if anything:

Image: Flickr, Garret Heath

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Update: This post was updated November 2013 to reflect current statistics and tools. Do you have a parent, friend or colleague ready to ditch his or her digital training wheels and head into Twitter's open wilderness? These pointers should get them started. And even Twitter experts might benefit from a quick refresher on the platform's valuable tools.

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The Twitter Dictionary aka Twittonary provides explanations of various Twitter related words. You can search the entire Twitter Dictionary or by single word using their letter of the alphabet in the list below:

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There is a bazillion articles and videos, trying to explain what Twitter is all about. There is also a ton of surveys, most noticeable a recent one telling you that only 10% of all Twitter users actually post tweets on their own. But here is the thing... They are all giving people the wrong ideas!

Twitter has changed tremendously since it was first invented. At first it was merely a place where you could tell people "what you are doing", like when you told people that you were "sitting at Starbucks having coffee". But that is not what Twitter is about anymore.

Twitter is not a traditional social network. Twitter is not a community. Twitter is not a place where everyone has to say something. Twitter is not anything like Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace. It's not even close.
So what the heck is Twitter?
Well, Twitter is...

a place where you can follow interesting people

You can follow business leaders, trendsetters, people who invent stuff, or create things. People with brilliant ideas. People with a passion. Famous people like Lance Armstrong. Astronauts in space. ...or just some of your friends.

You follow what they think, what they do, what they find, what they like you to see, and how life is working out for them.

It is a place where you can follow companies or communities

You can follow companies you care about, follow how things are going while something is made. You can follow what groups are trying to accomplish, taking part in the journey towards their goals.

You can tap into the collective conscious of the world

You can see what people think about the election in Iran. Get live reactions from any sporting event. What they think about the new iPhone, or you can see if you are the only one having problems with a new product.

You can literally get instant feedback about anything, anywhere - from real people like you and me.

BTW: This is the single most important reason why companies should use Twitter

So, Twitter is is not anything like Facebook. It is not a place where you setup your social profile, and then become friends with people you knew in high school.

Twitter is really a social news channel, where you can get news from anyone - big or small. Unfiltered, directly from the source, and in real-time.

And you get to decide who is important to you. You get to decide who you want to be influenced by. You don't follow people who only talks about when they are having coffee, or whose main activity is to see what kind of fish they are.

That is why, on Twitter, only 10% produce tweets, and 90% listen. Because this is not a social gathering, where everyone is talking. It is a place where you come to listen, contribute and connect to people that matters to you.

But this is only half the story. Twitter is a social news channel. That means that you are a part of the experience. In fact, you (and people like you) are the ones who make it all work.

This means that...

You can be the interesting person that other people follow

If you are passionate about something, if you have something interesting to say, or if you are doing something special, then you can be the one that other people follow. You can be the person that other people care about, and want to connect to. You can be the leader.

It doesn't matter if it is a small personal project, that is only relevant to a few enthusiasts, or a big idea that you are trying to explain to the world.

Twitter is not a celebrity contest. It doesn't matter how many people who follow you. What matters is, that you do something that other people might be interesting in knowing.

You can also take part in the experience

Twitter is an active real-time media. Which means that it is not about something that happened yesterday. It is about what is happening now. What do you care about - now? What do other people think - now!

When somebody tweets about a topic, you can respond by saying "I know what you should do, and here is why". You can reach out to people you follow (or anyone else for that matter), and help them, share something with them or provide feedback about how you feel about it.

You can help them by spreading the word, pointing other people to places that are meaningful to them. And, you can say "thank you, what you did was just amazing", and motivate them to move forward.

You can ask for insights

You can also reach out to other people. Ask them if anyone got any ideas how to solve a problem or what people feel about a topic? You can ask a person directly what she would do or think.

If you do these things, then other people will respond to you. If you ask a question or reach out to someone, then you are very likely to get a reply. And by that, you are connected to the people you care about.

...or to put it really simple.

Twitter is about all the interesting things in life, from interesting people - including you. And it is the conversation, that emerges because of it, that makes it so exciting.

Evan Williams (CEO of Twitter) on listening to Twitter users

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There is a bazillion articles and videos, trying to explain what Twitter is all about. There is also a ton of surveys, most noticeable a recent one telling you that only 10% of all Twitter users actually post tweets on their own. But here is the thing...

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February 2010 | Volume 67 | Number 5
Meeting Students Where They Are Pages 73-74

William M. Ferriter

I've got an embarrassing confession to make: Until recently, I wasn't convinced that differentiating learning opportunities for students really mattered. Like many teachers, I would deliver one lesson each day, keeping my fingers crossed that I met everyone's needs. And even though I've always had a sense for the strengths and weaknesses of my individual students, I rarely drew on that knowledge to make specific changes in instruction or assignments.

The primary reason for my inability to embrace differentiation as a teacher was that, until recently, I'd never experienced differentiation as a learner. Like most practitioners, I've spent too much professional development time sitting in lectures delivered to entire faculties. No one offered preassessments, tiered lessons, or learning contracts to my colleagues or me. Instead, we plodded through courses designed to meet the needs of the majority. In fact, the structure of professional development programs in most schools sends conflicting messages about the importance of meeting learners where they are.

Differentiation has grown on me in the past 18 months, though, thanks to my experiences using the online networking tool Twitter. Twitter makes it easy to post short (140-character maximum), public, text-based messages to the Web-messages that any interested follower can see and respond to.

Although many Twitter users post personal messages that might be described as "digital noise" (such as "Having Chinese takeout for dinner"), teaching professionals have found ways to use Twitter to share resources and lend quick support to peers with similar interests. For educators who use this tool to build a network of people whose Twitter messages connect to their work, Twitter becomes a constant source of new ideas to explore.

Finding Someone to "Follow"

I began my work with Twitter by creating a free account, which anyone with an Internet connection can do by visiting http://twitter.com. I then started following the updates of Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach (@snbeach), a Teacher Leaders Network colleague and digital learning expert. Each time I signed into Twitter, I'd automatically see any thoughts that Sheryl had posted, sometimes including links to articles she was reading.

Although Sheryl's messages were not intended for me alone-all of her Twitter followers could see her posts-most were valuable to me because Sheryl and I are both interested in the changing nature of learning in the 21st century. We each study the kinds of skills students will need to be successful in tomorrow's world and the ways digital tools can facilitate meaningful experiences in today's classrooms. Exploring her Twitter posts challenged my thinking and led me to great resources without having to spend hours searching. Even as my Twitter network has grown, Sheryl's posts continue to help me. Just today, she shared a link to a collection of resources on teaching second languages that I can't wait to explore ( http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2009/11/100-tips-tools-to-teach-your-child-a-second-language).

Next, I started following the Twitter messages shared by many of the creative educators I found on the Twitter4Teachers wiki ( http://twitter4teachers.pbworks.com), seeking the same kinds of people I like to exchange ideas with in real life. I focused on finding middle school language arts and social studies teachers or teachers interested in technology, knowing that people with my interests were likely to point me toward resources I could use.

I also followed Twitter users who were recommended by digital peers or whom I knew in person. Each of their updates appeared automatically on my Twitter homepage. I could look inside the minds of motivated peers to learn about the new projects they were undertaking, the research reports they were studying, and Web sites they were exploring. As my comfort with Twitter grew-a process that took a few months, as is typical for new users-I became an active contributor to this knowledge network.

I'm constantly jazzed by my Twitter network because I have easy access to a stream of customized information and ideas that motivate me-one characteristic of differentiated learning. This information is customized because I follow only Twitter posters who discuss topics I'm eager to learn about. Although I can't read every message generated by the 200 education professionals whose updates I now follow, I skim through posts for 20 minutes each morning and afternoon.

Using the Reply and Direct Message options, I join conversations with individual members of this digital community, offering suggestions, asking questions, and celebrating successes. As with most digital conversations, I can either make my replies visible to everyone who's following my updates or target private replies to certain individuals.

I now turn to Twitter friends for help in the same way that I turn to the teachers on my hallway. Recently, a friend in my Twitter feed pointed me to a great strategy for structuring classroom discussions, a practice I'd been struggling with ( http://angelacunningham.wordpress.com/2009/05/teaching-students-to-dialogue.html).

Opportunities for Customization

What lessons have I learned from Twitter? First, I finally understand how much differentiated learning matters. My own motivation levels have skyrocketed, I'm accessing ideas connected to my professional interests, and I've taken ownership of my own learning.

This has me convinced that we can use digital tools to differentiate learning for students, too. Although Twitter may not be appropriate in all situations-elementary students would struggle to build meaningful networks of peers, and schools would have to actively address Internet safety-it's being used successfully by several inventive high school teachers. Shelly Blake-Plock, for example, a Maryland Latin and art history teacher, is integrating Twitter into research, discussion, and vocabulary work in his classroom. Blake-Plock shares ideas on using Twitter in the classroom in this entry on his blog, Teach Paperless: http://teachpaperless.blogspot.com/2009/05/best-practices-in-twitter-enhanced-high.html.

Teachers must identify how applications like Twitter can facilitate their learning. Digital opportunities to connect with new content and communities can accelerate learning for every student-but only after teachers become efficient digital learners, too.

William M. Ferriter (@plugusin on Twitter) teaches 6th grade language arts and social studies in Raleigh, North Carolina, and blogs about the teaching life at The Tempered Radical ( http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical). He is the coauthor of Building a Professional Learning Community at Work: A Guide to the First Year (Solution Tree, 2009); 919-363-1870; wferriter@hotmail.com.

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Why Teachers Should Try Twitter - Educational Leadership

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February 2010 | Volume 67 | Number 5 Meeting Students Where They Are Pages 73-74 William M. Ferriter I've got an embarrassing confession to make: Until recently, I wasn't convinced that differentiating learning opportunities for students really mattered. Like many teachers, I would deliver one lesson each day, keeping my fingers crossed that I met everyone's needs.