When you hear the word "Twitter", what's the first thing that pops into your head? When a past professor REQUIRED that I create a Twitter account my jaw dropped. The course I enrolled in was listed as Young Adult Literature. As far as I was concerned, Twitter had absolutely nothing to do with becoming a better middle school teacher. The only people I had ever heard of using Twitter were teenage girls with Bieber Fever.
Although many people use Twitter to follow what their favorite celebrities are eating for lunch, there is a far less publicized side of the Twitterverse that holds value for educators. I was reluctant when I first signed up for an account, but Twitter has won me over. My motivation for this post is to show you the value of Twitter as an educational tool, despite the negative preconceptions many of us hold.
We've all experienced great rewards in the classroom; helping a struggling student eventually succeed, receiving praise from a grateful parent, or having an administrator mark you as "distinguished" on an evaluation. These are all great experiences, but the gold medal for me as a teacher is the feeling I get when I've taught an absolute home-run-of-a-lesson. The kind of lesson where every student is engaged, authentic learning is taking place, and the next period class lines up at your door saying, "do we really get to _____ today?"
After experiencing one of these lessons the other day I decided to make a list of the 10 best lessons I've ever taught. What did all 10 of these lessons have in common? They all came from Twitter. I did not personally think any of these lessons up, I did not put a great deal of work into any of these lessons, and I had already seen pictures and videos of these lessons in action.
Here is an example of a conversation I stumbled upon the other day:
Army guys, clay, and markers? I decided to give it a try. The result? An absolute home run!
I'd like to take credit for this lesson, but the truth is I simply stole it from another teacher. That is the value I find in Twitter as an educator. It could be used to follow celebrities, tweet what you ate for lunch, or to make new virtual friends. As a teacher, I find Twitter valuable because it exposes me to new ideas and offers hundreds of ready to steal home run lessons.
How can you find these same resources?
Step 1: Sign up for a Twitter account. Here are some tips to get you started-
Choose a short Twitter name that captures who you are
Use a picture of yourself. When you attend meetings people will immediately recognize you
Your bio should tell about your interests and what you teach or supervise. This enables those viewing it to know who you are.
Step 2: Get involved in some Twitter Chats.
There are many chats now for most subject areas and grade levels. Twitter Chats are conversations focused around a specific "hashtag" on Twitter. A "hashtag" is simply a word on twitter preceded by the # symbol. If I want to find resources and conversations centered around social studies I use the #sschat hashtag.
Finding the conversations is simple, just type the hashtag into the search bar at the top of your Twitter page:
How do you know what hashtags to follow? Here is an index of what other teachers are using. Whether you teach 1st grade, high school math, or you are interested in standard based grading, there is a hashtag out there waiting for you.
If you have any questions or need help tweet @emakelky
- Eric Makelky
- Eric Makelky
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