At first I have to admit, I was completely skeptical of the purpose and the reason to even be tweeting. I didn't understand all that it had to offer-but thanks to Michelle, Cathy and Dana-some of the first people to inspire me and follow me, I got started and got going with Twitter!
Right now, I am using twitter to grow professionally. I find book recommendations, hyperlink recommendations and fantastic ideas that help me in my quest as a lifelong learner. I am inspired weekly by a team of people who participate in #1stchat each week...and other people like the Nerdy Book Club members who tweet great info about books and strategies to inspire readers.
Most recently though, I have been inspired by a principal, Mindy Higgins-who has worked to build a culture of literacy in her school by giving daily book talk recommendations over the PA. To find out more about this click here. This is fantastic! I shared her idea with my school and we are going to come up with a similar plan for changing the culture of literacy in our building. Thanks for the inspiring tweet Mindy! The principal is definitely the secret sauce!
So, dream of the possibilities! Wonder, how can 140 little characters have the power to change the course of learning...join twitter as part of your professional learning network and find out!
I was like you, Amy - Completely skeptical of Twitter until I joined in about 8 months ago. I have grown SO much as a teacher because of it. I think my new favourite phrase is when teachers ask where I got an idea or something and my reponse is always, "Twitter." :)
ReplyDeleteYeah! It can be quite overwhelming if you let it. Summer I go crazy and tried to read it all, but now with school in full swing, I do more popping in when I need a fix or see what others are sharing. There is so much to learn out there and I'm constantly reminding myself that I can't learn it all! I'm so glad you jumped in and are enjoying the journey of learning! So many great teachers, principals, educators, librarians to learn from every day!
ReplyDeleteYou go girl! What a cool idea from that principal. I haven't had much Twitter time of late but I do think it is a great resource and I'm glad you are finding it useful.
ReplyDeleteI just barely joined earlier this summer, and I really like it as well (although I do not always consistently look at it). It is so interesting to see what is standing out to different people - a great avenue to stretch and grow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the Twitter. I thought it was just to follow movie stars and TV personalities until I joined in order to "follow" and see what several of my fellow SOLers (like you) were seeing there! It is now a huge source of inspriation and my Professional Learning Network. I still worry a bit about the "sound bite" aspect of Twitter; however, you can (and usually do) get the rest of the story with a click of the mouse and your early morning tea!
ReplyDeleteI find I could spend HOURS on Twitter clicking on hyperlinks that lead to amazing articles and news stories. I try to limit the time I'm on there. It is a great resource!
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