Hashtags, Twitter, PLNs Oh My
So I have had a Twitter account for a while...well maybe for years. Really had no use for it for the longest time. I followed some celebrities, followed the Cardinals' games, maybe "tweet" once in a blue moon. Then in November I went to the AMLE in Minneapolis. There is really discovered the beauty behind Twitter and I whole new world opened up to me. Twitter was not a way to follow celebrities or catch up on the latest Cardinals news, it was free Professional Development for teachers, a way to network and a way to meet other educators (a PLN-Professional Learning Network).
Back up, okay, maybe it wasn't at AMLE the door began to open, but it was due to AMLE. Around October 2013 I got an email from AMLE saying to begin tweeting about the presentations, so I did. Through those first educational tweets, I started to follow +Lisa Glenn (@educatorlisa) and +Brooke Whitlow (@lincolnslady96). Then my first day at the AMLE conference, I met Lisa, face to face or f2f, then I attended Brooke's presentation. From there I met +Todd Bloch (@blocht574), +Mark Clements (@edunators), +Shawn Davids (@sdavids51) +Dru Tomlin (@drutomlin_AMLE) and more. Needless to say some of the people I met just because of Twitter have become my close friends. As Brooke told Shawn and I today we are #plnbffs.
#plnbffs....leads into the next topic...hashtags. How to do you find other educators, know that they have the same interests and how does professional development come into play? The answer is the hashtag #. No it is not the number symbol, or the pound sign, or even a musical sharp, it is a hashtag and it is how you open those doors. Hashtags allow you find conversations happening on Twitter on what you are interested in. Teach middle school #mschat, social studies-#sschat, educational technology-#edtechchat, standards based grading #sbgchat, global education #globaledchat, teach in Missouri #moedchat, or just educational topics in general #edchat. Anything an educator would want to talk about is there, just find the hashtag. There is even a spreadsheet (that grows by the day) for figuring out the date, time and #hashtag. This is where the good professional development is located. Educators can find topics, gain information, talk to other educators that doing it, ask questions and say "I did this, it bombed, now what?" Twitter is a world where educators can spread their development wings and get the encouragement to keep going higher. In the world of Twitter Professional Development there is none of the "how does this apply to me," "when will I have time to do this," "how will I know I am doing this right," thoughts. Those are thoughts for the canned PD we sit through at our district levels. In the world of Twitter PD, everything is fresh, new and relevant to you, because YOU decided what you will learn, YOU pick the topic. Have no fear, the other educators that you follow and follow you, will be there to encourage, give feedback and lend a hand.
I have tried to get my fellow educators at my school on board. I have converted a few (@anthonypartin and @leffjeolard), some have said "I need to set up my account," (Come on Kyle J. get on it!) and one that has started an account and said "I am not getting this." (yes @kittymcwillis that is you!). Finally there are those that just won't do it. Sigh..... Oh the world they are missing out on. The educators at my school who have jumped into Twitter and have joined the chats have loved it. I even co-moderated #mosnowchat and some of my colleagues were in the chat. Even afterwards at school and on our PD days we have continued the discussions from Twitter. My advice to any educator (pre-service, current, former, retired) get a Twitter account, start following # chats. It is is the best Professional Development you can get.
I started following people to gain that PD, to talk shop, to have Professional Learning Network. A few in my PLN have become more than just a PLN. We talk family, talk about our days, vacations, I love to hear about their kids, how warm it is where they are, how sunny, compare snow and ice and just be there for each other. During Thursday's #mschat, Mark moderated the discussion on the mental health of teachers. I left thinking my PLNBFFS keep me sane, they understand me, they get me. It has only been about 6 months of building my PLN but I can not imagine life without my PLNBFFS. Thank you!
Back up, okay, maybe it wasn't at AMLE the door began to open, but it was due to AMLE. Around October 2013 I got an email from AMLE saying to begin tweeting about the presentations, so I did. Through those first educational tweets, I started to follow +Lisa Glenn (@educatorlisa) and +Brooke Whitlow (@lincolnslady96). Then my first day at the AMLE conference, I met Lisa, face to face or f2f, then I attended Brooke's presentation. From there I met +Todd Bloch (@blocht574), +Mark Clements (@edunators), +Shawn Davids (@sdavids51) +Dru Tomlin (@drutomlin_AMLE) and more. Needless to say some of the people I met just because of Twitter have become my close friends. As Brooke told Shawn and I today we are #plnbffs.
#plnbffs....leads into the next topic...hashtags. How to do you find other educators, know that they have the same interests and how does professional development come into play? The answer is the hashtag #. No it is not the number symbol, or the pound sign, or even a musical sharp, it is a hashtag and it is how you open those doors. Hashtags allow you find conversations happening on Twitter on what you are interested in. Teach middle school #mschat, social studies-#sschat, educational technology-#edtechchat, standards based grading #sbgchat, global education #globaledchat, teach in Missouri #moedchat, or just educational topics in general #edchat. Anything an educator would want to talk about is there, just find the hashtag. There is even a spreadsheet (that grows by the day) for figuring out the date, time and #hashtag. This is where the good professional development is located. Educators can find topics, gain information, talk to other educators that doing it, ask questions and say "I did this, it bombed, now what?" Twitter is a world where educators can spread their development wings and get the encouragement to keep going higher. In the world of Twitter Professional Development there is none of the "how does this apply to me," "when will I have time to do this," "how will I know I am doing this right," thoughts. Those are thoughts for the canned PD we sit through at our district levels. In the world of Twitter PD, everything is fresh, new and relevant to you, because YOU decided what you will learn, YOU pick the topic. Have no fear, the other educators that you follow and follow you, will be there to encourage, give feedback and lend a hand.
I have tried to get my fellow educators at my school on board. I have converted a few (@anthonypartin and @leffjeolard), some have said "I need to set up my account," (Come on Kyle J. get on it!) and one that has started an account and said "I am not getting this." (yes @kittymcwillis that is you!). Finally there are those that just won't do it. Sigh..... Oh the world they are missing out on. The educators at my school who have jumped into Twitter and have joined the chats have loved it. I even co-moderated #mosnowchat and some of my colleagues were in the chat. Even afterwards at school and on our PD days we have continued the discussions from Twitter. My advice to any educator (pre-service, current, former, retired) get a Twitter account, start following # chats. It is is the best Professional Development you can get.
I started following people to gain that PD, to talk shop, to have Professional Learning Network. A few in my PLN have become more than just a PLN. We talk family, talk about our days, vacations, I love to hear about their kids, how warm it is where they are, how sunny, compare snow and ice and just be there for each other. During Thursday's #mschat, Mark moderated the discussion on the mental health of teachers. I left thinking my PLNBFFS keep me sane, they understand me, they get me. It has only been about 6 months of building my PLN but I can not imagine life without my PLNBFFS. Thank you!
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