Do you Tweet? I didn’t get it, at first. What was the value of sending out short messages that told anyone who wanted to “follow” you what you were doing at almost the exact moment you were doing it?? I jumped on the bandwagon, but only because I was teaching a course on the integration of technology in the classroom. I was working with students who were considered to be more tech savvy than my generation. But what I found out was surprising–they weren’t tweeting, at least most of them weren’t using it. They were, however, very Facebook savvy.
But I decided to continue to use it–mainly I was just “lurking” for quite a while. I followed some educators and looked at who they were following and my list kept growing. Then I actually “tweeted” a bit–it was for my students (at least that is what I told myself in the beginning). Then that course ended and I found that I was still reading and following and I continued tweeting. So in the end I became aware that I was finding, through Twitter, a lot of excellent resources that I may never have found if I had not been following someone else. And, to my surprise, occasionally, someone would RT (retweet) something I “tweeted”. That was an incredible feeling of accomplishment.
Twitter is an excellent way to wade through the Internet to find “stuff” that you may not have ever known about. I consider it a way that I create a professional development opportunity for me that is very personal. I follow people who have the same interests, both professionally and personally, that I do.
Here is a link that uses a very creative way to express the benefits of educators being on Twitter:
If you were on Twitter
So, what’s your excuse? At least dip your toes in the water. It won’t hurt you at all–you might even like it a little bit, as well as enjoy it.
Hope to “tweet” with you soon.
Twitter: AeaPDOnline
Web Site: www.iowaaea.org
Follow the conversation about the organization/formation of imug (Iowa Moodle Users Group) on Twitter, using the new hashtag, #imug.
steinbronn 