To Twitter Or Not, That is the Question

First off, let me just preface this with saying that I am in NO WAY a Twitter aficionado, having just really taken to it in Jan 2015, but Oh My Word...has it broadened my horizons in the educational world.  I'm not sure how most people make separations for social media use, but for me, Facebook is personal...sharing pictures with long distance family, funny stories of my 4 year old, etc, while Twitter is my professional side...following educational greats, learning from others, reading articles, etc.

This past week, I participated in 2 Twitter chats for the very first time ever.  Last Tuesday, July 7th, I participated in #pisdedchat, thinking it was for Pasadena ISD, just across town from me.  Maybe I would learn some new things, meet some folks in my regional area?  No, well, this chat ended up being for Plano ISD, 5 hours away in North TX, but nevertheless, I learned, I answered Q's, I retweeted what I liked, even engaged in some dialogue with a lady who uses GoPro cameras in her 5th grade classroom and began following her blog...so can't wait to see how it all turns out for her this school year as she makes some adjustments!

Tonight, I participated in #edtechchat, and so glad it wasn't my first Twitter chat to participate in...so many people, conversation so fast to keep up with, even with the help of Hootsuite and TweetDeck.

So, to Twitter or not to Twitter, that is the question...well, it's not really a question if you consider yourself a "Connected Educator" in any sense of the words.  Twitter has helped me learn something new every time I visit.  I find something useful, someone with a fresh perspective to follow, and on and on.  You'll never hear me brag about number of followers, retweets, etc, because my only favorite numbers have to do with my family.  But here's some numbers for you: 16, 17, 1, endless.  I've been in my district going on 16 years, 17 years in public ed total, only on Twitter really 1 year, but have learned endless things in this short time on Twitter that has given me a second wind to my professional side.  Twitter is place to PD everyday!  As an educator, there's really no excuse not to learn something new and learn often.  Here's some great articles I read just this week alone from Twitter.  Consider this quote and read/learn something new everyday!

1. 10 Things Experienced Teachers Want New Teachers to Know
2. Official Twitter Chat List
3. Go Pro Fun!
4. ISTE 2015 Presentation: Creating Interactive, Student-Authored, Digital Publications
5. The Game Layer on Top of the World
6. Gamification Does Not Mean Playing Games
7. You Are Not "Just" a Teacher
8. How Educators Can Begin a Social Media Journey
9. Speak Into the Lives of Others
10. Education Secretary Duncan's Children to go to Chicago Private School He Attended
11. Edublog's Step 3 Twitter Chats
12. Growth Mindsets via Sports Slogans
13. Dear Administrators, Can We Tear Down the Great Divide?
14. Transparency Builds Trust
15. What are Students' Biggest Motivation Killers? We Asked Them Point-Blank
16. Why are you Still Not on Twitter? #KidsDeserveIt
17. The Most Important Thing I Learned at ISTE, was in a Taxi
18. 3 Reasons Why Your Twitter Ego Could Destroy Your Message
19. How Dream Coordinators at Schools Help Students Reach Goals
20. 12 Unexpected Ways to Use LEGO in the Classroom
21. 6 Social Media Templates to Save You Hours of Work
22. Postcard Exchange Sign Up with Aus/NZ
23. Smarter Thinking: 10 Ways You'll Know You're Doing It Right
24. 10 Venomous Thoughts That Are Quietly Killing Your Happiness
25. 31 Things You Can Make With A Cardboard Box That Will Blow Your Kids' Minds
26. 5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners
27. A Student Shares What It's Really Like Being In Our Classroom