• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

October 11, 2016 Instruction & Curriculum

36 Weeks of Tech: Twitter

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Lori H Rice

Lori Rice is a fourth-grade teacher at West Elementary in Wamego, Kansas, who has taught K-2 reading as well as kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade since 1996. She has a passion for creativity, learning, questioning and the whole child. Her classroom is a place of acceptance and celebrating differences.
  • Bringing Project Based Learning to our Classroom - August 12, 2018
  • Keep the Engagement Alive: Start the Year with Purpose - August 5, 2018
  • It's Our Fault: A Teacher's Confession - March 18, 2018
  • Keeping Your Teaching Real: A Teacher's Role - March 11, 2018
  • Sketch Notes in the Elementary Classroom - February 15, 2017
  • Teach From the Heart - February 9, 2017
  • Who is the Teacher: School or Family? - January 11, 2017
  • Dear President Elect Trump, From Your Teachers - November 17, 2016
  • Let them Be Children - October 21, 2016
  • Print Resources: Great Tools for Kids - October 17, 2016

In this series, #36weeksoftech, I will review tech tools in my classroom.  I will give you my honest opinion and some pros and cons as seen through the eyes of my experience as a teacher.  This is my 21st year of teaching and I teach all subject areas in my fourth-grade classroom.  Using technology is a wonderful way to connect, network and grow yourself as an educator.

This weekend I took two days away from my family and attended Edcamp Summit.  While family comes first in my life, part of that is to take care of yourself.  This weekend gave me time to network and connect and strengthen my passion as an educator.  This can also be done with a simple app as well.  One tech tool that can help you network, share ideas, answer questions and engage with educators is twitter.  It is an online (with app available) resource that is a powerful tool in teaching.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]Using technology is a wonderful way to connect, network and grow yourself as an educator. Click To Tweet

Set Up:  Go to twitter.com and sign up.  You enter your name, address or phone, and a password.  If you use your email and are then prompted for a phone, you can click the small blue "skip" at the bottom if you would prefer not to share that information.  Choose a username.  There will be suggestions under the bar.  Think of yourself as an educator and what sets you apart when you add your name.  Or go with what your kids call you.  Mine is simply MsLRice but many other teachers are more creative.  Next, you will select interest topics.  You can search for and include "education" "#edchat" and many other things.  The next steps allow you to connect and personalize your timeline.  You have an option to import your contacts as well as follow some accounts.  I personally recommend our magazine as tweeted by our Editor in Chief, Franchesca Warren @EducatorsRoom.

Use:  Learning some twitter lingo and how to read twitter can be a different experience for some.  To send a tweet you simply click on the quill and paper (tweet) and type in your thoughts.  You are limited with your characters, there are hashtags and @ symbols.  You and share a GIF (animated picture), ask a question in poll format, share your location, add a photo, video or go live. You may find many friends use alter names so finding them can be a challenge.  But you can search by name and it will usually bring up their twitter handle.  As with anything, the more you use it the more proficient you will be.  For some beginning, Twitter users  Q&A check out this help resource.

Twitter Chats: Twitter chats for education happen every day of the week.  Experts lead “discussions” about all things education.  By clicking on the magnifying (search) tool at the top right you can add in a specific hashtag or #edchat and follow the feed.  “Q” will indicate a question asked and then participants use “A” to respond.  If you miss the start time you can jump in later, or even after the event and look through the feed. In your answer be sure to include the hashtag for your feed.  This links you into the group so your questions and responses can be followed as a whole.  Want to branch out and try starting your own #edchat?  @NathanDingman is a great contact.  Check out this site for a calendar of edchats to find one that fits your niche. 

Networking:  Many teachers have a twitter handle.  This lets you find them, follow them, and talk with them.  We all have strengths and struggles in the classroom and using your twitter network allows you to share your awesome and reach out to others.  I have a tribe I follow and get inspiration, ideas, resources, and encouragement from them.  We are not alone in this journey and networking lets you give and get from the profession.

Pros: 

  • Networking
  • Learn from twitter chats
  • Share through twitter chats
  • Grow your tribe
  • Fast
  • Concise

Cons:

  • Twitter language can be confusing
  • Limited privacy
  • Limited characters in messages

Twitter is an amazing way to open up your professional world.  Many schools use twitter to showcase students work and achievement as well as share news with parents.  You can use a laptop with the web version or a device with the app.  This quick, concise communication method will allow you to reach beyond your classroom walls and connect with the world.  How you use that (professional learning, networking, chatting, student bragging and sharing) is up to you.  Give me a shout out @MsLRice and let me know how you use twitter. #36weeksoftech #teachersrock

14642994_861735060626319_435338080_n[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailGrade Book: Online, Hardcopy or Both? Default ThumbnailComputer Programming in the Elementary Classroom (Part 1) Creating Excitement In The Classroom With Hyperdocs Teaching English with Technology
« Educational Renaissance: Veteran Teachers Vest in Change
Teaching in a Virtual Reality »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • A Q&A with Baltimore Teachers Union President, Diamonté Brown
  • 6 Reasons to Use Read-Alouds Daily
  • The Secret Ingredients of Lesson Planning
  • The Exhaustion of Black Educators on Another "Day After"

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.