As an educator that is addicted to using social media for professional learning, I wish I had a list of things to tweet about when I first started out.
This week I was inspired by @shiftparadigm and his list of Personal Rules for Twitter and a list of what a teacher should tweet about (anonymous, but first seen tweeted by @justintarte).
So in an effort to help those Educators on Twitter, here is my list of 9 things that educators should tweet about:
- Be yourself and show people that you are real! Tweet about what inspires you and what happens in your day to day life as an educator
- Create don’t consume by sharing images – people love to see what your classroom, school, project, activity etc. looks like so they can get inspiration
- Create don’t consume by sharing links to articles that you write or articles that you have read. Nearly every educator I know loves a good nighttime read
- Quotes and thoughts related to education (always remember to link to the author)
- Ask questions and give answers – tweet responses directly to people and ask questions if you are unsure
- Get involved in Twitter Chats – tweet your answers to questions and your thoughts to other educators tweets
- Support other educators by giving a ‘favourite’ or a ‘retweet’ to their posts. This shows that you appreciate and enjoy what they have tweeted
- Be positive – tell people how much you love their work, demonstrate positivity in everything you tweet. You can still be constructive and be passionate but always be respectful – like we tell our students “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!”
- Suggest other educators to follow – you can do this at any stage but I like to make use of #FF (Follow Friday) where people share their favourite connections
I hope this list goes someway to help other educators get involved in Twitter. It has changed my life as an educator and as a leader and I hope that you get involved and utilise the power of a PLN.
Here are some other links to my other Twitter related posts that may be of interest:
- 10 steps to creating the perfect educational Twitter account
http://mrkempnz.com/2014/09/10-steps-to-creating-the-perfect-educational-twitter-account.html - Twitter for Beginners
http://mrkempnz.com/2014/10/twitter-for-teachers-a-live-learning-experience.html - My top 8 Twitter chats for educators
http://mrkempnz.com/2014/10/my-top-8-twitter-chats-for-educators-an-update.html - 5 tips for managing a fast paced Twitter chat
http://mrkempnz.com/2015/02/5-tips-for-managing-a-fast-paced-twitter-chat.html - Using Twitter in the classroom – my firsthand experience
http://mrkempnz.com/2014/05/using-twitter-in-the-classroom-my-firsthand-experience.html - Using Twitter in the classroom – from the student’s perspective
http://mrkempnz.com/2014/12/using-twitter-in-the-classroom-from-the-perspective-of-students.html - Twitter vs Paid Professional Development
http://mrkempnz.com/2011/05/twitter-vs-paid-professional-development.html
I am hoping to inspire more teachers on my campus to develop a PLN on Twitter. You have some excellent resources to help make that happen! Thank you!
Great suggestions! Being authentic is so important. I know some people who agonize over every tweet – but their voice can get lost.