Thinking About Learning

Twitter has been around since March 2006.  I have to admit that when I first heard of it, I was skeptical.  Twitter asks a single question, “What are you doing?” and gives you up to 140 characters to answer the question. It just seemed too mundane and a waste of time, so I didn’t sign up.  There are only so many hours in a day, so you have to choose carefully how you’re going to invest your time.  But a little over a year ago, a friend encouraged me to check it out, and I’m hooked! Evidently lots of other people are as well. TechCrunch reports:

In February, 4 million people in the U.S. visited the site, up from 2.6 million the month before, according to the latest data from comScore. That represents a 55 percent month-over-month growth rate, compared to 33 percent growth in each of the two months prior.These numbers are only for visitors to Twitter.com, and they do not capture usage on desktop or mobile clients. And the apps just keep on coming. For instance, Twitdom now counts 529 Twitter apps.

I confess that I’m still a fringe Twitterer.  It’s blocked at school, so I can only access it at home in the evenings and weekends.  I have a BeTwittered widget on my iGoogle page, so it’s easy to take a quick glance whenever I’m online.  So, why do I recommend Twitter to my colleagues?  How can Twitter help you grow professionally?  I’m very selective about who I follow.  Right now I only follow people who are educators.  Most of the people I follow don’t waste time telling what they ate for breadfast or what they’re watching on TV.  They most frequently share links to new blog posts they’ve written, links to new tech tools they’re exploring, or links to teacher or student collaborative projects.  They also ask questions and quickly get needed answers for problem-solving.

Sometimes educators leading conference sessions will invite fellow Twitter users to join online.  I’ve participated in several technology conference sessions in places like Pennsylvannia and Illinois by joining in a collaborative Google Doc, adding a placemark for my location on a Google Earth map, or chatting on a back channel during a live stream.  In this way not only am I learning, but I am also supporting my Twitter colleagues as they are conducting their professional development sessions.

How can you find people to follow who will ge good contacts for your PLN?  There are several wikis that collect lists of like minded people.  Here are a few:
Twitter4Teachers
TwitterPacks
Twitter Group: Teachers
Another way is to go to the Twitter pages of people you enjoy following and check out some of the people they follow.

If you’d like to learn more, visit Sue Waters’s PLN Yourself wiki.   Another great resource is 100 Tips, Apps, and Resources for Teachers on Twitter.  If you’d like to read about Twitter in the classroom, visit Anne Mirtschin’s blog. I don’t squander a lot of time with Twitter, but every time I check in, it’s always well worth it.  I always find something new to learn and explore.  It’s connected me with thinking educators around the globe who are commited to constantly learning and making efforts to bring change to the way we do education.  It’s the best source in my PLN!

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 15th, 2009 at 7:48 pm and is filed under PLT, Web 2.0, pd. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.