Building a Professional Learning Network Through Twitter

Social media has become a major part of today's 21st century world. Social media sites are great tools for sharing your thoughts and ideas, and for staying connected with friends, family, and colleagues. As educators, we are sometimes hesitant to use social media because of any negative repercussions that could come out of it if we are not careful with what we share. While you may have seen on the news some teachers who have gotten in trouble for something that they posted on a social media site, you may not know about the thousands of other teachers who are currently utilizing social media to become better educators. So, there is a popular social media site out there that educators are using right now to build their Professional Learning Networks? The answer is yes! And what if I told you that you most likely have already heard of the site, but had no idea that teachers have already been using it to build PLN's (Professional Learning Networks)? It may surprise you, but the site I am referring to is actually Twitter! According to Brett Baker, Twitter's account executive, out of the half billion tweets that are made on Twitter each day, 4.2 million of those tweets (posts) pertain to education.

Get an Account!

Building your very own Professional Learning Network on Twitter is both free and easy to do! To create your Twitter account, simply go to the TWITTER website, and click on "Sign up" in the top right-hand corner. (You may also download the app on your smartphone or tablet). You will be prompted to type in your name, provide an email address, make a password, and create a personalized username.

Getting Started
First, you will want to fill out information for your profile so that others know a little about who you are and what you are using Twitter for. Since you will be using this Twitter account as a tool for
building a Professional Learning Network, make sure that in your profile you talk about who you are as an educator. You should include a short biography and upload a profile picture to be displayed on your page. Feel free to also add in any pertinent personal information about yourself that you feel is necessary to include. Since this Twitter account will be used for building your Professional Learning Network, it is important that your profile information and all of your tweets (aka posts) that you add to your page all stay professional.

What is a Tweet?
A tweet is simply another name for a "post." Your tweets (posts) can be something that you type out (if you are familiar with Facebook, this would be similar to a "status" that you may type out). However, it is important to note that each tweet is limited to only 140 characters. Other than text, you can also tweet an image, article, video, or link to a website. If you see a tweet that someone else has posted that you would like to share on your page as well, you can "retweet" it. A retweet is the same thing as what a "share" on Facebook would be.

Build Your Twitter Feed: What to Tweet and Who to Follow
What is your Twitter "feed?" Your Twitter feed refers to all of the tweets that run along your homepage. When you "follow" other accounts on Twitter, anything that they tweet will show up on your feed on your Twitter homepage. If you like something that they tweet, remember that you can also retweet it to your own page! Now, you may be wondering, how do I find people to follow and how do I follow them?  Towards the top, right of Twitter there is a search bar. Here you can search various topics pertaining to education to find other accounts that regularly post about topics and news in education. One way teachers can connect is by following other educators and education accounts. If you wish to follow an account, simply click on the "Follow" button towards the upper right of that user's page. As you find accounts to follow, you can also view who they are following to see if you wish to follow any of them, too. Some accounts and users that I follow in education are PBS teachers, Discovery Education, Larry Ferlazzo, Teacher Goals, MindShift, and Sean McComb.

My favorite account on Twitter is edutopia. Edutopia posts helpful ideas in all areas of teaching. Edutopia will post lesson plan ideas for various subjects, classroom management strategies, ways to stay organized, parent-teacher conference tips, and more! Some posts that I have retweeted from edutopia include, "Nurturing Intrinsic Motivation and Growth Mindset in Writing," "Strategies to Build Intrinsic Motivation," "37 Ways to Help Kids Learn to Love Reading," "Morning Meetings: Create a Safe Space for Learning," "How to Use Twitter to Grow Your PLN," and "11 Habits of an Effective Teacher."

Another way that teachers can connect is by using the search bar to find posts on specific subjects. In Twitter's search bar you can search any topic that you are interested in. When searching something on Twitter, it is most effective to use a hashtag. For example, if you are interested in finding some classroom management tips, simply type "#classroommanagement" into the search bar. You will then be directly linked to a feed of other tweets relating to classroom management. Start reading to get ideas, and even retweet some of your favorites!

What I Retweeted

Below I would like to share a couple of my favorite posts from edutopia that I have retweeted! The first one is "Strategies to Build Intrinsic Motivation." This post discusses 7 ways to get students to motivate themselves, without using rewards or punishments. Many administrators and
educators believe that systems of rewards help to control students; however, this is not always the case. When students do something just with the goal to obtain a reward, their motivation is merely extrinsic. As educators, we want to push students towards intrinsic motivation when it
comes to learning. When students are intrinsically motivated, learning is deeper, concepts appear 
more interesting, knowledge is retained long-term, and learning is more meaningful. Out of the 7 tips that this edutopia post outlines, here are my favorite 4!

• Questions with a scale: Ask your students questions using a scale. For example, if students didn't do well on one test, you might ask, "On a scale of one to ten, how likely are you to do better on the next test?" Since students will naturally want to get a better grade the next time around, they will be inclined to select a higher number. But if a student selects a lower number on the scale ask them, "Why did you pick a low number?" Questions with a scale help to keep students accountable for their learning and persuade them that they are likely to complete the task.
• My Goals sheet: At the beginning of each day (or subject), have students write down their goals for the day. These goals can be specific to academic subjects (ie mastering long division), behavioral related, being a good classmate, etc... Students will commit to their learning at the beginning of class, and then at the end of the day have them review the commitment. Was the goal met? How was it done? If a goal wasn't met, why? What steps can be taken tomorrow to meet it?
• Student-created rules: When making and going over classroom rules, invite students to offer in their own input as to what they think good classroom rules should be. After writing out a list of the classroom rules, have each student sign this sheet as a promise to follow them. If they ever break a rule, then they will feel more accountable since they actually played a part in making those rules and signed them.
• Remind by asking: The freedom of choice is the most persuasive tactic. Instead of outright telling a student what they should be doing, it is more effective to ask them what they are going to do.

Another post from edutopia that I retweeted was "37 Ways to Help Kids Learn to Love Reading." This post discusses 37 different things that you can do to help your students love reading. With 37 different suggestions to follow, you are sure to be able to get even your most reluctant students to learn to love reading! Out of the 37 tips, here are some of my favorites:

• Read Aloud: Children love listening to stories being read to them! The more you expose kids to reading, the more they will enjoy reading. Read stories to your students that interest them, that inspire them, and that challenge their thinking. Involve them in the read aloud, too, by asking them questions throughout the story and inviting them to turn and talk with a partner to share their thinking.
• Let children know what you're reading: As the teacher, it is important to model what you are reading in your own life. Share your favorite genres, your favorite books, and the texts that you are currently reading. Bring those texts to school to hold up and share with your class!
• Take a child's interest into account:
  Before we can begin to encourage our students to read, we must find out what types of books they like! To figure out what types of textsinterests your students, you should hold individual reading conferences with them. After learning what books appeal to your students, you can guide them to some of those texts in your library for them to choose from. From the reading conferences, if you notice that your library lacks particular genres, authors, or a book series that a good portion of your students tell you about, go ahead and look for it to add to your classroom library! It is important that children get to choose what books they read. When children are making their own choices in books, they become more in charge of their learning, they develop greater interest in reading, and their confidence builds as readers.
• Reading spaces should be inviting and comfortable: In your classroom, create comfortable spaces for children to read in. These spaces should have no distractions and good lighting. You can include pillows in the area, stuffed animals as reading buddies, posters with quotes from famous authors... go ahead and get creative with these spaces!
• Introduce books throughout the year: If you acquire new books throughout the year, showcase them in your library and tell your students about them. They will become intrigued by these new additions to their classroom library and feel motivated to check them out!
• Teach children how to find the right book for them: "Just right books" would be texts that students can comprehend. There shouldn't be too many words that they don't know in the book. Students should also be interested in the story, and have a purpose to read it.
• Never use reading as a punishment: This is an important tip!! If teachers send children off to silently read as a punishment, these children will naturally associate reading with punishment. As a result, their love for reading will decrease. Reading needs to be associated with joy and positive learning.
• Host a reading party: Once a semester, host a reading party for your students! Invite them to bring in pillows or stuffed animals from home. For an hour, they can spread out around the classroom, and comfortably read with their pillows and stuffed animals!

A more recent post that I have retweeted was "11 Habits of an Effective Teacher." This post describes the characteristics of the types of teachers who students remember for the rest of their lives. When it comes to teaching, the best teachers are the overachievers. While we have our "overachiever students," there are also the "overachiever teachers." No one likes average; put in the extra hours, connect with your students, go the extra mile, and be the superstar! Below are the eleven habits of life-changing teachers that the article outlines.

1. Enjoys teaching: As exhausting as teaching is, you chose this career because of your love for children and determination to make a difference in the world. Never lose sight of that! Have fun in every lesson that you teach. If you are having fun, your students are having fun!
2. Makes a difference: Teachers are impacting their students every day. With teaching, comes great power. Use this power to take genuine interest in your students and make a difference in their lives!
3. Spreads Positivity: Smiling is contagious! If you are smiling, so will your students. Smile as you talk. Be positive, happy, and smile all day long! A positive environment provides a safe, comfortable, and more enjoyable place for learning.
4. Gets personal: The best way to achieve student success is to have strong relationships with them. Make an effort to sincerely connect and bond with your students. Also make sure to talk to them about your own life. Teachers who know their students and students who know their teacher are more comfortable with each other.
5. Gives 100%: Don't just do your job of teaching because you feel obligated to; but rather, remember you are teaching because you love to teach children. Always give your lesson plans, instruction, and assessing assignments your full 100%!
6. Stays organized: Stay on top of your grading, don't fall behind. Keep a journal of notes, and stay ahead on your lesson plans. It is better to be ahead than fall behind.
7. Is open-minded: As a teacher, you will constantly be evaluated throughout your career. Stay open-minded to criticism. Don't get offended, but be open to change that can make you a better teacher.
8. Has standards: Be sure to create standards for both yourself and your students. From day one of school, your students should know what is acceptable and what is not. As the teacher, it is also important to demonstrate these standards and stay consistent. 
9. Finds inspiration: Students learn best when material is interesting. Don't settle for average, boring lessons. However, find inspiration and get creative!
10. Embraces change: As great as your lesson plan may be, things do not always go as planned in the classroom. Being flexible and thinking-on-the-spot is crucial when it comes to teaching. When it comes to administrative and curriculum changes, simply accept it and do not complain. Do no complain about what you have no control over. Change is okay!
11. Creates reflections: As a teacher, it is important to reflect upon yourself and your lessons at the end of each day. Reflecting on what went right, what went wrong, and what should be done in the future will help you grow as a teacher. Teachers who grow foster students who grow.

How Can I Use Twitter for Students in My Classroom?
In my future classroom I hope to effectively use technology to enhance learning. One way that I could use Twitter in the classroom is by having students each create their own Twitter account for class. I would post homework assignments, test reminders, study strategies, and any other tips to the class Twitter page. I would also post articles for students to read (such as articles from Time for Kids). I would have students read the article and then have them post comments beneath my post. They could comment on their reactions to the article and what they learned from it. Students could also read what others have commented before them so that they could build upon each other's ideas. Twitter is a wondrous tool for educators, because it can be used both in the classroom and to build Professional Learning Networks!

References

Hill, H. (2015, March 26). 37 Ways to Help Kids Learn to Love Reading. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/37-ways-help-kids-learn-love-reading?utm_content=community&utm_campaign=37-ways-love-reading-ugc&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_term=first-image

Palank, D. (2015, September 2). Strategies to Build Intrinsic Motivation. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-self-persuasion-david-palank?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow &utm_campaign=RSS

Stevens, K. (2014, April 30). Twitter Exec Reports that Educators Dominate the Twitter sphere (EdSurge News). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2014-04-30-twitter-exec-reports-that-educators-dominate-the-twitter-sphere