Using Twitter to Develop Worldwide Professional Learning Networks

Kenny McKee, Buncombe County Schools (@kennycmckee)

Learning Targets

• Discuss the benefits of building a global PLN through Twitter.

• Begin (or enhance) your Twitter PLN by following educators/organizations.

• Communicate using the language and etiquette of Twitter.

• Participate in an educational Twitter chat (the MOST POWERFUL TOOL for professional learning and building the PLN).

#WVBCS2014

@kennycmckee

Some Directed Activities/Flexible Collaboration/Deep Play

from Mansilla & Jackson, Educating for Global Competence

“Multiple skill sets have been put forth as essential to prepare our future workforce. They range from learning, thinking, and innovation skills…to skills associated with life and careers, such as designing, evaluating, and managing one’s own work for ongoing improvement and adapting to change.”

Choose your adventure.

• BEGINNERS – Let’s get your first professional Twitter account started.

• MILD USERS – Build your PLN. Follow @kennycmckee or search #WVBCS2014. I have tweeted a few exercises for you. Or participate in the pre-chat.

• REGULAR USERS – Pre-chat! I have loaded a few questions for you to discuss. Or feel free to help out the BEGINNERS or MILD USERS!

Twitter is a social media site in which users can share messages of 140 characters or lessIt’s a real-time information networkCurrently, no other profession yields the networking power of Twitter as much as educators.One current estimate from ASCD suggests that about 20% of ALL tweets are from educators.

What is Twitter?

Making your profile.

• Get rid of the egg. People will think you’re spam.

• Include information on your bio that shows what you can offer and what you are seeking.

• Choose a handle that best suits you. (You can change it later.)

Extra Guidelines for Educators

• Include a statement in your bio such as “Tweets are my own” or “Tweets do not reflect my employer.”

• Determine your comfort level as far as revealing your location, school, or system.

• NEVER tweet anything you would not say in front of a parent, colleague, administrator, or WLOS.

For School or Classroom Accounts…

• Check out this document for guidelines

https://docs.google.com/a/bcsemail.org/file/d/0B1rUTSGBeRKFYms4aF9ub3VNbHM/edit

RT = RetweetPlaced before a tweet you want to share with your followers.

MT = Modified TweetUsed in place of RT – when you have to change the tweet slightly (if you add a hashtag, for example.)

# = hashtagUse # before a keyword to categorize your tweet and to allow it to show more easily in Twitter search

DM = Direct messageThese are private Tweets between the sender and recipient

@ = reply/mention another Twitter userUsed to link to other Twitter users or when you’re replying to another user. Also called your Twitter “handle.”

The lingo

Mile-A-Minute

• Hashtag (#)• Handle (@)• Tweet• Retweet• MT (Modified Tweet)• Direct Message (DM)

The Chats

• 13 Great Twitter chats for educators

http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/09/23/13-twitter-chats-for-educators.aspx

My Favorites

• #21stedchat (Sundays, 8 pm) – 21st century education issues from technology to creativity.

• #slowchated – 1 question posted every day under a weekly theme. A great chat for beginners.

• #ASCDL2L (first Tuesday of the month, 8 pm) Monthly ASCD author facilitates on differing topics (great start to school year, students who challenge us).

My Favorites

• #educoach (Wednesdays, 10 pm) – chat focuses on coaching educators/professional development; great for teacher leaders, instructional coaches, or administrators.

• #TLeadChat (Thursdays, 10 pm) – chat focuses on issues of teacher leadership, recent chats on school culture and digital citizenship.

Let’s participate in a Twitter chat

• Search using the conference hashtag #WVBCS2014

• We will use a Q1/A1 format.