Teacher Twitter

I reluctantly joined Twitter in April of 2015.  Before that, the only social media I was into was Facebook.  I'm of the generation that got Facebook in college.  I went to a small school and we waited and waited for our school to be added after listening to our friends at bigger universities talk about how cool it was.  Was it actually cool back then? Probably not. Does saying cool this many times make me seem cool?

Anyway, I joined Twitter and Instagram around the same time.  Everyone was doing it and I basically caved to peer pressure.  Just say no, guys.  I didn't post anything, but decided to passively follow my friends, a few celebrities, and some news organizations.  "I only use Twitter to keep up with the news," I would say, as if it made me sound sophisticated.

Then, about a year ago, a few teachers in my district talked about the number of educators and authors that actively used Twitter as a way to share resources, inspire each other, and connect.  Some were only using it to connect with their own classroom families, others were using it to connect in a broader sense.

So, I searched for a few of my favorite authors, and followed a few education and technology pages I heard about.  Again, I followed passively.  I still didn't post much, but I did use it frequently to get inspiration for my classroom, hear about upcoming books, and learn about new apps and technology.

Then I went to Nerd Camp MI.  I first heard about Nerd Camp on Twitter and everyone made it sound pretty amazing.  I signed up, went, and it blew my mind.  Read my last post for more about that!  I realized just how extensive Teacher Twitter really is.  I started following everyone and everyone they were talking about.  Since then, I have started to tweet more of my own posts, retweet, and respond to posts I like.  I have made a few solid connections and was able to connect with those people again this year at Nerd Camp.  I've connected with a few authors who I'm excited to continue to connect with over the course of the school year.

By no means have I mastered all that Twitter can offer.  I'm happy that I've made some connections, gained inspiration, and received fresh ideas.  It's a giant community of many like-minded educators ready to take on the world!