Why Twitter?

Twitter has been around for a while now and has become increasingly popular among educators.  So, Why Twitter?  For myself, I see Twitter as an opportunity. . .

An opportunity to Share Your Story:
Twitter gives teachers and others in education the opportunity to share the story of their classrooms, and the major accomplishments their students achieve each day.  It gives them a chance to show the world their dedication to improving the communities in which they serve.  I have the privilege of serving three schools in my district, and Twitter gives me the opportunity to share with others inside and out of our district, the creative learning that is taking place in the classrooms.  There are so many negative stories in the media about teachers and public schools, but spending five minutes on Twitter will give you a new perspective.  Through Twitter you see educators that are not only dedicated to student learning, but to their own professional learning as well.  In our district we recently rolled out a Professional Development called the PDChallenge.  Through Twitter we have been able to follow the "Challenges" teachers are completing and encourage them.  Take the Twitter Challenge for the opportunity to share your story!

An opportunity for Personal Learning and Growth:
Twitter is not just about showing off what is happening in your classroom, it is also about learning from the stories and resources that other people share.  You immediately grow your PLN by joining Twitter.  Need an idea or resources?  Just Tweet out and allow your followers to respond and share. Your Twitter Feed is tailored to fit your needs and interests because you choose who you want to follow.  Kasey Bell (@ShakeUpLearning) and Alice Keeler (@alicekeeler) are just two people I follow who offer great classroom resources and ideas.  Take the opportunity to learn with others through Twitter!

An opportunity to Follow Educational Leaders:

There are numerous Educational Leaders who utilize Twitter to share their stories and initiate educational change.  You can tap into their motivation, ideas and leadership by following them.   George Couros (@gcouros), Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd), and TeachThought (@teachthought) are a few Ed Leaders I follow, but there are many more!  Use Twitter for the opportunity to follow Ed Leaders or share how you are a leader yourself!

An opportunity for making Global Connections:
Twitter offers the opportunity to learn with other educators and classrooms around the Globe. This past year I had the opportunity to participate in The Global Read Aloud with one of the classes I work with.  Twitter allowed us to follow an ongoing conversation and discussion about the book we were reading with classrooms across the globe. With Twitter you are no longer confined to a conference venue for learning, and you do not have to miss out on something amazing just because it is not located near you.  Simply make the connections and follow the conversation!

An opportunity for #TwitterChats:
Twitter Chats are another opportunity afforded to Twitter users.  A Twitter Chat is a global conversation that happens at a scheduled time to discuss a pre-determined topic.  A specified hashtag is used to allow Tweets to be filtered.  For instance, every Tuesday at 7:00 pm EST, there is a chat for all educators that uses #edchat as the hashtag.  There are numerous Educational Twitter Chats that happen every day.  Click here to find a schedule of educational chats happening.  Many chats meet at the same times each week or every other week.  It is a place you can go to discuss topics relevant to your curriculum or interest areas.  You can simply follow the feed or throw out your own ideas by Tweeting using the hashtag assigned to that conversation.  Take advantage of the opportunity to have meaningful conversations with other educators.

EdCamp WNC

Engaged... Participant Directed... Personal... Passion

Last month I had the opportunity to attend my very first Edcamp style Professional Development.  Prior to this, I had read about the Edcamp experience, but could never quite wrap my mind around the organization of it all.  The idea of a group of people, educators at that, coming together with very little knowledge before hand, no schedule with sessions to choose from that could be stewed on for days prior to the event?  How could this be? How would anything constructive come from this?  How can you put 100+ teachers in a room with no prior planning?  And that is just what happened.  A group of 100+ educators came together and participated in meaningful discussions, and took away ideas that are currently being used in classrooms across the state.  So, I left with this question, How?  How did this group come together and accomplish what we accomplished?

My answer can be summed up in four phrases.

Engaged
From the moment I arrived at Edcamp I was engaged in conversations with other educators, wether it was seeing a familiar face from 10 years ago and catching up or meeting someone new and finding out where they were from and what they teach.  To be engaged in conversations with passionate educators is one of the most reviving things.  Maybe it was the duct tape, tin foil, and paper activity where we divided into groups and invented something that had not been invented yet that hooked me.  Or, perhaps it was the buzz that filled the room when we put our session ideas into Dotstorming and voted on the topics that we would like to hear more about.  The day was engaging, and when engaged we learn, we share ideas, and we support one another.

Participant Directed
When I think of Professional Development I think of day long events where I have to sit and listen to someone present about something that I may or may not be interested in with very little opportunities for feedback from the audience.  But, not at Edcamp.  This Professional Development was directed by the participants.  We chose what would be discussed and the ideas that would be shared.  In each of my sessions I had the opportunity to hear first hand experiences of things that were working well in classrooms, and I had the opportunity to share my own personal experiences.  Each participant assumes a leadership role at Edcamp.  How amazing would it be if we ran our classrooms this way?

Personal
My learning at Edcamp was personalized.  I was able to vote on what I wanted to discuss, and I was able to choose what sessions I wanted to attend.  I was able to visit the Makerspace that was set up and create something of my choosing.  Our professional lives are impacted by our personal learning experiences.

Passion
The participants at EdcampWNC have a passion for education in North Carolina.  From those in leadership roles who helped to organize the event, to the veteran teachers who were in need of a recharge, or the beginning teachers who were needing assurance that they chose the right profession, there was PASSION.  It was very apparent from the conversations in the rooms, the ideas that were being shared, and the progress that is being made in classrooms across the state that a passion for teaching and learning is at the heart of educators.  When a teacher teaches with passion their students can't help but notice!

What I have taken away from my first Edcamp experience I hope to bring back to the community of Educators and students that I serve in Burke County.  I am looking forward to participating in many more Edcamps in the future!  Thank you #EdcampWNC!

Connected Learners

4th grade students in Burke County, NC used Skype to connect with 4th grade students from Iredell County, NC to discuss questions about their county's history.  Students posted notes on a Padlet to organize their information.

Created with Padlet

Rhyming Word Collages

Students in Mrs. Howell's and Mrs. Proffitt's Kindergarten classes at Rutherford College used their 1:1 devices to review and create digital posters of rhyming words using the Pic Collage App.  It is amazing how quickly students catch on and begin navigating themselves.  Check out these examples of student created work!