Twitter-- Professional Development at Your Fingertips!

Ever need a quick idea or want to share a fast thought or a link to a website? Twitter offers users a way to do exactly that. Each Twitter message, known as a Tweet, is limited to 140 characters. So the Tweets must be short and to the point. This format is perfect for quickly sharing an idea or sending out a link. I think of Twitter as stepping out into the hallway to ask a colleague a question or passing him or her a quick note in a meeting. Except with Twitter , the
hallway and the meeting take place online rather than in a physical building. The people whose Tweets you read on Twitter are the people you “follow”. The people who read YOUR Tweets are your “followers”. I keep my Twitter account strictly for professional development (Facebook is more personal) and follow other Twitterers like Arne Duncan, Larry Ferlazzo, Pew Research Center, PBS Kids, and Kris and Jackie (from our RCS Technology Department!) You can set up your Twitter to follow the Tweets of people that share your interests, in my case ESL and
technology. Reading Tweets can take as little or as much time as you choose. I like to read mine from my phone through an app. You can read your Twitter through a regular computer though. If you want to remember a particular Tweet, you can mark it as a “Favorite” and come back to it later. Joining Twitter is very simple. You go to http://www.twitter.com/ , create an account and log in. I
suggest, if you want to get started slowly, that you
find someone’s Twitter that you want to read (Example: I am @JohnnaParaiso on Twitter), look at their profile and read who THEY follow. You can then follow those people and read their Tweets. I have shared ideas with Twitter Teachers in lots of different states as well as internationally. It really is a fast simple way to share ideas. I love the web sites that other teachers put up, such as aligning Common Core Standards, teaching math to ELLs, teacher
evaluations and a wide range of things.Take a look at Twitter. Just a quick read through of
some ideas there, might inspire you!!