What do you know about Twitter? Before the World Cup took over social media this summer, the largest number of tweets were sent by educators. Educators worldwide are very willing to share what they know and Twitter is a huge resource for professional development. By following a simple hashtag title entire discussions can open up to you.
I have used Twitter extensively for the last year. I love to follow educational conventions in progress. At the International Reading Association’s conference in May (#IRA14), I tweeted during every session I attended. There is no way you can be in every session offered, so it is fun to go back and read the highlights of the day. I love the on-site interaction these tweets bring, but I have also used Twitter for conventions I cannot afford to attend. By going to the search bar and typing in the event, I was able to find the hashtags for the Texas Library Association Conference (#TLA2014) and the American Library Association Conference in Las Vegas (#alaac14). Watching these tweets provided links to new books, outstanding presenters, and session highlights, though the Texas conference brings up an interesting issue. Sometimes a hashtag is used for more than one event/subject. You may have to wade through some unrelated tweets to get to the topic you want, be patient!
Simultaneous to the ALA conference was the International Society for Technology in Education conference (#ISTE14). How great is it to be in two places at once? It is easy to click to follow someone on Twitter and on a daily basis you can read the headlines of what is important in education.
The Children’s Literature Association Conference (#ChLA14), led to a lively conversation on “We need diverse books,” a huge topic at the moment. Sometimes conferences are entirely virtual. Following #cyberPD leads to an ongoing discussion about Donalyn Miller’s “Reading in the Wild,” and the importance of reading and #TCRWP is the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and a Twitter chat on Colonial Williamsburg.
Last week Dr. Teri Lesesne led a workshop for teachers in my district. Did I miss out? No. Teri tweeted (#cisd14) so we could follow the book talks from her session. Now I can go back and look for the books discussed. When my teachers come back to my campus I will know exactly what they are talking about! It is also a great way to create a book list of new books you want to read to include in your lessons. All of the participants in this workshop were introduced to Twitter. Now they are off learning all that Twitter has to offer!
I urge you to sign up for a Twitter account and get started on the path to the best educational resource ever. Follow #IRATODAY and #IRACHAT for some great educational resources, you will love it. And follow me at @marjiepodge.
Marjie Podzielinski is a member of the Advisory Committee of Teachers and a librarian at Coulson Tough School in The Woodlands, Texas. Follow her on Twitter at @marjiepodge.
This article is part of a series from the International Reading Association’s Technology in Literacy Education Special Interest Group (TILE-SIG).