Twitter...not just the "what I had for breakfast" social media

When talking about Twitter to my colleagues, there seem to be different camps.  The first camp is the "Not for me" group.  This is the group of people who just aren't interested in learning the "new fangled" technology. They believe that this fashion fad of Twitter will die out just like other social medias of the past. They are just fine doing things the way they have always done. They are not abundant, but they are the few, the proud, and the strong.

The second group is the ones that are willing to move forward, but don't really see the need to add another social media site to their repertoire. They think that Twitter is a site used to share what you had for breakfast, and what movie you are seeing. They do not understand the power of Twitter. I will tell you that I was in that camp for a long time. When I first joined Twitter, I will admit I joined to hawk my kids and their friends. I knew that Twitter was amazing for doctors to see the latest surgery and practices instantly, but did not see or realize the impact for education. A little more than a year ago, I realized the power of the PLN (Professional Learning Network).

At that point, I joined the last group. The ones that are already on board.  The group of campers of hard core PLN people use twitter everyday. Sometimes several times a day. These are the people that are gung ho, and working hard. This has been like when someone first gets a spouse. They want everyone to have someone and they try hard to set people up. I try to move my colleagues from the second group to this one.

My argument: Here is what Twitter has done for me...
Twitter has connected me to other fifth grade teachers in my district, my region, my state, the nation, and the world. It has enabled me to learn from others that have gone before me with 1:1 iPad classrooms, and those who are using technology in other ways. I have been able to have global curricular projects with classrooms across the pond, and in another hemisphere. It has opened conversations through #edchat of many kinds and helped to grow me as 21st century teacher. I was perusing through Twitter this morning, and this tweet caught my eye...

The top 12 "must reads" 

What Connected Educators Do Differently

Todd Whitaker and Jeffrey Zoul

Cited From: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/12-must-read-books-on-learning-for-2015/#ixzz3W9QpHnUX

Twitter. It is not the "what I had for breakfast" social media. Try it. You might like it.