Find Your Tribe

I have recently jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and have not looked back. With so many useful tools, articles, discussions, I am disappointed I didn't catch on sooner but I think it was partly do to the fact that I used other platforms and partly because it's not as user friendly as other Social Media networks. Here are some tips and tricks to navigating the world of Twitter and to find your tribe.

How to Join a Tribe

1. Set up a Twitter account. Don't worry about followers. Someone recommended just to be an observer at first.

2. Start following. You can start by looking up your friends, teacher celebrities, TED Talk favorites, Artists and favorite authors. My personal favorites are Jennifer Gonzalez (Cult of Pedagogy Blogger and Podcaster). I also follow Kelly Gallagher and George Curous, Matt Miller (Ditch that Textbook).

3. Follow sites. I like Edutopia, We are Teachers, PBS Teachers, NPR and Inc.

4. Retweet. I use this function just so I can go back and read posts later. It saves into your personal feed. Plus it's my contribution to the community.

5. Retweet with comment. This function is perfect if you want to @ someone and post it to their feed. As an Instructional Coach, this is such an accessible way to provide personal Professional Development.

6. Join chats. This is such a fun way to collaborate and receive encouragement from fellow teacher Tweeters. I participate in a Monday night TOSAchat and each week they post 6 questions. I have found this a really reflective way to analyze my current practice.

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Next Level

When you are ready to take your Tweeting to the next level, I recommend using Tweetdeck. You can set up panels with your feed, notifications, and any searches. It makes navigating easier and it is easy to view.

Some other Considerations

You will notice there are as many genres of groups as there are people in the world. I like to follow the Gamification crowd with Michael Matera and Adam Powley who post resources and ideas of how to create a Gamified classroom. Depending on your style of teaching, you can find a tribe that will meet your pedagogical needs.

At first, I never really understood how Twitter would fit in with my life. But now it is one way I curate my resources and learn about Educational Trends. It also is a wonderful way to connect with other professionals for encouragement. Now your homework assignment is to start Tweeting!

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Want to know more? Check out Jennifer Gonzalez's Blog on using your Twitter account.

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