The MSTA Blog

25 ways to teach with Twitter

After Krissy Venosdale’s post, (did you miss it? click here) we at MSTA thought it would be a good idea to share some more details about how you can use Twitter for professional development.

A recent article on Teach & Learning, titled 25 ways to teach with Twitter, is making it’s way around the Twitter-verse and is worth reading. 

In addition to a brief overview of commonly used phrases on Twitter, the article suggests asking for recommendations, help and advice and gives examples on how to best phrase these requests.

Still have questions or concerns? Contact Aurora on Twitter @MSTA, by email at ameyer@msta.org or by phone at (573) 442-3127. 

Give Twitter a Try by Krissy Venosdale

UPDATED (see below)

Do you think Twitter is just a place where people write, “Just ate a cheeseburger, delicious?”  Twitter is so much more than that!  In a world where the internet changes every single second of the day, it can be difficult to find time to search for educational resources.  The wonderful thing about Twitter is that you don’t have to search because the resources come to you!  All you have to do is sign up!

Getting started is easy. Just be sure to give it two weeks. Trust me. The first day, if you are like I was, you will be puzzled that anyone ever gets information from Twitter. You have to “follow” other people to read great stuff. Check out Twitter4Teachers to find educators in your field and pick a few, or a few hundred, to follow.  You can even follow MSTA on Twitter! The more people you follow, the more information you will have flowing on your Twitter page. The educators you follow and interact with on Twitter can become part of your own PLN (personal learning network). 

Look for hashtags (a number symbol followed by a word, for example: #edchat). Clicking on the hashtags will allow you to instantly connect with other educators and read discussions on a variety of topics. You can just read or jump right in. Just be sure to add the hashtag to your own tweet so others will see it! 

Throughout the summer, I’ve been gathering resources from Twitter to use in my classroom. I bookmark them and save them for later on.  Here are a few great ones that I found just this past week: Tagxedo, Professor Garfield Comics Lab, Timetoast, Creaza, LiveBinders, and Photo8.

So, are you ready to give Twitter a try? Instant resources without searching, ability to connect with other educators around the world and it’s free!  What more can a teacher ask for?

By: Krissy Venosdale (@KTVee)

UPDATE: The list is live! For those interested in connecting with other Tweeting MSTA Members go here for an ever-growing list: http://bit.ly/bn4oTu

UPDATE: Still think Twitter isn't for you? Check out this story about one woman whose Tweets alerted friends, family and rescuers after a terrible bike crash in the woods.