Thing 3: Twitter and Other Online Communities

I should preface this post by saying I have a personal Twitter account I rarely, if ever use. So for this assignment, I decided to start fresh and create a new Twitter handle (@EMartinez_VAR) to use for professional resources and to use as an additional social media source for the Virtual Academy of Rochester (VAR).

Aside from setting up my profile, I followed my District and School’s Twitter accounts. Our current Superintendent is a big proponent of social media and has encouraged staff to incorporate this and other 21st Century skills into our teaching practices. I also searched for hashtags that included #tlchat, #slscooltools and followed @edutopia, @jbhanlon, @Alex_Corbitt, and @pollyalida! 

I really enjoy being able to follow other teachers and find educational resources but it can be very overwhelming. I had to really pace myself about gathering followers because what’s the point of your Twitter feed if it’s only going to overwhelm you?

One of the most exciting resources I found during my search was @Alex_Corbitt, an English teacher from Bronx, NY. He posts wonderful graphics and charts with almost every tweet. I found his tweet about perseverance to be especially encouraging and something I would love to share with students (see below).

 I plan to use Twitter in a variety of ways over the next month and upcoming school year. Twitter will be an extension of my classroom and bulletin board. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I do not teach in a traditional class setting and most of my work is done digitally. Twitter will allow my coworkers and I to connect with students, give shout-outs and share moments from our day, and also give tips to our students. Parents and community members will also be able to see the wonderful things going on in our labs.