twitter as a professional development tool

Twitter as a Professional Development Tool: How to Use Twitter to Develop a Personal

Learning Network

Presented by Will Deyamport, III, Ed.D. Candidate

Thames Elementary

April 4, 2012

What is a Personal Learning Network?

• A Personal Learning Network is an informal learning, self-constructed, diverse professional network whose purpose is supporting the personal or professional learning needs of the individual.

• A PLN allows you to: • Make PD choices according to your individual needs • Be flexible in how you learn• Connect with like-minded peers

What is Twitter?

Twitter is an information social network.

Twitter allows you to: • Follow a myriad of experts across fields • Connect with peers • Obtain information in real-time

Why should educators develop a PLN via Twitter?

• Connect with educators here in the U.S. and abroad.• Share best practices and resources. • Collaborate with educators around the globe.

How are educators using a PLN via Twitter?

• Teachers in District 123: http://vimeo.com/36647045 • Lalan Dema: http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXPfxwKkSXM

How do I get started?

• Create an account/profile• Explore the features of the site• Find people to follow

Setting Up an Account

• Choose a professional name• Write an informative bio• Upload a professional picture• Adding your location is optional

Definitions

• Timeline- A record of tweets in real time. Newest tweets are at the top.

• Tweet-A 140 character post. • Retweet-A reposting of someone else’s tweet. • Hashtags(#)-A label added to tweets to categorize or identify

its content.

Features

• Direct Message-A private message sent to someone. • @Mention- These are public tweets that mention you or

are directly sent to you. • Activity-A snapshot of follows, retweets, and favorites.• Favorite- A way to archive tweets for future viewing. • Search-A way find other users, either by name subject

area, or hashtag.

Find People To Follow

• Type a subject area or field you are interested in learning more about.

• Select and read someone’s profile. • Click on the Follow button.

Let’s Tweet!

• Introduce yourself in a tweet. • Ask a question and use a hashtag.(#edtech, #edchat,

#elemchat, #phdchat) • Ask for a recommendation of people to follow.

Resources

• Cybraryman’s Twitter Page http://www.cybraryman.com/twitter.html

• Getting Started with Twitter Chats http://dayintheclassroom.edublogs.org/2011/08/06/getting-started-with-twitter-and-twitter-chats/

Contact Me

• Twitter: @WillDeyamport• Email: wdeyamport@capellauniversity.edu • Blog: peoplegogy.com