My initial understanding and response to Twitter was a social media tool where self indulgent people tweeted about their lives: sort of like an instant virtual diary - I'm going for a run in 10 mins ... crappy weather out there ... must go ... Chili for dinner tonight ... blah, blah, blah - ugh. No thanks. My husband showed me some Facebook entries exhibiting this banal drivel and then I further heard a CBC commentary re twitter examples like the aforementioned and that basically killed the bird for me!
But, Twitter obviously evolved and biased me got left behind.
"Twitter may have started off as a fun social media site for keeping up with friends and sharing updates about daily life, but it’s become much more than that for many users over the past few years as the site has evolved and grown. These days, Twitter is a powerhouse for marketing, communication, business, and even education, letting people from around the world work together, share ideas, and gain exposure." (100 Ways To Use...)
Thanks to LIBE 477, Web 2.0 course, I'm back on track: a neophyte, but growing in the right direction.
Thus, this evening, I've begun searching Twitter once again for district central staff, trustees, administrators, and teachers for their twitter accounts in search of a North Okanagan Shuswap (SD83) personal learning network for myself. While, like my previous search attempt, I came across a school twitter account for our district, the names I searched didn't give the sought person; thus, people I'm searching are not using their "regular" names. I know I just need one "hit" and I'll be off ...
Glenn Borthistle, Director of Instruction - Human Resources, thank you! My Tweetdeck will soon be full. My screen began to light up with blue "following" as I excitedly found district administrators, teachers, and more. Twitter savvy users you know exactly what happened next. Well, on Glenn's "Following" list alone I found politicians, political pundits, superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of instruction, and others. From Glenn's list I then clicked on Rob Cadden's (SD83 vice-principal) profile 
and checked out his list: more SD83 educators, educational technologists (i.e. Kathy Schrock), educational technology authors (Kist and Richardson), president of the BCTLA (finally found you Heather Daly), and many, many more wonderful educational leaders ... from all over the world. Within 15 mins I had jumped from following 8 to 84 "Following" names and was having trouble stopping.
Instructor Aaron I will try your Twitter lists next, but I'm keeping at bay that swoop down and make you feel overwhelmed grip; perhaps after a good night's sleep ... (I know, I know you don't mean to create that response for your students - tis really self inflicted)
I still have Tweetdeck to figure out, but as Jessa Clark,
Math/Physics/Technology Teacher, masters student, and volunteer T-L tech support, SD83, said something close to, "while I'm not a huge user of Twitter yet, it's an amazing resource for professional development. I'm thinking the world is my virtual oyster.
Well, I tackled TweetDeck and I'm on my way to Twitter organization on my laptop and iPhone.
(image source: http://blog.romidar.com/2011/12/tweetdeck-1-0-fail-download-tweetdeck-0-38-2-here/)
Aaron's list wasn't overwhelming at all - thank you for the networking potential: only two subscribers thus far so get with it LIBE 477 peers!
From your list Aaron, I had to peruse Chris Wejr's
and Steve W Anderson's 
twitter homepages and Tamara Malloff, 
School Tech Coordinator/Teacher-Librarian in SD#8, and quite enjoyed their visual layouts, as well as the quick reading I did.From there I read 100 Ways To Use Twitter In Education, By Degree Of Difficulty and have found a wonderful source to return to over and over again as I flatten my Twitter learning curve.
In Closing
While I haven't been interested in Facebook, other Web 2.0 options such as Google+ and Twitter have hooked me. For example, Twitter intellectually reconnected me with a former UVic education peer and I look forward to following his tweets and blog as he is yet one more great mind to confer with in the changing landscape of education. Peter Jory, director of instruction (Squamish, Duncan) discusses how management and educational players need to support one another and how Twitter may assist in that task: "... We would hopefully then support and encourage our educators, not just with enthusiasm, though that often helps, but also with resources to give their ideas some longevity and traction. This will also require the copious support of my ever expanding PLN, specifically via Twitter, which has taken on the role in my life of a giant electronic coffee house. "
For me Twitter is like taking me back to the days of being a kid in a candy store, but now I'm a kid in an intellectual store ... house - and all for free.
(Image source: http://www.brothersoft.com/the-disney-world-bambi-wallpaper-406775.html)
| I'm Twitterpated | 1317 up, 402 down | |
An enjoyable disorder characterized by feelings of excitement, anticipation, high hopes, recent memories of interludes, giddiness, and physical overstimulation which occur simultaneously when experiencing a new love. These feelings take over without warning, usually at odd times (such as at a check-out line), with or without the partner present, and make it difficult to concentrate on anything but romance. They interfere with work and safe driving, but should be experienced at least once in every person's lifetime.
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Ardent Librarian
@Shannon_M1
94 following and growing. Tweeting soon to be explored.
Works Cited
"100 Ways To Use Twitter In Education, By Degree Of Difficulty - Edudemic." Edudemic. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. <http://edudemic.com/2012/04/100-ways-to-use-twitter-in-education-by-degree-of-difficulty/>.
Kist, William. The Socially Networked Classroom: Teaching in the New Media Age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2010. Print.
Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts: And Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2006. Print.
Plus other live links above.
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LIBE 477 Readings: Richardson: Chapter 6 & Recommended: Berger & Trexler: Chapter 7
Love it. You've fallen down the rabbit hole of networking, connecting and harvesting the bounty of intellectual tools, resources, conversations and ideas. Twitter can be many things, but you've figured out the secret that so many others have, that you can extend and explore your profession network very easily!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you focused on some local colleagues and leaders from your school district and mined their lists and follower pages for other connections. Start with your district, expand to your province and eventually start reaching out across canada and even the US.
I'm happy you've found this useful at last. It truely has changed my practice in so many ways. Blogging, Twitter and Google Plus will be the tools of the ardent librarian!