Personal Learning Network (PLN) Post

My Twitter Experience

This past month, I explored Twitter and all of the wonderful resources available on it. I never had a Twitter before so I had to learn a lot about this new technology tool. I really liked being able to see other peoples' posts in education as well as like and re-tweet their posts on my own page. This was very helpful, because any resources I liked and wanted to try out or save for the future, I could save and find them later on my account page. Below is a picture of my Twitter account. Please follow to see more educational resources @lewis_em96. 

Image source: Personal photo from Twitter

When first creating my Twitter account, I made sure to follow lots of educational people, resources and companies I knew. For example, I started following @TCEA, @bilingualteacher, @CommonSenseEducation, @PearDeck, @WeAreTeachers, @ScholasticTeach, and others. All of these accounts offered some great resources for teachers and were actively tweeting out new tips every day. For example, in the photo below Scholastic shared out a link to book resources to use in the classroom that celebrates Hispanic and Latinx Heritage. This is a great resource that I can incorporate into my own classroom and share these books with my students and colleagues.

Image source: Personal photo from Twitter

Live Twitter Chats

While exploring Twitter, I also participated in a few chats. The first was a live chat with #ILEdChat. This chat involved many educators talking virtually about teaching all at the same time. The question I choose to answer was question 2 that asked what sign or word would you hang above your classroom door. I choose the word believe because it sends a positive message and encourages students as they are coming into the classroom. Additionally, it reminds them of the importance of believing in themselves and positive thinking from this point on. One thing I really liked about the live chat was seeing everyones post and comments coming through at the same time. It made the live chat feel like a community of educators sharing and supporting each other. Someone even commented on my post that they love the word brave and that it reminded them of the song Brave by Sara Bareilles. See the image below to see the live chat I participated in.

Image source: Personal photo from Twitter

I also participated in another chat with our EDU 776 class. It was a slow chat using #DomZumpTech. I really liked being a part of this chat because it was with my fellow classmates and gave me a chance to interact with them virtually. The difference between this chat (a slow chat, please see image below) and the live chat above is that a slow chat involved slower responses and does not all happen at the exact same time. With a live chat, everyone is participating in the chat at the exact same time so responses and comments are coming in much quicker than a slow chat. The slow chat question I answered was what piece of advice would you give to a new teacher. I responded with the importance of student-teacher relationships. This is something that is super important when setting up your classroom and establishing the classroom expectations. It is all about the relationships and the connections you form with your students. The learning and content material comes secondary to how you and the students interact and if they feel safe, trusted and supported in your classroom.

Image source: Personal photo from Twitter

Reflections

Overall, I really enjoyed this Twitter experience and plan to keep up with the educational resources and strategies shared on Twitter. It was a great experience to interact with other educators in Live Chats and find new resources. Another thing I really liked about Twitter was seeing the inspirational teacher quotes and stories. The image below shows one wholesome tweet about the 10 lessons I want to instill in my kids and it was such a sweet reminder of why we teach. It is all about the students and continuing to support them to reach their fullest potential even on hard day. It was a very positive and nice reminder about the importance of our jobs as educators. 

Image source: Personal photo from Twitter