This document provides an overview of how to use Twitter as an educational tool. It explains that Twitter allows educators to build a professional learning network (PLN) to get advice and feedback beyond their local colleagues. The basics of Twitter are defined, including tweets, follows, hashtags and mentions. Scheduled topic chats are listed to find communities. Guidelines are provided for selecting an avatar and bio, as well as resources for additional Twitter features and functionality.

1. Escaping your
administrator island
through Twitter
AWSA Convention
October 27, 2011

2. By the end of this session...
•You will have a Twitter account and have sent
a tweet.
•You’ll know the basics of Twitter (tweet,
follow, hashtags, mentions)
•You’ll start building your PLN

4. WHAT IS
?

5. IS A WEB 2.0 TOOL.

6. WHAT IS
IS A WEB 2.0 TOOL.
?

10. Make sense?

12. Administrator’s

13. Imagine if all your advice and
feedback came from the same small
group of people, or no one at all.

14. Imagine if all your advice and
feedback came from the same small
group of people, or no one at all.

15. • is a form of micro-blogging
• short messages known as tweets
• no more than 140 characters

17. Why use Twitter?

18. Why use Twitter?

19. More Important than Biebs’
hair and Ashton/Demi
• 24/7 Professional Development
• PLN= Professional/Personal
Learning Network

21. Global audience Niche community
Like sending a Group of people
text to the interested in
whole world same topic.
Short and sweet Free and easy

22. With Twitter, you can ask those “dumb” questions that
you might not want to ask those you work closely with.

23. With Twitter, you can ask those “dumb” questions that
you might not want to ask those you work closely with.
Or you could
avoid asking
your important
questions to
dumb people. :)

24. Bouncing your ideas off your PLN could save
you from a bad idea.

25. ACCESS TO EXPERTS IN
EDUCATION
Almost anyone can be tolerated in under
140 characters!

27. Who tweeted?

28. How to use Twitter

29. How to use Twitter
Where is the
@ sign on
this thing?

34. Timeline

35. Protected tweet

46. Direct Message

47. Who to start following on twi7er?
• People you know
• Friends of friends
• Other Interes@ng People

48. People You Know

49. Friends of Friends

50. People with
similar interests…
#hashtag search

51. Scheduled Chats
Mondays:
#mathchat 2:30‐4:00 pm CST Thursdays:
(repeat of Thursday's topic) #artsed 7:30 pm EST
#sschat 6pm CST #mathchat 7:00 pm EST
#engchat 6pm CST #langchat 8:00 pm EST
#4thchat 7pm CST #isedchat 9:00 pm EST
#musedchat 7pmCST Fridays:
#gtchat Noon & 7 pm EST
Tuesdays:
#edchat (vote) #daily5 7pm CST
noon & 7pm EST
#scichat 9pm EST Saturdays:
#elemchat 5 pm EST
#spedchat 7:30 CST
Sundays:
Wednesdays: #@tletalk 8 ‐ 9 pm EST
#ELTchat 7 am EST & 4 pm EST Chat about @tles & how to promote
#web20chat 6pm EST
#ntchat 8pm EST reading to students
#ptchat 9 pm EST #1stchat 7pm CST
#educoach 9pm CST
#3rdchat 6pm CST
#2ndchat 7pm CST

52. Your bio….
How do you want to present yourself?
• I am a teacher/educator/coach/administrator….
• Interested in:
‐Math
‐Science
‐Reading
‐Technology
‐InstrucConal Leadership
• Teaching level
• Any other info from you that will aGract the followers YOU
want to learn from
• Insert images of mine and some other profile screenshots

53. 2. Confirm new account
via email

55. Trivia time: What was the name of the actor
who played The Professor?
Tweet your
answer with the
hashtag
#AWSA2011

56. Tension mounts as
the castaways wait
for a response from
@uscoastguard.

57. Terminology
∙ Tweep or Twit: a Twi7er user
∙ Tweet: using Twi7er to send text message
∙ Follower: a tweep who tracks your tweets
∙ Shorten URL: use a URL trimming site
∙ Re‐Tweet or RT: resending another twit’s tweet
∙ DM: direct message in private to a specific twit
∙ @ reply: sent to a specific tweep but visible to all
∙ #: hash mark designa@ng topic as in #genealogy
#hashtag h7p://hashtags.org track the popularity of a
hash tag and see recent tweets using that tag as well as
photos and even videos
∙ Avatar: your Twi7er profile photo
More terminology at TwiGonary h7p://www.twi7onary.com
PLN: Your Professional Learning Network
See the session handout

58. Twi7er Resources
TwitPic h7p://twitpic.com share photos
Twuffer h7p://twuffer.com schedule tweets
TweetDeck h7p://tweetdeck.com lets you tweet,
retweet, DM, shorten URLS, display all followers, DMs
etc. Mobile: h7p://www.tweetdeck.com/beta/iphone/
Everything you ever wanted to know about Twi7er
h7p://www.curledesign.com/everything‐you‐everwanted‐
to‐know‐about‐twi7er/
h7p://www.cybraryman.com/twi7er.html

59. TweetDeck

60. I sure wish
I hadn’t
tweeted
that.

61. Happiness for
Mr. Howell as
he gains his
1000th Twitter
follower

62. T

63. Handout – h7p://bit.ly/AWSA2011
Please add yourself – h7p://bit.ly/
WIeducators

64. Original Gilligan theme presentation
created by:
•Jessica Johnson (@PrincipalJ)
•Jay Posick (@posickj)
•Curt Rees (@WiscPrincipal)