This document discusses various apps and tools that can enhance the use of Twitter as a professional development (PD) tool. It describes Twitter's core features of short text posts and real-time updates. It then summarizes several apps including Twibes for finding others with similar interests, Tagdef for understanding hashtags, TweetedTimes for organizing tweets into newspapers, Scribd for sharing documents, GroupTweet for private group tweeting, Twitcam for live streaming, and Spezify for visual hashtag searches. The document advocates using Twitter for teaching and learning through communities, resources sharing, and interacting with experts. It provides tips for maximizing tweet impact and lists review questions about the summarized tools.

1. Apps that Support and
Enhance the Value of
Twitter as a PD Tool
Rita Zeinstejer
GCT 2008
Rosario, Argentina

2. • exponent of “snack culture”
• privileges text brevity, users´mobility and virtual
networks as social environments
• answers one question: What´s happening…?
What’s Microblogging…?

3. • imposes necessity to abbreviate fitting in ideas
• develops skills for word selection
• fulfils a need of …being fast and getting instant feedback
• …getting more connections
• encourages autonomous learning
• uses tags to build up a network
• helps share real time data
• shapes your own community
microblogging pluses

6. •“a free social networking and micro-blogging service that
allows users to send updates…” Wikipedia
•“the most popular of the genre of 'microblogging' tools that
emulate SMS messaging but fall short of blogging…” V.
Stevens
•“one of the largest platforms in the world for sharing real-
time data” Douglas A. McIntyre, in TIME
Twitter

9. •combines features of SMS text messages and
blogs
•up to 140 characters long text-based posts
•updates instantly delivered
•updates via instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email
Features
http://twitter.com/home

10. •relevance
•quickness
•distinct style
•conversational
Why the interest…?

11. Everyday
use…?
•dissemination of publications and materials
•product recommendations
•serendipitous improvement
•serendipitous discovery
•locating original sources of ideas, quotes, etc.
•following celebrities
•getting updated on latest news

12.  Use Hashtags as a search
engine
 Twitter Search:
the most powerful search engine
connects with REAL time information

13. General teaching and learning
#Edtech – anything to do with technology in the classroom
#education – anything to do with education
#elearning – mostly about computer based learning, although also covers anything to do
with the ‘e’ role in learning
#teachers – focuses on the teacher
#edchat – a weekly and lively discussion about all things education
#ntchat – resources for new teachers
#teachmeet – connecting teachers
#ukedchat – UK teacher chat
most popular teaching
hashtags:

16. for educators…?
 it’s a virtual staff room, a learning network & community
 join any conference
 share discussion during/ after
 follow the stream
 connect with likeminded people
 share resources easily and quickly
 perfect tool for mobile devices

17. a personal learning tool:
 it´s a powerful learning tool
 a great information filter
 lets me interact with experts I’ll never meet f2f
 it’s an instant give-and-take
 forces me to be a reflective learner
 my Twitter network is the smartest and fastest

18.  create a strong profile page
 keep your profile professional
 proper use of etiquette
 know who to follow
 use hashtags
 use Twitter for research
 share what you read : build an online reputation, spark
academic discussions
 use Twitter for teaching and learning
 use Twitter tools and apps
as a PD tool….

20. http://www.twibes.com/
a group of Twitter users interested in a common topic

22.  finds Twitter people interested in similar topics
 enables people to meet and participate in conversations
 gathers likeminded members around key words
 organizes tweets
 encourages community formation
 anybody can find and join any group

24. http://www.scribd.com/about

28.  online platform: lets you publish and discover documents on the Web
works like YouTube, but you browse and upload texts instead of videos
 post documents of various formats, and embed them into a web page
 find and share documents
 unlimited storage
 it’s a user-generated library for documents, not a personal online
journal you update periodically
 claims that you'll find more information than on Wikipedia !!

30. Tagdef http://tagdef.com/

34.  read Twitter as a daily newspaper
 organize links shared on Twitter into an easy-to-read
newspaper-style format.
 newspapers can be created for any Twitter user, list or
#tag
 explore newspapers by topic, tags and types
http://tweetedtimes.com

36.  helps groups communicate privately via Twitter

send a private message to another user + send it to multiple users
 enables 2 to 100,000+ contributors to tweet from the same account
 contributors' names can be hidden or displayed at the beginning or end
of each Tweet
 multiple contributors add content to your Twitter account, but keep full
control of content/timing: GroupTweet's Message Moderation feature
/
http://www.grouptweet.com

37. promotes use of Twitter
http://screenr.com/
 instant screencasts for Twitter
 web-based recorder: nothing to download

40.  search engine: takes a topic of interest and turns
search results into a flipboard with videos, tweets,
flickr images
http://spezify.com/
visual
search

42. http://twitcam.livestream.com/
 posts your video description and link to Twitter for
all your followers to see
 chat with your viewers via Twitter right from your
broadcast page
 archive your video and display it on the same page
 free + no sign-up/no software required
stream
LIVE on
Twitter!!

44. Maximize the Impact of your
Tweets

include a link: provide content to your audience
 leave some extra space: encourage engagement

be brief and succint Dnt 4get 2check out R evnt tnite@our office-its gna b gr8 NO
 open up a conversation
 use a hashtag: expand your reach
 give credit where credit is due: people are notified
http://leancontent.it/post/43087807643/6-tricks-to-maximize-the-impact-of-
your-tweets

45. let’s recap
Which tool helps you…
• find people with similar interests?
• create a newspaper?
• share your documents?
• tweet from a group account safely?
• streams your tweets live on Twitter?
• discover what a hashtag means?
• search images around a topic?
• screencast your message?

46. Rita Zeinstejer
rita@zeinstejer.com