The document summarizes the author's experience following various educators on Twitter over the course of a month. The educators shared advice on teaching strategies, student motivation, and technology integration. Some key ideas included using technology to increase collaboration, making work meaningful for students to motivate them intrinsically, and recognizing all student talents rather than just high achievers. The author learned about flipping the classroom, virtual learning environments, and the importance of technology skills for 21st century students. Overall, the experience provided guidance for the author to become an effective teacher.

1. Katie Napier
CI 350
Harold Blanco
4 December 2013
Twitter Assignment
Throughout the course of a month, I have had the opportunity to follow a variety of educators
that have shared thoughts, advice, and teaching strategies that should function to increase my skills as a
future teacher. These influential individuals would include: PernelleRipp, George Couros, Gwyneth Jones
(aka “The Daring Librarian”), and Chris Weijr. In addition, I have also had the opportunity to follow my CI
350 instructor, Dr. Harold Blanco, who has posted a variety of materials regarding the utilization of
technology within the classroom. Overall, I intend to implement much of the teaching strategies/advice
that I have received throughout this month in order to become a more effective teacher.
PernelleRipp:
PernelleRippis a fifth grade teacher and a mother of three children that currently resides in
Washington. Overall, she is best known as the founder of the Global Read Aloud, a project that was
initiated in 2011 for the sole purpose of connecting children around the world through the mutual
appreciation of books. Throughout this month, PernelleRipp has posted a variety of tweets that include
articles, pictures, video clips, inspirational thoughts, and information regarding:student assessment,
effective reading strategies, techniques to increase student motivation/interest, the utilization of
technology within the classroom, and the need for student collaboration. However, the overall theme
behind the majority of Mrs. Ripp’s tweets has been focused upon increasing student motivation within
the classroom through the utilization of technologyand collaborative projects. Since Mrs. Ripp feels so
strongly about the power of reading, she attempts to increase student interest towards this subject as
frequently as possible. Therefore, in order to determine prior knowledge and student preference
toward reading, Mrs.Ripp periodically, instructs her students to write brief reflections regarding their
experiences with books and whether or not they enjoy reading. These reflections offer feedback
regarding student growth and motivation; thus enabling the instructor to modify her curriculum when
necessary (in order to increase student achievement).In addition, Mrs. Ripp also utilizes her blog:

2. “Reading through the Fourth Dimension,” to share thoughts and advice on motivating students to read.
Such tips include: acknowledging their different reading levels, allowing them to choose their own books
(to an extent), permitting students to sit anywhere in the classroom when reading, offering them a
variety of ways to share their thoughts through various forms of technology, and utilizing engaging
activities (rather than traditional book reports) to assess student comprehension. Such tips will
ultimately increase studentinterest in reading among both girls and boys alike.Not only does Mrs. Ripp
steadfastly believe that student creativity, innovation, and collaboration should be encouraged, but she
also tweets that grades and report cards fail to accurately reflect student progress or stimulate student
motivation towards learning; thus she asserts that tests should not be utilized as the sole indicator of
student academic achievement. Therefore, Mrs. Ripp suggests that observational feedback and handson projects should be utilized to increase student motivation and assess student
achievement.Ultimately, I must concur with Mrs. Ripp; tests rarely reflect true student progress and
thus should be utilized in moderation. In addition, I believe that class projects/assignments that are
applicable to the children’s lives should be implemented in order to truly stimulate student motivation
and achievement. Ultimately, I have found the majority of Mrs. Ripp’s tweets to be highly enjoyable as
well as applicable to my future career. Through her tweets, I have learned much regarding: student
motivation, the utilization of technology within the classroom, and the power of effective reading
instruction. Therefore, I believe that Mrs. Ripphas shared a variety of information that will help me to
become a better teacher.
George Couros:

3. Another influential individual that I have had the opportunity to follow on Twitter would include
George Couros. Overall, Couros is a Division Principal of Innovative Teaching and Learning that desires to
promote student collaboration and innovation through the implementation of technology. Throughout
the course of a month, Couros has tweeted about a variety of subjects, including: his love of dogs and
his favorite baseball team. However, Couros also tweets about various educational topics,such as: the
importance of effective leadership, the role of technology within the classroom, and the need for
student collaboration.Ultimately, the theme behind many of Couros’s tweets has been focused upon
utilizing technology to: increase collaboration among educators and prepare students for life in the 21st
Century. Overall, Couros believes that the primary way to bring about effective learning in today’s
society is by fully embracing technology. Therefore, in an attempt to increase teacher effectiveness and
student success in the 21st Century, Couros strives to connect classrooms, educators, parents, and
administrators through the implementation of such Web 2.0 tools as: Google Drive, Google Handouts,
and Remind 101.Furthermore, Couros also advocates a policy known as “individual learning and mass
sharing,” in which he counsels educators in the area of Professional Development. In these individual
sessions, he encourages educators to ask questions regarding a particular form of media that they wish
to incorporate within their classrooms (such as blogging, social media, or Google Drive). He then works
with that particular individual to set up the web-based applications that they desire, and he posts their
accomplishments on Twitter to inspire other educators to do the same.Overall, I love the idea of
educators connecting with one another in an effort to increase effectiveness! I completely agree that
faculty and administrators should collaborate in order to complete the common goal of preparing
students for life in the Twenty-first Century.Ultimately, I have learned much regarding: leadership,
motivation, collaboration, and the importance of technology within today’s classroom. Thus, I intend to
implement many of the technological applications and Web 2.0 tools that Couros recommends (such as
Google Drive, Twitter, and Google Calendar) in order to better prepare my students for success in the
21st Century.

4. ChrisWejr:
In addition, I have also had the privilege to follow Chris Wejir, principal of Kent Elementary, on
Twitter. He frequently posts tweets regarding: leadership, motivation, assessment, and parental
involvement. Thus, I have found his tweets to be extremely relevant to my future teaching
career.Overall, Weijr has primarily focused upon increasing student motivation. Regarding this
topic,Weijr has posted many tweets suggesting that, rather than offering children “bribes” to complete
their work, educators need to make the work meaningful and relevant to the children so that they will
desire to complete assigned tasks independently. Thus, in order to intrinsically motivate students, he
suggests utilizing technology in the classroom. Due to relatively recent technological advancements,
children today are exposed to a variety of media, mobile devices, and social networks that could
ultimately be utilized to inspire students. With today’s technology, the sky is the limit! Thus, we, as
future teachers need to utilize this fact to our advantage. In addition, Weijr has also tweeted that that in
order to motivate low-achieving students, we need to begin recognizing the talents/strengths of these
individuals (rather than merely uplifting high-achievers). Thus, he asserts that if traditional award
ceremonies were adapted to recognize the accomplishments of the underprivileged/ low performing
students, such children would be more likely to apply themselves. Overall, I am very appreciative that
Weijr has brought the issue of awards to my attention. Prior to reading his blog entries and twitter
posts, I was unaware that offering children “bribes” to complete their work could ultimately function to
decrease student autonomy and self-motivation. Therefore, I now intend to utilize methods that foster
intrinsic motivation within students by: implementing technology within my classroom,making each
assigned task meaningful to my students, and recognizing the efforts of each child.

5. Gwyneth Jones (The Daring Librarian):
Throughout the course of a month, I have also been able to follow Gwyneth Jones, a member of
the ISTE Board of Directors from Washington, D.C. (who is also known as the Daring Librarian).
Undoubtedly, Jones is one of the most unconventional educators that I have had the opportunity to
follow. Thus,I have been exposed to a variety of peculiar materials. She posts anything from video clips
of Lady Gaga to comic tutorials (and a few educational sites in between)!Ultimately, the theme behind
most of the “Daring Librarian’s” Twitter posts has been focused upon the utilization of technology within
the classroom to spur student creativity and innovation. Thus, through her numerous tweets, I have
learned much regarding various forms of technology that can be implemented within the classroom. For
instance, Jones highly recommends the incorporation of QR codes within today’s classroom. This
ultimately enables students to easily access homework assignments or links to educational
websites/tutorials (which could function to increase student achievement). In addition, Jones believes
that technology can be utilized to promote intrinsic motivation within students. Thus, she asserts that
various forms of media should be implemented to spur excitement about learning. For instance, Jones
asserts that certain digital comic strip templates could be utilized so that boys and girls alike can express
their emotions/interests through graphic displays and precise word choice. Ultimately, I believe that
digital comic strips should be viewed as an innovative tool that can showcase student expression while
encouraging creativity and innovation. In essence, I intend to utilize this form of media to encourage my
future students to “think outside the box.”Finally, Jones also advocates hands-on learning that focuses
upon skills that are applicable within the 21st Century. Therefore, in order to increase student motivation
in the areas of math and science, she strongly endorses aspects of the Maker Movement. This STEM
movement advocates the utilization of effective strategies that promote critical thinking and autonomy
through the incorporation of hands-on activities. Therefore, I intend to implement such methods within
my future classroom, in order to make content relevant to my students. Overall, despite some of the
more eccentric posts that the Daring Librarian has tweeted, I feel that I have been exposed to a variety
of educational tips and ideas that will ultimately function to increase student achievement and
motivation within my future classroom.

6. Harold Blanco:
Finally, I have also had the opportunity to follow Harold Blanco on Twitter. Throughout this
month, Blanco has posted a variety of materials, including news clippings, pictures of Interfest,
information regarding the utilization of technology, and articles concerning internet safety. However,
the overall theme of his tweets has been focused upon the role of technology and social media within a
21st Century classroom. For instance, one of the articles that Blanco posted explains how technology (in
the form of podcasts, digital stories, or videos)can be utilized to create a “flipped classroom” which
enables students to listen to lectures on their own time so that teachers can spend the class period
scaffolding students in the skills/concepts that the children find difficult to grasp. While I believe that a
flipped classroom would have its benefits, I also believe that there are some potential disadvantages
that must not be overlooked. For instance, not all students will have access to computers, and those
who can access the internet may choose not to fullyparticipate. However, I am very glad that Blanco
posted this article because I now realize the advantages and disadvantages of a flipped classroom. In
addition, Harold has also posted information concerning the utilization of virtual environments in
education. Due to the fact that virtual environments tend to promote intrinsic motivation while
stimulating student interest and involvement, I believe that virtual worlds should be incorporated into
one’s curriculum. However, I also believe that students need to be involved in real-life experiences and
face-to-face interaction; therefore, I would also recommend that instructors assign hands-on projects

7. that involve peer collaboration.Not only has Blanco posted information regarding the importance of
technology within a 21st Century classroom, but he has also posted tweets and articles that reveal the
lack of technology in many “old school” classrooms(an aspect that is extremely unfortunate). In order to
optimize student success in a competitive 21st Century economy, the application of digital tools within
the classroom is absolutely essential. Thus (although I would not consider myself to be fully “techsavvy”), I intend to learn more regarding technologyso that I can properly prepare my students for life in
the 21st Century.
Throughout the course of this month, I have learned much regarding effective teaching
strategies, student motivation,and the utilization of technology within the classroom. Thus, I am
extremely appreciative to have had the opportunity to follow such influential educators. Their
comments and opinions have ultimately helped me to realize that content must be made applicable to
my future students and that instruction should primarily focus upon the development of skills in order
to increase student success within the 21st Century. Therefore, I intend to utilize much of the advice
shared by these individuals so that I can become a truly effective teacher.