Twitter Power For Literacy Educators & Activists: This online-small-screen presentation supplemented “Legislative Call to Action: Access to Literacy for All,” a panel presentation at the 2011 International Dyslexia Association. Target Audience: Educators/IDA members working to change the teaching-learning landscape for children at-risk for reading failure—struggling readers, English language learners, economically disadvantaged youth, students with dyslexia and specific learning difficulties. For those who want to understand Twitter’s power, this small-screen/online covers the basics. A companion document provides how-to information – see slides for info.

1. LEGISLATIVE
CALL
TO
ACTION:
Access
to
Literacy
for
All
IDA
2011
Chicago
Conference
Twitter Power!
DYSLEXIA
DIABLOGUE
~
COMMUNICATION
BY
DESIGN

2. Twitter
Power
For
Literacy
Educators
&
Activists

3. IF
…
•
You
CARE
about
dyslexia,
struggling
readers,
and
reading
literacy
•
You
WORK
to
READING
improve
the
teaching-­‐learning
landscape
…

4. …consider
exploring
SOCIA
MEDIAL

5. SOCIA
MEDIAL

6. SOCIA
MEDIAL
Facebook

7. Podcasts
SOCIA
Slideshare
M
L
Facebook
EDIA

8. If
YOU
aren’t
a
digital
native
…

9. ...
these
3
statements
probably
apply
to
YOU:
1.
Technology
does
not
come
EASILY.
2.
You’re
not
a
social-­‐media
EARLY
adopter.
3.
Technology
&
digital
media
are
part
of
your
life,
but
you
PREFER
print
&
paper
for
many
things.

10. And,
when
you
first
heard
about
Twitter,
you
thought
it
was
crazy.
True?

11. What
the
heck
can
you
do
with
140
characters?

12. I
am
NOT
a
digital
native.
Transistor
radios
were
high
tech
in
my
day.

13. I’m
more
comfortable
with
stone-­‐age
technology
than
digital
technology.

14. But
I
have
one
BIG
advantage.

15. Married
to
a
former
journalist
who
became
a
new-­‐media
expert.

16. MISSION
He
encouraged
me
to
leverage
new-­‐
media
tools/strategies
to
advance
my
mission
&
he
“scaffolded”
my
learning.

17. Now
it’s
my
turn
to
…
PAY
IT
FORWARD!

18. GOAL
Inspire
&
empower
YOU
to
leverage
social
media
to
advance
your
cause
&
enhance
your
work.

19. If
YOU
already
use
these
tools
&
strategies,
I
hope
to
Support
&
encourage
??
further
exploration
Encourage
you
to
inspire
&
support
colleagues.

20. This
presentation
targets
social
media’s
…
HYhan
Wre t
mo
H OW

21. HOW
Twitter
Tutorial
with
HOW-­‐TO
links
is
@:
http://www.slideshare.net/
carolyndcowen

22. So,
WHY???
SOCIA
MEDIAL

23. Besides
entertaining
&
socializing,
WHY?

24. These
reasons
might
interest
YOU
…
SOCIA
MEDIAL

25. 1.
Enhance
search
engine
optimization
(SEO)

26. 1.
Enhance
search
engine
optimization
(SEO)
Web
Strateg
y

27. 2.
Listen
&
broadcast

28. 2.
Listen
&
broadcast
Monito
ring
&
Messa
ging

29. 3.
Build
PLNs
Ignite
social
action
PLN
=
Personal
Learning
Networks

30. 3.
Build
PLNs
Ignite
social
action
Collab
oration
PLN
=
Personal
Learning
Networks

31. 4.
Enrich/engage
learning
&
differentiate
teaching

32. 4.
Enrich/engage
learning
&
differentiate
teaching
Pedago
gy

33. 4
PRET
GOOD
TY
REASO
NS

35. That
can
be
leveraged
for
Influen
ce

36. So…

37. IF
…
•
You
CARE
about
dyslexia,
struggling
readers,
and
reading
literacy
•
You
WORK
to
READING
improve
the
teaching-­‐learning
landscape
…

38. …
consider
adding
social
media
to
your
toolbag
…

39. …
as
a
tool
to
leverage
for
achieving
YOUR
mission.
ADING!
RE

40. But
let’s
get
specific.

41. How
can
MO
C
I
A
L
help
you
S
EDIA
spark…
legislative
change
in
your
state?

42. Consider
Twitte
r

43. …
and
these
4
topics:

44. Twitte
r

45. How
does
Twitter
advance
web
strategy?

46. Twitter,
Linked-­‐In,
Facebook:
Outposts
for
your
website
or
blog.

47. TWITTER:
Billboard
on
steroids…
Learn
about
dyslexia.
Want
to
prevent
Visit
reading
disabilities?
www…
See
my
blog
post
@
…

48. …
drives
traffic
to
your
website
or
blog.

49. But
how
do
YOU
stand
out
in
all
the
noise?

50. Hashtags!
#

51. Like
zip
codes:
#
People
in
#edchat
particular
hashtag
#cpchat
locations
see
your
tweets.
#edtech

52. Target
your
audience
with
hashtags.
#spedchat
#edreform
#edschools

53. Use
#s
strategically
for
optimal
viewing.
#literac
#NCLB
y
#teacher
training

54. An
obscure
#
might
not
be
strategic
…
#grandparentlessons

55. …
unless
you
want
to
reach
this
guy.
#grandparentlessons

56. FLIP
SIDE:
Tweets
in
high-­‐traffic
hashtags
can
get
lost.

57. Your
message
audience
goals
inform
hashtag
use.

58. FOR
EXAMPLE

59. Your
audience
includes
your
Twitter
followers.

60. FOR
EXAMPLE
in
September,
I
had
842
followers.

61. Finally,
social
media
aids
being
found
on
Google.

62. “Twitter
allows
instantaneous
sharing
of
your
blog
or
website
content
...
the
opportunity
to
publish
your
opinions
&
ideas
to
readership
of
millions.”
~
Erik
Deckers
&
Kyle
Lacy
Branding
Yourself
Image
retrieved
from
Amazon
10/11/11

63. “millions”
via:
Has hta gs#
ers
llow )
Fo
Go ogle (SEO
ER:
WITT ful
T er
Powtrategy
web
s

64. Twitte
r

65. How
does
Twitter
promote
monitoring
&
messaging?

67. FOR
EXAMPLE
Say,
you’re
interested
in
testing
policy
…

68. FOR
EXAMPLE
Say,
you’re
interested
in
testing
policy
…
as
you
follow
“tweople”
with
similar
interests
…

69. …
they
provide
links
to
breaking
news
on
that
topic.

70. FOR
EXAMPLE
a
Huffington
Post
article,

71. …a
New
York
Daily
News
article,

72. …a
New
York
Times
article.

73. 3
articles
w/
different
info
&
perspectives:
Important for someone
following testing issues.

74. But
that’s
only
half
of
it!

75. Twitter
also
is
a
broadcasting
tool.

76. Broadcasting
is
one
thing
…

77. …
attracting
listeners
(“followers”)
is
another.

78. How
do
you
get
Twitter
followers?

79. MANY
STRATEGIES:
But
learning
the
art
of
a
GOOD
is
MOST
important!

80. What
makes
a
good
tweet?

81. Effective Tweets:
• Post informative links
• Engage/interact/build relationships
• Promote your cause
All in 140
characters
or less!

82. FOR
EXAMPLE
•
Post
informative
links
•
Engage/interact/build
relationships
•
Promote
your
cause

83. “The
more
content-­‐rich
your
tweets,
the
more
people
will
read.
Content
comes
from
linking
to
your
blog,
website
&
other
news
sources
&
by
engaging
in
conversation.”
~
Erik
Deckers
&
Kyle
Lacy
Branding
Yourself
Image
retrieved
from
Amazon
10/11/11

84. DON’T:
•
Promote
yourself
too
much
•
Overdo
quotes
•
Lose
track
of
time
(15
min
per
day?)
•
Forget
tweets
are
public;
last
forever!

85. DO:
•
Be
goal
oriented
&
relevant
•
Be
active
(5-­‐20
tweets
per
day?)
•
Embrace
“givers
gain”
(1
self-­‐
serving
tweet
for
every
9
about
others
or
content
in
the
field?)

86. “When
it
comes
to
Twitter,
you’re
expected
to
share
others’
content
MORE
than
your
own.
When
you
share
their
content,
they’re
more
likely
to
share
yours
in
return.”
~
Erik
Deckers
&
Kyle
Lacy
Branding
Yourself
Image
retrieved
from
Amazon
10/11/11

87. FOR
EXAMPLE
My
tweet
re-­‐tweeted
Returned
by
me
Twitter
etiquette

88. Which
brings
us
to
this
important
point
…

89. “Tens
of
millions
of
links
are
shared
daily
on
Twitter
…
with
100M
active
users
sending
230M
tweets
per
day,
Twitter
is
driving
a
good
amount
of
sharing
activity.”
~
L.
Rao,
Techcrunch,
09/13/11

90. In
other
words…

91. …Twitter’s
linking
&
sharing
culture
is
a
powerful
asset
for
igniting
change.

92. “MESSENGERS
MATTER”
Twitter
culture
is
populated
by:
•mavens
(databanks)
•connectors
(social
glue)
•salesmen
(skilled
persuaders)
Image
retrieved
from
Amazon
10/11/11
…
on
steroids!

93. Final
point
re:
Twitter’s
broadcasting
power.

94. You
have
more
power
over
your
messaging
&
press.

95. You
don’t
need
to
rely
so
much
on
these
guys
…
to tell
your story.

96. You
can
tell
it
yourself
with
accuracy
&
passion!
W hy
ARN
Act?
LE

97. Twitte
r

98. How
does
Twitter
promote
collaboration?
How
can
Twitter
help
build
PLNs
&
ignite
community
action?

99. First,
what
is
a
…?
PLN

100. PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING
NETWORKS
“Have
become
prevalent
in
education
…
rapidly
being
adopted
as
centers
for
dissemination
of
field
related
information.”
~
Wikipedia
9/13/11

101. KEY
CONCEPT
LEARNER
CENTERED
“Learners
create
connections
&
develop
networks
that
contribute
to
their
professional
development.”
~
Wikipedia
9/13/11

102. PLNS:
Probably
will
play
important
role
in
21 st
Century
professional
learning.
Most
of
us
probably
agree:
PLNs
can
be
powerful
…
even
“necessary,
but
NOT
sufficient.”

103. BUT
IMAGINE
THE
PAIRING
PLNS
WITH:
•
LEARN
Act
•
Knowledge
&
Practice
Standards
for
Teachers
of
Reading

104. PLNs
always
existed
formally/informally.

105. Twitter
expands
PLN
power
&
reach.
Twitte
r

106. Twitter
also
has
the
power
to
ignite
social
action
for
good
…

107. …and
for
bad!
(UK
RIOTS)

108. EXAMPLE
of
Twitter’s
power
to
ignite
closer
to
home:

109. Teacher
backlash!
“
Teacher
spring
”
Fueled
by
social
media
-­‐-­‐
especially
Twitter!
SOS

110. SOS
March
in
DC
July
2o11

111. Whether
you
agree/disagree
with
SOS
movement,
it
demonstrates
Twitter’s
potential
for
propelling
social
action
&
change.

112. TWITTER
Powerful
collaboration/
social-­‐action
tool

113. Twitte
r

114. How
can
Twitter
help
enrich/engage
learning
&
differentiate
teaching?

115. Tangential
to
purpose
of
panel,
but
can’t
resist
touching
on
topic
for
audience
of
knowledgeable
educators.

116. Twitter:
A
pedagogical
frontier.
There
will
be
risk-­‐
taking
&
missteps.

117. Efficacy
research
will
take
years
to
intersect
with
social-­‐
media
technology.
If
ever?

118. But
the
social-­‐
media
train
in
education
left
the
station
long
ago!

119. We
are
on
uncharted
waters.
Educators
knowledgeable
about
evidence-­‐
based-­‐teaching
tenets
need
to
get
out
there!

120. UP:
PING AT
RAP KED
W LOO
WE L MEDIA’S
S OCIA
WHY

121. ESPEC
IALLY
…
Twitte
r

122. SOCIAL MEDIA WILL NOT
… OR EVEN EDUCATION
Twitte
r
AND, THERE ARE DOWNSIDES!

123. That said …
“Twitter
is
the
most
powerful
enchantment
tool
I’ve
used
in
my
career.”
~
Guy
Kawasaki
Former
chief
evangelist
of
Apple
Author,
Enchantment
Image
retrieved
from
Amazon
10/11/11

124. ENCHANTMENT
Art
of
changing
Hearts,
Minds
&
Actions
~
Guy
Kawasaki

125. Maybe
we
need
a
little
more
enchantment.

126. “Want
to
change
the
world?
Change
caterpillars
into
butterflies?
…
…
You
need
to
convince
people
to
dream
the
same
dream
that
you
do.”
~
Guy
Kawasaki

127. TWITTER
A
powerful
enchantment
tool
…

128. …especially
if
your
goal
is
to
help
students
at
risk
for
literacy
failure.

129. To
Recap:

130. Twitter
is
a
tool
…

131. …
for
sparking
change
…

132. …
for
enchanting
(transforming
hearts,
minds,
&
action)
and
…

133. for
building
…
GRASSROOTS
SUPPORT

134. Twitter
requires
Twitte
learning
a
r
few
tricks,
but
it
is
NOT
rocket
science.

135. Twitter
is
low-­‐
hanging
fruit.

136. There’s
one
more
reason
to
get
on
Twitter:

137. Mostly,
the
i ckets
Crrickets
C experts
are
absent
…
Crrcke
C iicke s
tts
ke s
tts
i
Crri ccke
C
#dyslexia

138. …leaving
the
stage
DYSLEXIA
CURE
to
these
guys!
Got
dyslexia?
Hey,
I’ve got
a cure!

139. GOAL
Inspire
&
empower
YOU
to
leverage
social
media
to
advance
your
cause
&
enhance
your
work.

140. We
focused
on:
Twitte
P r
ower

141. Now
it’s
YOUR
turn
to
ACT!

142. If
you
haven’t
already
done
so,
start
an
account.
twitter.com
Free!
It’s

143. If
you’re
on
le
ollow
15
new
peop
Twitter
but
F
not
active,
Try
a
tweet
a
day
try
exploring
mashable.com/
guidebook/twitter/
a
bit
more
&
check
out
Mashable’s
Twitter
Guidebook.

144. HOW
REMEMBER:
Twitter
HOW-­‐TO
Tutorial
@
http://www.slideshare.net/
carolyndcowen

145. Finally

146. If
I
inspired
&
empowered
YOU
I
hope
you
will
remember
to
do
me
a
FAVOR
…

147. …
as
you
become
more
comfortable
with
Twitter,
remember
…
(even if
are not YOU
digital n a
ative)

148. to
encourage
&
support
colleagues
learning
social-­‐media
skills.
PAY
IT
FORWARD!

149. Come
Twitt find me
er: c
dcow on
en

150. SPECIAL
THANKS
Cinthia
Haan,
Gordon
Sherman,
Steve
Wilkins,
and
John
Wilpers
CREDIT/DISCLAIMER
Images
licensed
from
iStockphoto.com
(unless
otherwise
stated).
Content
is
used
for
illustrative
purposes
only;
any
person
depicted
in
this
content
is
a
model.
Power
to
Act
cover
art
from
Cinthia
Haan.
DYSLEXIA
DIABLOGUE
COMMUNICATION
BY
DESIGN

151. OTHER
SMALL-­‐SCREEN/
ONLINE
PRESENTATIONS
For
other
dyslexia-­‐related
presentations:
www.slideshare.net/carolyndcowen
Stimulating
dialogue
and
forward
thinking
where
dyslexia
and
new
media
intersect.
(Follow
on
Twitter
for
launch—
see
below.)
COMMUNICATION
BY
DESIGN
Power
the
Mission
with
the
Message
cdcowen@aol.com
http://twitter.com/#!/cdcowen