This week I am going to do a series of posts on Twitter. I get asked a lot of questions about it so I though, why not write about it and put all the details in one place.
You can read Part 2 here and Part 3 here.
Today I am starting with Twitter Professional Development.
As many times as I have talked to folks, done workshops for and even preached about Twitter, there are some that just won't (for whatever reason) jump in. When I first started I didn't understand. How could someone not want to just ride the rapids like me, soak in all the information they could? There was so much out there to discover, why not engage, react, comment, all the time? It took me a while to realize that maybe, for some, the best way to use Twitter was not to use Twitter.
Huh?
Yep. I have taken a radically different approach to teaching educators about Twitter.
Take a step back and think about PD done about Twitter. Many will start with a basic example of its use (if the participants are lucky) or how the presenter started with Twitter or maybe a shoutout, asking their followers to tell where they are from and why they should Twitter. All good stuff. It's great to see how someone actually uses it but most times I find folks who take the time to come to PD on Twitter already know or have heard of the benefits from others or they just don't get that stuff to begin with so why start with it?
After the example comes the registration process. This can be a battle. Twitter has a limit as to the number of accounts that can be created from the same IP address. Many school networks are set up so that no matter what machine you are on it appears to the outside world every machine has the same IP. So if you are all trying to create accounts you could get bogged down in the process.
Then comes the terminology. What is a RT? Hashtag? Mention? Direct Message? At this point the folks who were super excited to learn might be feeling frustrated or overwhelmed even. Lots of information has been covered up to this point. Maybe an hours worth all ready.
And there is still so much more to cover...
Now comes the first Tweet. Then looking at chats or search or lists. The resources could go on and on and on and on and on...
When someone leaves this session one of twothings will happen.
They will be super excited about it all. They were engaged and soaked it all in. They are pumped and are going forth to the world to tweet to their hearts content.
Then there are the others. Those that might have been excited at one point but now are overwhelmed because of the amount of information covered. They may try to give it a shot but ultimately will walk away because it was simply too much for them to take in.
I used to teach PD like that. Exactly like that. Then one day I went back and looked at the number of people who actually stuck with Twitter. I talked to them, asked them if they were tweeting or even checking in now and then. For the vast majority of them, the answer was no. It was just too much for them.
So I had to do something different..
I developed a new method of teaching folks about Twitter where I don't actually teach them how to use Twitter. How you might ask. Well, sir, it's actually pretty easy to use Twitter without using it.
I always break my Twitter PD into several sessions. In the first, depending on who I am talking to, we look at the reason why they should use it. We have to make that personal connection to them so they see how valuable this tool can be.
So let's look at Administrators. They are usually the toughest folks to convince. We would start by talking about Twitter Search. We could brainstorm some common search terms for administrators and plug them into Twitter search and see what comes up. We may find stuff, we may not. (That's the beauty of search.) That then opens up the conversation to hashtags. What are they, and how are they used? So we would look at common hashtags Administrators use (like #cpchat or #edchat) and plug those into search. That's when the eyes light up. They see specific resources and people, right off, related to their area. (If you don't know a hashtag to search for with your specific group, check out this page from my good friend Jerry "Cybraryman" Blumengarten).
Now, it used to be we could save that search very easy with RSS (Twitter has since removed that feature but you can still add that search to Google Reader using these instructions.). Since it isn't quite as easy, a simple collaborative Google Doc with the link to Twitter Search and common searches works just fine. That way, after our time together, folks can add what they are finding and searching. The doc also serves the purpose to show how powerful things can be when we share. Then when we actually talk about how to use Twitter, they are used to it. The idea of sharing like that isn't foreign to them. So transitioning to the Twitter medium isn't that much of a jump.
Before they leave that first session, I give them my Twitter Livebinder. In it they will find loads of information. Videos on how to sign up, dictionaries, examples of use and best practices. They have it because they might decide to go ahead and sign up before the next time we meet. And if that's the case, it's one less thing we have to spend time on. And they will use it as a resource through out their learning and their journey.
The next time we meet we will go over all those basics about signing up, tweeting, etc. But we will spend most of our time on the other 2 things that drive educators away from Twitter; the Twitter Website and organizing information.
First the Twitter Website. We visit it one time. Then from there on out. They know not to return there. The web interface is the most unfriendly way to look at Twitter. We look at 3rd party clients like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to help begin organizing our streams. They can take some of those searches they want quick access to and add them here. (Don't get me wrong, for some, the web interface works. For most, they need to get away from there as quickly as possible.)
One of the last things we look at is what to do with all the information they have gathered and will gather. Users need to feel like like they don't have to evaluate every resource that comes to them right then. Thank goodness they don't. I teach my participants about ReadItLater (hands down my favorite tool.). And I show them how to use Diigo too. And guess what? Learning about both of these are in the Twitter Livebinder so they have a way to go back and brush up their skills when they leave me.
So that is 2 days and about 4 hours worth of time learning about educators should use Twitter. We can then go further looking at setting up class/school/district accounts, or hashtags or anything else really. But I have found that this is pretty effective way for educators to learn about Twitter. They have got to see the value in. They have to see the resources first, before they even sign up in order to see why they should stick with it.
What do you think? What kind of Twitter PD worked for you? What kind didn't? Leave some thoughts below.
In Part 2 we will look what what people wished they had know about Twitter before they started. Check that out on Wednesday.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Some Google Searches You Might Not Know About
I am an admitted Googler. I probably do about 300 Google searches a day
and rely on it for all facets of my life. From looking for definitions
and spellings to directions, to research for my teachers I Google and I
Google a lot. But did you know there are some really cool, specialized
search engines that can really narrow your searches and help you
discover some really nifty things about this world we live in.
Google Books
Ok, Google Books has been around for a while and I have neglected using it until I got into my Administrators program. I was able to find my School Law book, a book that costs around $100 bucks on Amazon for free. I can also find tons of other books there that the authors have either agreed to have them hosted for free or they are out of print books that I wouldn't find any other place. Besides books there are tons of magazines, both new and older and if you are an English teacher (or just lover of literature) they have some classics written by Dickens, Longfellow, Defoe and others that you can view online or download in the ePub format. Besides the book search you can create a bookshelf and share books from your bookshelf with other users so if you are a teacher you can create a custom book list and share it with your students.
Google Blog Search
I absolutely love blogs. I get up early in the morning just to catch up on my reader in an attempt to get the pulse of the world of education. If I get a free moment during the day I try to read a post or two. But one of my favorite things to do is find new blogs to read. Just doing a general Google search can be difficult at times to find what I am looking for. So I turn to Google Blog search. No matter how obscure the topic someone out there has a blog on it that you might want to read. Just put in your search term in the box and you are returned just blogs related to that topic. Great for kids doing projects so they can find current events or, better yet, opinions on current event topics, I encourage teachers to have students do a quick blog search when doing a project. I also like blog search to find new education bloggers and get an idea on new and exciting things that are going on in the world of education.
Google Scholar
As a graduate student I got to know Google Scholar very well. I could search 1000's of peer-reviewed, scholarly articles from the comfort of, really anywhere. Looking for legal opinions, recent research or journal articles, I was hardly ever let down with the content and actually found stuff there I couldn't find anywhere else. The advanced search is very powerful so get to know it well. Have kids (especially middle and high school) look here too when doing research, especially when stressing primary sources.
Ok, Google Books has been around for a while and I have neglected using it until I got into my Administrators program. I was able to find my School Law book, a book that costs around $100 bucks on Amazon for free. I can also find tons of other books there that the authors have either agreed to have them hosted for free or they are out of print books that I wouldn't find any other place. Besides books there are tons of magazines, both new and older and if you are an English teacher (or just lover of literature) they have some classics written by Dickens, Longfellow, Defoe and others that you can view online or download in the ePub format. Besides the book search you can create a bookshelf and share books from your bookshelf with other users so if you are a teacher you can create a custom book list and share it with your students.
Google Blog Search
I absolutely love blogs. I get up early in the morning just to catch up on my reader in an attempt to get the pulse of the world of education. If I get a free moment during the day I try to read a post or two. But one of my favorite things to do is find new blogs to read. Just doing a general Google search can be difficult at times to find what I am looking for. So I turn to Google Blog search. No matter how obscure the topic someone out there has a blog on it that you might want to read. Just put in your search term in the box and you are returned just blogs related to that topic. Great for kids doing projects so they can find current events or, better yet, opinions on current event topics, I encourage teachers to have students do a quick blog search when doing a project. I also like blog search to find new education bloggers and get an idea on new and exciting things that are going on in the world of education.
Google Scholar
As a graduate student I got to know Google Scholar very well. I could search 1000's of peer-reviewed, scholarly articles from the comfort of, really anywhere. Looking for legal opinions, recent research or journal articles, I was hardly ever let down with the content and actually found stuff there I couldn't find anywhere else. The advanced search is very powerful so get to know it well. Have kids (especially middle and high school) look here too when doing research, especially when stressing primary sources.
I
admit, this might not be one you use a lot. But if you are a science or
technology teacher this is a great search engine to try out with your
kids. There are over 7 million available patents for search. Once you
find what you are looking for you get what the applicant says the device
does, drawings, any associated patents and detailed descriptions. For
students learning design or mechanics this can be a cool place to look
for ideas. Start by looking at this awesome skillet for cooking just bacon!
Those are just 4 of many others that you can check out here.
So go forth! Harness the power of Google Search. Be more productive,
help kids search effectively and efficiently and find really cool stuff!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Find New Resources For Your Classroom With eduTecher
Fear not!
There is a wonderful site (run by a very dear friend of mine, Adam, who was the 2011 ISTE Outstanding Young Educator, so you know this place has to be top notch.) that complies the best the web has to offer for resources for use in the classroom, organizes them by subject area and makes it really easy for just about anyone to walk away each time with something really cool to use.
Enter eduTecher.
When you arrive on the site, the first place you are gonna wanna visit are the links. This is where all the gravy is. Organized by subject area, you can dive right in and find something for your area or do a search for something specific. Put a check mark in the box you want to search and browse away. There is so much stuff here. With over 1300 entries there is certainly something new for anyone looking to expand their technology knowledge or offerings in their classroom.
But wait, there's more!
In the TV channel you can see some great videos and presentations put together by Adam on everything from his philosophy on technology, setting up interactive whiteboards, product reviews and so much more.
Guess what? There is so much more to explore. The blog is a great way to learn about new stuff and you can submit your email address and every time the site is updated, you will get a message telling you about all new stuff that was added.
Oh and do you have a smartphone or tablet device at home? Well, lucky you. Because there are mobile apps that provide you on-the-go access to the entire library of sites in the eduTecher database. I have it and use it all the time.
So if you are looking for that one place to go to find new and exciting technology resources to use in your classroom (besides this blog of course) definitely check out eduTecher. When you do, come back here and tell us what you found!
eduTecher
Friday, September 16, 2011
We Ain't Got No Fear Of Technology!
This video was passed to me the other day. You might have seen it. If you have, watch it again. If you haven't watch it 10 times. Well worth it.
So what did you think?
First, how sweet is that? Second how cool is that?
Here are 2 people, who, I don't want to assume anything, but appear to not be very technologically able. Meaning they might struggle with a new type of technology. But by golly, they jumped right it and tried to figure it out. They didn't fear what would happen to the computer, or to press buttons, or to see what would happen when they clicked things. They were "Technology Fearless!" Nothing was going to stop them from learning what their computer did (or didn't do). The husband can even be heard towards the end encouraging his wife to keep trying, that she will get it.
Sometimes we see the opposite in classrooms. Many teachers are just like the couple in the video. They have no fear when it comes to technology. They jump right in, pressing and clicking and messing. While others are fearful to even touch stuff. Press anything for fear of breaking or messing something up. And many times they are fearful because of the people giving out the technology or the attitude towards the technology. Like its fragile like a new born baby or something. "This stuff costs, lots of Title 1, dollars." "Don't let the students touch your iPad. They might break it."
When it comes to technology integration we have to be fearless. Right? We have to just jump in and not be afraid to poke around and get messy. Kind like what I wrote about Learning being Messy, learning technology is the same way. Sometimes, it's gonna screw up. Sometimes, it's gonna break. Sometimes, its gonna do stuff that we have no idea whats going on and we see the mystical blue smoke coming out the back (which is bad by the way).
The point is, we have to take away the fear behind using technology. Sometimes its best, to just give the stuff out and let people play. Let them discover. Let them learn.
Kinda like kids, huh....
So what did you think?
First, how sweet is that? Second how cool is that?
Here are 2 people, who, I don't want to assume anything, but appear to not be very technologically able. Meaning they might struggle with a new type of technology. But by golly, they jumped right it and tried to figure it out. They didn't fear what would happen to the computer, or to press buttons, or to see what would happen when they clicked things. They were "Technology Fearless!" Nothing was going to stop them from learning what their computer did (or didn't do). The husband can even be heard towards the end encouraging his wife to keep trying, that she will get it.
Sometimes we see the opposite in classrooms. Many teachers are just like the couple in the video. They have no fear when it comes to technology. They jump right in, pressing and clicking and messing. While others are fearful to even touch stuff. Press anything for fear of breaking or messing something up. And many times they are fearful because of the people giving out the technology or the attitude towards the technology. Like its fragile like a new born baby or something. "This stuff costs, lots of Title 1, dollars." "Don't let the students touch your iPad. They might break it."
When it comes to technology integration we have to be fearless. Right? We have to just jump in and not be afraid to poke around and get messy. Kind like what I wrote about Learning being Messy, learning technology is the same way. Sometimes, it's gonna screw up. Sometimes, it's gonna break. Sometimes, its gonna do stuff that we have no idea whats going on and we see the mystical blue smoke coming out the back (which is bad by the way).
The point is, we have to take away the fear behind using technology. Sometimes its best, to just give the stuff out and let people play. Let them discover. Let them learn.
Kinda like kids, huh....
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
From The Shameless Podcast Promotion Department...
You can list it to here or if you want you can head over to iTunes and listen to it at your leisure on your favorite device.
When you do listen head back here and tell me what you think!
Thanks to Jeff Bradbury for having us on!
Photo From Flickr CC BlueRobot
Thursday, September 8, 2011
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