Why Twitter?

Twitter is one of the most explosive tools for teachers that I have ever come across.  The power it holds to cultivate ideas, resources, connections, and most importantly relationships, puts it at the top of every list of resources that I share with other educators.  However I didn't always think of twitter that way.

I used to think that twitter and other social media outlets were places for people to talk about what they were wearing that day, take pics and share what they were eating for breakfast, or make contact with their favorite movie star, waiting with anticipation to see if that star tweeted them back.  The truth is, it IS all of those things.

That's the beauty of twitter.  It is what you want it to be.  If you want to follow people that tweet about their breakfast, clothes, and favorite movie, go right ahead and enjoy yourself.  That however is not what interested me about twitter.  I started to see the power of twitter in the education world when I happened across several social media articles on the amazing Edudemic website.  Once I started reading what other teachers were doing professionally with this tool I wanted to learn all that I could.

I decided right away that I only wanted to use my twitter account professionally.  I wasn't interested in following movie stars or tweeting about random things.  I wanted my account to have a purpose.  I wanted to use it to become a better teacher.  I also wanted to share the useful things that I have found in hopes that others might find them useful as well.

Here are my first couple of tweets....

Once I started sharing and reading what others were sharing I was addicted.  I saw that through twitter I could personalize my professional development and learn anytime and anywhere I wanted to.  I could research and find ideas that were proven successful by other teachers in their classrooms.  I could also build new ideas from what I read and implement those into my classroom.

I hope this is enough to get you interested.  There are a lot of great resources out there on using twitter for professional development, in the classroom, and around the school environment.  In the next few weeks I will post a series of resources to help you get started and become comfortable in the twitterverse.  Enjoy!!!

Ready, set, BLOG!!!!

Well, I am sure that you have heard this before, but this is my first blog post.  In an era where it is not difficult to find a blog for every topic under the sun, I have decided to create yet another blog related to educational technology.  What I love about blogs is how unique each one is.  That's why even though there are many technology blogs related to education, I am sure that mine will have its own voice. Mine!

This blog will serve a few different purposes.  

1. First, I wanted to create a place for my colleagues to find resources designed to show how they could add technology into their classroom in exciting ways.
2. I will provide periodic reviews of mobile apps and computer applications that I find useful in the classroom.
3. I will provide resources that I have gathered from around the web that I hope will be useful to others and inspire them to take chances and add more technology into their classroom and daily routine.

Let me tell you that starting this blog is taking me way out of my comfort zone.  To say that I don't fancy myself as a word smith would be an understatement.  I hope that this new step will help me grow in ways that I cant even imagine, and make connections that will help me to grow personally and professionally.  

So, this is the first post of many.  In the near future you will find multiple posts on twitter as I start to prepare for a presentation I am giving in August at a local conference.  Twitter has been by far the most amazing learning tool I have come across in years.  I want to share my passion and interest in it with everyone I meet.

Honestly, this blog is finally getting started because of a connection that I made on twitter.  Ashlee Logan (@logan_ashlee) gave me the much needed push to get this off the ground.  I am very grateful for the new connection that I have made with Ashlee, and I look forward to making other connections that continue to push me forward.