Getting Into Twitter

This morning at #coffeeEDU in Melbourne Australia we were chatting about how to get into using Twitter. A couple of teachers said they have a Twitter account but do not check it very often. I have a Remind group I created for teachers in the United States to send out a text every day with Twitter tips and a reminder to use Twitter. Twitter is hands down the best thing I do for myself as an educator; I get so many new ideas and support from teachers. Here are a few things we brainstormed at the #coffeeEDU this morning

Teachers on Twitter

1. Calendar a Time of Day

Put in your Google calendar to remind you to check Twitter. If you really want to get into the habit of using Twitter to connect with educators, be intentional to make it happen.

2. Do Not Scroll

I received some advice one time “you do not catch up on Twitter.” Do not try to read all the tweets you missed, just open Twitter and what you see is what you get. Scroll maybe a little, but just pop in and get one idea and pop back out.

3. Leave a Tab Open

I leave Twitter open all day. Just quickly bop over to the tab once or twice a day and do not scroll. See if anyone is sharing a resource or a good idea. Just a couple of seconds. Done.

4. Retweet

If you like a tweet, retweet it. Liking a tweet saves the tweet, but the real compliment is when you retweet something. Make a habit of retweeting someone once a day.

5. Once a Month: Twitter Chat

Check out bit.ly/educhatcalendar to see what educator Twitter chats are happening. Some chats go super fast, find a slow one to get you started. Use Tweetdeck to track the hashtag in a column. I suggest you put TWO columns for the same hashtag. One to go slow and one to have the live chat. If you scroll a bit in a column it freezes the chat. Respond to a small chunk of tweets. Skip a whole bunch and then go find a new chunk to reply to and read. Skip most of the tweets in the chat, it’s okay! (Make sure all your tweets have the chat hashtag.)

6. Unfollow People

I do not use Twitter like Facebook and I do not follow people who do. Have a Twitter account JUST for teaching. Follow educators who help you, share resources, will reply when you ask a question. Do not be afraid to unfollow people. You want to pop into Twitter get an idea and pop out so you want to make sure you’re Twitter stream are the innovative educators who push you and help you.