Twitter for Educators: Who, What and How to Follow

There are a few topics to cover when it comes to using Twitter as a professional learning tool, but I'm starting with a guide for developing a list of what and who to follow because those tweets will fill your feed. When speaking to teachers, administrators and other educators about the power of Twitter, I encourage them to first sign up and explore, but that can be intimidating, especially those who do not consider themselves social media savvy. I find amazing things on Twitter, but it isn't accidental.  My Twitter feed provides me information in three critical areas that I identify for educators: content, policy, and research/practice. Most teachers look to Twitter for ideas for teaching their content, but the policy and research that impact the profession are of equal, if not sometimes greater, importance.

Content
I encourage teachers who are beginning to dabble with Twitter to follow people, groups, and organizations that can give them ideas for addressing their content in new ways.  As an ELA teacher, I followed @Time @NYTimes @NewYorker @WSJ for informational text or literary nonfiction that I linked to current or upcoming units.  I always found a way to link the articles in my feed to something I was doing in the classroom and it was an effective way for me to incorporate the informational text while also bringing in current events. I'm also a @TeachersCollege junkie and @RWTnow provided me ideas for lessons and units.

Regardless of the content area, there are so many fellow teachers or organizations to follow in order to be inspired and incorporate authentic learning experiences into the classroom.

Policy
As a teacher who began her career in the "age of accountability" I was well aware that outside forces impacted my work.  Following those policies was much more difficult before Twitter. Now, I follow the Secretary of Education (currently an acting Secretary, John King Jr.), U.S. Department of Education, NEA, NJEA, UFT, New York Times Education, NJPSA, and EdWeek to keep me abreast of all the policy that impacts teachers, administrators, students and parents. As professional educators, it is not enough for us to wait until someone above us conveys policy to us; we should actively seek to understand law and policy in order to not only follow it, but also advocate for the important work we do.

Research
I frequently say "teachers are just as important as doctors" and go into the impact that both effective and ineffective educators have on the lives of children.  Parents trust educators with their children's lives; not to keep them physically well, but to provide the essential knowledge and skills needed for personal and professional success. Are there other factors affecting students' success? Absolutely! But teachers profoundly impact the lives of their students.  That being said, it is paramount for professional practitioners (doctors and educators among others) to know what the current research says about treatment or strategies.  Would you go to, or continue seeing a doctor whose learning about medicine stopped the day he or she graduated medical school? Would you want them to be reluctant to understand new and innovative treatments for complex ailments? Certainly not. And as educators we too must continue learning, every day, in order to provide the best care (education) for our students.  Traditionally this comes from attending professional development workshops and conferences, or reading journals or articles.  Now, it can be as easy as scrolling through your Twitter feed. Follow EdWeek, ASCD, American Educational Research Association, U.S. Department of Education, NCTE, NCTM, SAGE Ed Research, and others. Staying abreast of current pedagogy is paramount to our success in preparing all children.

Twitter has had a profound impact on my professional learning and I seek not only to share its value with other educators, but also guide them in using it effectively. By categorizing those you follow into content, policy, or research, a variety of meaningful information will be delivered.

The Many Uses for Google Forms

By now most basic users of Goole are familiar with Docs and Slides, maybe even Sheets.  However, not as many, I've found, are familiar with Forms.  Like the other tools in Drive, Forms is very user-user friendly and can be set up to collect data for a variety of purposes.  I've used it to figure out the best time to schedule meetings, get feedback about curriculum, and evaluate the effectiveness of PD offerings. The results are pushed into a Google Sheet, but a summary of the results is available right in the form.  These quick view analytics are given in pie charts and/or bar graphs. Forms' uses span grade levels and content areas, so give it a try.

1. Scheduling
Whether it is teacher meetings or conferences, Forms can be used to determine availability and create schedules for a variety of events.  Parents can also sign up for class parent responsibilities using a form. The results (on a Google Sheet) can be shared to keep everyone organized.

2. Getting Feedback
Whether your are a teacher looking to get feedback on a lesson, or an administrator looking to plan curriculum revisions, Forms is the tool for you.

3. Formative Assessment
An entire blog could be devoted to using Forms for formative assessment, but just know that this tool can revolutionize your classroom when it comes to ascertaining students' learning and progress.  Teachers can use Forms to design quizzes and have instant feedback.  The "Summary of Results" is a powerful visual to answer the question "Are they getting it?" Then the spreadsheet with individual student responses can be used to see students' strengths and areas for growth.  The sheet can then be manipulated to group students or organize for optimal feedback. For those who are up to challenge themselves, Forms can also be used to create adaptive assessments so that a student's true level can be determined.

4. Flipping the Classroom
Just about anything can be embedded in a form, which makes it a great tool for flipping lessons.  You can embed video, link articles or websites, and then ask questions.  Students can submit their work and you can review prior to class so you're ready to take that deeper dive.

Try Forms. You will not regret it.

The Start of Something

It has been my goal to create as much as I consume in the world of education; to go from retweeting to being retweeted, if you will.  Something was always getting in the way of me sitting down and just doing it. So, I would like to thank my emergency appendectomy for giving me the time I needed to do this.  I hope what I share here is at least useful or helpful, but I truly aspire to spark ideas that innovate practice.