I like Twitter. I like it a lot.
I created a Twitter account over a year
ago, and have to admit that I signed up not really knowing what it
was about. For a long time never used it. I used Facebook quite a bit
over the past few years to be social online, but Twitter had never
really made my radar.
Why Jayson, you may (or may not) be asking, wouldn't you be more involved in this magical world called the "Twitterverse" by the "Tweeple" who inhabit it?
The Boring Back Story
Well, I wasn't sure I needed another
social outlet to obsess over, and I'm sure my wife felt the same way.
(There was an unholy obsession with “Mafia Wars” for a time, and
I am sorry to say there was too much time spent collecting “friends”
I had never met who shared my passion for pretend criminal activity.)
Thank heavens I resisted the temptation
of Farmville.
Flash forward to November 2012. I was
asked to write a guest blog post for the Simpson College Music
Department's web page, and I happily obliged. I enjoyed doing it and
received positive feedback. That experience led me to begin my own
blog (you're reading it now!), and like any good, technologically
savvy American, I did research about how best to write a blog, how to
get it out to the masses to read and how to get ideas about which to
write. It was clear after some poking around that Twitter was a
social networking medium that had a track record of providing just
these benefits.
I took the plunge just before
Thanksgiving 2012, and as of early January 2013, I can honestly say
that, yep, Twitter is awesome.
How I Use Twitter...
… may not be how you might use it. I
know of many (most often) younger people who use it to create a
running diary of their life or use it as a way to dialogue with
friends. As a professional and educator, this use for twitter is of
no interest to me.
In my
view, Twitter is the single best way for me to harness
the power of the internet for professional development.
You will easily
find thousands and thousands of people using Twitter for this very
same purpose, and there are many free resources online that will help
you understand how easy it is to get to these people.
My blog, Being Better Today, focuses on personal development. I have found hundreds of people on
Twitter willing to share links they have found, quotes, ideas and
blogs about this topic. Can I read everything? Of course not. But
among the many links thrown my way daily, there are always one or two
that grab my attention and get read. I'm learning... and growing...
and sharing... and helping.
I am a professional
music educator. On Twitter, there are many more hundreds of music
educators, music organizations, school principals, district
superintendents and curriculum wonks I follow (and who are kind
enough to follow me) from around the world. These folks share their
online finds and personal knowledge to anyone who cares to read it.
It is truly fantastic! My Twitter feed is full of expert thoughts on
music technology, teaching pedagogy, educational research and more.
Truly passionate teachers contribute to their Twitter following, and
I'm proud to be a part of that company!
To Tweet is to
participate personally in a global conversation. How do YOU use
Twitter? In my best teacher voice, “Please share with the group.”
Oh, and if you'd
like to follow me, the link is on the right. I'd love to learn with
you!
My favorite Twitter hashtags:
#personaldevelopment
#motivation
#inspiration
#musedchat
#edchat
Short list of my favorite Tweeple to
follow if you're just getting started:
@LollyDaskal (leadership, self
improvement)
@MichaelHyatt (leadership)
@Scott_Watson (music education)
@AngelaMaiers (leadership, education)
@pisanojm (education and technology)
@mcleod (education)
@garyloper (using twitter, inspiration)
No comments:
Post a Comment