Tweet All About It!
WCASD's Guide to Tweeting and Proactive Press
Utilizing Twitter as an Educator
Thanks to our news outlets, you probably know that Twitter is a communication tool frequently used by celebrities and athletes; however, did you also know that it is a powerful educational tool, too?
Twitter enables educators to both communicate with their local community and break down the walls of their classroom to to interact with people around the world. Quickly scroll your feed to stay current on instructional practices because tweets are limited to 280 characters or less, yet they include links, photos, GIFs, video, and polls.
Below are a few ways to utilize Twitter as an educator. Stay up to speed with other educators around the world
- Tweet your classroom happenings for families to see
- Tweet an author or expert to answer student wonderings
- Follow other educators to see what’s happening in classrooms around the world and to communicate new ideas.
Getting Started
- Be sure to choose a twitter handle [username] that you will want to share with your community. You can always edit your username from the settings menu later.
- Once you’ve chosen your username, customize your profile by adding a photo and brief description of yourself.
- Please note that this is a professional Twitter account; your description and photo will represent the district.
- Change these settings by viewing your profile and clicking “Edit Profile”.
- Within your settings, you can also adjust your notifications, password, find friends, and more.
Kathy Shrock's Guide to Tweeting
Edudemic's Teacher's Guide to Twitter
Using Twitter to Build Your PLN
Consistency is Key
You’ve worked hard to create your account and publicize your username to your students’ families and the community, now it’s time to discuss your tweet frequency. Set a goal for yourself that is realistic and attainable. If you’re new to Twitter, perhaps set a goal of posting 2 tweets per week, or challenge yourself to write one tweet per day! Being consistent with the frequency of your tweets helps to keep your followers interested—so set a goal and try to stick with it!
#WCASDelem
Who Should I Follow?
- One of the best ways to build your Professional Learning Network is to find someone whose tweets you appreciate, then search their followers to find others that will also interest you.
- Check to see who your school’s Twitter account is following and select any that interest you.
- When attending a conference or professional development opportunity, keep your eye out during the presentation to receive the presenter’s Twitter handle.
- In additional to educators, curriculum programs and other educational brands have Twitters and they share out innovative ways to use their materials and sometimes share additional free resources.
Security, Privacy, & Professionalism
- Location settings on your device need to be turned OFF. Go into settings, then scroll down to Twitter. Click on Location and choose “Never”
- Students’ first and last names should never be attached to photos—be mindful of nametags on desks. But, if you capture a great photo that includes a student name, use your camera's editing tools to make it "twitter-ready"!
- Be sure to keep things professional. Personal tweets should not be sent from your teacher/classroom account. Your students’ families are following you, so keep your tweets to school related activities.
Twitter Talk!
How Can I Get My Students Involved?
- Teach your students to be concise using 280 characters or less.
- Click here to make a copy of a Google Form template to keep your students under 280 characters.
- Incorporate tweets into your exit tickets and assignments by having students summarize what they learned in a lesson or activity by tweeting about it.
- Add Twitter Captains to your job chart so that students are responsible for writing the tweets about what is happening in your classroom—be sure to review and approve tweets before posting.
- Use the WCASD Elementary hashstag, #WCASDelem to share your learning with other elementary schools and teachers in West Chester.
- View Bloom's Taxonomy & Twitter below for more ideas!
West Chester Area School District Instructional Technology
Email: jsouthmayd@wcasd.net
Website: https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/31
Location: 782 Springdale Drive, Exton, PA, USA
Phone: 484-266-1000