Tips & Tricks 4 Twitter
A Treasure Trove Of Resources
Let's Get Started
1. Go to Twitter.com
2. Complete the New To Twitter? box.
3. The next window lets you create your Twitter Handle (screen name). CHOOSE WISELY!
4. UNCHECK the two boxes and click CREATE MY ACCOUNT.
5. The next window explains what a tweet is...no more than 140 characters and that includes any links contained within the tweet. Be succinct!
6. The next window has you build your timeline. That simply means you need to follow people so you will have tweets to read on your home feed or timeline. Follow these people:
- @lackeymartha
- @bmikulecky
- @bartletm
- @avwitherspoon
- @nbergvall
- @mitcrew1
- @mattBgomez
- @techchef4u
7. That will be more than enough to get you started; click NEXT. You will have time to add to your Following list.
8. Next it will want you to try 5 more.
- @kathyschrock
- @classdojo
- @edmodo
- @tcea
- @fetc
9. Yes, they want you to add 5 more! Add these:
- @kleinerin
- @tonyvincent
- @friedtechnology
- @techninjatodd
- @jenwagner
10. Finally, let's upload an image and create your bio...describe who you are, what you're about, then click DONE!
How to Create a Tweet
- Click on the Compose button in the top right hand corner (it looks like a quill).
- Create a short, 140 characters or less, message.
- If the tweet is going to someone, include their handle (@avwitherspoon).
- If the tweet is part of a stream of posts, include a hashtag.
- The tweet will go out to all of your followers as well as the handles and hashtags included in the post.
- Remember if you include a link to a resource, it is counted in your 140 character limit.
- To Retweet something that has come through your feed, just click the Retweet button. If you want to modify it, change the RT to MT (modified tweet).
- If you want to reply to a tweet, just click the reply. Whoever you are replying to will automatically come up in the new tweet. If this is part of a twitter chat, remember to include the hashtag again!
Great Educational Hashtags To Follow
Click here for Cybraryman's exhaustive list of educational hashtags to follow!
For a slightly less intimidating list, I found this resource from one of my favorite websites, Educational Technology and Mobile Learning.
#edchat-wide range of tweets from educators all over the globe...the focus is general educational topics
#edchatie-this is where teachers chat it up about their experiences.
#edtech-this hashtag includes discussions about integrating tech into education
#mlearning-the focus here is on mobile learning
#gamemooc-here the focus is on game-based learning
#ipaded-this hashtag includes lots of resources for using iPads in education.
#txed-this is the hashtag for Texas Educators.
One tip, look for hashtags that focus on what you teach! You can get specific with grade level and core content areas.
Need More Help? Check Out These Resources Below
What's a Twitter Chat?
- A Twitter Chat is an online conversation using Twitter as a means for facilitation. It is moderated by someone who poses questions for discussion.
- The discussion thread is filtered through the use of a hashtag. Typically the chats begin with everyone introducing themselves.
- Those participating, respond to the questions posed by the moderator that begin with Q1, Q2, Q3 and so forth.
- Respondents add A1, A2, A3 to the beginning of their responses to correlate with the questions they are answering.
- Clear as mud? If nervous, just lurk...watch how the flow goes.
- If you are not following everyone in the chat and you are using Twitter in lieu of a 3rd party app that allows for following multiple streams of posts, go to the top of the stream and click, ALL or ALL TWEETS. This will allow you to see all of the tweets coming through the stream.
My Top 10 EdTech Trendsetters to Follow
@larryferlazzo-Larry is the ESL guru
@rmbyrne Richard Byrne-author of Freetech4teachers.com@cybraryman1- Jerry Blumengarten-author of Cybraryman.com
@edtechsandyk-This was who I consider the Twitter Guru!
@kristy_vincent-Author of the blog, Big Purple Hat
@lizdavis Liz Davis-author of EdTechPower blog
@ShellTerrell- Author of the 30 Goals Challenge
@web20classroom-Steven Anderson-author of the Web20classroom.com blog
@edutopia-LOVE their website edutopia.org; fabulous and rich tweets! A MUST FOLLOW!
List of the Top 50 Elementary Teachers to Follow