My school blog has been going over very well with my school. Some are even sharing it with other teachers in other buildings and districts. I couldn't be happier. I've received tons of requests for information on subjects and web2.0 tools. I think it's time to introduce some of the more tech savvy teachers in my building to my PLN.
I was thinking about using one of our late start Monday meeting times to work with teachers interested in using Twitter for their educational needs. I'm hoping to get some Admins in the room. I have an idea, but I would love your feedback and/or suggestions.
We have about 45 minutes to meet in the morning in our departments to discuss department issues or meet with other teachers to discuss school items. I. This short period, I would love to show them the power of the PLN. I would start a hashtag (#GPSouth) and ask my Tweeps to give one good reason why teachers should use Twitter. By doing this, I could show them some quick Twitter tips while great info comes pouring in.
The next step would be to allow a teacher to ask a question and see how quickly the information can be accessed. I was thinking the whole process could take 20 minutes and I could use the rest of time answering any questions they might have.
What do you think? Is this a good/realistic idea? I've posted links to articles about Twitter, but, lime kids, I think they need to see it in action. Would you be willing to lend me a hand one Monday morning in mid to late March to hopefully expand our PLN? Do you know of any better way to convince teachers and Admins to jump on the Twitter train? Please leave a commen with any thoughts or ideas. Thanks.
P.S. I wrote this on my iPhone at the Savannah Airport. Please I've any grammar and/or spelling errors. Thanks again. :-)
- @TheNerdyTeacher
Location:Airways Ave,Savannah,United States
I'm in. Just let us know the date and time.
ReplyDelete@kevcreutz
Just as an FYI, The Educator's PLN is a Ning site built from Twitter Links. It has 2800 members,and tutorials for teachers to build PLN's using Twitter and other tools.
ReplyDeleteA teacher who is less comfortable with tech can Lurk and Learn and build a comfort level.http://edupln.ning.com
Great idea! Just let us know in advance. I will be happy to help.
ReplyDeleteTo get your teachers started:
PLN/PLC: http://cybraryman.com/pln.html
Twitter: http://cybraryman.com/twitter.html
I would love to help out on a Monday morning also! I did a Twitter workshop for our staff last year. Can't say that it went that well. I think it was too big a jump for most of our staff. However, I use Twitter every day to connect with other librarians and teachers. I am including the url for my teacher resource page from my website. On it is a Twitter resource document I compiled for the teachers. It includes a link to the "In Plain English" movie about Twitter, suggestions of who to follow and some wiki resources about Twitter. Feel free to use it or modify it for your needs.
ReplyDeletehttp://web.me.com/amylking/Media_Center/Teacher_Resources.html
Good luck and let me know about a future Monday time. Amy
I am in as well. Just give some notice. We did a whole staff chat on twitter at my school and it went well. Full immersion. Here is a write-up from the day http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/1105/journal_201002/#/16
ReplyDeleteI am in the process of having sessions for 'developing your PLN'- here is how I set it up
ReplyDeletePresented power of PLN at a staff meeting (using a Voicethread that has testimonies), my PLN research comments (can view research and video companian here: http://www.vestaltech.edublogs.org/2010/01/24/pln-reasearch-video/
Session 1: introduction to twitter- talk them through sign up, and developed a 'starter list'
Session 2: diigo
Session 3: google reader
Each session is 45 minutes- let me know if you want any resources- I am creating tutorials on docstoc for each stage- you can search for me djainslie-
good luck!
Go for it! Folks don't know what they don't know. If they see Twitter in action and some have courage to explore and see success the result can only be good.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good idea and I will be using it myself shortly when working with approximately 300 teachers on setting up a PLN. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for all of the support. Please spread the word. I'll make sure to give everyone an update once I get the meeting date set. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteGive us heads up a day or so before so that we can be on the lookout for your Tweet. That way we won't miss it while you are meeting (you may get a better outcome during your actual meeting). Thank you for sharing us with your staff, it is exciting when teachers start to get excited about web 2.0!
ReplyDeleteI'd be happy to help! I think seeing Twitter in action is the best way for people to see its power.... I'm still trying to get my staff onboard. Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteHey there-
ReplyDeleteThought I'd pass along an idea I had and have since used in workshops to show the power of Twitter: http://edtechsteve.blogspot.com/2009/11/show-off-power-of-twitter.html
Hope it can help! It was fun to watch the jaws drop. =)
I di this recently with mixed success, lots of great interest but so far only 1 new tweeter but dont be discouraged it needs to be done.
ReplyDeletecheck out my post titled twitter for Teachers in Twenty minutes for how i di it.
http://henriettami.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/twitter-for-teachers-in-20-minutes/