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Are you a future teacher and don't know where to get started when connecting on Twitter? Get your pen out or your notes app, and get ready as my excellent guest, Joanna Zimmerle shares how to get started on Twitter from scratch! Dr. Joanna Zimmerle (@drzimmerle on Twitter) is an Assistant Professor of #EdTech @APSUeduc. Dr. Zimmerle taught elementary school for ten years, and during that time, she worked on my master's in instructional technology and then her doctorate in ed leadership. She knew she wanted to teach college when she was a future teacher.
Joanna is a phenomenal educator and leader in educational technology. So, if you are new to Twitter and building a PLN, turn up the volume on this episode. We are going to be dropping some knowledge! PLNs and getting connected is a topic that is near and dear to both of us! So, let's jump in with tips to get you started and connected!
PLN stands for a personal learning network.
It's the people you turn to when you want to ask questions or share ideas about teaching, and your PLN doesn't just happen online. It can also happen face to face.
It's global. You can connect with people across the country and even across the globe.
First, choose a platform and create a professional account.
Dr. Zimmerle tends to use Twitter for her PLN, but many educators are in other online spaces like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
It would help if you had a PLN as a future teacher because you can start learning about resources like educational resources, websites, apps, lesson plans, and ideas, which can be helpful. You get exposed to many excellent resources you can use now while prepping for school.
You can learn more about what you want to learn alone. Teachers use it to direct their professional development.
Connecting with other educators can give you a sense of belonging and community that can help you through those dark days when you're so stressed. Using your PLN for support is invaluable to future teachers.
Build your professional presence
Professional photo
The username needs to be professional.
Include who you are as a teacher in your bio. Consider using some hashtags!
Get copyright-free images to use in your header!
Search for hashtags you want to learn more about or speak to your teaching heart.
See who posts about it, read their bio, give them a follow, then see who they are following!
Retweet or share a post from someone else
Comment on a post from a colleague
Participate in a Twitter chat! Twitter chats happen almost every day of the week. They are conversations. It's centered around all kinds of topics. First, choose a chat that is interesting and relevant to you. Second, confirm that the chat is happening by contacting the moderators. Next, engage in conversation and connect with other participants. We recommend using Tweetdeck to keep posts and replies more organized when participating in a Twitter chat.
Connect with Dr. Zimmerle
@drzimmerle Assistant Prof of #EdTech @APSUeduc