Twitter and Your PLN

In previous posts I've expressed my interest in Twitter and how it can be a tool for growing one's own personal learning network (PLN). I thought this week I'd share just a little bit of how I utilize it.

Twitter is a great way to connect to other smart, innovative, creative people in your field or with similar interests. I think there are some who have given Twitter a try and decided it didn't work for them, probably because they were not connected to the right people. If you connect to users who are only reporting on the state of traffic or what they had for breakfast that day ("life tweeters"), then you probably won't see the value, and if you follow only celebrities or just your family, I doubt you'll get the full benefits. However, if you connect to users who are willing to share ideas and genuine feedback, then Twitter is a great tool for building a potential personal learning network of other users whose ideas and insight you can benefit from.

Okay, so here are only a few of the nuggets from my last 24 hours or so on Twitter that I hope will illustrate some of what I think the value can be for educators.

• A Collection of (mostly elementary) Interactive Whiteboard Resources http://www.ncs-tech.org/?p=3747 (tweeted by @kjarrett)
• A link for the 10 best and worst cellphone for radiation tweeted by http://tinyurl.com/ntu6xv (tweeted by @PaulaFrey)
• A link to Watch BrainPOP's "September 11" today for free http://is.gd/394fQ (tweeted by @web20classroom)
• A Science teacher I might like the link to this flash-based periodic table http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/visualelements/PAGES/pertable_fla.htm (tweeted by @web20classroom)
• I enjoyed the link for 5 Of The Best File Converters That Can Make Your Lives Easier http://bit.ly/Mlslk (shared by @jessenewhart)
• A link to the article on 5 easy, practical steps toward better digital integration in your classroom. http://bit.ly/eZqJz from @edutopia

And honestly I get good ideas and information from Twitter every day. I've written about the blogs I think educators should follow, so its no surprise that most of the same ones are on Twitter. It is an easy way to be connected and benefit from the resources of many.

You can follow the WSFCS Dept of Technology at http://twitter.com/wsfcsdit and me at http://twitter.com/evmaiden