Why Tweet? A How-to Guide from a Self-Proclaimed Tweep

This past weekend, my school held a 1:1 Learning Institute for our new staff cohort for the year 2013-2014.  The purpose was to help prepare them for 21st Century Teaching and Learning in a 1:1 laptop (BYOD) environment.  My contribution to the institute was a presentation on Do-It-Yourself Professional Development with Twitter.  Imagine cramming all of the yummy goodness of Twitter PD into 25 minutes... Not possible.  I could literally run an entire institute on the benefits of Twitter for PD and it would still feel inadequate. Instead, I shared this how-to doc including links to numerous blog posts and great resources that I have found via...wait for it... Twitter, of course.  For me, Twitter is like the gateway drug to PD euphoria.  It opens up so many possibilities that you didn't even know existed.  Who doesn't want that?  

The way I see it, people tend to fall into three groups where Twitter is concerned. 

​Where do you see yourself?  I would imagine that most people fall into groups 1 or 2. If you see yourself in group 3, my question to you is what are you doing to help your colleagues engage in this form of professional development?  I know it is cliche, but a chain is only as strong a its weakest link.  Time to spread the word and strengthen the chain!  Besides, there is always more that we can learn as educators.  This doc has something for everyone thanks to my virtual PLN.  I encourage you to take a look and dig a little deeper into the powers of the Twittersphere! 

If you are a member of group 1, my advice is to take a look at the Twitter for Educators: A Beginners Guide.  This is a great place to start.  For those of you who are in group 2, you should start to read up on hashtags and Twitter chats.  Mastery of these will definitely bring you to the next level.  For those of you in group 3, expand your PLN, and bring those who work closest to you into the fold so that you can up your game as a department, a school, or a district.  There are links with tips and tricks for everyone on this doc.  ​So take a few minutes to check them out!

Last night I participated in a live chat about #ntchat (new teacher chat) lead by Lisa Dabbs and her team of moderators on Classroom 2.0 live.  The archive to the chat can be found here.  Lisa is the founder and moderator of #ntchat, and I have to give a shout out to her for a job well done.  I grabbed some screenshots of her presentation (so credit to Lisa). 

In her presentation she asks why should we connect? Her response was to build a PLN (Passionate Learning Network according to Lisa... LOVE IT) to provide you with the support and collaboration necessary to help you grow as an educator.  If you are not convinced after reading some of the resources on the doc, you should join one of the Twitter chats to see what they have to offer.  My favorites are #sbgchat, #satchat, #satchatwc, #rechat, #edchat, and #ntchat (regardless of whether you are a new teacher or not).  At the end of her presentation, Lisa left us with this quote, "Replace fear of the unknown with curiosity."  Time to get curious! 

I hope to see some of you there!  Look for @roryaileen.

Flipboard 2.0 FTW!

So here I am, day three of Spring Break, lounging on the beach in Oman with nothing but unreliable wifi and my phone to keep my mind active.  I am embarrassed to admit it, but my fingers have been trying to engage the phantom limb of my laptop since I arrived.  Today started with a bleak outlook.  Our snorkeling trip was cancelled due to choppy seas, and I forgot to charge my phone last night.  As a result, my phone kept interrupting a saucy tale (read on my iPhone Kindle app) of cyber-espionage and Saudi oil intrigue with regularity warning me of its impending death.  It was then that my  beloved Flipboard, announced its newest upgrade, Flipboard 2.0.  In the wake of the news of Google Reader's demise, this definitely takes away some of the sting.  The new and improved Flipboard 2.0 has a bookmarking function that allows you to create and share your own magazines.  It also allows you to bookmark items from... wait for it... browsers on YOUR COMPUTER, iPad or iPhone with Android soon to follow! They have also improved their discovery tools and connectivity with social networking sites and RSS by including hashtags, expanding searches, and allowing you to like, share, and comment directly back to the sites from Flipboard. 

Why is this great news?   I have always been a big fan of Flipboard.  I typically use it to browse through my Twitter feed when I am on the go or away from my computer.  Let's face it, the magazine layout is just so much more engaging and easier on the eyes, and it is quick and efficient.  ​While this allows me the mobility that I crave, a Twitter stream is still a Twitter stream.  Now you see it now you don't.  If I find something that is a keeper or that I want to save to read later, I still have to store it somewhere and bookmark it.  Before today, this required me to send the links to myself via e-mail or to Instapaper for later bookmarking on Pinboard. 

Now it is as easy as clicking on the '+' sign found in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.  ​Then you either create a new magazine or add the link to one that you have already created and click Add!  Voila!   

So now what?  Well for starters you can share your magazine with other users of Flipboard, via e-mail or the other social media sites connected to Flipboard.​  Try it out.  Using a device that has Flipboard, click on this link to the 21st Century Learning magazine that I created this morning.  You can find your magazines under "My Flipboard" by clicking on the Flipboard "flag" (or three black lines in the upper right hand corner) from any screen.  If you create a magazine you will find it in the "My Magazines" section, otherwise you will find them under "My Subscriptions". 

Once you have created a magazine, you can add to the magazine from any device as long as you have installed the bookmarklet to your browser.  Just open this link in the browser that you plan to use for bookmarking and follow the simple directions.  This will work for safari on iPhones and iPads as well.  When you click on the Flip it button on your tool bar, it will open a pop-up window like this: 

Just put it where you want and you will find it in the designated Flipboard magazine the next time you open it up in the order that the links were added to the magazine with the most recent post first.  ​Note that you can also create magazines from your computer browser as long as you have the bookmarklet. 

Though these are some exciting developments, Flipboard is still not THE answer for all of my networking and bookmarking needs.  Having said that, these are exciting developments and hopefully 3.0 is not far behind!  Flipboard R&D if you are reading this, take notes!  I am hopeful that the next release will include a web version, and more organizational control over the content.  I would also like to see collaborative contributions to these magazines.  I am happy to share what I curate from my Twitter feed with others, but it would be great if the readers could become collaborators and contribute their great finds as well!   ​

Alas, this is as far as I have made it with my exploration.  I am on vacation after all, my phone is charged up and my spy novel beckons!  Be sure to check out this article for more information, and let me know if you discover any other hidden jewels. Back to idle "bliss"!