Get Ready, Get Set and Go!!!
1. Set up your account. Go to Twitter.com
Get Started—Join! Enter username, password, and email address. Click on the I accept. Create my account button.
Next, Twitter will give you a chance to see if some of your friends are on Twitter by checking your online address book. However, your contacts will have to be in one of the supported services: GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, or MSN.
2. Tweak your settings. Make sure you are on your Twitter home page: http://Twitter.com/home. Click on the Settings link. Now enter your full name in the “Name” field. Make sure the “Time Zone” field is set correctly. Enter your location. Do not check “Protect my updates” unless you only want those whom you approve to be able to get your updates. Personally, if you check this, it will seriously limit
the fun. You want people to see what you are saying.
3. You need to decide whether or not to set up your phone.. By doing so, you can receive updates from those you are following (or just some of them) as well as send your own updates. It’s all done through text messaging (e.g., SMS).
However, be forewarned: While Twitter doesn’t charge anything for this service, your phone carrier might. Most of the current phones have Twitter applications so this step is really unnecessary.
4. Follow colleagues, family or friends. If you haven’t done so already, add your family and friends by clicking in the “Search” field at the top of your home page. You can type in a username or first and last name. When you do, you will get a list of the Twitterers who match your search criteria. You can also do a more advance search (e.g., searching by location) on the Twitter search page.
Tweeple and Chats to follow
For lists of educators you can do several different things:
- Choose your username and an avatar carefully
- Choose a username that makes it easier for others to relate to you as a real person and conveys the right impression of who you are. I have played with my Ms. B. is Online identity so my username is that MsBisOnline.
- But don’t stress too much — your username can be changed anytime without affecting your twitter account (Settings > Account)
Get Started—Join! Enter username, password, and email address. Click on the I accept. Create my account button.
Next, Twitter will give you a chance to see if some of your friends are on Twitter by checking your online address book. However, your contacts will have to be in one of the supported services: GMail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, or MSN.
2. Tweak your settings. Make sure you are on your Twitter home page: http://Twitter.com/home. Click on the Settings link. Now enter your full name in the “Name” field. Make sure the “Time Zone” field is set correctly. Enter your location. Do not check “Protect my updates” unless you only want those whom you approve to be able to get your updates. Personally, if you check this, it will seriously limit
the fun. You want people to see what you are saying.
- Complete your bio and add your blog URL (if applicable) — people use this information to decide whether they follow you (Settings > Profile).
- Upload your twitter avatar — people are less likely follow those using the default avatar (Settings > Profile)
- Don’t start following people on twitter until you’ve published some tweets! Why would anyone follow you if you haven’t even bothered to update?
3. You need to decide whether or not to set up your phone.. By doing so, you can receive updates from those you are following (or just some of them) as well as send your own updates. It’s all done through text messaging (e.g., SMS).
However, be forewarned: While Twitter doesn’t charge anything for this service, your phone carrier might. Most of the current phones have Twitter applications so this step is really unnecessary.
4. Follow colleagues, family or friends. If you haven’t done so already, add your family and friends by clicking in the “Search” field at the top of your home page. You can type in a username or first and last name. When you do, you will get a list of the Twitterers who match your search criteria. You can also do a more advance search (e.g., searching by location) on the Twitter search page.
Tweeple and Chats to follow
For lists of educators you can do several different things:
- Follow Me MsBisOnline https://twitter.com/MsBisOnline
- Here is a list of LA Tweeters http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/curriculum/tech/socialnetwork/twitter/twitterLA.htm
- Follow lists of teachers that have been generated by teachers
- http://twitter.com/MsBisOnline/latchrs
- http://tweepml.org/Louisiana-Educators/
- http://www.twibes.com/group/TeachersOnTwitter
- http://tweepml.org/Sean-Banville-recommends-you-follow-these-people/
- http://tweepml.org/follow/?q=teachers This page will take you to a page that holds lists upon lists of educators to choose to follow.
- International Bloggers' International Tweeters List
Click here for a list of people and chats to follow.
Suggestions for Twitter Use in the Classroom
Below are some basic suggestions for using Twitter in the classroom. Use these ideas as a springboard for your creativity to come up with even more ways to use Twitter.
Communicate with parents and students. Twitter assignments, important events, deadlines, and more to keep parents and students updated with important information.
Daily summaries. Give a daily update on each school day so parents can stay in touch with what their children are learning.
Collaborative planning. Teachers and students or students working together can use Twitter to document ideas and share with their collaboration team.
Teacher collaboration. Many teachers collaborate on their lesson plans and teaching techniques and tips. Twitter allows collaborating teachers to share ideas and stay connected easily.
Learn a foreign language. Using a service like twitterlearn or just practicing conversation skills with other Twitterers around the globe, students can practice a foreign language.
Connect with other classrooms. Find a classroom in a different geographic area to create a modern-day pen pal situation where students can learn from each other through their Tweets.
Use it as a poll. Take a poll asking student opinions or getting feedback on future topics. Use an app like PollDaddy to help.
Nineteen Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom. This slide presentation offers fun suggestions of how to incorporate Twitter with lessons students will remember.
A Professor’s Tips for Using Twitter in the Classroom. While geared to his experience with older students, this article describes a great benefit of using Twitter with students.
Communicate with parents and students. Twitter assignments, important events, deadlines, and more to keep parents and students updated with important information.
Daily summaries. Give a daily update on each school day so parents can stay in touch with what their children are learning.
Collaborative planning. Teachers and students or students working together can use Twitter to document ideas and share with their collaboration team.
Teacher collaboration. Many teachers collaborate on their lesson plans and teaching techniques and tips. Twitter allows collaborating teachers to share ideas and stay connected easily.
Learn a foreign language. Using a service like twitterlearn or just practicing conversation skills with other Twitterers around the globe, students can practice a foreign language.
Connect with other classrooms. Find a classroom in a different geographic area to create a modern-day pen pal situation where students can learn from each other through their Tweets.
Use it as a poll. Take a poll asking student opinions or getting feedback on future topics. Use an app like PollDaddy to help.
Nineteen Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom. This slide presentation offers fun suggestions of how to incorporate Twitter with lessons students will remember.
A Professor’s Tips for Using Twitter in the Classroom. While geared to his experience with older students, this article describes a great benefit of using Twitter with students.
Applications that make Twitter easier to negotiate
These apps will help you use Twitter more easily and often have specific advantages for educators.
GroupTweet. Create a group with each class to facilitate Tweeting. This is a great tool for teachers wanting to create a classroom group to keep students and parents informed of assignments, announcements, or work collaboratively.
TwitterNotes. If you want to use Twitter for yourself as well as the whole class, this app makes it simple to keep notes that are only for you to read among your Tweets.
Tweet Later. Use this app to write Tweets that you can schedule for posting at future times. This is a great way to line up reminders and announcements that are tied to specific dates.
Password protected text notes. When privacy becomes an issue, use this app to send notes to Twitter that only those with the password can read.
LoudTwitter. Sign up here to send Tweets to your blog. This is a good way to keep parents who may not be on Twitter updated with what their students are doing.
bit.ly. With character count being so important, this service shortens URLs so that you use fewer characters when sharing web links.
postica. Use this app to post sticky notes on Twitter for an eye-catching reminder.
Twishlistter. Create a Twitter wish list here. Teachers wanting to publish supplies they need will certainly find this useful.
TweetDeck. This app allows you to create groups of Tweets to better manage the information.
tweetparty. This is another group-creating app that allows you to communicate directly with your Twitter group.
TweetGrid. Create a customized search dashboard to facilitate your Twitter searches.
Tweetree. This app puts your Tweets in context so when an entire conversation starts, it is grouped together.
GroupTweet. Create a group with each class to facilitate Tweeting. This is a great tool for teachers wanting to create a classroom group to keep students and parents informed of assignments, announcements, or work collaboratively.
TwitterNotes. If you want to use Twitter for yourself as well as the whole class, this app makes it simple to keep notes that are only for you to read among your Tweets.
Tweet Later. Use this app to write Tweets that you can schedule for posting at future times. This is a great way to line up reminders and announcements that are tied to specific dates.
Password protected text notes. When privacy becomes an issue, use this app to send notes to Twitter that only those with the password can read.
LoudTwitter. Sign up here to send Tweets to your blog. This is a good way to keep parents who may not be on Twitter updated with what their students are doing.
bit.ly. With character count being so important, this service shortens URLs so that you use fewer characters when sharing web links.
postica. Use this app to post sticky notes on Twitter for an eye-catching reminder.
Twishlistter. Create a Twitter wish list here. Teachers wanting to publish supplies they need will certainly find this useful.
TweetDeck. This app allows you to create groups of Tweets to better manage the information.
tweetparty. This is another group-creating app that allows you to communicate directly with your Twitter group.
TweetGrid. Create a customized search dashboard to facilitate your Twitter searches.
Tweetree. This app puts your Tweets in context so when an entire conversation starts, it is grouped together.