CyberWise Guide to Twitter

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CYBERWISE GUIDE TO TWITTER – TUTORIAL SCRIPT

If your initial reaction to Twitter is that it’s for the birds,

Then you probably haven’t gotten to know this powerful tool for learning.

What makes Twitter so powerful is that you have full control over who or what you follow.

For example, say you want to keep up with Charlie Sheen’s latest antics,

Then that’s what Twitter will deliver.

However, if you’re more interested in using Twitter for learning

Then it can be a rich source of connections, ideas and leads.

For example, say you are a parent or educator interested in education. The best way so start using Twitter to stay on top of this topic is to follow thought leaders on the subject. There are literally hundreds of them tweeting and sharing information about educational news and trends every minute.

Is Twitter sounding better already? Then here is how to make it work:

First of all, Twitter is a free social media application available on the Internet. It’s super easy to sign up for Twitter, all that’s required is your name and email address. Once you sign up, you decide on your username, this is what everyone on Twitter will know you by, so it’ a good idea to chose a short name that won’t embarrass you in ten years.

Once you are registered with Twitter you can send messages of up to 140 characters instantly to everyone who follows you. Messages must be brief, to the point, and can include a links that to Twitter shortens for you.

Clicking on these links takes you to the wealth of information that makes Twitter so powerful.

Start out on Twitter by deciding whom to follow. Here’s a tip: follow people who you’d like to receive information from. One way to find these people is to use the Twitter search and type in the key words you are looking for….

Another way is to get recommendations; we provide a list of some of the best educational tweeters in the Guide that accompanies this video.

Once you start following the right people, Twitter becomes a veritable wealth of knowledge, serving up a constant stream of customized information to you every second. You don’t have to access all of it, that would be crazy, right? Just dip in when you have time and select the tidbits that sound most enticing. And don’t worry about missing something good, the really important stuff gets re-tweeted again and again. That’s the power of Twitter. You select a personal team of experts who sift through a world of news and send it directly to you.

There are three ways to communicate on Twitter:

1- You can send a message to all of your followers (don’t worry once you start tweeting valuable information people will want to follow you too!).

2- You can do this (@) to send a message directed at one individual, or to refer to that individual. That tweet gets seen by all of your followers and all their followers.

3- Or you can send a private, direct message to someone by doing this do this … or by clicking on the message link on their profile.

Twitter also has a feature called a #hashtag (is that something illegal?). A hashtag lets you to track conversations. In other words, adding#in front of a search term gathers all the references to that term. For example, here’s a hashtag we like to follow.

Another powerful Twitter feature is a retweet -- or RT-- this is when you share the tweet of one user with all of your Twitter followers. For example, if you happen to follow someone who posts a link to a story that you feel should be shared, you can "retweet" it.

And, here’s another tip -- it's considered rude to take someone else's Tweet and send it back out as your own. Give credit for the tweet where it's due. You will more than likely be thanked for the Retweet and you may gain new followers at the same time.

Twitter might seem confusing when you first start using it (we thought so too), but stick with it a while and soon you’ll become familiar with i it’s secret language. Our guide includes this anatomy of a tweet as aa your reference.

So why is Twitter so great for learning (in case it’s not obvious)…

The way we see it Twitter is great for learning for a couple of reasons…

In teacher-talk, it is an effective and efficient way to expand your PLN (personal learning network) and surround yourself with a network of other educators who are engaging in ongoing conversations about teaching and learning right now! And if you’re a parent, you can join discussions related to your interests and have a steady stream of resources available to you whenever, wherever and however. Besides, It’s a great way to get to know this 21st century tool that your kids might be all aflutter about.

And speaking about kids, there are some innovative educators out there who have already learned how to use Twitter in the classroom. We’ve gathered their tips, stories and lesson ideas for you in the CyberWise Guide to Twitter.

So if after all this you’re still not convinced that Twitter is a terrific way to tap into the Wisdom of the Crowd, perhaps these people will convince you…