TeachersFirst's Twitter for Teachers Resources

Twitter is more than just a way to share meaningless tweets about your breakfast cereal or the traffic on the way to school. Who has time for that? 

For teachers, Twitter can be a powerful tool for professional development via quick sharing with peers and colleagues whom you may or may not know face to face. Imagine running across other teachers who teach the same things you do and exchanging ideas quickly, just when you need them. Imagine putting out a plea for help and finding others willing to suggest a solution. Imagine sharing the cool finds you have discovered on TeachersFirst or a great way to make dictionary skills engaging in your classroom. We all know the best tidbits are from other teachers, and Twitter gives you a way to create a network to constantly learn.

Twitter can also be an effective way to communicate from your class to other classrooms around the globe. If Twitter is accessible inside your school's filtering, your class Twitter account can be an avenue to interact with classrooms across town or across the world. Share tweets about today's news, environmental data, hot topic opinions, and more using hashtags, mentions, or messages. *A tip from Texas teacher Allison: If you work with English language learners, you will want to avoid some common tweet-shortening abbreviations, such as using gr8 to mean great. Non-native speakers do not easily grasp these abbreviations.*

You do not have to know everything about Twitter to get started. Start out with this video for an overview of Twitter. Set up a Twitter account, and follow @teachersfirst to find other TeachersFirst enthusiasts. You can even follow Geo and Meri of Globetracker's Mission to become familiar with how Twitter works. You can access Twitter on their own web site or use one of the many free Twitter sharing tools available for free download. There are many Twitter tools for mobile devices, also free. But you don't need to worry about any of these to start.

Hashtags (those funny looking things with a #pound sign at the start) are a way of indicating that a tweet pertains to a certain topic or a certain interest group/event. The term hashtag refers to the funny # mark. To see what a hashtag does, try searching for one of these education-specific hashtags on Twitter (or watch them flying by in the little "widget" below. Try to figure out what each specialty is: #edchat, #ntchat, #ptchat, #midleved, #gtchat, #edtech, #artsed, #musedchat, #mathchat, #engchat, #EduIT. This is a good way to find people with common interests so you can FOLLOW them. Send a tweet including your favorite hashtag, telling people you are new to Twitter. Teachers who have searches set up for that hashtag will see your message, and you will receive a warm welcome!

For an easy way to get started, try Across the World Once a Week, a simple way to learn about the details of daily life in other cultures. The #xw1w hashtag pulls the weekly question and responses together in a quick Twitter search. Learn more about it here

This collection of resources will give you some ideas and places to find other educators using Twitter and some of the various other tools that maximize Twitter's power for specific sharing, such as photos. We even have some reviews of Twitter-alternatives for those who prefer to stay in an education-only network. We have listed our top 30 Editor's Choice. View additional Twitter Resources here

Set up a Twitter account, follow @teachersfirst, and we'll send you a tweet!

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X (Twitter) Chat: Using Social Media to Build a Sense of School Community - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
This archived X (Twitter) chat is from March 2019 and will open in Wakelet. The title of this chat is: Using Social Media to Build a Sense of School Community. ...more
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This archived X (Twitter) chat is from March 2019 and will open in Wakelet. The title of this chat is: Using Social Media to Build a Sense of School Community. During this chat, participants will: 1. Discuss the need for strengthening and building a united school community, 2. Discuss the benefits of using social media to impact school culture and 3. Share various social media tools and how they can be used to increase community engagement.

tag(s): climate (83), communities (36), social media (54), twitterchatarchive (175)

In the Classroom

Find resources and explore ways to use social media effectively to build school climate, culture, and community. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for sites and information related to social media implementation.

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X (Twitter) Chat: Using Social Media to Increase Student Engagement - TeachersFirst

Grades
K to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
This archived X (Twitter) chat is from December 2018 and will open in Wakelet. The title of this chat is: Using Social Media to Increase Student Engagement. Through this chat, ...more
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This archived X (Twitter) chat is from December 2018 and will open in Wakelet. The title of this chat is: Using Social Media to Increase Student Engagement. Through this chat, participants will: 1. Discuss the benefits of using social media to increase student engagement, 2. Share ways to utilize social media to foster global learning experiences, and 3. Share helpful resources to begin to incorporate more social media into daily lessons. Find great tools and resources to help use social media to engage your students.

tag(s): social media (54), twitterchatarchive (175)

In the Classroom

Find tools and resources to create lessons that incorporate use of social media. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for sites and information related to social media use in the classroom. Explore the various tools that are shared.

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Trends24 - Trends24

Grades
9 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
Track trending topics and Xs (formerly tweets) in any country you specify with Trends24. Select a country by clicking Worldside from the top menu bar and view the breakdown of ...more
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Track trending topics and Xs (formerly tweets) in any country you specify with Trends24. Select a country by clicking Worldside from the top menu bar and view the breakdown of the trending tweets by hours. Choose between the Timeline breakdown or click on Cloud. Tweet trends show as a word cloud, with the most popular topics showing in a larger font. Click any hashtag name to view the tweets showing for that trend. Are you new to X (formerly Twitter) and hashtags? Find information to help you at TeachersFirst's X (formerlyTwitter) for Teachers page.
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tag(s): microblogging (15), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

Use this tool to look at the topics that are trends in the various countries. Compare and contrast the top trends and how they differ from other countries that are neighbors or are far away. This tool is helpful in understanding political or cultural issues that extend worldwide or affect more than one region. Use the trending topics to understand the point of view of various countries. Look at news reports or causes for the change in the trend. X (formerly Twitter) trends could be useful in any subject area but especially useful for current events, civics, health, and economics.

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Educators New to X (formerly Twitter) - Kyle Calderwod

Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
Learn what you need to do and know to start using X (formerly Twitter). Sign up to get a X (formerly Twitter) mentor or BE a mentor! Find out what ...more
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Learn what you need to do and know to start using X (formerly Twitter). Sign up to get a X (formerly Twitter) mentor or BE a mentor! Find out what to do before creating an X (formerly Twitter) account, get advice about whom to follow, explore programs to use to help you manage your X (formerly Twitter) account, and read how to keep track of everything. Learn about all the terms needed to be successful using X (formerly Twitter) as a teacher. This site is clean, simple, and very helpful!

tag(s): chat (41), microblogging (15), social networking (64), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

After creating an account, look at the page for what else you can start doing. Find other educators to follow on the Before You Begin page, and also look at participating in a X (formerly Twitter) Chat. Find a list of chats to join, and the day and time they meet at Cybraryman Educational Chats on Twitter. As a teaching tool, X (formerly Twitter) is amazing! If your school permits access, have a class account for your class to follow people who work in fields and topics you study. Even primary grades can connect with other classes or "follow" many learning experiences via X (formerly Twitter). Learn much more about teaching ideas and tools for X (formerly Twitter) in the many resources listed on X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

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A List of X (formerly Twitter) Educators by Subject Area - Alice Keeler

Grades
K to 12
1 Favorites 1  Comments
Are you looking for other educators to follow on X (formerly Twitter)? Check out this lengthy list of educator X (formerly Twitter) handles arranged by subject. The easiest way to ...more
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Are you looking for other educators to follow on X (formerly Twitter)? Check out this lengthy list of educator X (formerly Twitter) handles arranged by subject. The easiest way to view the full document is to click the link located under the heading "A Twitter Win." This link leads to a Google document with headings for all content areas as well as Ed Tech, Counselors, Administrators, and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the document to view all categories. Add your own Twitter handle in the appropriate category for inclusion on this document.
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tag(s): social networking (64), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

Explore the site to discover and follow educators who match your interests and needs. Read the Xs X (formerly Xs X (formerly Tweets) about what is happening in other classrooms to gain some fresh, new ideas. Looking for more ways to use X (formerly Twitter) in the classroom? If you are the only person in your building who teaches a particular subject, such as gifted or learning support, this list can help you find like minds to share ideas or to set up collaborations between your students. Read more about X (formerly Twitter) at TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

Comments

what a great resource Susan, NY, Grades: 6 - 12

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X (formerly Tweeted) Times - Tweetedtimes

Grades
9 to 12
0 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Create a personalized newspaper from your X (formerly Twitter) account or for any topic of interest. Connect this site easily with your Twitter account and generate a newspaper in minutes....more
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Create a personalized newspaper from your X (formerly Twitter) account or for any topic of interest. Connect this site easily with your Twitter account and generate a newspaper in minutes. View the newspapers of your X (formerly Twitter) friends or popular newspapers from other X (formerly Twitter) users. New to X (formerly Twitter)? Learn more from TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

tag(s): communication (138), digital storytelling (152), newspapers (91), social networking (64), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

Use X (formerly Tweeted) Times to showcase your own Professional Development over time. Create and share a newspaper from a class or teacher X (formerly Twitter) account as a summary of content learned. Create a newspaper to use for real world learning in any subject (see Thematic newspapers). Share a newspaper of your class Xs X (formerly tweets) with parents (and school administration) to show what students have learned and to highlight the value of X (formerly Twitter) in the classroom. Students can create a newspaper using their own X (formerly Twitter) account to document their learning and conversations. Be sure to use TeachersFirst's review of X (formerly Twitter) for great classroom ideas.

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X (formerly Twitter) Magnets - twittermagnets.com

Grades
3 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
Have fun creating sentences or short messages (like tweets) using drag and drop words at X (formerly Twitter) Magnets! X (formerly Twitter) Magnets calls them poems, though the length...more
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Have fun creating sentences or short messages (like tweets) using drag and drop words at X (formerly Twitter) Magnets! X (formerly Twitter) Magnets calls them poems, though the length limit is a real challenge for poets! Choose from the words offered. Drag and drop the magnets into the message area at the bottom -- up to 120 characters. The tool keeps a character count for you. Need different words? Click the swap words link for new choices. Click submit to view your message/poem and decide whether to submit to X (formerly Twitter) Magnet's feed or not. You can also link to send from your own X (formerly Twitter) account. Note that clicking to see the Twitter Magnets feed will show you "messages" and poems created by the general public. Steer clear or preview to be sure these are appropriate in your setting.

tag(s): creative fluency (5), microblogging (15), poetry (190), Teacher Utilities (159), twitter (18), writing prompts (58)

In the Classroom

Create a message or "poem" of the day as a class to send from your class X (formerly Twitter) account. Use as a center activity or have student groups create their own messages about what you have learned today in any subject area class. Have ENL students create simple messages to reinforce language skills. If you don't have a X (formerly Twitter) account, just have students create offline messages. Take a quick screen shot, then write, illustrate, and share on your classroom bulletin board! Generate creative messages as a class to use as writing prompts. Have students tell the story (or nonfiction news account) about what caused the message. Looking for more ways to use X (formerly Twitter) in the classroom? Read more about X (formerly Twitter) at TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page. You can also use this site as a tool to teach about digital citizenship and the etiquette of tweets.

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X (formerly Twitter) 4Teachers - Gina Hartman

Grades
K to 12
4 Favorites 0  Comments
Are you looking for fellow educators to follow on X (formerly Twitter)? If so, this wiki is a great starting point. Choose from many different categories of educators such as ...more
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Are you looking for fellow educators to follow on X (formerly Twitter)? If so, this wiki is a great starting point. Choose from many different categories of educators such as librarians, early childhood, professional development, and much more to begin your search. Each link leads to a list of educators to follow on Twitter along with a short description about themselves, simply click on the X (formerly Twitter) handle to go to X (formerly Twitter) and begin following. Be aware: there is a warning on the top of the main page that the wiki is now "locked down" due to spamming. You are still able to access all the links. You are not able to edit without joining.

tag(s): social networking (64), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

Explore the site to discover and follow educators who match your interests and needs. Read the Tweets about what is happening in other classrooms to gain some new/fresh ideas. Want to know more about X (formerly Twitter)? See TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

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Literary X (formerly Twitter): 100+ of the Best Authors on Twitter - Mashable

Grades
4 to 12
2 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Got X (formerly Twitter)? Then take a look at these 100+ authors to see if any of your favorites are listed, and start following them. Mashable has weeded out the ...more
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Got X (formerly Twitter)? Then take a look at these 100+ authors to see if any of your favorites are listed, and start following them. Mashable has weeded out the authors who are just trying to sell you something on X (formerly Twitter). Their list only includes authors who are trying to carry on a conversation with their followers and present information they find valuable, whether it directly benefits them or not. Each author has a description, some of the books they have written, and an example tweet.

tag(s): authors (105), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

A whole class X (formerly Twitter) account can follow favorite authors and authors' read through of class novels. The class can direct message them with questions about the book: how they came to write the story, are the characters based on anyone the author knows, and any other ideas your students might come up with. In literature circles a different member of the group each week can X (formerly Twitter) the author of the book as part of the "author analyzer" job. Learn more about X (formerly Twitter) and find many more ways to use it from TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

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Cybraryman Educational Chats on X (formerly Twitter) - Cybraryman

Grades
9 to 12
2 Favorites 1  Comments
 
Use this resource to find great educational chats (#hashtags found on X (formerly Twitter)! View the various hashtags that have been created for a multitude of educator chats in different...more
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Use this resource to find great educational chats (#hashtags found on X (formerly Twitter)! View the various hashtags that have been created for a multitude of educator chats in different content areas. Scroll down the page to view a schedule of the various chats organized by day. Be sure to note the times that these chats begin on those days. View the various tools that you can use to "follow" the chats. Follow these chats to find incredible support and ideas for creating positive change in teaching and learning. Consider X (formerly Twitter) one of the best professional development opportunities teachers can participate in.

tag(s): chat (41), social networking (64), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

New to X (formerly Twitter)? Learn more about Twitter and how to set up searches to see these chats on your own time using suggestions and other reviewed resources included on the TeachersFirst's X (formerly Twitter) for Teachers page.

Comments

So helpful, very complete Frances, CT, Grades: 6 - 8

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Video: X (formerly Twitter) in Plain English - Common Craft

Grades
5 to 12
1 Favorites 0  Comments
 
Are you "twying" to understand the "tweet" world of X (formerly Twitter)? Watch this short (less than 3-minutes) video about the "Twerrific" world of X (formerlyTwitter). This social...more
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Are you "twying" to understand the "tweet" world of X (formerly Twitter)? Watch this short (less than 3-minutes) video about the "Twerrific" world of X (formerlyTwitter). This social networking site asks the question, "What are you doing?". This site shares how to use X (formerly Twitter) to stay connected. Despite a paid membership model, Common Craft still offers this video for free, but it does have a watermark saying, "For evaluation only." If you wish to share this with a group, they will need to view it on individual/partner computers (or IOS devices) or on a projector that has a zoom function to enlarge a selected area of the screen.
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tag(s): chat (41), social media (54), social networking (64), twitter (18)

In the Classroom

This is a great site for professional development and further understanding of the current microblogging "twend": X (formerly Twitter). Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use X (formrly Twitter) in the Classroom (with parental permission). Have students create writing prompts and share them on X (formerly Twitter). Have your government students follow the "Twitter News" of politicians they can find on X (formely Twitter). Have students in science class follow the X (formerly Twitter) Feeds like Science News. Challenge students to create their own virtual collective X (formerly Twitter) scavenger hunt. The possibilities are endless! You can also use X (formerly Twitter) as a springboard for discussions about the changes in the political landscape and society with the advent of social networking tools. Ask them: are there any negatives or cautions to sharing your life on X (formerly Twitter)?

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