“He rocks in the tree tops all day long. Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and singing his song.”- Rockin’ Robin
For my first #edWorthit, I have decided to focus on something that took me a lot of convincing that it would be worth my time as an educator- Twitter. I use to believe that tweeting was just something that teenagers and celebrities did. A few years ago, my good friend and music colleague, Dr. Gina Anthon, even tried to tell me about how she used Twitter to connect with other music educators. In addition, my sister, Beth Feller, tried to show me how she used Twitter as a business professional. However, I believed that I already spent too much time on Facebook, and Twitter didn’t seem like it would be worth the extra time and energy. The day after I was named the State Teacher of the Year, Beth grabbed my phone and said she was setting me up a Twitter account. After using Twitter for over six months, I will admit to my sister and Gina that I was wrong. Twitter is definitely worth the extra time and energy.
Although it took months to rid my newsfeed of any mention of the Kardashians, I quickly began to see Twitter’s potential. As I began to follow more educators, I gained a better understanding of the latest trends and concerns in education. While connecting with educators around the globe, I found that many of the educational issues we are facing in the United States are being echoed throughout the world. Also I found myself growing professionally as I uncovered new resources for information. Even better, I realized that my voice as an educator and advocate was greatly amplified.
After joining Twitter, I was also shocked to discover the number of educational chats that take place. This is where a group of educators meet at a designated time to discuss a specific topic. At first, I just observed various chats trying to get a feel for each one. I finally jumped in my first chat a few weeks ago. It was the #edBeat chat where they were using David Bowie quotes to encourage conversations about issues in education. I just couldn’t pass that one up. After participating in the hour long conversation, I was hooked. It was positive, thought provoking, and inspiring. All good reasons for why it was worth my time.
As I have become a firm believer that Twitter is worth it, I am now one of the “Little birdies on Jaybird Street (that) love(s) to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet.”
I would like to encourage all educators to share their #edWorthit reasons for using Twitter!
Stomp'nchat 