#1: Twitter
Twitter is instant professional development created by you and specifically for you. Follow educational gurus who share your vision and pedagogy. One question that I hear from teachers regarding Twitter is "I don't know who to follow." This can be the hardest part about getting started with Twitter, but once you find educational experts who can provide you with tips, ideas, links, blogs, other websites, videos, and research, you will be hooked! From curriculum topics like Common Core State Standards to Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and from educational technology like Google Apps to content-driven lesson plan ideas and templates, Twitter is a hub for educational resources.
Consider following some of the educational professionals below to get you tweeting.
@ianjukes Ian Jukes is a speaker, co-author of 14 books, consultant, self-claimed educational evangelist, and co-developer of the 21st Century Fluency Project. Jukes tweets about 21st century learning and teaching through transforming direct instruction, tools for teaching, and using technology to offer real-world experiences.
@tncollins97 Nate Collins is an Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Virginia, USA. He is a collaborative and reflective leader who tweets about tools and strategies for fostering 21st century learning and includes a lot of Google Doc tricks and tips.
@kylepace Pace is an Instructional Technology Specialist, Google Certified Teacher, the 2013 Ed Week leader to Learn From, ASCD emerging leader, and educational presenter from Kansas City, USA. Pace is active in #edchat, #edcamp, and #moedchat. He focuses on developing the web 2.0 classroom and effective tools for curriculum integration.
@TDOttawa Tom D'Amico is a Twitter guru with over 4,000 followers who focuses on learning and teaching in the 21st century with a focus on edtech, web 2.0, innovation, technology and creativity. He is a superintendent in Ottawa, Ontario. He also updates his Scoop.it page iGeneration-21st Century Education, another great resource, through Twitter.
@classroom20 Classroom 2.0 is a network that provides resources for a student-centered classroom and global classroom, including videos, templates, tool tips, etc.
@isteconnects ISTE tweets are from @Heidi Ellis and @BritniHartford as they provide tips to advance learning and teaching in regard to Common Core, flipped learning, and blended learning. They also offer webinars and whitepapers.
@edtech_K12 EdTech K-12 Magazine focuses on issues facing K-12 IT leaders, administrators, and educators. They partner with @EdTech_HigherEd and provide resources on tools that engage learners and provide individualized and differentiated instruction to meet individual student's needs.
@Desire2Learn, @D2LBarry, and @D2LBarbthoeming Join Desire2Learn to stay posted on new tips to transform education with innovative teaching and learning solutions that go beyond the standard offerings of a traditional LMS. Also, follow @D2LBarry and @D2LBarbthoeming to become a part of the Desire2Learn Community, which consists of educators who work together to share resources and collaborate on effective practices for e-learning.
Don't forget to add the ITFS: @parkhillitf, @jillwatkins1010, @erinsmithITF, @lstutzman13, @carlsonmrc.
In addition to expanding your following, use #hashtags to search for information related to a topic and to tag your tweets. The Park Hill Instructional Technology Facilitators will be using #phitf. If you tweet a tool, tip, or resource that would benefit our team, please add our hashtag to your tweets. Below I have listed some popular and useful hashtags used by educational professionals. Use these hashtags to search for relevant instructional technology resources.
Don't forget to add the ITFS: @parkhillitf, @jillwatkins1010, @erinsmithITF, @lstutzman13, @carlsonmrc.
In addition to expanding your following, use #hashtags to search for information related to a topic and to tag your tweets. The Park Hill Instructional Technology Facilitators will be using #phitf. If you tweet a tool, tip, or resource that would benefit our team, please add our hashtag to your tweets. Below I have listed some popular and useful hashtags used by educational professionals. Use these hashtags to search for relevant instructional technology resources.
#edchat
#edtech
#mlearning
#edapps
#edu
#education
#edcamp
#moedchat
Also, Twitter hosts educational chats! You can follow (or, as I call it, "stalk") or participate in a Twitter chat by a hashtag. Consider trying one of the many Twitter chats using this Google Calendar with educational chats for all content areas.
Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom: A Blend of Technology and Education
Steven Anderson is the Director of Instructional Technology for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Anderson is an ISTE, ASCD, and NCTIES presenter and created the weekly Twitter education discussion #edchat. His blog won the 2009 and 2011 Edublogs of The Year Award, he was named the 2011 Twitterer of The Year, and he was named as an ASCD Emerging Leader in 2012. Anderson's most popular blog posts include "Going Global-Tips and Resources for Global Collaborations" and "The Summer Series of Learning (10 Posts To Learn Something Over The Summer, or Anytime)." Anderson is also responsible for introducing me to one of my favorite global projects called QuadBlogging, which allows students to blog and comment with other students in another country.
Free Technology for Teachers
Richard Byrne is a Google Certified Teacher with teaching experience in the 1:1 learning environment in English Language Arts and global studies. His blog focuses on free tech tools and how to integrate those tools into the learning environment. His blog posts include links, video tutorials, and suggested applications in the classroom.
Learning with 'e's: My Thoughts about Learning Technology and All Things Digital
Steve Wheeler is an associate professor, past e-Learning conference chair and school board member who advocates for the use of blogging in the learning environment. Wheeler shares insight on using blogging and collaborative tools to produce students into writers by communicating with real audiences. Some of his recent blog posts include "Learners Promoting Change" and "Backchannels, Hashtags, and Learning."
edutopia.org
Edutopia.org is sponsored by The George Lucus Educational Foundation and focuses on K-12 learning strategies that empower teachers to improve education.The site includes specific sections for project-based learning, teacher development, and technology integration. In addition, you can browse by grade level, access blog posts from multiple bloggers by topic, and access educational videos. The site also has a Facebook page, Pinterest boards, and a Twitter feed.
The Ed Tech Round Up
Michael Karlin writes the The Roundup as a one-stop source for regular updates on the latest educational technology news and reviews. Karlin's site includes reviews, editorials and press, weekly podcasts, ed tech links, and lesson plans. The links tab is organized by both sites and apps (presentation, creation, web design, organization, and mobile). The Ed Tech Round Up also has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
Meb Kharbach has created a resource of educational web tools and mobile apps for teachers and educators. Kharbach's site includes categorical browsing capabilities so teachers can browse tools and ideas specific to task, purpose, or tool. The site also features a section with instructional ePosters to embed in sites, an LMS, blogs, etc. Other key pages in the site include YouTube4teachers, teacher tools, and free downloads. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has a Facebook page, Pinterest boards, and a Twitter feed.
#2: Blogs
A second professional development "go-to" is the educational technology blog-o-sphere. If you are thinking, "I don't want to follow a blogger!"-- think again! Many of the most respected and innovative edtech leaders have blogs that provide instructional technology news, integration ideas, tool reviews, and reflections and insights from the trenches. If you become a blog follower or a blogower, you might want to use an RSS reader, such as Feedly, to organize and access multiple blogs from one app. Once you are ready to launch into this blog-o-sphere, consider following some of the blogs listed below.
Blogging About The Web 2.0 Connected Classroom: A Blend of Technology and Education
Steven Anderson is the Director of Instructional Technology for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Anderson is an ISTE, ASCD, and NCTIES presenter and created the weekly Twitter education discussion #edchat. His blog won the 2009 and 2011 Edublogs of The Year Award, he was named the 2011 Twitterer of The Year, and he was named as an ASCD Emerging Leader in 2012. Anderson's most popular blog posts include "Going Global-Tips and Resources for Global Collaborations" and "The Summer Series of Learning (10 Posts To Learn Something Over The Summer, or Anytime)." Anderson is also responsible for introducing me to one of my favorite global projects called QuadBlogging, which allows students to blog and comment with other students in another country.
Free Technology for Teachers
Richard Byrne is a Google Certified Teacher with teaching experience in the 1:1 learning environment in English Language Arts and global studies. His blog focuses on free tech tools and how to integrate those tools into the learning environment. His blog posts include links, video tutorials, and suggested applications in the classroom.
Learning with 'e's: My Thoughts about Learning Technology and All Things Digital
Steve Wheeler is an associate professor, past e-Learning conference chair and school board member who advocates for the use of blogging in the learning environment. Wheeler shares insight on using blogging and collaborative tools to produce students into writers by communicating with real audiences. Some of his recent blog posts include "Learners Promoting Change" and "Backchannels, Hashtags, and Learning."
#3: Sites and Boards
In addition to Twitter and blogs, websites, Facebook, and Pinterest boards are also quick resources for professional growth. The following sites and boards are definitely bookmark worthy!edutopia.org
Edutopia.org is sponsored by The George Lucus Educational Foundation and focuses on K-12 learning strategies that empower teachers to improve education.The site includes specific sections for project-based learning, teacher development, and technology integration. In addition, you can browse by grade level, access blog posts from multiple bloggers by topic, and access educational videos. The site also has a Facebook page, Pinterest boards, and a Twitter feed.
The Ed Tech Round Up
Michael Karlin writes the The Roundup as a one-stop source for regular updates on the latest educational technology news and reviews. Karlin's site includes reviews, editorials and press, weekly podcasts, ed tech links, and lesson plans. The links tab is organized by both sites and apps (presentation, creation, web design, organization, and mobile). The Ed Tech Round Up also has a Facebook page and a Twitter feed.
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning
Meb Kharbach has created a resource of educational web tools and mobile apps for teachers and educators. Kharbach's site includes categorical browsing capabilities so teachers can browse tools and ideas specific to task, purpose, or tool. The site also features a section with instructional ePosters to embed in sites, an LMS, blogs, etc. Other key pages in the site include YouTube4teachers, teacher tools, and free downloads. Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has a Facebook page, Pinterest boards, and a Twitter feed.
