In terms of Twitter I am a convert. I joined Twitter in October 2009 in the hope of learning to be socially networked professionally. Prior to the session I didn't know how to use Twitter effectively, (as of March 21) I had barely made a Tweet, didn't have many followers (about 10) and followed only about 20 people.
But I did not understand HOW I could best use Twitter to increase my PLN in the teacher librarianship and Web 2.0 technologies/ICT in education field. What's all the Twitter fuss about. Why did so people use Twitter? How will it assist me in my professional development as a teacher librarian? What will I get out of it? Why should I use it? How will it help me to be "socially networked"? What should I Tweet? What is Retweet? Reflecting back I probably didn't spend enough time observing and using Twitter in the first place.
I sought out people to follow who are related to my work as a teacher librarian - teacher librarian gurus and ICT gurus, leading academics in the fields, other educators to name a few. These people included Judy O'Connell, Lyn Hay, Camilla Elliott, Kathy Shrock, Ross Todd and Joyce Valenza. By checking out these the people's following lists I have been able to build my list of followings to 290 people and 142 followers as of June 22 (as I update this post). Pluss (2008) supports this view of following leaders in the field while also following and networking with peers. I have been so surprised at the number of resources I have come across. For my INF506 Assignment 1, I posted a tweet asking for good Prezi examples for inclusion on my wiki. The response was immediate - responses within hours with lots of student and teacher-created Prezis. I have truly come to value Twitter as a professional social networking tool.
This blog post originated out of a discussion from several fellow INF506ers who at this point failed to see the value of Twitter with another student touting Twitter as "useless". I wrote in that discussion post on March 21:
"Since beginning in this course I have tried to find out how Twitter can assist my work and study. I have also maintained that Twitter will generally be my professional networking tool - I am following some of the teacher librarian and web 2.0 gurus - fellow practitioners of the TL field and have found their Tweets helpful in my pursuit in developing my knowledge and skills as a teacher librarian. I have bookmarked things that I would probably not have come across if I didn't follow some of the gurus in my field of education. I have much better things to do than to check my social networking sites constantly - so being selective is the key."
A second important thing I have done is Tweeting. I was unsure of really what to Tweet. By being selective with other people's Tweets I have come across ideas, links and resources that I would have not found on my own. For example, I received a link to a blog post by Jane Hart on how to use Twitter for social learning. I received this from a tweet I received then I retweeted it to my followers. This blog focuses on the use of social media in learning, aka social learning.
I think at this early stage of this subject I am enjoying using Twitter, being informed in a way that I was never before and being truly part of the socially networked world. This is certainly a great method of professional development. "A selective use of information (the sharing of information) can be invaluable for your professional development" (Pluss, 2008: 59). The key with Twitter is to be part of the networked world you actually have to actively partake it in - by Tweeting important and related sites etc. from the teacher librarianship and Web 2.0/ICT in education fields. Pluss (2008) recommends get active and connect with fellow educators by writing tweets as this assists one to reach the critical mass needed for people to start following, then one can follow their links, get ideas, contribute expertise and improve one's own teaching practice. One of the great benefits in education I am starting to understand with Twitter is its role in professional development.
Reference
Pluss, M. (2008). Twitter. Viral professional development and networking. Teacher, November 2008, 58-60.
It is now July 9, 2010, and I came across this blog post from Edublogger - A Twitteraholic's Guide to Tweets, Hashtags and all things Twitter.
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