ICT Skills: Communication and collaborationCommunicating via Micro-blogging

Twitter Twitter Tweet Tweet

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By the end of this e-torial, you will be able to:Communicate using a micro-blogging systemCreate a learning networkLearn on the fly!

This e-torial makes use of the following programmes or tools: Browsers: Internet Explorer/Firefox Twitter (an online tool)

Outcomes

Tools

Basic ICT SkillsCommunicating via Micro-blogging

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingIndex

What is micro-blogging Some motivation to twitter (or not) What do your tweets say about you? Get twittering!

Sign up Update your settings Create your first tweet Some guidelines Reading and replying to tweets Re-tweeting

Create your twitter learning network Directories, lists and networks Followers

More things you can do with twitter: Twitter straight from your cell phone Direct messages Change your profile picture Finding stuff: Using Hashtags # More resources and reading

Discussion

What are you doing right now?

Tell me all about it in 140 or less words!!!

Basic ICT SkillsWhat is Micro-blogging?

Some reading….http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-blogging Nine reasons why you should use twitter in schools# Interesting Ways to use Twitter in the Classroom (a collaborative effort)

Why would I like to know about what you

are doing all the time?

Video: Click here to Play

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingSome motivation to twitter (or not)Cosand became a Twitterer about a year ago, and he now considers Twitter one of his best sources of real-time professional development. "I'm able to get information and find opportunities I wouldn't have been able to gather on my own," he says.

Teachers who are fans say they appreciate the easy-to-use tool as a quick way to network with colleagues. They like being able to ask and answer questions, learn from experts, share resources, and react to events on the fly.

Critics argue that it's nothing but a high tech distraction. Meanwhile, new ideas for using Twitter in education continue to emerge and evolve. The best way to weigh the pros and cons of this free tool is to try it for yourself

What articles are you looking at?

Live reporting from an event

Check out this cool new resource

Source : http://www.edutopia.org/twitter-professional-development-technology-microblogging

Basic ICT SkillsWhat do your tweets say about you?

Are the tweets helpful?

Would you like to have him/her in your network?

What does this person do for a

living?

What is s(h)e tweeting about?

Basic ICT SkillsWhat do your tweets say about you?

What does this person do for a

living?

What is s(h)e tweeting about?

Are the tweets helpful?

Would you like to have him/her in your network?

Basic ICT SkillsWhat do your tweets say about you?

What does this person do for a

living?

What is s(h)e tweeting about?

Are the tweets helpful?

Would you like to have him/her in your network?

Basic ICT SkillsWhat do your tweets say about you?

What does this person do for a

living?

What is s(h)e tweeting about?

Are the tweets helpful?

Would you like to have him/her in your network?

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingActivity: Register for a Twitter account

Use Twitter to tell “the world” about the challenges you face as a subject advisor/teacherGo to www.twitter.com (or type it into the address bar)

Click on “Sign up now”

ACTIVITY

Get ready to start a learning journey……..

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingActivity: Register for a Twitter account

Type in your: Full names

(Twitter is about real people!)

Username (Make it relevant)

Password (choose something that you will remember)

E-mail address Type the code

accurately Click on

Create my account

Peter Pumpkin

Peterp

*************PeterP@gmail.com

Newins spondent

You can skip the next few twitter screens, and get straight into twittering or….

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingActivity: Add your friends

This feature makes it easy to find your friends if you have a Gmail/Yahoo/ AOL e-mail accountClick on your provider (eg Gmail)Enter you Gmail address and passwordContinue

What if I do not have a Gmail, Yahoo or AOL

e-mail?

Tick your friends that you want to follow

Click follow

Click on …..

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingDecide who (not) to follow

Do not follow anybody who you have not checked out first- click on Skip this step

You do not have to follow the tweople presented here….

I am not a sheep

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingTwitter: Update your settings

Click on Settings Fill in your real name

otherwise we will not be able to find you!

Your username and e-mail should be filled in already

Change your time zone to(GMT+2) Pretoria

Fill in your web/blog address or (www.thutong.org.za)

One line Bio: A little about who you are

Location: District + Town Click on Save

Peter Pumpkin

http://www.thutong.org.za

Mathematics subject advisor

Pretoria South Africa

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingActivity: Get twittering!

Go ahead, tell us about the problems and challenges you face as a teacher/subject advisor.

Remember you only have 140 characters!

Update your status!

If you cannot say it in 140 characters, feel free to do a few tweets…….tweet ……tweet……..

You cannot POSSIBLY have THAT many problems now can you???

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingTwitter is tweet: A few guidelines

DO:Use good languageShare good learning resourcesAsk questions and give answers/opinionsThink before you tweetAdd value to your network………

DON’T:Use ALL CAPS (it is screaming)Tweet in an “altered state”Forget to credit those tweets that you are passing on (re-tweeting- RT)………

Remember that your tweets are very public

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingActivity: Reading and replying to tweets

Tweets are in reverse chronological order, according to time, with the newest at the top.

If you click on Home, you will see all the tweets of the people you are following

If you want to reply to a tweet hit the reply arrow or include @theotherpersonsusername in your tweet

To read anybody’s tweets, click on their twitter name eg www.twitter.com/heyjudeonline

If you want to find a specific tweet again you can mark it as a favourite, using the star next to the tweet.

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingRe-tweeting

Re-tweeting is a way to pass on valuable links and resources from your network to your followers

Copy and paste the original tweet into the Update window

Add RT for “retweet” (it is short!) in front of the @persons’s name

Re-tweeting people’s tweets also make them aware that you value their contribution and they will probably follow you, building a stronger network

kjarrettRT @shareski RE: PLCs. "If everything is mandated and structured. It fails. Same with classrooms."

RT

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingCreate your twitter learning network

Important to read the person’s Bio or blog and look at their tweets before you decide to follow him or her…….

A colleague, teacher…. Someone I can learn

with/from… Someone who will share… An expert in the field Someone……?

Click on Find People Type name in search window Click search Look if it is the person that

you want to follow Click follow!!!!!!

Wesley Fryer

Who should I follow?

How?

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingCreate your twitter learning network

Another effective way to find twitter learning partners:Find someone who share the same interests / subject area as you. Click on their picture and choose FollowClick on THEIR network and explore/follow some of their contacts

Some of my learning Gurus!!!

Some teachers!!!

Conferences

Some friends!!

If someone does not “live up to your expectations”, remove them from your network

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingCreate your twitter learning network

More ways to find twitter learning and teaching partners:Consult educator directories, social networks and lists:

Twitter4teachers (A global wiki to add to) Educators on twitter (add yourself to the

directory here) South African educators or join sateachers

twibe Twitterpacks Top 100 edu-tweeps (twitterers/tweople) ;-) Tweet4education (A social network of

twittering teachers writing a book to help teachers to twitter!)

Twitter for professional development

Good idea: Go through at least 2 pages of a person’s tweets before deciding if the person will be of value on your learning pathway!

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingFollowers

If a person has an undesirable profile you can block them from following you! But remember, your tweets might just educate them!

That is a good thing. It means that you are adding value to the twitter-sphere and growing your learning network!You will get an e-mail telling you that someone is following youGo to their profile page, read their tweets, Bio/blog and decide if you want to follow them back or notAt the top of their page, click on FollowYou will be able to send them a direct private message once they are following you

Help, I am being followed!!!!!

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingMore things you can do with Twitter

Twitter straight from your cell phone Just send an SMS to

447624801423(The cell phone that you send from must be the one registered with Twitter! See Devices under settings)

Send meeting notifications

Twitter a meeting from your phone

Your twitter can become a notice board for your teachers…..?

Send a direct message (DM) to someone

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingSend Direct messages

Click on Direct messages Click on the dropdown

and select the person Type your message Send

Will this message be private or will it show up in

my timeline?

Your intended person will receive the twitter in his/her e-mail inbox as well!

Video: Click to play

You can only send DM’s to someone who is following you.

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingChange/Update Your Bio

Decide how much of yourself you would like to show in your Bio. Stick to your interests/

occupation rather than give out too much personal information!

Link your Bio to your blog or school/organisational website.

To change your Bio or website address, go to Settings (See slide 12)

We always need to be aware of how much information we divulge, whether it is in our Bio or in our tweets!

If you feel strongly about your privacy, you can protect your twitter account, which means that people have to ask to follow you

What about privacy?

Do I need to have a profile picture?

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingChange your profile picture

A profile picture gives people a visual sense of who you are / would like to be / see yourself……What do these pictures tell you about the person?Who is the….Librarian, Maths teacher, Academic, Learning activist, Gardener, Primary school teacher, Lifelong learner, Technology director, Biology teacher, English teacher ????

Who are these people????

Your picture becomes a connection point! So please change this boring brown one for one that makes sense…..

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingChange your profile picture Click on Settings

Picture Browse to

a suitable picture of yourself on your PC A real picture of yourself

is encouraged! If you are shy, upload an

Avatar (a picture representing you)

You can also change the background of your main twitter page (Settings Design Upload a picture

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingFinding stuff: Using Hashtags #

How can I find specific tags and

tweets about topics?

Click on Home Type in your search term in the

search window on the right eg mathematics or subjectadvisors

It is important to “tag” your tweet by inserting a “marker” (a searchable) word into it using hashtags #. Create a tag that will be unique to your topic or group

When you twitter about twitter and how

it can be used for teaching and learning, please use the hashtag

#twitter4ed

Maths

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingMore resources and reading

Twitter handbook for teachersA basic down to earth guide

Twitter for education tagged resources On Delicious On Diigo

A search across the tags education and twitter using these book-marking systems

Twitter search for the hash-tags #twitter and #education or #twitter4ed

I better join the twitter revolution!!!!

There are also lots of applications (software) that have been created to accommodate the use of twitter for all kinds of purposes

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingDiscussion: Twitter the following questions

How can a micro-blogging tool accommodate communication and learning?

What drawbacks can there be in using a tool like this one?

What skills will you need to use tools like these?

If the tool must fit the purpose, how, when and where will you use this tool as a SA/teacher?

This e-torial was developed by maggiev for the

Department of Education for use by subject advisors and teachers in

South Africa

All e-turials can be found on the

Thutong portal:www.thutong.org.za

Basic ICT Skills: Micro bloggingAbout this Presentation information

Follow some tweets:www.twitter.com/maggievwww.twitter.com/thutong