Over the past few months I have made a game-changing discovery: social media is more than entertainment, it is an essential component to one's Professional Learning Network (PLN).
When the idea of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media first burst onto the scene, I was a classroom teacher. As a classroom teacher, it was always drilled into my head that social media accounts were a HUGE no-no and that nothing good could come of a somewhat public figure (teacher) sharing their personal life with the world, students included. While I still find the "not sharing their personal life" idea to hold true, I have quickly discovered that social media is a necessary (not optional) component to any educator's toolkit.
My first experience with Twitter as a classroom tool came while teaching at Morris Tech. It was then that I realized that many students' lives were centered around social media and that if I could incorporate social media into my teaching practices, then I could almost "trick" the students into learning. I created a Twitter account as a teacher (@MorrisTechBeck, creative right?). I had absolutely ZERO experience with any social media, but figured Twitter was a good place to start because of its one-way communication nature. I also thought it would be a good start because of its mandated, short, quick-fire 140-character limit, which is conducive to many students' learning styles. Once I created the account, I did not tweet for quite some time as I needed to get used to the Twitter lingo and tools. I followed a couple of different news sources and used Twitter as a news feed until I got comfortable enough with "tweeting", "retweeting", "favoriting", and "hash-tagging". After a few weeks, I was off and running with utilizing my teacher Twitter account to tweet everything from homework/project reminders, test dates and study guides, history resources, and even scores to the soccer and basketball games I was coaching.
I soon had many students, parent, other teacher, and administrators following me. I even installed a Twitter widget onto my classroom Google site for those students/parents who did not have a Twitter account. From there they could follow my classroom updates just as easily without a Twitter account.
This school year, in my third year as an administrator at Sussex Tech, I made it one of my goals to utilize social media to boost our district's communication with the school community and also to increase my own PLN. I created a district Twitter account (@SCTSMustngs) and linked it to a district Facebook account (Sussex County Technical School) that I created. I also figured out a way to have these tweets show up on our district homepage (www.sussextech.org) in realtime. Both the Twitter and the Facebook account have a significant following with constant retweets, favorites, mentions, and likes.
I also made a conscientious effort to grow my personal Twitter account into a professional resources asset. I cleaned up my twitter handle from @matthewlee1981 to the more professional @MatthewLBeck. I also added a professional profile picture along with a professional bio. I also started following many education-based accounts along with many local and national educational leaders. It is through these new connections that I am able to learn educational news and trends on a daily basis. I am also able to share such news and trends with my followers. Additionally, I compile worthwhile articles and resources I find on Twitter into a weekly "Top Resources of the Week" email (with links) that I share with my entire staff.
I can honestly say that my opinion on social media has completed a full "180". I have gone from viewing social media for an educator as a taboo to now viewing it as an essential tool. Not only do I use it myself daily, I also spread the word to my staff members. In my opinion, when used responsibly, social media can and should be in every educator' toolkit.
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