why twitter matters

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Why Twitter Matters An Introduction to a New Digital World

Bill FerriterSolution Tree Author and Associate| September 13, 2011 wferriter@hotmail.com

+Session Outcomes:

• Use Twitter to market your work as an author/associate/speaker and build a customized learning network filled with like-minds sharing the kinds of resources and ideas that you care about.

• Use the Twitter search feature and hashtags—short labels used for sorting messages—to target your participation on Twitter.

+Session Outcomes:• Use third-party programs like Hootsuite to

better manage the messages being posted in your Twitterstream.

• Use Twitter to reach out and build

stronger relationships with colleagues, session participants, readers, parents, students, and peers.

+Checking In

Visit the Google Form embedded at the top of our session wiki and rate your current level of comfort in social media spaces like Twitter and Facebook.

+Why You Should Tweet

As of August 2010, 61% of all adults online interact in social media spaces, spending an average of 6 hours each month keeping up with neighbors and family members.

(Madden, 2010; Nielsenwire, 2010).

+Why You Should Tweet

With 145 million users—a number growing by almost 300,000 each day—Twitter had become the 10th most popular web destination in the world by the fall of 2010.

(Compete, 2010; Alexa, 2010).

+Lowering Barriers

“Now the barriers are low enough that any of us can publicly seek and join with like-minded souls. The means for harnessing our cognitive surplus are the new tools that we have been given, tools that both enable and reward participation.”

—Clay Shirky, Cognitive Surplus. Kindle Location 1251-56

+Getting Started with Twitter

“Where do I even begin?” educators new to Twitter wonder. “What resources can help me find teachers and principals with the same interests and passions as mine?”

—Ferriter, W. M., Ramsden, J. T., & Sheninger, E. C. (2011). Communicating & connecting with social media (p. 36). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

+Following Twitter Hashtags

One of the best ways to connect with potential colleagues is to explore ongoing Twitter conversations organized by hashtags—short identifiers starting with # that users add to the end of specific posts to sort them into easily searchable categories.

+What Should I Share?

Never underestimate the value of your thinking. Whether you are a recognized expert in a particular field or just a regular Joe with a personal interest, the sites you are finding, the articles you are reading, and the ideas you are thinking about may be of value to the people who have chosen to follow you.

+Third-Party Twitter Tools

As you grow more comfortable with Twitter as a tool for communicating and connecting with audiences, you’ll want to explore third-party applications like Hootsuite (http://www.hootsuite.com) and Tweetdeck (http://www.tweetdeck.com). These tools are far more versatile than the basic Twitter homepage.

The Tempered Radicalhttp://snipurl.com/temperedradical

Twitter Username: @plugusinEmail: wferriter@hotmail.com

Bill Ferriter has about a dozen titles—Solution Tree PLC author and associate, ASCD columnist,

senior fellow of the Teacher Leaders Network—but he

checks them all at the door each morning when he walks into his

sixth-grade classroom!

Bill Ferriter

+Bill Ferriter, Author and Teacher

+Thank You!