261,000,000
That is the number of Twitter accounts that currently exist according to Omnicore, and through these accounts, approximately 500 million Tweets are sent per day.
Just imagine all the content stored in each of those posts, thousands of which pertain to education. And while this is an incredible resource, it is also an overwhelming one.
How is any teacher supposed to get a handle on all of Twitter’s available content and discern what is truly useful? How does one decide who to follow?
While I cannot give you the exact answer to those questions, I can showcase the accounts of individuals and incorporations that are using their social media platform to equip teachers with great content.
So here you are, five Twitter handles that will help you get a handle on some incredible, innovative minds in the academic realm:
- @jmattmiller
Matt Miller is the author of Ditch that Textbook and a high school Spanish teacher. After becoming frustrated with the traditional model of teaching based in textbooks and lectures, Miller decided to offer a digitally based atmosphere for his classroom. This philosophy guides his Twitter page as he shares ideas on how to keep students engaged through technology and other resources.
2.@ddmeyer Dan Meyer is a proponent of teaching students how to ask good questions, which is something that modern mathematics textbooks don’t perpetuate. Rather than allowing books to pose questions for students, Meyer creates real-life scenarios which allow learners to be inquisitive, to ask relevant questions, and to figure out a method to find solutions. This Twitter page will be filled with mathematical tidbits, teaching articles, and shameless plugs for his company @Desmos.
3) @TED_ED
TEDEd is an excellent resource for teachers of any content area who are looking to diversify their classroom content with short, informational videos. Subject matter ranges from why you should read ________ piece of literature, what does _______ piece of artwork mean, information about animals, diseases, historical characters, scientific conundrums, and the list goes on. Most of the videos are animated so so they keep the viewers engaged as they learn about their topics.
Noa Daniel is the creator of BOB which stands for “Building Outside the Blocks.” The mission of BOB is to give teachers an approach to teaching that puts emphasis on personalizing projects so that students can “build skill, autonomy, community, and connection in minimal class time.” Her posts include resources, podcasts, and praise of other people’s work.
5) @edutopia
Edutopia provides primarily articles and videos on how a teacher can specifically enhance instruction in his/her classroom and allow students to thrive. Posts discuss issues such as how students can thrive while doing group work (even introverts!), stories of teachers who do radical things in their classroom (like ditch desks!), steps on how to write more effective quiz questions, and so much more! One great aspect of Edutopia is that they present students as holistic beings, they are not just machines to program information into but people with emotions, background, experiences, and personality. A good teacher needs to think about all aspects of their students to create an environment for learning to occur.
So there you have it! Five handles to help you get a handle on who to follow in the educational realm. So carry on and continue finding great content as a connected teacher.
References:
Aslam, S. (2019, January 06). Twitter by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Retrieved January 24, 2019, from https://www.omnicoreagency.com/twitter-statistics/
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