Twitter is quickly becoming my favorite social networking tool. I follow a wide variety of educators there, and much of what I share with teachers in schools comes from this constantly growing community that gathers there throughout the day to share resources, ask questions, and point out interesting paths to follow while navigating this very wide web we engage with.
In recent weeks, I’ve invited the teachers that I work with to follow me there, and some are beginning to take me up on that offer. I’m loving how this provides another layer of support to them without overwhelming me in the slightest. Each day, as I catch up with my reader, I try to share out things that I find that would be of interest to those that I’m working with, and I also retweet tools and sources that others recommend.
Angela Maiers is a literacy specialist herself, and I rely on her posts and tweets to support my work with teachers almost daily now. I follow others as well, including Kathy Schrock, Vicki Davis, Jennifer Dorman, Sheryl Nussbaum Beach, and Bud Hunt. These people are true ed/tech powerhouses with tremendous expertise, and their willingness to share so much of what they know and do sustains newbies like me, who are just beginning to find their way here in cyberspace. And then there are the “locals”…educators who I meet up with face to face and those who are doing great work right here in New York State. Theresa Gray and Jennifer Borgioli are Communities for Learning fellows, but I’ve been acquainted with them for several years now. Theresa is a professional development specialist at Erie 2 BOCES and Jenn consults for Learner Centered Initiatives. These ladies know much about what it takes to improve schools, support teachers, and make good use of data. Mike Fisher is a technology integrator, and Kate Ellis is the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at North Tonawanda City School District. Following these folks throughout the day helps me feel less alienated in the work that I do, and it also provides me a network to lean upon when questions arise that I can’t answer. They also make me smile.
This morning, Jenny Luca sent me a direct message on Twitter, letting me know that Working Together 2 Make a Difference found its way onto this list, and we’re thrilled for that. Our community is beginning to grow, and we’re eager to see what schools begin to do in terms of their service efforts. Please consider joining us there…and check out the rest of those resources too! While I’m glad that our little project it getting some representation there, I’m even happier to have this resource bookmarked now! I can’t wait to share it with the teachers I’m working with….and I’m off to tweet about that right this very minute.
