Over the last several weeks I have had several opportunities to engage with other educators who are relative tech novices about the power of Social Media - specifically how Twitter has changed my world! Twitter has allowed me to personalize my professional development; Twitter has helped me establish connections (create a PLN - Personal/Professional Learning Community) with some incredibly dedicated, passionate and knowledgeable educators who are willing to share, collaborate and help stretch my thinking (see the list below for some of the people I have learned a lot from); and Twitter has allowed me to make the walls of our school transparent for the community - we are proud of what we do and we want to tell our own story!

After the many introductory questions and conversations I thought I would put together a quick resource for getting started. Here we go...

1) Download the Twitter app on your iPhone, Droid, iPad, tablet, etc. You can also access Twitter on any desktop and I suggest you possibly consider using your desktop for creating the account - it is a little easier to navigate from what novices have shared with me!

2) Create an account - you have to come up with a username/handle (write down your password somewhere - this important). This is an important step so think about how you want to be identified on Twitter as you develop your PLN. You can use your personal name, school name or something that identifies your professional world. For example, my Twitter handle is @Cantiague_Lead because I am the Lead Learner at Cantiague Elementary School.

3) Create a short bio and include a profile picture (no one wants to follow the "egg") so others can decide if they want to establish a connection with you. The picture is IMPORTANT because it allows for a more personalized virtual connection!

4) As a starting point, pick about 10 different people to follow - check out the list below for some awesome people you can learn from!

5) Start slow... Lurk... scroll through your feed and click on links that interest you, follow new people who are actively sharing resources that enhance your world. Search for hashtags (i.e. - #kinderchat, #edchat, #educoach, #NYedchat, #ptchat, etc.) that are related to topics of interest.

6) Jump into the deep end of the pool and start sending some tweets... share resources, thoughts and perspectives and begin to build your PLN... and your world will change!

So, go for it... enter the Twitterverse and have some fun learning and growing!