The Power of Twitter

A year ago I would have told you that my Professional Learning Network consisted of some of the other teachers in my department and less than a handful of teachers I met through various professional development. I have since discovered the potential of Twitter for professional growth and I feel like I'm back to being a novice teacher again. I really started using Twitter last spring and have grown as a teacher so much since then that I feel like I am twice as effective as I was last year at this time. I began by reading everything I could from others and following everyone that seemed relevant. I have eliminated a lot of people I used to follow so I could focus on the ones most relevant to my growth. I read every post I follow and have implemented things from teachers of all ages and content as well as administators and consultants. I have recently started to blog and try to share some of my ideas, both through Twitter and (hopefully) presenting at various conferences. I am in my 13th year as a teacher and cannot believe how easy it is to connect and grow now than it was 3 years ago, let alone 13 years ago when I started. I recommend to any teacher that wants to be better to give Twitter an honest chance and see what happens. No one will be sorry they did.