Twitter

Having always passed it off as pointless and silly, I was a late adopter of Twitter and quickly realized how wrong I had been.  Twitter is a wonderful way to share to ideas and get ideas. 

Twitter allows you to find information in two main ways.  The first is to follow a person or organization. There are many prolific tweeters out there who spend their time sharing their thoughts and ideas about a given topic. After finding these people, you can "follow" them and all of their posts will appear in your twitter stream.

The other way of searching out information is through hashtags.  Hashtags are the markers that tweeters put on their tweets as a form of categorizing them.  By searching for a given hashtag, you can view the current conversations about your topic.  Below you will find a list of educational hashtags as assembled by the New Jersey Education Association. #elearning and #mlearning are the two hashtags related to technology. 



#edchat
Created by educators Tom Whitby, Steven Anderson, and Shelly Terrell, #edchat offers a great platform for discussion among teachers and other professionals related to education. Follow along with weekly chats hosted each Tuesday at 12 pm and 7 pm with teachers from around the world to discuss weekly topics.
#edtech
You'll learn about education technology resources, new web tools for students, and how other educators are putting technology to work in the classroom and beyond.

#education
Everything from classroom management to learning from homeschoolers is covered under the #education hashtag. This resource moves fast, with lots of users participating. This is a great place to go when you start using hashtags.
#lrnchat
The community offers an ongoing discussion, but scheduled chats occur each Thursday from 8:30 to 10 pm. Discuss topics surrounding learning in formal, informal, social and mobile formats. It’s a great way to find out exactly how students learn.
#edapp
If you’re on the hunt for learning resources to use in your classroom, #edapp is an awesome hashtag to follow. Through #edapp, you’ll be able to find apps for learning, including mobile and web apps. You’ll find newly discovered apps, updates, and ideas for getting the most out of these powerful educational tools through the #edapp hashtag.
#classroom
Educators share their resources for improving classroom learning, along with news, debates, and more that can all help you become a better teacher in the classroom.
#teaching
The #teaching hashtag offers a roundup of everything that’s relevant to instruction and teachers.
#playoutdoors
Not everyone associates “teaching” with “playing,” but being active is an important part of healthy learning. The #playoutdoors hashtag is full of awesome insight for getting your students moving through outdoor learning activities and more.
#edreform
Education is at a crossroads today, and many are joining the discussion on how we might improve the state of learning. Tune into #edreform to find out about ideas for reform, what’s being done, and what’s really wrong in education today.
#globaled
Education isn’t just happening in your classroom, it’s going on all around the world. You and your students can benefit from worldwide learning through the resources and knowledge shared on #globaled.
#cpchat
Created for teacher training and leading, this hashtag offers a great opportunity for questions, answers, and more in educational leadership. Find out about effectiveness in school leadership, improving training for teachers, and more from #cpchat.
#ntchat
This hashtag is made just for newbies. Find resources, inspiration, and news for becoming a better teacher, even if you’re just starting out.
#mlearning
Teachers today know that learning can happen anywhere, thanks to the phenomenon of mobile learning. Follow the progress of mobile learning where participants share new and exciting ways that teachers are using mobile devices like iPads, mobile phones, and Kindles for learning anywhere, anytime.
#elearning
Just as mobile learning is important for teachers to follow, elearning is vital as well. Teachers can follow this hashtag to find out how others are putting elearning to work in education. Just about any teacher can find inspiration, news, and help for starting or expanding elearning in their classroom from #elearning.
#engchat
This hashtag for English teachers follows educators as they teach students to read and write. See how graphic novels can be great, find out which young adult books are popular right now, and discover how teachers are inspiring young readers in this Twitter chat. Stop by each Monday from 7 to 8 pm for the weekly chat.
#sschat
Social studies teachers can benefit from #sschat, where teachers discuss their resources and teaching methods in social studies. You’ll find apps for teaching, methods for learning, and find out what other teachers are doing in their social studies classrooms. The #sschat gets together each Monday at 6 pm for discussion.
#mathchat
Math geek teachers can get their fill of math talk through #mathchat. This active group discusses fun ways to present math problems, resources for streamlined learning, and sometimes even shared misery. Any math teacher, or fan of mathematics, can find great entertainment and value in this chat.
#scichat
#scichat is full of interesting tweets, from weird science stories to online resources for learning more about and teaching science. Tune in Tuesdays at 9 pm or join the conversation around the clock for enlightened science discussion for teachers and geeks alike.
#artsed
Artistic learning is important to students getting a full education, but so often it gets pushed aside in favor of learning deemed more important. Check out #artsed to find out why arts are vital to education for students, and how you can keep the arts alive in your classroom.
#stem
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are so important to our future as a society, so as a teacher, it’s your job to make sure that your students are receiving an adequate education in these subjects. You can get help by checking out the #stem hashtag, which offers government insight, news, resources, and great ideas for making students stronger in STEM subjects.