3. Aims of this workshop
• Explore some of the ways in which twitter can be
used by schools and school staff
• Find out about Personal Learning Networks
• Set up accounts and get to grips with Twitter
• Look at practical steps for finding and sharing
resources, and developing activities
Book IT event, Phoenix Square, Leicester 21 November 2012
This workshop was delivered as part of a conference focusing on technology for reading and literacy, run in partnership
between Leicester City Council’s Building Schools for the Future Programme and Whatever it Takes, the Leicester City
reading initiative. It was designed for primary and secondary school Reading Champions, school librarians, and
school staff with a responsibility for reading and literacy. Hands on activities are indicated.
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
5. What is a Social Network?
Boyd & Ellison (2007) define social networking
sites as having three common elements:
• A member profile
• The ability to add other members to a contact
list
• Supported interaction between members of
contact lists
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
6. Social tech for educators
• Communication & engagement
• Professional development/PLNs
• Learning & Teaching
• Collaboration & co-design
• Sharing & curating content
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
9. Twitter
Twitter is a microblogging service which lets
users connect and share
updates, conversation, information and
resources
Twitter in 30 Seconds
The Ultimate Guide to using Twitter in Education –
Edudemic, September 2011
36 Interesting Ways to use Twitter in the Classroom
A Beginner’s Guide to Twitter ReadWriteWeb, January 2012
Analysing digital literacy with a single simple tweet ICTlogy, June
2011
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
10. Famous dead authors are alive and
well on Twitter…
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
11. …as well as living authors
Neil Gaiman
And
@neilhimself
Meg Cabot critics, reviewers
@megcabot , publishers –
E.L. James even book
@E_L_James
Margaret Atwood
shops!
@MargaretAtwood
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
14. Twitter is also jam packed with educators!
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
15. Twitter is an
asymmetrical social network
Symmetrical networks:
• You’re friends
• You’re not friends
Asymmetrical networks:
• People follow you, but you don’t follow back
• People don’t follow you, but you follow them
• You both follow each other (Friends!)
• Neither of you follow each other
Friends vs. followers: Twitters elegant design for grouping contacts Andrew Chen (2009)
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
16. Getting started
• Username
• Profile picture
• Name
• Location
• Website
• Bio
• Facebook
• Public or Private?
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
17. Getting started activity #1
Create a profile!
If you get stuck – just ask for help.
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
18. Key conventions
The at: @
The retweet: RT
The hashtag: #
The direct message: DM
The url shortner: http://goo.gl/
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
19. Analyzing digital literacy with a single simple tweet
Ismael Peña-López (@ictlogist), 03 June 2011
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
20. Some other common conventions
The Follow Friday: #FF or #ff
The unattributed comment: OH (over
heard)
The hat-tip: h/t
The modified tweet: MT
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
21. Getting started activity #2
Three tweets – please include the workshop
hashtag on all of them!
• A tweet to me
• An RT, either classic or automated
• A tweet sharing a resource, using a shortened
url
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
22. Finding people to follow
• People you know personally or professionally
• Search tweets using keywords or hashtags
• Look at who the people you like follow – or if
they use lists
• Search Twitter bios -
https://followerwonk.com/bio
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
23. Getting started activity #3
Find at least 5 people to follow. Focus on looking
for people who are sharing ideas and resources
that would be useful to you as an educator.
Group discussion – we will talk about at least
one person that we found to follow: How you
found them, why you chose them, if you would
recommend them to other people in the group
to follow.
Josie Fraser Twitter Workshop Nov 2012
24. Top tips
• Think before you post
• Be human
• Be clear and concise about resources you are
linking to
• Don’t worry about missing things
• Be polite, but you don’t have to reply to or follow
everyone who mentions or RTs you
• Follow and unfollow people. It’s your network.
Grow it carefully
• Try to avoid inspirational quotes
