Why I'm a Twitter Convert

I used to be very cynical about Twitter. I didn't want to even indulge in the Twitting. I had heard enough about the brash decrees of a certain world leader on Twitter and I wanted nothing of it. I stuck up my nose at it, even when I started discovering that so many amazing educators and education technology gurus were connecting with others through Twitter.

But as I went to more education conferences, listened to more education podcasts, and read more education blogs, my beef with Twitter began to break down. Twitter was a virtual educator hang-out filled with resources and excitement and I started to feel left out.

About a year ago I joined Twitter, but I resolved that it would stay a professional social network. I had plenty of other social media outlets in my personal life, and I certainly didn't need more to occupy my time. So far, I've stuck to that promise and I really do enjoy the network I have made with other educators and education organizations on Twitter.

Granted, I'm not a die-hard Twitterer, or whatever you call them. I don't post that much, I don't have that many followers, and I don't follow that many people, all things considered. However, I do know that glancing at Twitter in the morning before I go to work or in an odd moment while I'm waiting for something actually brightens my day: I get to see educators like me sharing things that they're passionate about, asking questions that I have, and sharing resources that I need.

Here are a few educators and organizations I follow:

KQED's MindShift @MindShiftKQED
We Are Teachers @WeAreTeachers
Common Sense Media @CommonSense
edutopia @edutopia
Jennifer Gonzales @cultofpedagogy
George Couros @gcouros
Regie Routman @regieroutman
Angela Watson @Angela_Watson
Jennifer Cronk @jenniferacronk - she is LD herself and very into assistive technology!
Rabbi Michael Cohen @TheTechRabbi
The Dalai Lama @DalaiLama (yes, even the Dalai Lama tweets these days)

Pretty much every presenter you will see at an education conference these days is active on Twitter, as well as many schools, classrooms, and even individual classes. I've yet to get into participating in many Twitter chats but I'm convinced that you can find them for pretty much anything you want to talk about in the world of education these days. Kasey Bell (@ShakeUpLearning) put together an excellent Twitter chat and hashtag database to get you organized and discovering what's out there.

If you want to follow me, my handle is @erikalewisedu. Happy tweeting!