Sweet Child : #Twitter #& #PLNs

#Twitter

I had never much interest in joining Twitter. I believed it to be just another social media outlet where people could comment, complain, and argue about every little thing in their lives. Facebook was enough; I did not need anything else. I was forced to join Twitter for this class, and I was not exactly thrilled about it. I had always thought hash tagging was (to be frank) lame. I had interpreted it as a fad that people had accepted as another cool way to write and participate on social media. I had no idea that hash tagging actually had authentic uses when it was not attached to ridiculously long and seemingly unnecessary jumbled words. When I joined Twitter, I found that the hash tags actually were a way to connect with others versus just looking "cool." I was slightly relieved to realize that hash tagging was not completely absurd, and I began to follow educational resources as mandated by the class. I tweeted here and there, mostly for assignment purposes, but then as time went on, I found myself checking Twitter a few times a day just for *gasp* fun. I read a plethora of articles about education, current events, and entertainment. I began to enjoy tweeting or even retweeting links to articles I found interesting or important. Basically, my experience with Twitter was not as awful or annoying as I had expected it to be. I greatly appreciated the fact that you could only type 140 characters. Unlike Facebook, where an individual could drone on and on about their opinion for a good two pages worth, Twitter forced you to be brief and get to the point. Attach the link, little blurb, then tweet. I believe that that has contributed to Twitter's success. People are able to go on Twitter, read some bite size information, and then they have the choice to click on the link and indulge or not. I have found that there are wonderful resources to be found on Twitter, and I have sincerely enjoyed being able to easily find tips, advice, and innovative ideas to enrich my own career as an educator. My eyes have been slightly opened to the possibilities that Twitter can offer an educator. I would not go as far as to say that I have been completely converted or even addicted to Twitter, but I can admit that I do not dub hash tagging as "lame" any more. Unless you do not have a Twitter. Then it is still lame.

FYI: Here is a link to my personal Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/sugarnspice523

#Educational Resource via Twitter

Going back to my comment earlier about the ease of finding resources for educator, I specifically found one article that I wished I had read years before. I found it on Edutopia (@edutopia) on Twitter. Edutopia is a site providing insights and information on how to make teaching and education more effective. It is one of the many education resources that I follow on Twitter, and it is one of the main sources that I retweet from. This particular article first grabbed me by its title: "5 Tips for Teaching the Tough Kids." Every teacher would hop on this, right? There are tough kids in any class and and any advice on how to handle them is more than appreciated. In my own personal experience, when I taught as a 2nd grade teacher, I had one tough kid in particular that I fought with every day. He changed the whole dynamic of the classroom and stubbornly ignored any suggestions to correct his behavior. I felt at a loss many days on to how to manage this child. So, when I came across this article in my Twitter feed, I pounced on it. I thought to myself, "What can I do better in the future for the tough kids that I am bound to have in my class?"
The article explain five ways that a teacher could approach these kids and how to even turn them into positive leaders in your classroom. The five tips were as follows:

1. Set the Tone.
A teacher must let the "tough kids" know that despite the label that has been given to them, the teacher still believes in them and wants that child to know that. Create a positive and safe atmosphere within the classroom for learning.
2. Be a Good Mentor
Most tough kids come from difficult homes or family situations. They act out because they are vying for attention even if it is in a negative form. They need stability and an adult that will be there for them. Be a supportive and trustworthy mentor, and it can change a child's life drastically.
3. Make Connections
Now that you are a mentor to these children, you have the opportunity to really connect with them. Talk about issues or interests outside of school. Really understand where these children are coming from and who they are as people. Be honest, genuine, and show a real interest in what they are interested in.
4. Take It Personally
What the author meant by this is that students will say things to teachers that hurt or belittle them and/or their teaching skills. Sometimes it is unintentional and sometimes not. These kids want to get under the teacher's skin and make them feel inadequate since that is how they are personally feeling about themselves. Teachers need to deal with these comments at that moment and use the comments to improve their teaching. Address the comments in class and support these students in their endeavors. Help them prove to themselves that they can accomplish any goal they set. These kids are written off as hopeless; you need to help instill hope within themselves.
5. Expect Anything and Everything!
The author reiterates that the tough kids will come from anywhere (cultures, countries, etc.) and have experienced almost everything. Be prepared to handle any and all situations and to never give up on them. You might be the only trusting, stable, adult relationship that these kids have.

As I stated above, I wish I had read this article before I had even taught. It provided me with great tips on how to effectively work with the tough kids, and now I can utilize them in my future classroom. I found this tiny article link on Twitter, and I found myself inspired in the end. Just a small example of how Twitter is an excellent resource for educators.
To read the article in its entirety, here is the link: http://t.co/YngVfDRsNE

#PLNs--#ntchat

I was wary about the participating in a live twitter chat with a PLN (Professional Learning Network) just because it seemed so daunting and unfamiliar. I decided to join the New Teacher chat (#ntchat) since I figured that that would be a chat that I could extract some knowledge from and there would be others like me participating as well. I signed onto Twub so that I could manage the speed of the chat, but found that the chat was not moving quickly at all. The host was late arriving for the chat and then it seemed that the questions were slow in posting. I ended up chatting on the actually Twitter site instead since the chat seemed to be moving a little faster on that end. The topic for the chat was social studies and how to implement different methods to teach it within the classroom. Veterans and newbie teachers joined and answers were given. I found that many of the ideas were very brilliant and commented and/or favorited several of the posts. I did not think that the twitter chat was a life changing experience, and there were even times when I thought it slightly dull. However, I felt that it was another great resource, especially for new teachers, to participate in and gather more knowledge and advice to better their teaching techniques.

Screenshots of my live twitter chat: