TWITTER CAN MAKE YOU A GREAT TEACHER?

This post originally was my comment to a post by @georgecouros entitled: A Higher Chance of Becoming Great? The “Twitter” Factor (Read it here.)

Twitter is a transformative tool for teachers. Definitely!

Now, I don't know that I could ever assume the title, "Great” teacher... but I definitely know that I am "greater than" I was before Twitter!

Twitter has broken down the wall for me. Always a bit of an educational maverick in my school circles, I had constructed a wall to deflect criticism and disbelief I saw from other colleagues over my practice. Not that I was doing anything so great, just different. Whether it was giving students voice or choice, planting grasses on the playground to test scientific method, or sponsoring a lunch time "artist cafe", I just liked doing things which my students enjoyed. And so I became accustomed to expecting that I would be the one out on a limb... with my colleagues watching from the ground.

After 30 years, Twitter changed all that. It opened up doors to a host of teachers that looked a lot like me. (And many that didn't, and that was refreshing too...) All of a sudden I saw many teachers who were out on limbs-- climbing and bouncing and swinging. Twitter gave me access to like-minded teachers, a PLN (Personal Learning Network), to bounce ideas off of, to offer suggestions to support my practice, to listen to my edu-adventures.

Most of my PLN is far flung, from the US to Australia to the Philippines. But to my surprise, I found some of my own district staff on Twitter too! We have occasional Meet-ups especially to teach and encourage each other and show fellow staff members how to use Twitter. 

Another regular outcome of Twitter use is the Edcamp experience, a wonderfully democratic "unconference" where attendees set the agenda and learn what they like. Edcamps are rife with learning and instructional possibilities that leave me twittering for days! And, of course, the personal connections made are the best. 

Although I have been active only a year, with Twitter I have learned more and made more professional progress than with my previous decade of school PD! 

And none of this is lost on my students. I love to hear them rev up: "Oh, oh... Mr. Voigt is on his Twitter account. What are we gonna be doing now?"