Social Media- the new PD

Ever feel like you get more out of an hour on Pinterest than a whole work day? It's hard to beat loads of info in catchy images with direct links and products that can be searched with key words within seconds!! Now we definitely still need PD with a person there actually "in person" to demonstrate and make it hands on- sometimes I need to just see it happen before me to "get it". However, social media has really become a competitive source of information for teachers! I'd like to share some ways I use Facebook, Twitter, and instagram to improve my teaching! 

If you already have an account for these I'd love for you to follow me and see some of the folks I follow to get a good start!

1. Facebook 

I believe Facebook is probably the most commonly used form of social media these days and until recently I didn't realize that a lot of the blogs and teachers I like to follow have Facebook pages! Often any time they post a blog, share a picture, or have a giveaway it's posted on their Facebook page. If you look up some of your fav bloggers in the search box you'll see their page show up along with other suggestions for you to "like". Then as you're scrolling along your newsfeed you will see these posts pop up! I like the convenience of clicking on a link and reading from the blog, or being linked to a product so I can add it to my TPT cart right from my phone. I'm also a very visual person so sometimes I just screenshot a post so I can look back at it later for inspiration or to remember what that idea was!

2. Twitter

I have a personal Twitter account from college, but I've made a Twitter just for following educators and companies that work with education so that when I scroll through my Twitter feed I'm just seeing things I can use in my classroom.. No Kardashian updates or Political posts :) 

You can also search people on Twitter, and similar to Facebook it will give you suggestions based on who you follow. I love this feature so I can follow more educators and get more ideas! You can also find people to follow and ideas by searching a hashtag. #edchat #learning #education #classroom #school are some of the top hashtags on twitter and also Instagram.

This is just a screenshot from my Twitter feed last night. As you can see, the first tweet has a link to a Facebook post about an inspirational article of teaching from the heart! I love those little stories you come across on the internet that just refresh your passion! 

Next tweet is a link to a product with a picture- love it! I can see quickly if it's something I'm interested in. I can directly click on it in that moment, or I can "favorite" it (similar to "liking" something on Facebook) or retweet it, so it shows on my Twitter (similar to sharing something on your own wall on Facebook). 

The last tweet is an online discussion about using the app "Remind" which I use. So, by following Remind on Twitter, I can see how other people use the app which is great! I love getting ideas by following some companies like Seesaw, Padlet, Tellagami, and Remind, just to name a few!

3. Instagram

I have just jumped on the Instagram train this year, and I LOVE IT! I had an Instagram in college, but again I made one just for following educators. I'm a very visual person so I love Instagram and seeing all the pictures that people post of products, science experiments, math manipulatives, and crafts. Many folks may also post a temporary link in their profile for people that see a pic of a product and want to check it out on TPT. 

Instagram has a feed just like Facebook and twitter, so you can just scroll to see what's posted that day. You can also search by a hashtag similar to twitter. Some of the hashtags I like to check out on Instagram are #teachersfollowteachers #iteachthird (or look up your grade level!) #iteachtoo and #teachersofinstagram 

Instagram has oodles and oodles of ideas that I like to screenshot also to go back to for inspiration! You can also double tap photos to like them, and go back to view all of the photos you like in order to keep track of your favorite ideas.

I hope to see you on one of these social media platforms, and that might even be how you found this post! :) Thanks for reading!

Rock on,

Diana