What motivates teachers to tweet and blog? And how to go about it successfully?
Context:
On 1st July 2015, I presented at The Digital Education Show (UK). In my keynote presentation, I share what has worked for me and share my social media journey through a professional bias. Essentially I discuss, not only what has made @TeacherToolkit reach over 3,000,000 classrooms worldwide, but how it has impacted on my own professional practice. In this blog you will find out;
- How it all started and what motivates me?
- My social media journey.
- What influence(s) my social media presence has had on …
- My top tips and how I manage my time.
I also discuss;
- Exploring Twitter/Blogging for beginners, intermediate and advanced users.
- Investigating Twitter/Blogging for professionals
- Using Twitter?Blogging for building a professional learning network
- Analysing the ups and downs of Twitter/Blogging.
- Sharing my story from 1 follower to 100,000 … and receive plenty of encouraging feedback.
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10 Tips for Blogging Teachers:
- Success does not happen instantly.
- Persistence; patience; content and consistency is key.
- The content you write about will evolve, but it must suit you.
- There is always something to blog. Stay true to your values and vision.
- There is more to a successful blog than just content!
- You must understand basic HMTL language.
- Writing for other people will encourage people to read your blog.
- Literacy! Blogging has enhanced my reading and writing.
- Your colleagues WILL read your blog.. Transparent or anonymous?
- Use social media tools to get your life back.
You can read more details and analysis here.
10 Tips for Tweeting Teachers:
- Create a professional account for tweeting about teaching.
- Create a handle (Twitter ID). Make sure it is easy to remember.
- Define a purpose for your Twitter account.
- Think about what to tweet and who to follow!
- Start small; interact; give feedback; be polite and patient!
- Understand basic acronyms and simple HMTL language.
- Remember 3 reasons; to update status; to connect; to share.
- Consider analysis of what works / what doesn’t.
- Don’t become a slave! Use social media tools to get your life back.
- Never engage with trolls. Mute or block.
You can read more details and analysis here. There is also an excellent practical guide on coding to ensure others promote your blogs and articles.
Gallery:
Here are some photographs from my presentation.
Feedback:
Here are some tweets and thoughts from those in the audience. Thank you to everyone who came to listen.
Presentation:
You can download my full presentation here.
A quick photo from @ActionJackson at the end of my presentation.
TT.
Great tips! Thanks.