With this being a 4 day week, I wanted to make our challenge one that would give us BIG BANG for a little buck... or really big outcomes but with little effort. After thinking on it over the weekend, it finally hit me! TWITTER! (Keep scrolling for the challenge explanation.) If you are not on twitter, you are really missing out on the best professional learning network around. One way to think of twitter it to think of it as a Pinterest board where you have access to the pinner (and I know we all love Pinterest). So many great educators and rock stars of education are on pinterest. So many in fact that education chats are often at the top of the trending topics list! (Did that just sound like Greek to some? I'll try to explain.) On Twitter, you "follow" different people or companies or groups (like GaDOE) to get updates from them. BUT, you can also search & follow a conversation that is grouped together by a hashtag # and see/participate in the conversation. For example, every Thursday at 8pm you can participate in the #gaed chat. It lasts an hour but you can join in for any amount of time. A moderator will tweet out questions and people from around the state will answer those and include #gaed in their reply so that the conversation all stays grouped together. Most every state has their own version of an ed chat on different dates and times.
Also, you can ask a question and get back help and ideas from loads of professionals! I also enjoy following people from around the country that I have read about or seen their videos (Ron Clark for example), and I love getting ideas from their posts. I also love going on and tweeting about the AWESOME things that happen at Coker Elementary each week! Recently, I got a "retweet" by the GaDOE on one of our Coker posts! That's almost the equivalent of being mentioned in a Grammy acceptance speech to me! Ok, well maybe it wasn't that big, but I still thought it was pretty cool!
THE CHALLENGE --->
So, my challenge to you this week is all about Twitter. If you already have an account, skip to step 2.
1. Create an account (twitter.com or yes, there's an app for that).
2. Follow me (@CokerCoach) and our school (@CokerElementary).
3. TWEET - Post a tweet and tag me in it about how excited you are to start using twitter as part of our school's professional learning network! (To tag me, simply type my twitter name in the post @CokerCoach. OH & you only get 140 characters so keep it short and simple.)
Follow me and post your tweet by 4:30pm on Wednesday to be on the list for goodies to be delivered on Thursday this week! Can't wait!!
One other note about Twitter, unlike Facebook, you don't have "friends" - you have followers. You also have the option to have people ask for your approval to be your follower. You can adjust your privacy settings to your level of comfort. And while I view my Facebook as a more personal account, my Twitter is kept as more of a professional account to use for professional learning & networking.
Also, you can ask a question and get back help and ideas from loads of professionals! I also enjoy following people from around the country that I have read about or seen their videos (Ron Clark for example), and I love getting ideas from their posts. I also love going on and tweeting about the AWESOME things that happen at Coker Elementary each week! Recently, I got a "retweet" by the GaDOE on one of our Coker posts! That's almost the equivalent of being mentioned in a Grammy acceptance speech to me! Ok, well maybe it wasn't that big, but I still thought it was pretty cool!
THE CHALLENGE --->
So, my challenge to you this week is all about Twitter. If you already have an account, skip to step 2.
1. Create an account (twitter.com or yes, there's an app for that).
2. Follow me (@CokerCoach) and our school (@CokerElementary).
3. TWEET - Post a tweet and tag me in it about how excited you are to start using twitter as part of our school's professional learning network! (To tag me, simply type my twitter name in the post @CokerCoach. OH & you only get 140 characters so keep it short and simple.)
Follow me and post your tweet by 4:30pm on Wednesday to be on the list for goodies to be delivered on Thursday this week! Can't wait!!
One other note about Twitter, unlike Facebook, you don't have "friends" - you have followers. You also have the option to have people ask for your approval to be your follower. You can adjust your privacy settings to your level of comfort. And while I view my Facebook as a more personal account, my Twitter is kept as more of a professional account to use for professional learning & networking.
Week at a Glance
3/21 - Benchmark testing begins / Grades must be posted by 4:30pm
3/22 - White copies of report cards will be delivered for teachers to review.
3/23 - Official report cards will be printed.
3/24 - Report Cards to be sent home with students. NO COMMON PLANNING THIS WEEK.
(Mrs. Stone at Coaches Meeting)
3/25 - No School - Good Friday Holiday
3/22 - White copies of report cards will be delivered for teachers to review.
3/23 - Official report cards will be printed.
3/24 - Report Cards to be sent home with students. NO COMMON PLANNING THIS WEEK.
(Mrs. Stone at Coaches Meeting)
3/25 - No School - Good Friday Holiday