Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Power of T.W.I.T.T.E.R.

The other morning I woke up and kept coming across Tweets where people were taking TWITTER and creating an acronym for it based on what they felt Twitter provided, or did.  Naturally I thought of my own.

The
World's
Intellectuals
Taking
Turns (now that I think about it I like "Time" as well)
Exchanging
Resources

It created quite a response.  It was "Retweeted" by 23 people on Twitter (that I know of).  Of those 23 people, there are approximately 28,600 people following them.  That means that there could have been over 28,000 thousand people who saw my original Tweet.  That is the power of Twitter and my PLN.

This of course does not take into account any "Retweets" that did not include @MZimmer557 for purposes of tracking, which could or could not have happened.  So imagine the impact your blog post, or Tweet could have that you share on Twitter.  Imagine the following it could create.  The tweet alone intrigued some people to start following me, as well as discover this blog.  I don't have near the number of followers as others, so I wonder if I had more, how much more exposure the Tweet would have received.

The Acronym itself was purely from thought while waking up Saturday morning.  Teachers are THE intellectuals of the world.  We are the ones who drive students in the younger years to become the doctors, lawyers, politicians, community leaders, etc.  I have always been annoyed by the statement "Those who can, can, and those who can't, teach."

Teaching is one of the few, if not the only profession that REQUIRES constant professional development as well as continuing education...with little compensation.  Most other careers that pursue Master's and Doctorate's are compensated for taking the classes (meaning the classes are paid for AND they get salary increases).  Most teachers are continuing their education well into their 30's and even 40's.

I am by no means the brightest bulb, but I challenge many other professionals to experience the daily grind teachers go through day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, and continue to do so because of the experience the profession brings motivating younger generations to pursue those other careers.

To this day the greatest joy I have as a teacher is remaining in contact with former students and seeing them become professionals in their own right.  I didn't become an educator because I couldn't make it in the other professions, I became an educator because I didn't WANT any other profession.

The Power of T.W.I.T.T.E.R. and my PLN.

7 comments:

  1. Right on. I feel Twitter has made me a better teacher because it has connected me to great teachers. I'm no longer limited to the experience in my building. The world is truly an educator's oyster. Keep up the great posts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been teaching for close to 30 years and have always enjoyed new challenges and change. I never feel that teaching is a daily grind! This year I discovered twitter, and #edchat in particular, and I have learned an incredible amount from the wonderful conversation and generous sharing of ideas and resources!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Twitter has definitely become a part of my morning laptop routine that I now can't live without. It's the perfect tool for teachers... as we're a sharing bunch by nature who do not want to reinvent the wheel!

    ReplyDelete
  4. "daily grind" was not meant to be a negative view. I was using the term just to describe the daily routine, experiences, events, of teaching. Every job has a "Daily Grind"

    Thanks for the comments. Very much appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your acronym is pure genius! I wish I had more time for Twitter during the school day, I miss so many good resources and information shared.

    Teaching isn't a job, it's a profession of love and care from the heart.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Ann...I appreciate the reference to "Genius" You are right thought about teaching...it is a profession and a passion, not a job.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Loved the acronym and promptly RTed. I think you are right, there were most likely many more tweets of the acronym than included. The spread of ideas is incredible and exponential. Amazing.

    ReplyDelete