You would think that just be able to use Twitter and software like Tweetdeck would be enough to meet your needs as an Tweeter. But let me tell you, those only scratch the surface of tools that you can use for Twitter. I wonder if I will ever run out of tools to post here weekly...sooner or later it will have to be information from Tweets I receive. For this week I thought I would create a Twitter Tools and Applications Top 10 that I find useful and entertaining. These are in no particular order.
1.) 140 Twitter Tips - A Slideshow Presentation with Tweets suggesting ways to improve your Tweeting experience and Twitter Marketing Tips. How could you become a better Tweeter? How could you adapt these suggestions for education?
2. ) CalTweet - A tool for online promotion of your events via Twitter. Would be a good way to share events in your classroom or school as well. You can print a guest list and have RSVP's emailed to you. It seems more social, but it could be worth investigating to see if it can serve an educational purpose for you, your students and school.
3.) Friend or Follow - A great way to check who you are following that is not following you back or who is following you that you are not following back. Interesting look at your Twitter friends and followers.
4.) TweetStats - A Great way to discover your life as a Tweeter. Tweets per hour, day, month, as well as a Twitter Timeline. You also can get Reply statistics. You can also get your Tweet Density so you can see when you are Tweeting the most. It will also provide a Tweet Cloud and Hashtag could. Interesting information.
5.) Twibbon - A great way to get someone to follow a cause on Twitter. Raising funds for a student or a school project? Want to get the word out about a community service project? Twibbon might be a great source for your school or classroom.
6.) TweetBeep - Receive Twitter Alerts via Email. Might be a great way for you to monitor a school or classroom account to ensure no inapporpriate information is baing shread on your school or classroom Twitter account. Think of it as Google Alerts for Twitter.
7.) Trendistic - See trends on Twitter and even check for trends of your Twitter Account. Check trends to certain websites, categories, or people. Here is the trends for Twitter post of "Tablet"
8.) Twitt(url)y - Tracks URL's shared on Twitter. Lets you know the most popular links and stories for the day. Are you RTing any of these?
9.) Sniff Sniff....want to know when you have been Unfollowed? Qwitter can tell you that.
10.) Twitter Analyzer - A very through analyitic tool for your Twitter Account. Probably the best that you will find on the Web.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Must See Monday #4 - Cybrary Man
If it was not for my Twitter account, this is one of the websites that I probably never would have came across. Cybraryman Internet Catalog for Educational Websites should be one of your homepages for educational related content. Home to over 20,000+ links to resources related to education and winner of multiple online awards, Cybraryman is definitely a site worth investigating and spending some time on.
Cybraryman Internet Catalog is the work of Jerry Blumengarten. An eductional professional with over 30 years of experience in education. The website helps to catalog much of what educators find and look for on the Internet...all in one location.
There is a section dedicated entirely to parents which has information on bullying, safety, poverty, family, parenting, marriage planning, toys etc. There is then a section for students with links related to every subject area as well as general information like test preparation, hobbies, college selection (which would also be good for parents these days), homework help, etc. There then is of course the section for educators which is then broken down into areas for Staff Teacher Tools, Grade Level Classroom Organization, and Subject Areas. There is also links here to Web 2.0 Tools, and teachable moment stuff like the Census, Black History Month, and the Winter Olympics. Of course each page from here leads to so much more information. There is a final section of General Interest which is general enough that I suggest you check it out for yourself. The links here will definitely be helpful in enhancing lessons you are teaching as well as makeing you look smarter.
Anytime you need something in Education, try visiting the Cybraryman Internet Database first and see if you can find what you are looking for.
If you have a Blog, Ning, Wiki, let him know and he will add it to his collection for visitors to his website. You can even find mine on there as well.
Cybraryman Internet Catalog is the work of Jerry Blumengarten. An eductional professional with over 30 years of experience in education. The website helps to catalog much of what educators find and look for on the Internet...all in one location.
There is a section dedicated entirely to parents which has information on bullying, safety, poverty, family, parenting, marriage planning, toys etc. There is then a section for students with links related to every subject area as well as general information like test preparation, hobbies, college selection (which would also be good for parents these days), homework help, etc. There then is of course the section for educators which is then broken down into areas for Staff Teacher Tools, Grade Level Classroom Organization, and Subject Areas. There is also links here to Web 2.0 Tools, and teachable moment stuff like the Census, Black History Month, and the Winter Olympics. Of course each page from here leads to so much more information. There is a final section of General Interest which is general enough that I suggest you check it out for yourself. The links here will definitely be helpful in enhancing lessons you are teaching as well as makeing you look smarter.
Anytime you need something in Education, try visiting the Cybraryman Internet Database first and see if you can find what you are looking for.
If you have a Blog, Ning, Wiki, let him know and he will add it to his collection for visitors to his website. You can even find mine on there as well.
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.
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.
Weekend Extra Part Two - Twitter Tweecap
Another dose of resources shared via Twitter. My PLN sure was busy Saturday! Who says educators aren't working on weekends?
5 Apps for the Busy Educator - I am only using one...I guess I am not as busy as I thought!
Glogster Education Resource Library - An very informative and in depth look at Glogster in Education...if you have not seen Glogster, you are missing out on a great tool for your students!
Yodio - Adding Voice to your photos. You can use your phone to record the narrative...interesting software I found via the EDge21 Blog.
A great Tutorial for Pages 09 on Mac from ILearn Technology. I don't own a Mac, so I hope this will help you out.
7 Things You Should Know about Clickers - Great read via PDF.
Have a Document Camera? We are getting quite a few at our school. Here is a great article about the impact of document cameras are having on motivating students.
BrightStorm - A Math website worth checking out. My math is quite not up to par to know how useful this site might be....so, help me out and let me know how you have used it!
Blog Post about the National Educational Technology Plan....well worth reading....
An article about the effectiveness of 1:1 programs on student learning.
The Education Party - An interesting take on politics. The creation of a new political party. You have to wonder about its success since teachers make up such a large portion of the workforce across the country. Generally in every county they are in the top 5 of employers in Kentucky.
Could the new Tablet PC'cs be a Game Changer in Education?
From Larry Ferlazzo - A great list of the Best Online Collection of Power Points for Teachers.
5 Inspirational Blogs for Special Education Teachers....
GREAT Blog Post on the impact of Merit pay on teaching, specifically Special Education...a MUST READ!
Online Spell Checker - Not sure why we would need an online Spell Checker, but thought I would share anyway.
Prezi is now offering FREE License for Education....
13 Ways to Drive Blog Readership. - Interesting article. Definitely worth reading for learning how to increase readership of your blog.
5 Apps for the Busy Educator - I am only using one...I guess I am not as busy as I thought!
Glogster Education Resource Library - An very informative and in depth look at Glogster in Education...if you have not seen Glogster, you are missing out on a great tool for your students!
Yodio - Adding Voice to your photos. You can use your phone to record the narrative...interesting software I found via the EDge21 Blog.
A great Tutorial for Pages 09 on Mac from ILearn Technology. I don't own a Mac, so I hope this will help you out.
7 Things You Should Know about Clickers - Great read via PDF.
Have a Document Camera? We are getting quite a few at our school. Here is a great article about the impact of document cameras are having on motivating students.
BrightStorm - A Math website worth checking out. My math is quite not up to par to know how useful this site might be....so, help me out and let me know how you have used it!
Blog Post about the National Educational Technology Plan....well worth reading....
An article about the effectiveness of 1:1 programs on student learning.
The Education Party - An interesting take on politics. The creation of a new political party. You have to wonder about its success since teachers make up such a large portion of the workforce across the country. Generally in every county they are in the top 5 of employers in Kentucky.
Could the new Tablet PC'cs be a Game Changer in Education?
From Larry Ferlazzo - A great list of the Best Online Collection of Power Points for Teachers.
5 Inspirational Blogs for Special Education Teachers....
GREAT Blog Post on the impact of Merit pay on teaching, specifically Special Education...a MUST READ!
Online Spell Checker - Not sure why we would need an online Spell Checker, but thought I would share anyway.
Prezi is now offering FREE License for Education....
13 Ways to Drive Blog Readership. - Interesting article. Definitely worth reading for learning how to increase readership of your blog.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Weekend Extra #3 - Twitter Tweecap
This weeks installment of interesting resources that I received via Twitter. If you are not using Twitter yet, you should!
1.) The Encyclopedia of Educational Technology - A publication from San Diego State University. A good list of educational technology that relates to many of the educational theories and practices that we learned while in our teacher education programs. Worth a look.
2.) Google Earth Across the Curriculum. A great resource by Free Technology for Teachers discussing how to use Google Earth in your classroom. Highly recommend taking a look at this resource. Google Earth is more than just a Geography tool, and this helps to show you why.
3.) Langwitches Blog Post - Great post about how to be followed on Twitter and to learn about the types of people that are following you on Twitter. Very useful for those that are new to Twitter.
4.) PDFmyURL - If you are interested in making your website into a PDF file. Useful if you want to be able to send your Blog Post in a PDF format, or have a website with information that sharing in a PDF makes logical sense.
5.) AppMakr - Interesting. You provide your URL and it creates a sample App for the Iphone of what your website would look like. Kind of fun to play with....don't think my blog is worth an App yet though! Maybe your website is...here is a way to create yours.
6.) Dirpy - Take those YouTube videos and turn them into an MP3....I think many of us have been looking for this option. It is a lot easier than sites like Zamzar.
7.) Digital Cameras are all the rage...but how do you use them in the classroom? Here are 46 Ideas for Digital Cameras in the Classroom
8.) Just for the purpose of discussion. The ACT did research on our National Curriculum. It is worth a read, because chances are, much of our curriculum might be based on these results....
9.) Interesting read...14 Technologies Educators Should Watch for in 2010. My questions is, am I ahead of the times, if in January I am already past watching them, because I am using them??? Or which educators are they talking too?
10.) We all love Wordle. I know I do. Well thanks to Twitter I discovered some other useful tools like Wordle. Some that I think have added advantage to use in the classroom. I highly recommend you look at these 4 similar tools (Information about them here:
1.) The Encyclopedia of Educational Technology - A publication from San Diego State University. A good list of educational technology that relates to many of the educational theories and practices that we learned while in our teacher education programs. Worth a look.
2.) Google Earth Across the Curriculum. A great resource by Free Technology for Teachers discussing how to use Google Earth in your classroom. Highly recommend taking a look at this resource. Google Earth is more than just a Geography tool, and this helps to show you why.
3.) Langwitches Blog Post - Great post about how to be followed on Twitter and to learn about the types of people that are following you on Twitter. Very useful for those that are new to Twitter.
4.) PDFmyURL - If you are interested in making your website into a PDF file. Useful if you want to be able to send your Blog Post in a PDF format, or have a website with information that sharing in a PDF makes logical sense.
5.) AppMakr - Interesting. You provide your URL and it creates a sample App for the Iphone of what your website would look like. Kind of fun to play with....don't think my blog is worth an App yet though! Maybe your website is...here is a way to create yours.
6.) Dirpy - Take those YouTube videos and turn them into an MP3....I think many of us have been looking for this option. It is a lot easier than sites like Zamzar.
7.) Digital Cameras are all the rage...but how do you use them in the classroom? Here are 46 Ideas for Digital Cameras in the Classroom
8.) Just for the purpose of discussion. The ACT did research on our National Curriculum. It is worth a read, because chances are, much of our curriculum might be based on these results....
9.) Interesting read...14 Technologies Educators Should Watch for in 2010. My questions is, am I ahead of the times, if in January I am already past watching them, because I am using them??? Or which educators are they talking too?
10.) We all love Wordle. I know I do. Well thanks to Twitter I discovered some other useful tools like Wordle. Some that I think have added advantage to use in the classroom. I highly recommend you look at these 4 similar tools (Information about them here:
11.) Museums are always something I have loved visiting. As a teacher, it is tough to know some of the best ones, or even the ones that exist in your own state. Well, here is a list of Museums Online for the United States and the World.
12.) Wordle, Voicethread, and .....Ninitendo DS (yes..in the classroom). Interesting set of presentations from the Edte.ch Blog.
Hope you find some useful links here. Check back every Saturday for a recap from the resources I receive from Twitter. It is important to note that when I wake up in the morning I have over 200 Tweets that happened throughout the night that I don't get a chance to read...so I wonder how many resources I am missing out on throughout the night.....
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