Managing Twitter Through TweetDeck

I've tried it. I've tried to not follow "too many" people on Twitter. I tried to keep my "following" list at 300 so I "didn't miss anything." I can't keep track of them all on my Twitter feed! What if I miss someone's tweet that I'm meant to see? What if I miss a gem that could really change my way of thinking about student learning? Ahhh! NOOOO!

My next step - I learned that the more people you follow, the more different perspectives you get about teaching. No longer do I just follow middle school ELA teachers - I follow Kindergarten teachers, tech experts, librarians, principals, superintendents, music teachers, etc. How do I keep up with all of it? I don't, really. However, I do have a way of feeling like I see many tweets that I "need."

In February of 2013, I met Karen Lireneman (from British Columbia) in person - 15 minutes from my house near O'Hare airport! I asked her how she could keep up with all the tweets from all the people she follows - she asked, "You're still watching your feed? You need to watch the hash tags!" Those two sentences changed the entire way I manage all my learning on Twitter. Now, I'm finally getting around to letting you know how you, too, can follow those people you don't want to miss.

Note: There are other tech tools you can use to accomplish this task, but I will be focusing on TweetDeck, since that is all I use.

Step 1:
Create an account with TweetDeck. You should begin by seeing your Twitter feed appear in the left column. Sadly (or not), I really only look at this column now when I'm sick at home in bed... TweetDeck looks like many twitter feeds in columns. It can look kind of crazy busy at times, but no worries. You can make it look as simple or large as you like.

Step 2:
On the left, click "add column."

Add "@Mentions."

This will be the column of people contacting you, using your Twitter handle. This way you won't miss when someone really wants to include you in the tweet.

Step 3: 
On the left, click "add column" again. Time to add your direct messages column.

If someone sends you a direct message, he or she REALLY wants you to see this. Watch for spam, however! Don't click on suspicious links.

Step 4:
Go back to your Twitter account. Have you created any lists? If not, this is the time to do so. If you have already, skip to Step 5.
Go to someone you adore, and click on the gear next to the "Following" button.

Click on "Add or Remove from Lists." If you have not created any lists yet, you'll need to do so.

Here are a few of the lists I currently have...

You will notice I also subscribe to someone else's list (the last one in the photo).

You may also notice that some of my lists are "locked." That means that people in that list do not know they are in this list of mine. I do this for my "first" list - this is a list of the people I truly find precious on Twitter - those I truly do not want to miss each day. I have it locked, so that I may change my mind at any time without hurting anyone's feelings. I currently have 90 people on this list, but I think 50 of them do not tweet regularly, so it's very easy for me to keep up.

Step 5:
Go back to TweetDeck. On the left, click "add column" again. Click on "Lists," and choose one that you'd like to keep track of.

My favorite is my "first" list and my "Met f2f" list. Repeat this step until you have the columns you'd like up on the deck.

Step 6:
On the left, click "add column" again. Click "Search."

In the search bar that comes up, type in a hash tag you love to follow.

Click on "Tweets," then "Add Column."

Now you won't miss a thing about this topic - even if you miss the scheduled chat or don't follow the people tweeting about it! (Sometimes #geniushour has some funny ones - people who tweet things such as "Wore my dirty clothes in the shower this morning. #geniushour...")

Step 7:
If you've gotten this far, why not make your learning even MORE precise? Time to go to the top of one of your columns. At the top right, there's a picture of two lines with a circle in each. Click on this icon.

Once you click it, more options open up to you.

Clicking on each arrow gives you even more options with which to sculpt the tweets you see.

Since my "Met f2f" list has gotten so large during this past year, I have "retweets excluded" so I don't keep seeing the same things over and over. I have an alert on my "mentions" column - only during a chat - just in case I get wrapped up in the chat and don't see who's including me in a message. Have at it - see what you like, and tailor as you get a feel for it all.

I also use this box when I want to "clear" a column - I do this after I've checked out the tweets, and want to clear it so I know I'm "caught up" for the minute, at least.

My TweetDeck looks like this when I'm all caught up.

(Of course, I have more columns to the right of this - I currently have 9 columns on my TweetDeck.)

Other ideas...
Move the columns in the order of importance you'd like. Arrows to the left and right are found under the special options for each column.

Some days certain hashtags or lists will be more important to you than others, and you'll want to move them where you can see them easily.

During a chat, I create a column for that hash tag, and move that column to the left next to my "mentions" column. If it is a large chat, I also add a column for the moderator, so I don't miss the questions in all the great discussion.

I hope this helps you feel more calm about managing your Twitter feed. I still don't catch everything, but you'll learn quickly that if it's great, it will be retweeted and then retweeted again, and you'll eventually see it in one of your columns! Do you use something different to manage your tweets? Any other tips and tricks? Please leave a comment so more can learn from you!

THRIVE

I am writing my first "blog tour" post! Thank you for this opportunity, Jen Vincent & Meenoo Rami!

On this tour, readers of THRIVE: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching by Meenoo Rami are giving their own thoughts about what struck them from this book. I will do the same, and yet, from a different angle.

I know THRIVE will be very beneficial for new teachers, or teachers who are in a slump and need a boost. I got the most out of chapter five - "Empower Your Students." This has been my focus this year, and I want to look at THRIVE through this lens. How could the ideas in Meenoo Rami's book apply to my students? I will be handing this helpful book to a teacher who feels she or he needs to be reinvigorated, but I'm going to use this book to my advantage to help me empower my students even more. I'm going to look at each chapter through the eyes of my students. How can I empower my students even more by sharing tips for teachers in this gem of a book?

Turn to Mentors
     My question: How can my 7th graders turn to mentors?
     Find one teacher who you can turn to when you need assistance - or find multiple teachers you can turn to for different reasons. Have on hand friends who can do the same. Who do you go to when you need to vent your frustrations? Who do you go to when you can't understand your homework? Who do you go to when you need fashion advice? ;-) If you are missing someone in your life who can help you with a question you have, ask around. Use your friends and teachers to find that next resource - that next connection. In turn, make sure you are showing thanks and help in ways you know how. Share with these mentors your own genius - your own unique skills.

Join and Build Networks
     My question: How can my 7th graders join and build networks?
     Do you want to get better at what you love? Start blogging about your passions. Connecting with others who have the same passions will help you access knowledge, create knowledge, and share your own knowledge. Another way to connect is through Your Sphere - a safe place to share your skills with others and even help the world be a little better. From there, you can #Choose2Matter! The best person to help you build a network for helping others - Angela Maiers. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson. You can do this by joining and building networks with others who want to make this world a better place.

Keep Your Work Intellectually Challenging
     My question: How can my 7th graders (who are bored because our work is "too easy") keep their work intellectually challenging?
     You're not "getting anything" out of your classes? It's time to learn on your own. Let's face it - you are not likely to be interested in EVERY class you take, but know that you CAN become more interested (and thus, more invested) in each class by pursuing what you want to know about the subject. Finished with the homework from the most boring class in the world? Time to look for resources related to that topic that will challenge you. Don't want to learn about the different types of rocks? Research WHY knowing these types of rocks is important. Research the rock that might lie beneath the grass in your yard. Is it okay to have these rocks there, or should they be taken out in order for you to have a lush lawn? You can diagram sentences in your sleep? Give yourself a speech by someone famous to try to diagram. What makes this speech so special - can you figure it out from the patterns in the sentences? If you're a big reader, how do the structure of the sentences your favorite author uses make it such great writing?

Listen to Yourself
     My question: I currently try to encourage this with my students all the time, but what else can I do?
     For the student who "plays school..." You get good grades, and keep your mouth shut, yet you're not happy. You just want to move on. If you are silent, you become disconnected from your work and could be wasting precious minutes of your life. It's time to listen to yourself.
     What's the matter?
     Are you bored during school? Let the teacher know. Ask for help as to what can challenge you in class.
     Are you scared or worried about something? Confide in a trusted friend or teacher. See what they know about this anxiety of yours. There are others who have the same fears and worries. Speak up when you believe it will benefit you or your friends/classmates.
     Goethe was right when he wrote, "Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." (p69) Let others know what you're all about - let them know your insecurities and your strengths, and make those connections that will last you a lifetime.

Empower Your Students
     My question: I try to do this for my students, but how can I encourage them to empower themselves?
     There are "no good books to read?" WRITE one!  Class is boring? Ask the teacher why what he/she is teaching should be important to you! School announcements aren't exciting? Make one yourself and show them how it's done! Eighth grade teachers aren't going to give you Genius Hour time? Convince them through a video, letter with signatures, help from the principal, or even going to the school board with the benefits of such time in school! Things aren't right?? MAKE THEM RIGHT! YOU can be the change. As Kid President (aka Robby Novak) asks, "What will YOU create that will make the world more awesome?"

Let's use THRIVE: 5 Ways to (Re)Invigorate Your Teaching by Meenoo Rami to empower teachers and students alike!

Please visit the other blogs on this tour to learn more about how you can use this book in your life...

THRIVE - by Meenoo Rami - Blog Tour 2014

4/9/14

Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts

http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

4/10/14

Franki Sibberson and Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading

http://readingyear.blogspot.com/

4/11/14

Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy

http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/

4/12/14

Kira Baker Doyle at Kira J Baker-Doyle, Ph.D.

http://kbakerdoyle.wordpress.com/blog/

4/13/14

Sarah Mulhern Gross at The Reading Zone

http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/

4/14/14

Christina Cantrill at Digital Is (National Writing Project)

http://digitalis.nwp.org/

4/15/14

Kate Roberts and Maggie B. Roberts at Indent

http://kateandmaggie.com/

4/16/14

Beth Shaum Use Your Outside Voice

http://useyouroutsidevoice.blogspot.com/

4/17/14

Linda Baie at Teacher Dance

http://www.teacherdance.org/

4/18/14

Troy Hicks at Hickstro

http://hickstro.org/

4/19/14

Joy Kirr at Genius Hour

http://geniushour.blogspot.com/

4/20/14

Tara Smith at The Teaching Life

http://ateachinglifedotcom.wordpress.com/

4/21/14

Antero Garcia at The American Crawl

http://www.theamericancrawl.com/

4/22/2014

John Spencer at Education Rethink

http://www.educationrethink.com/

4/23

Kellee Moye and Ricki Ginsberg at Unleashing Readers

http://www.unleashingreaders.com/

Blackout Poetry

They say to first try yourself those activities you want your students to try...

April is National Poetry Month, and one idea that's been floating around to encourage children who dismiss poetry as being for "writers," is blackout poetry. You'll need a newspaper or a discarded book.

Blackout Poetry is shown quickly in this video:

Jason Stephenson & Lesley Mosher are encouraging everyone to take part in Blackout Poetry Week, which is April 7-11th this year. Since I might suggest it to my students, I thought I'd try it out myself first. It's tough, but an interesting process occurs in your head. Here are my results - I was thinking of the blog post I wrote a little over a year ago about challenging the status quo...

I kept changing my mind, but here's what it says...

"Breaking new ground often means breaking the rules." (Daily Herald, 3/29/14, Section 6)

Safe had gone.
Special plan...
Adjustment in attitudes would be a challenge.
Slow... new vision... goal... enormous project.
To give St(udents!) - 7s (7th grade!) - new power.
Dazzling.
Toast!

(Ultimate meaning - I had a plan to give the seventh graders more power over their learning. It was dazzling. Let's toast!!)
Not the best, I know, but I can only get better!!


It's in my lap as I write this, and I still smell the fumes. But I haven't "colored" like this in a long time, and my head was spinning the entire time (10-15 min?), changing what I thought was important, trying to see a line I could use...

Check out how to get you and/or your students involved in this post by Jason:
     Blackout Poetry
and this one by Lesley:
     Blackout Poetry

Follow Fridays

Since my first days on Twitter, I always wondered about the #FF hashtag. "Follow Fridays" ? What did that mean?

I've since come to know that it means (in simple terms) "You should be following this person."

I could never get on this trend. I have thought of it every Friday, as I see so many #FF tweets, but I can't bring myself to tweet out any! And here's my reason (excuse?): There are SO MANY educators I'd like to see people listen to... I can't choose just a few for tweets! Lame excuse? Maybe. But it's something I haven't done, and I'm okay with that. It's not that I don't find #FF tweets to be useful (I find myself following many of the suggested people) or humbling (I am always humbled when my name is tagged on one); it's just that this is not how I choose to spend my time tweeting.

So how have I shown my appreciation for other educators on Twitter? I've sent thank yous for small things during the week, or DMs saying how much I appreciated such-and-such, and I leave myriad comments on people's posts, to let them know I appreciate them sharing their thoughts.

I found out this past Friday that others also feel overwhelmed with the amount of thanks we feel we need to provide on Twitter. I received a "thank you" tweet from Jon Harper... "Thank you for being so positive and encouraging all the time. I am certain those around you feel it often." WOW. I felt proud of myself. I'm so glad that's what Jon sees in what I tweet. I'm happy that it comes through, as this is what I strive for. And you know what? His thoughtful thank you makes me want to be even more positive and encouraging.

I wondered what brought this on. So I checked his tweets...

Oh. My. He couldn't do #FF either! So he decided to do his own version of giving gratitude...

Jon has done this before, in this post about Seth Berg. I co-created The Power of Appreciation blog because I was inspired by another grateful man, Rik Rowe. Jon was the fourth one to take us up on posting a thank you letter to someone he admired. And now he's got me thinking (always - check out his blog!)... I've been stuck in my thinking for a couple of years regarding #FFs, and haven't looked for alternatives. I cannot jump on the #FF wagon, but I CAN do something as Jon has done. I can try a version of "Thankful Thursdays."

I've looked at the hashtags... #TT doesn't work. I don't know what it stands for, but there's too much profanity on that hashtag for me to feel like I can use it. #ThTh doesn't work, either - I learned that it stands for "too hot to handle." So... no problem. No need to use a hashtag. Just do what Jon has modeled for us. If you think others should follow that person (no doubt, right?!), tag the tweet with the hashtag where you think others would find him or her (#elachat, #mschat, #scichat, etc.).

Thank someone you know. In a blog post, in 140 characters, in a written letter, in a phone call, in person...

My next step? Do this with people I actually work with in my school on a more consistent basis. Thank you, Jon, for this push - for being a role model for us all!

What's the value in Frozen Marbles?

A respected Twitter colleague of mine wrote a post last week titled, “Be Careful of Genius Hour.” As soon as I read it, I realized that the comments section wasn't the place for my thoughts on this close-to-my-heart subject...

If I could put Laura’s post into a question, it might be “During Genius Hour time, are students learning something valuable?” This has been asked before, in a different way, in Denise  Krebs’ post here - “Must the Students?” - Must the students be able to explain why their project is worth learning? (Check out the comments on that one - and add your own!) I love that this question is still being asked, as it is one that many teachers, parents, and administration ask. Let’s keep this conversation going.

I sometimes think some of my students' projects are not "valuable." However, here is where I find the value in doing something such as baking brownies (which, for us, is done at home) or playing Minecraft...

Collaboration, cooperation, social skills… if they are working with friends

• Getting prepared
• Following directions
• Perseverance / Stamina / Determination
• Follow through (cleaning up, whether they succeeded or failed)
• Doing what they love and being proud to share that with others

How to make baking brownies “more valuable...” Ask this student

...to try 4 different recipes, and create one of his/her own

...to have a taste test with 5 different recipes, one being his or her own

...to learn how to decorate the brownies in various ways

...to learn how to shape the brownies so it makes a design

...to make brownies to sell for a specific purpose/charity

...to start a blog with dessert recipes he/she has tried and modified

How to make playing Minecraft “more valuable…” Ask this student

...to build something to scale - such as their school or a monument in town

...to add to their 3D model something new that isn’t in the original - something they think should be there (something to make this place even better)

...to create a tutorial on how to build in Minecraft

...to create a video when they are finished with one aspect, to show what they are learning along the way

...to ask other students what they’d like to see from a Minecraft project (I have a student who is making a roller coaster quiz game in Minecraft - if you get an answer wrong, you get ejected! I have no clue how he’s doing this…!)

ALWAYS ALWAYS ask, “How could you have done better?” and “What would you change if there was a ‘next time?’” and “How have you grown with this experience?” or “How will this experience help you in life?” I believe the reflection piece is necessary for more learning to occur the next time. I have students fill out this reflection form (adapted from Denise Krebs’ form on the wiki) every time they share what they’ve done / learned with the class. Not every project is something I would deem “valuable.” I’m not in seventh grade either.  I like coming to school. I find time to do what I love there and at home. Do your students?

Any project can be a learning experience. It may not be up to par with what we think constitutes valuable class time, but ask yourself this…

• Is the student engaged?
• Does the student feel like he matters?
• Does the student want to come back to school the next day?
• And something that helps with the rest of your week: Do you know your student better?

Here’s a photo from the latest quick presentation from a student of mine… “Frozen Marbles” she called it. She filled up balloons with water and froze them on a tray in the freezer at school. The next week, she and her friends peeled the balloons off of the ice. Here is the result:

She was intrigued by the design inside of the ice. She wondered what she could DO with the frozen marbles. Where is she going next? She’s going to try a bunch of quick experiments and video tape them. Her final presentation will be a video of all she has tried, including their successes and failures, and what she's learned. Is this valuable? She’s engaged in learning - on her own. When she presented her findings on this tiny project, the rest of the class was rapt, making her feel important. She wants to keep learning, and to try more difficult experiments. I get to learn more and more about her each week.

I obviously don’t have all the answers. I'm still learning, along with my students. Please, let’s keep this conversation going so we can help each other help our students become life-long learners...

Does Reading Actually Change the Brain?

This is a short close-reading activity we tried in our 7th grade ELA classes…

We had just finished reading a difficult article (“Demystifying the Adolescent Brain”) that we used in conjunction with Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. We had finished writing our polished piece, as well. It was time for a change. To transition back to fiction for a bit, we found this article, “Does Reading Actually Change the Brain?” and decided to use it for a quick activity.

We had four steps to this activity. Here were the instructions for each step:

1. Read silently. Jot down at least two questions you have after reading this selection.

2. Read aloud - Jot down any more questions you may have while your teacher reads this aloud.

3. Choose one - Choose one of your questions to put on the sticky notes. You will be asking this question to your group.

4. In groups - Person whose first initial of his/her last name closest to Z goes first. That person puts his/her sticky note on the sheet of paper, as he/she is asking it of the group. While the group helps him/her with an answer, he/she writes down notes that reflect the group’s answers/discussion. Continue going around the group discussing questions.

Before you peek at what the students came up with, try this yourself. It makes a difference if you actually try what you ask of your students. Go on… this post will wait.

Questions students created - check out how there were only a few literal questions, mostly inferential questions, and some critical thinking questions thrown in for good measure (and quality discussions):

Are the results different for a less interesting book?

Why did they read in the evening?

Does gender matter?

Why do your favorite novels affect more of your brain?

Why does reading a novel “change” your brain?

What does “shadow activity” mean?

Does the genre/type of the book affect how much or how little your brain changes?

How does the brain “connect” to the story?

What is a protagonist?

How long does this brain activity last? Is it possible to tell?

How old are the patients?

In fMRI scans, can they actually read your mind?

Would a different story have a different effect on your brain?

Do all books do that?

Would a picture book have the same effect?

Why does reading define a person?

Does how long it takes you to read the book matter?

How does this affect your life?

Why didn’t the neural changes have immediate reactions?

Does this happen with every book or only the ones you’re interested in?

Can a novel about negativity make someone negative?

Does it matter if it is a short story or novel?

Why did they only use 21 students?

What I loved about this activity… It was one period long (40 min). I did not teach - students taught and learned from each other. Students were engaged in talking about what THEY wanted to know from the text. Students had to go back to the text again and again to find answers or prove their theories. When they were finished, I could see who didn’t seem to understand the basics, and who could have gone further with this material in some fashion. The article was engaging, and non threatening, as they had one time reading it independently, and another with me reading it aloud.

How I might modify this activity… I could have had the question with the most discussion and disagreement from each group up on the board, voted on one as a class, and held a fishbowl discussion. I might try to teach them how to take discussion notes first, as I noticed that some notes were verbatim what they said, and some were one-word responses. Some were a bit immature, as well, but that taught me that I needed to make the rounds to more groups!

This close-reading activity was inspired by a day of professional development given by my district. Yes, indeed - some district-initiated PD is worth it, and for that I am grateful!

I Don't Do Countdowns

"Five more days!"
"This is the last Tuesday until break!"
"Remember, only three days left!"
"One more wake up!"

I don't do countdowns.
In fact, I can't stand them.
I can't believe I used to join in countdowns with my students.. or worse yet - LEAD them.

Don't get me wrong - At times, I countdown - IN MY HEAD. I do not celebrate countdowns in front of students. If I'm having a particularly tough week, I may get excited that Friday is coming. I also get excited when there's a great professional development in sight (see the countdown calendar to the right of this blog). However, you won't find me making a calendar, crossing off dates, taking numbers down, or saying anything to students about the end of a school week, quarter, or year.

What's wrong with a little "celebration?"
     Some students actually look forward to school. YES. Hooray for them!
     Some students would rather be at school than at home, for various reasons.
     I'd like students to think that I actually LIKE being there with them. (Of course - I DO!)

I'm tired of countdowns that signal the end of a school week.

That being said, there are nine more days until I get to see my students once more!

I am excited to come back to school refreshed, and ready to make our days COUNT.

5/2019 addition- Angela Watson's thoughts...