Confession is good for the soul

The topic of our most recent #NYCSchoolsTechChat on Twitter was Teacher Report Cards. We looked back on our year and gave ourselves a grade. We shared what we succeeded at, and what we came up short on. 

Naturally, we didn’t focus on how well we did this year. Like every other normal person we only focused on our flaws. I can have this conversation in my own head every day, but when we put words to these ideas and post them for our colleagues to see, it’s a little humbling.

One could argue that you shouldn't achieve all your goals, you should have some goals that are just out of reach, to keep you reaching and growing. I agree with that but it's still tough to admit you could have served your kids better and you didn't.

My big take away is that I'm very lucky. From what everyone posted, you could see that we all wanted to be better. We all tried to reach a new level in something. I get to hang around with people who are trying their best and they inspire me to try my best also. We were comfortable enough with each other to confess our shortcomings in a supportive environment. It was a relief to realize that while I’m not perfect, neither are my colleagues. They are amazing though, and for that I’m grateful.

One Good Deed Deserves Another

I read George Couros' book The Innovators Mindset recently. It was enlightening to say the least. There was so much in the book that I wanted to implement in my classroom, so I created an infographic about the book's main points. Since I post my work online (as you see if you scroll through my blog) I didn't want to create it and publish it without George knowing. I also wanted to make sure he was OK with my interpretation of his work. I emailed him and he promptly responded that he was flattered. He loved the infographic and told me I should tag him in the graphic so he sees it when it goes online. I was happy, relieved, and did just that.
What I wasn't expecting is that he then posted my infographic on his website. Teachers from across the country were complimenting me on my work. My infographic blew up on Twitter. Teachers were asking me if they could print it out and hang it in their classroom. I was honored. Something I created would end up all over the country.
It didn't end there. George then wrote a post about what I did. The fact that I asked permission first and properly accredited his work is not something that happens all the time. He is frustrated by how many times he sees his work being used by other educators and claimed as their own. I did the right thing, and that is actual news. Sad, but common place in this day and age.
The fact that I was teaching a lesson to my students about having a positive digital footprint was an added benefit. I was able to model for my students that doing the right thing can sometimes be a great thing. I had the proof.

Here's one for the principals

What social media is allowed in your school?

My infographic on how to prepare for the NYCDOE Tech Summit tomorrow!

So I accidentally blew up on Twitter last week.

National Teacher Day was May 9^th, and I wanted to recognize that in a small way. I had a graphic that I created for a previous Twitter Chat, so I opened it back up, changed the top, and posted it with two small sentences and hash tagged it with #NationalTeachersDay. I tagged my usual tribe in the graphic so they would re-tweet it for me; they’re awesome like that. After that, I went about my day.

What I didn’t expect was the amount of alerts of how many people liked or re-tweeted it. Throughout the day, the numbers climbed. Some were from accounts just looking for exposure, but most of them were teachers from around the country. The tweet took on a life of its own. By the end of the day, the tweet had over 350 likes and over 200 re-tweets. It felt good to know that I warmed a bunch of hearts that day, but it was also proved the power of a single voice and the influence it can have quickly and globally. I know people are worried about what they see from our commander-in-chief on Twitter these days, but you can’t deny the power of one person’s voice. Just make sure you use yours for good.

I created an Infographic about something we should think about

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Crushed It! How to Host a Twitter Chat

I was asked by Tali Horowitz of Common Sense Media to co-moderate a Twitter chat, but I had never done that before. I’ve been on Twitter for about a year and a half and have participated in other chats, so I thought “Why not?” It turned out to be a lot of fun; if you ever have the opportunity, please do so. Since I want everyone to experience this nerd-thrill, I’ve documented how I approached this project. After it was all over, the stats say we were viewed over a million times. I’m still trying to wrap my head around that but while I work on that, here’s my tips and tricks for hosting a Killer Twitter Chat.

Before I go into what I did, you should really read Lisa Neilsen’s take on this subject. Since I’m the President of her fan club, I feel it’s my duty to recognize her genius before I chime in. http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-to-host-q-and-twitter-chat.html If you’re too lazy to click this link (really?) I’m going to repeat a lot of what she wrote.

Before the Chat

• Promote the chat, then promote it again. The success of your chat depends on how many people are contributing. We all have busy lives; make it worth their while.
• Tag your tribe in the tweets so they start dialogues. That’s what they’re there for.
• Choose a theme that is specific to the audience, but easy for people to engage in the discussion.
• Create a document that has the questions you plan on asking and share that document on Twitter beforehand. It gives people a heads up on what you will discuss. Choose open-ended questions, but not too elaborate. Remember they only have 140 characters to respond.
• Create the graphics that will be used. I created graphics for each question, and I made some random graphics with quotes that were relevant to our discussion. Lisa says that’s how we raised the bar for Twitter Chats throughout the world. (I might be exaggerating there.)
• A long hashtag for your chat will limit everyone’s responses. Keep it short and easy to type. I made mine a keyboard shortcut just to be more efficient while I was responding.

During the Chat

• Don’t type in too much shorthand. It could be hard to understand you and deciphering the message will take too much time if the tweets are flying fast and furious.
• Alert participants that the next question is coming, so they can wrap up the previous discussions.
• Tweet the questions with a graphic too. Using graphics is huge. Twitter is mostly words, so a visual will really stand out. The great thing about visuals is that you can tag up to 10 people in the graphic. Tagging people in the graphics doesn’t take up your 140 characters, and you can really engage the participants in this way.
• Drop the random graphics in sporadically as the conversations get deeper. I designed them to have a consistent look, but still be different from the actual questions.
• Add comments to participant’s tweets to start multiple conversations going.
• “Like” other people’s tweets, and retweet the significant thoughts, it makes you sound smart.

After the Chat

• Catch up on conversations you missed; just because the hour is over doesn’t mean you have to stop the discussion. I’ve had discussions go on for days.
• Follow the people that contributed, it’s the least you can do.
• Thank the contributors, and let them know when the next chat will be.

I loved being the moderator. It was an hour-long adrenaline rush for a geek like me. I tell regular people about it, and they give me a half smile and nod, trying to act like they care. It doesn’t matter to me though. I care, and it matters to my nerd tribe. Connecting with fellow educators online in real time to make all of us better at what we do is something unheard of 10 years ago. We sometimes take for granted how cool technology is, and what we can do with it. This is the world wide web at it’s best, and not only can we take advantage of that, we can model it for our students. They’re the people we do this all for.

If you'd like to see the actual Twitter Chat, head over here #NYCSchoolsTechChat

What's a PLN?

A PLN is a Personal Learning Network. It sounds very cool and it's an idea that is gaining ground. Because of all the social media sites that are available to teachers, you can find anyone that is a mentor or inspiration for you and what you do.
Since I'm the only technology teacher in my building, I don't get to talk to other tech teachers about the challenges I face in my school. It helps to talk to other teachers who face the same challenges.
So how did I build my PLN? Like anything I attempt, I started small and grew it slowly.
I started checking into websites that were a vital resource to my classroom.
I started going to professional development opportunities and connecting with the people running and attending them. From all that, I started to build my network.
At one PD, we went around the room introducing ourselves. I was the only one without a Twitter handle. I felt naked. They spent the next 20 minutes convincing me to join Twitter, which I thought was silly, but I find now is a constant inspiration. I follow teachers that are doing amazing things in the classroom and they inspire me. They also let me know what is the latest and best resource for me to try.
The website connected to common sense media, called Graphite, is where teachers can post reviews for a variety of educational resources. It's not the manufacturer talking, its the teacher who actually uses it. Their opinions are invaluable.
Lisa Nielsen works for the NYCDOE Tech Department and has literally taken over my Facebook feed with all the material she shares. She doesn't seem to sleep, since she posts all hours of the day and night. I worry about her sometimes.
I follow the blogs of influential educators, like Tom Whitby and Alice Keeler. Starr Stackstein is a twitter and blog guru. I could name more, but you should find the people that speak to you. Reading their posts will feel like sitting in on a lecture from an amazing professor.
Do yourself a favor, and find your tribe. You shouldn't go it alone.

My first twitterversary!

I joined Twitter a year ago, and I went into it kicking and screaming. I was at a conference and the session was about social media and education. Everyone went around the table introducing themselves and they gave their twitter handle. I was the only one without one. I might as well have said I don't know what a computer is. The next 45 minutes of the session was focused on convincing me how important and useful it would be if I joined Twitter. I took their word for it and had my account before we left the room. I'm glad I did.
I spent the next few months creating a network of teachers who I follow and who follow me. I have taken part in chats, which occur in the ungodly hours of early Saturday and Sunday morning, and I've met people in real life that I've only known online. It's a constant stream of influence for me, and I check in whenever I need a shot of inspiration.
The highlight for me this year on Twitter was when I commented on a book I read from a famous author. I tagged him in the tweet, and he responded to it! How cool it that? I can reach out to someone who inspires me and they can acknowledge it immediately. Think of the possibilities for our students.
After that, I became a full member of Team Twitter. I see the effects, and I'm a better teacher for it. My students are too young to join, but that doesn't stop me from creating a profile for our school to share with their parents.
So as I reflect on my twitterversary, I came to it reluctantly but I was reminded of how Twitter is like all of technology, in that I still have much to learn.
Follow me at @eileen_lennon.

OK Twitter, you win.

I finally joined Twitter. Everyone at the Tech Forum is on it. At a round table discussion when we had to introduce ourselves, I was the only one who didn't have a twitter name. I didn't see how it was necessary to have yet another social media outlet to describe what my dinner looks like. What I learned is that people are using it in a purely professional manner, and that's something I could use, since my Facebook page proves what a cheesehead I can be sometimes.

I was advised to start slowly, I don't need to post very often. I should follow people that are in my field and having the big discussions. It's hard to discern who and what to follow though. There is so much to look at, the flow of information is like a firehose. But, from what I've been told by a few people, yes it's a firehose, just take in as much as you're comfortable and then step away from the computer.

So I'm on twitter now, my handle is eileen_lennon. You can follow me and I'll follow you back. If I figure out how.