My (long-overdue) First Post!

I'm going to make a statement now that I never would have imagined making a year ago. Here Goes: Twitter has become my number one source of professional development. You heard correctly. This is the same service I once scoffed at as being a "pointless and juvenile waste of time." However, I've discovered that, as with anything else, Twitter is what you make it. (To be fair, I also once scoffed at cell phones, iPods and other items that have since become tools that I use on a daily basis, so I'm usually a little slow on the uptake.)

While some may use Twitter soley to gawk at celebrity updates, (Confession: @RainnWilson is particularly entertaining) They aren't even scratching the surface of the power of this tool. Through my participation in the Twittersphere, I have:

• Participated in live streaming webcasts about education
• Discovered new tools to use to enrich the learning experiences of my students
• Collaborated on projects
• Participated in discussions about education issues and trends
• Sent email links to my colleagues about projects, resources, and lessons I discovered through my "tweeps"
• Connected with educational innovators across the US and internionally
• Heard Breaking News before my non-Tweeting friends
• Laughed. A lot.
• And of course, discovered that John Mayer ate oatmeal for breakfast on Tuesday. :)

In fact, I have spent the last two hours scanning tweets, exploring links, and forwarding information on to colleagues in the district. Which reminds me, ironically, Twitter is blocked, but I was able to find a helpful little gadget on Google that streams my feeds on my Google home page. If you don't have a Twitter account, create one today. Follow the people who share your passions. Share your ideas. Lose yourself in the Community.

Need more convincing? Read 9 Great Reasons Teachers Should Twitter.
http://lauradoggett.com/2009/03/nine-great-reasons-why-teachers-should-use-twitter/