Twitter as a PD Tool

The first time I got on Twitter, I didn't get what the fuss was about.  It seemed like Facebook for people with ADHD (This was back when it was still only 140 characters).  I also felt pressured to post every time I changed activities.  "I am teaching a class.  I am teaching another class.  I am eating lunch."  This was too much pressure for me, and I deleted my account.  I just wasn't getting anything out of it that I was already getting from Facebook, and I felt silly posting twice.

Then, I attended a teacher's conference at which an art teacher made the case for Twitter as a professional development tool.  I wasn't sure if I agreed, but I thought I should give it a fair shake.  I created another account and cultivated who I followed more carefully than I had the first time.  Instead of the same friends and family that I already had on Facebook, I chose to follow educators and scientific sources.  It still took me a while to develop an appreciation for Twitter, but it was a much different user experience than the scattershot method I was using the first time.

That was five years ago.  While I haven't been perfectly disciplined about keeping my follows purely about education and science (I follow a few things for no other reason than the joy they bring, like @dog_feelings and @nocontextpawnee), I have developed a great deal of momentum making Twitter a tool of professional learning.  Here are a few accounts I recommend to you.  The first list is for all teachers.  The second focuses on science.

Education List
@Wikipedia ‏- I've only been following them a few weeks, and I'm already glad I do
@davestuartjr ‏- He's a teacher with much wisdom to share.
@SteeleThoughts ‏- An Alabama MS principal.  If you aren't following him, you aren't as encouraged as you could be.
@TalksWTeachers ‏- Links to their podcast.
@TEDTalks ‏- If you don't know why, you don't know TED.
@pbsteachers - Some digital resources 

Science List
@NatlParkService ‏- Beautiful pictures, historical facts about America's best idea 
@SlowMotionGuys ‏- I teach a lot of science through slow motion video
@TheCrashCourse ‏ - Actually, this is for more than just science.  They have many grade channels.
@NASA_Astronauts ‏- They post photos from the space station.  Well worth following.
@scifri ‏- The twitter account of NPR's Science Friday with Ira Flatow
@NASA ‏- Always great, but especially awesome as we approach the 50th anniversary of the moon landings.
@ScienceNews ‏and @sciam ‏- Good articles on current science topics
@Fermilab ‏and @CERN ‏- While they are good for the occasional article, it's their photos that make them fun to follow.

Try some of these out, and if there are any that aren't giving you beneficial information, be vigilant about unfollowing them.  It's only a helpful tool if you are reducing the noise from the unhelpful ones.