#EdChatME

Every Thursday from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM join educators from around our state of Maine on Twitter sharing and discussing several pre-determined topics.  Tonight's (May 15) discussion is on Digital Citizenship; which is an excellent topic.  Why?  Because it is a topic that so many of us know so little about, and it so vital to understand its impact on our students, not to mention ourselves.  For more information on the #EdChatME Maine event, go here.

How do I join?
If you are new to Twitter, here's how you can join.  Simply search for the hashtag #EdChatME in Twitter.

The great thing about joining a hashtag discussion like this is that you can find other contacts (Tweeps) of interest that you can follow.  Look at their list of Tweeps they follow and find more Follows; to help build your Personal Learning Network.

You don't need a Twitter account

You can "listen" in on any Twitter hashtag dialog without a Twitter account and full ability to find idea and content from the sharing.  Simply go to tweetchat.com and search for the hashtag #EdChatME.

Because #edchatme is not in session there were no live tweets at the time I created this video.  You will notice #edchat is used instead for the purpose of demonstrating the use of TweetChat

If you are interested in creating a Twitter account and making a Personal Learning Network out of it, by all means, please contact me and I will walk you through how to make the most of Twitter.

Blended Learning

Blended Learning is a new(er) buzz word floating around the Edu arena.  This is +Common Sense Media 's definition of Blended Learning:

A pedagogical model that combines online and on-site learning and supports some element of student control over the time, place, path, and or/pace of their learning experience

 You can find a great deal of idea and content on Twitter using the hashtag #blendedlearning in your search on Twitter.  Here is a Twitter stream using #blendedlearning.

Tweets about "#blendedlearning"

Two Proficiancy-Based Learning Hashtags

Here are two popular Twitter hashtags that are associated with Proficiency-based Learning.  If you are not familiar with what Twitter hashtags are, they are specific search quarries that are used within tweeted messages and using the "#" symbol to make it a hyperlink.  Hashtags in general are a great way to find common tweets and content.

Proficiency-Based Learning
There are two hashtags that I have found that will deliver to you a lot of great content when trying to learn and incorporate proficiency-based learning.

#SCLChat (student-centered learning)
Click on the label to view full Tweet stream

Tweets about "#SCLChat"


#competencyed (competency-based)
Click on the label to view full Tweet stream

Tweets about "#competencyed"

Twitter Follow Feature

Danny Nicholson is the writer for The Whiteboard Blog from the UK; worth looking at.  Also, you can follow Danny on your Google+ network at +WhiteboardblogCoUk.

Tweets by @dannynic

More Resources and Content

As I have mentioned in the right-hand column on this blog, I may not post as frequent on this blog as, perhaps, most bloggers, however, I want to encourage you to check my Google+ and Twitter profiles for much more content, resources, techy things, and just plain cool stuff for your classroom.  You do not have to have an account for either of these social networks.  Just go to my profile link for either network and view my tweets/posts for content and web links to content that you may find useful for your curriculum.

In being connected with my Personal Learning Networks on Twitter and Google+, I can find and share much more great stuff that is out there, new and old, that work very well for others in their curriculum plans.  I, also, share new things that I learn that are specific to our school district - Moodle, MLTI applications, Macbook, etc.

My Google+ Profile

My Twitter Profile

Tweets by @Ratkacher

Stay Tuned
I, also, have a Google+ Page, Ratkacher Station (separate from my Profile page), which I opened a while back, which I may begin next school year to direct viewers to for all Edu material.  Because I have more interests than EdTech (Edu Technology) content - i.e. coffee, formula 1 racing, leadership, etc - I like to share what I find in these areas as well.  So, to keep a strictly Edu-devoted stream, I would like to start directing viewers to this Google+ page of mine what will be solely for EdTech material.  That will not officially start until the beginning of the next school year.  However, you are more than welcome to view it, bookmark it, or whatever - Ratkacher Station.

The same will be done for my Twitter profile starting next school year.  My current Twitter profile has a collection of various interests other than EdTech.  I have opened a new Twitter account that will solely be devoted to EdTech - @benjaminnason.  Again, this will not officially start until the beginning of next school year, but you are welcome to save it.


Tweets by @benjaminnason

Twitter Follow Feature

Tweets by @hdiblasi

Twitter Follow Feature

20 Google Docs Secrets for busy teachers and students → tonyv.me/20docs Each secret is linked to more info! (via @terryhoganson)
— Tony Vincent (@tonyvincent) April 12, 2013

Twitter Hashtag Feature: #tlchat

#tlchat, according to tagdef.com, "follows topics of interest to Teacher-Librarians, also known as School Librarians or School Library Media Specialists".  Below is a Twitter stream displaying a search on #tlchat.  Search for any hashtag in your Twitter account to view a live stream of content associated with that hashtag.

Tweets about "#tlchat"

Twitter Feature Follow

From education-based Tweeps I follow

Since we're on the topic of Richard Byrne, add him to your follow list.

Tweets by @rmbyrne

Twitter Follow Feature

From education-based Tweeps I follow

The 6 Biggest Challenges Of Using Education Technology edmc.me/VfWSkC
— Edudemic (@Edudemic) February 14, 2013

My Twitter Education List 

Twitter Hashtags?

For more information on hashtags, please visit Ratkacher Station

Twitter's New App: Vine - How Can It Benefit Edu?

Twitter has just released (January 24, 2013) a new app that is perfect for sharing on such "to the point" social networks like Twitter.  It's called Vine.

If you are familiar with the format of tweets and how Twitter works, you know that it is short, sweet and to the point.  Twitter allows you to easily scan through a lot of information, quickly find what you need and get the content.  It is no different with their new app, Vine, as an addition.

Vine allows you to create 6 sec video recordings and share them on Twitter or Facebook.  6 seconds certainly does not sound like a lot of meaningful time; then again, neither did 160 characters.  It is amazing how creative you can get when you are limited within certain parameters.

Basically, this is how it works:  The app records when you touch the screen, so you can start and stop as often as needed (view demo below); showing only what you want; recording multiple locations and multiple time-frames.

The thing that makes this an exciting new media concept is that for schools that utilize social networking in their classrooms, like Twitter, can now improve that dialog.  Teachers can post small snippets of video demonstrating math concepts, displaying examples of work, or a simple video message to their class.  What a great way for a Flipped Classroom.  Students could, in turn, share their work and offer suggestions through small video.

Check out Vine's blog for the latest updates and to see some samples of what they do.

I put together a quick vid on what it looks like while in the Twitter feed:

Here is a nice demo of the app:

Tweet of the Day

“Slay your dragons before breakfast so they don't eat your lunch.” @michaelhyatt
— Mark Miller (@LeadersServe) November 28, 2012

Twitter Search Using Hashtags

I was talking with a colleague of mind this morning about using Twitter hashtags to find more content and contacts and I thought it would be a good idea to publish a post about this great tool for others.

I will always sing the praises of how much of a resource Twitter is not just for content, but for connections with other people.  In Twitter's main stream of tweets in your home you have your customized flow of information form those that you follow.  Just like most other social networks.  This is a nice resource to access when you want it.  However, if you want to get out there and discover new content or even new contacts beyond your regular stream of tweets in your home, Twitter uses hashtags.  For more information on hashtags, visit my Google Site page Hashtags.

This blog post will focus more on the basis of how to use a hashtag to search in Twitter.

Once you find a hashtag that is associated with your specific area of interest, you can use it in your Twitter search bar.

The results of your search will show in your tweet stream, as viewed below.

As shown here you can save your search for later access and return to that specific search by clicking on your search bar.  Below is a list of saved searches that can be accessed at any time.

For more information about Twitter, there are thousands of education blogs and sites that help with this.  However, feel free to visit my Google Site page about Twitter.  Go to Ratkacher Station (the Google Site version)

How to Use Twitter to Grow Your PLN | Edutopia

Here's a great article from edutopia.org that explains Twitter and how it can be a powerful tool in your Personal Learning Network toolbox. Click link below.

How to Use Twitter to Grow Your PLN | Edutopia

How to follow Twitter hashtags through Google's Realtime

You don't have to have a Twitter account to follow educators and colleagues in your field or to see what is going on instantly during major events - sports, major political speeches, catastrophes, etc.


Simply find a Twitter hashtag that you would like to search - i.e. #edchat.  Type the hashtag into the search and instantly you can follow conversations and chat about your particular search. 

Practical Use:  This is a great feature for searching new ideas, lesson plans, or classroom activities from other professionals from around the world in your related field without the need of a Twitter account; or when you want to follow a major event and see comments or links to other web pages from around the world.  This will also serve as a great means for collecting Twitter names to follow on your own Twitter account.



What is Twitter and how does it benefit me?

What is a Twitter hashtag and how does it work?

What is Google Realtime?

Google Realtime

Google Realtime is one of their Search products that you can find in their left-hand menu column.

I use this tool as an up-to-the-second report of any particular subject, topic, or news feature.  Realtime uses Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, MySpace, etc social media posts from everywhere around the world.  "How are these social networks going to provide for me anything worth looking at that would be considered news-worthy or for my own serious research", you may be asking.  With this application, I can get instant updates and news not only from news publications, but even from people associated with the news event or person.  If I am keeping up to date with any major event for my students, this is a great tool to help me with that.  I can then keep my students informed.  Each post also provides links to other articles and publications that can provide more useful information and may introduce you to a new favorite news source.  Realtime is live and auto-refreshes, so you will receive any new update as soon as it happens.  It even tells you how long ago the post was updated; in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.  You may want to refresh  your browser periodically if Realtime is kept open for an extended period of time, just to ensure that your live feed is continuous.

You may find that some of the posts become a bit redundant (as anything in society), however you do find some gold nuggets of material.  You can, also, view the Timeline on the right of the Google Realtime page where it will indicate peaks of activity by time.  Click anywhere on the Timeline to go back in time to view past updates where update activity peaks.

The video explains more of Realtime's features and how to customize your Realtime search.