You Want to See Power of Twitter?

Official Skyrim Logo

At approximately 9:40 PM I opened Twitter and saw this tweet from my friend Bianca Hewes in Australia:  "Gonna buy an X-Box and some games for English faculty to help us teach games as texts. Can anyone suggest games with strong narratives?"

I stepped away from the computer and talked with my 14 year old son about this question and he LOVED the fact that I was asking him this. He was, actually, online playing a game with a friend and they both discussed it and gave me a recommendation that was PS3 only. So I  told him it had to be XBOX. He did his teenage boy discussion about how "all the good games are on PS3," and then said that Skyrim would be a good choice. I suggested L.A. Noire but he didn't agree with me - (I almost sent it to her anyway)

So, just before 10PM I tweeted: " @BiancaH80 my 14yo son suggested Skyrim and The Last of Us for great story lines but Last of Us is PS3. #wenttothesource "

Then I remembered that one of my best high school buddies has been writing for video game magazines for about 30 years and has been very influential in the business. I also knew a friend that I had met here in Austin a few years ago. Both are living in California but are in the video game business.

So, a couple of minutes later I tweeted: " .@vidgames, @TallGamer friend of mine and tchr in Australial looking for XBOX game with Great Narrative for English Class - cc @BiancaH80 "

In the matter of 30 minutes a teacher in Australia had asked a question. She had gotten information from me: a teacher with a son who plays a lot of video games in Texas. And, she had gotten in contact with two professionals in the video game industry.

Well, as I was writing the first part of this I returned to Twitter to see if there was any other action on this tweet.  I saw this exchange between @Tallgamer and @BiancaH80:

     "@cfanch @vidgames @binacah80 what age students? " from @TallGamer

     " @TallGamer @cfanch @vidgames ranges from 12 - 18 boys & girls. Thanks :) " From @BiancH80

     " @cfanch @Vidgames @BiancaH80 I am going to say Mass Effect, the only issues are that it is rated Mature because of language and sex and viol " From @TallGamer

     " @cfanch @vidgames @BiancaH80 the other I would suggest is Bioshock it's a great narrative about a man with to much power and greed " From @TallGamer

This conversation continued with a suggestion from @TallGamer to subscribe to his Youtube channel and a discussion that they should talk via Skype. As I was talking with my wife and writing this, I said "You can't make this stuff up - it's writing itself!"  This is just one example out of hundreds (thousands?) of exchanges that happen between educators on Twitter. 

If you need more examples, just go onto twitter and tweet: "Anybody have great examples of teachers using Twitter to get great answers to questions?" Then sit back and wait for answers to flow in. Just don't forget to thank them for their help. Who knows you might even make a friend and start your own PLN.

PLN's Help When You Least Expect It

On October 3, 2007 I opened my Twitter account. My wife had been on for a while (since it was introduced to the public the Spring before at the SXSW conference).

If you go onto Twitter and look me up (@cfanch ) you'll see that I have one list of people to follow: Edpros.  Most of the people on that list were in my original group of people I followed or who followed me and a majority of those names have been on Twitter in excess of 5 years now.

These educators were my original PLN (Professional Learning Network) before we used the term on twitter. I can still count on them to provide great insight into all things education and when I need an answer to a tough question I will send it their way.

During the years from 2008 to now, I have tried to get teachers, who I work with, to get onto Twitter so that they can glean knowledge from educational experts. At Manor New Technology High School I was totally unsuccessful.  I stopped trying and would just send links of great blog posts I had read because of my friends on Twitter. Or I would share a tech secret that I had learned about because of people sharing stuff on Twitter. But, as far as active users, I (again) was totally unsuccessful at showing them why it was a must to be connected to a PLN.

Now I am at a new school where the number of tech savvy teachers is at a minimum. Those that are good with technology are doing really great things. But there really is only one teacher (out of about 50) who are active on Twitter for professional reasons and a couple who have Twitter accounts but don't understand how to use them to help their teaching skills.

I have given up (or at least I think I've given up) on encouraging teachers to try Twitter.  I am sharing blog posts, occasionally, with my fellow teachers at school but I rarely mention that I found the post on Twitter. And, to be quite frank, I have gotten pretty darn bitter about not being able to share information with anybody I work with.

This leads to today and an exchange I had with a wonderful person I met on Twitter a few months ago and was able to say hello to at an Edcamp in Waller Texas. {Don't even get me started on getting teachers to go to Edcamps. I ran my own Edcamp 2 years ago that about 25 people came to and only one of them was from my school or school district.}

There was a time when I was always on Twitter - sharing things, having great times with my PLN buddies, learning things.  Now I get on occasionally but I feel like an outsider and not in on all of the jokes and innuendo.  And so I noticed a group of people talking about creating a Twitter for Educators panel for next year's TCEA conference.  Everyone on the list in the tweets is connected, doing great things with education, and are forward lookers in all things new and cool in education. I feel that that's where I was 3 or 4 years ago.

And so I said, " @RafranzDavis After 5 + years on here, if they havent' figured it out they won't ever figure it out (Twitter for PD), #mrnegative " And I meant it.  Why even try to get people interested in this stuff they'll just ignore you and laugh and call you "Mr. Twitter." But Rafranz didn't give up.  She replied " @cfanch which is why this "super panel" is needed !!!:) " She continued " @cfanch all that we can do is show how we use it. We can"t force people into changing how they learn best. However, we can't stop trying :) "

She's right of course. I just wonder if I have the energy to keep up the fight.  At this Edcamp I heard teachers asking all kinds of questions about how to get onto twitter and how to use it. Part of me wanted to yell "Where have you all been?" But I smiled and helped people get through the beginning steps of getting connected.

My wife is in the business of showing people in the travel industry how to use social media and she has the same reaction when one of her clients asks how to do something that is (for me and for her) very basic. But she keeps reminding me that there are people who aren't connected. There are people who really don't understand how to use the space. There are people who are afraid of looking dumb.  There are people with all sorts of excuses on why they haven't gotten connected yet. And they need people like Rafranz and people in her PLN - and, yes, they even need Mr. Cranky Pants.

Even though I knew everyone of those people she was talking with about the "Super Panel" for TCEA, I don't feel connected to them. Maybe I need to get back on Twitter and connect with them so I can feel like I'm a part of a PLN again. Because you're never really NOT a part of a PLN.

Crowd Sourcing Ideas for Getting Started in PBL

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     I've been asked to present and coach teachers at the Elementary and Middle School level on how to get started with PBL.  That topic, (How to Get Started...), has been shared with me through many meaningful professional developments with the New Tech Network.  I have also read books by the Buck Institute, read great blogposts by teachers living it, and I have talked with teachers at conferences and via Twitter.

     Now I want to ask my PLN/PLC (excuse me while I make faces but the whole "Let me check my PLN" has really been overused in the last 4 years that I've been on Twitter).  So, in the comment section below, leave a comment and tell me what's different about teaching PBL at the Elementary or Middle School level.  


     Does PBL look differently at the Pre-K to 2 level than it does at the 3 - 5 level?  I think it should, but what specifically do you do?  And, is there a difference between the 6th grade and the 8th grade when it comes to PBL?  Again, having taught both 6th and 8th grade, there are big maturity differences between these two grades - so there should (I think) be differences in how you do PBL.

     When I have heard from enough people I'll write a blog post and get these ideas gathered in one spot.  Thank you, in advance, for your thoughts and comments.

Maybe 2012 Is The Year

     This morning I opened my laptop and within seconds I was reading a thought-provoking blog post by one of the hundreds of educators I follow on Twitter.  When I clicked on the link I didn't know whether it would be silly, serious, strange, or salient.  But, because it was posted by someone in my circle of "friends" on twitter I clicked that link.  And poof,  I was transported to a learning portal.  


     When I finished reading the post  I went to twitter and tweeted " I love the fact that I can open my laptop 365 days a year and learn things from people here on twitter."  Within seconds a teacher friend from the Dallas area tweeted, " @cfanch i was just thinking the same thing."  And, without leaving my home I could feel like I was sitting in a coffee house discussing the morning news with a friend.


     These people are my friends, my co-workers, my peers, my professors, my students.  They are all of these things separately and all of these things collectively.   I can comment on a post and discuss a topic like I am talking with a co-worker about how we will use it in the classroom.  Then, they can become a subject area expert and I am learning from them as though I am sitting in their classroom.  Without blinking an eye a comment might spark a related topic in which I am the expert.  Back and forth we go teacher becomes learner becomes teacher.


     I have suggested that fellow teachers join me on twitter to no avail.  Yes, there are about 20% of our teachers with a twitter account.  But, I would say that less than half of them are active on twitter.  And, I know of no one who uses it like I do:  for personal and professional growth.


     Maybe this coming year I can get 2 or 3 others to investigate twitter.  Maybe this coming year I can get 1 or 2 to investigate the various "chats" that are so powerful for finding and sharing relevant items of interest.  Maybe this coming year our staff can investigate topics that have been discussed on twitter and which improve what we already are doing in the classroom.  Maybe....(sigh).. but I doubt it.  I've been talking about this for over 4 years and most of them just shake their head and laugh.  But, I refuse to give up.  Maybe 2012 is THE year!

When You Need Insentive

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     I started the night beating myself up because I had written 44 posts this year but it had been over a month since my last post.  I even stated in on Twitter: " Beating myself up for not posting on my blog in over a month. I had 44 posts this year and just ran into a buzz saw called life."   


     That's when Laron Carter (@laroncarter) called me on it with his tweet, "So you're another incredible human surfing the Twitterverse. Bravo! Now write that 300 word post bruh!"  And, here I am writing a post.


     I'm always having teachers asking "Why Twitter?"  They don't get it.  I can give them links to items titled "50 ways to use Twitter in the Classroom," or " Social Media in the Classroom"  and they aren't swayed.  I can give them links to great magazine articles or newspaper articles I read because I saw the link on twitter and they aren't swayed.  I can send them links to insightful blog posts written by people I follow on twitter and they aren't swayed.


     Well, here's an intangible reason to be active on twitter - Instant Motivator.   I have used twitter to give (or receive) encouragement while getting back in shape.  I have used twitter to give (or receive) encouragement with classroom issues.  I have used twitter to give (or receive) encouragement with the loss of a relative or pet.  You get the point.


     When you have hundreds of people who you interact with on a regular basis someone will be having a bad day.  Someone will be grieving.  Someone will be facing an uphill battle that seems insurmountable.  Your PLN will be there for you and you will be there for your PLN.  


     You may never have met some of these wonderful people.  You may never MEET these wonderful people.  But they are there.  And, it may be someone like @laroncarter who gets you off your butt to start working on something that you enjoy doing but just need that push to get back in the saddle.   Twitter isn't just for the sharing of great stuff for the classroom.  It's also for the sharing of motivation.  Now, get off your butt and start doing whatever it is you have been avoiding doing.  You can do it!


NOTE:       Well, sigh...my wife pointed out to me that I, the knucklehead, misspelled Incentive.  And, she pointed out, there might be some English teachers reading this. Well, if I change the title now I'll totally mess up the SEO and Search Crawlers.  She assures me that "everyone" has done that mistake before.  That's why I married her 22 years ago. Sigh...