Lately it feels like every time I turn on the TV news, pick up a newspaper or listen to the radio someone is talking about twitter or has written an article. So why is twitter increasing in popularity?
Off course I could try to explain why but it’s better to experience the power of Twitter yourself. So I invite you to join me and others for Gr8tweets for the month of March to:
- Commit to trying out twitter for a month
- Find interesting people to follow on Twitter
- Share what you value about twitter
- See what others value about twitter
- Help build your Personal Learning Network
What’s Involved
How it will work is for each day in March you will choose your favorite “Tweet of the day” and then you will retweet it with the hashtag #gr8t. Hashtags are often used on twitter because they make it easy to follow tweets by all twitter users with public timelines on specific topics.
It’s entirely up to you which tweet you choose; it could be the most interesting, or insightful, or humorous, or best link of the day. It might be your own tweet or your favorite tweet by a follower.
Below is an example of a “Tweet of the Day” – see how the hashtag #gr8t has been added to the end of the tweet.
Using the hashtag #gr8t enables us to bring all the “Tweets of the Day” together for everyone to view them on the gr8tweets wiki.
Hopefully these tweets will provide great tips, links and resources while also helping you find new people to connect with. Meanwhile drop past the gr8tweets wiki and add your details to the Who’s Playing list so you can start connecting easier with others!
If you have any questions about “Tweet of the Day” you can send us a tweet @datruss, @deacs84, @lizbdavis, @hhg, @suewaters, @budtheteacher or @dkuropatwa
How To Set Up A Twitter Account
If you don’t currently use twitter:
- Read this information on twitter
- Go to Twitter.com and click “Get Started NOW”
Feel free to add me to your twitter account – my twitter username is suewaters. If you would like my help to get started using twitter just send me a tweet. For example you might say:
@suewaters Hi Sue I am new to using twitter can you give me some advice or help me connect with others?
FINAL THOUGHTS
For latest news and updates from Edublogs follow the Edublogs twitter account.
If you are enjoying reading this blog, please consider 
Subscribing For Free!
This is a great tutorial on how to use twitter, I’ve been compiling a list of Ed Tech Tweeps going to NECC 2009 using a public Google spreadsheet. If you’d like to meet some Ed Tech Tweeps on Twitter add yourself to the list and be sure to follow everyone on it. Great post!
Hey,
Was wondering if you could go onto my blog and comment on twitter and how it works.
Hello Sue,
I am a new edublogger and was wondering what twitter is and how it came to be?
P.S. Very cool edublog you have poasted
Hi Christian, I’m not really sure why they decided to create twitter but I’m glad they did. Happy to visit your blog but you haven’t left your blog URL for me 🙁
hi this is joey from mjgds4 thank you for commenting on my blog. I would love if you tell all your friends that have blogs to go on my blog and comment.
Hi Joey, no problem re-comment on your blog. How about you write a post on your blog that asks some questions that you would like answered – perhaps to do with different parts of the World and I ask my friends to visit?
Nice. I am new to edublogs and Twitter. I am combining both to maximize my networking capabilities. Follow me on Twitter as ThinkTeachLearn. I will most definitely be using the #gr8t feature on my Tweets.
Welcome to both Edublogs and twitter, thinkteachlearn. Feel free to add me to your twitter account if you haven’t already.
Hi Sue
Speaking of Twitter, do you think you might be able to post an explanation of the use of #hashmarks? I can’t find a way to use it and don’t understand what the person wants me to do with it. For example, I just saw one that said #SnowDayME from @ErnieEaster
As always, thanks.
Gail
Hi Gail, I’m assuming you would like me to write a post on using Hashtags on twitter? I did research them when I wrote this post but then couldn’t get them to do what I had read they can do. Would you still like a post on this subject?
The eduworld is all atwitter! Wonderful idea!
This is going to be GR8T, even though there is no chocolate involved!
That said, I’m sure some chocolate references will make it into your ReTweets with #gr8t.
This is indeed a great way to get started with Twitter and quickly see the value… and I also encourage your readers who tried Twitter out and gave up, to visit the wiki and see ‘how’ many educators are using Twitter to connect, learn and share. http://gr8tweets.wikispaces.com
It takes a while to build up a ‘followship’ where Twitter really starts to feel like a conversation, and so hopefully Gr8tweets will help newcomers and second-comers to find new connections and to view Twitter as a valuable part of their learning network.
Thanks Sue!
No problem Dave.
It was a great initiative by you and I am already seeing more new people joining twitter which is good. I think one of the first instructions I will be teaching them is the importance of chocolate as a means of bribing me 🙂
Hi Sue,
Seems you are going to get me involved in another great challenge. I was going to tweet more often than I do, but I can never think of anything to say. This is such a good idea.
Natasa
P.S. I am still in the Blogging Challenge. Though I have slowed down even more, I’ll get there in the end.
Yes Natasa, it looks like I have lead us all astray (again). Don’t stress over the 31 Days – you are still way ahead of me. I’m up to Day 8. My attitude is time is I will take longer and make the improvements at my pace.
Great post!
The information you provided on Twitter is very helpful. This will be very helpful for people who are new on Twitter & also for those who do not know about Twitter. Keep writing up such articles!
Regards,
Priyanka
http://www.deskaway.com
Thanks Priyanka, glad you found the post of twitter helpful. Definitely it has encouraged new people to join twitter which is what we all wanted to achieve.