Why Tweet?

As a teacher at a new French Immersion school, I am often blown away by the talent of my fellow staff members.  I have peers who have an incredible knowledge of science, math, French literacy, English literacy, phys ed and more.  I also count myself fortunate to be on a team with several staff members who enjoy using social media and take a tremendous amount of leadership in the world of technology.  So why are "techie teachers" not seen as something as valuable as someone with a strong background in teaching social studies?  Or library?  Or health?  This, in my opinion, needs to change.

Fortunately, I have begun seeing these changes happen slowly over time.  First, some teachers started using D2L to build class websites and communicate with parents.  Second, Central's parent council stared a Facebook page.  Third, teachers started using Twitter to post updates about events happening in their classrooms.  And finally, in June, a wonderful thing occurred ... @FIecoleCentral

That's right - Central now has an active Twitter account!  This account is regularly updated and is posted right on the homepage of Central's website.  Why is this so important?  Twitter is a great way for schools to send messages out to the community to share in both daily occurrences and special events with parents, students, board members, and more.  As a teacher who strives to incorporate technology, I can see the benefit of Twitter and other social networking tools as it helps support parents, students, and even other staff members. Providing current information in only 140 characters also allows for clear and concise messages to be conveyed which is important in our fast-paced world.  Consequently, when teachers are providing leadership to others, or when board employees are wanting updates, or when principals interview teachers for job opportunities, the question needs to shift from "do you use technology" to "how do you use technology?"