Journal 2: "Join the Flock", "Enhance your Twitter Experience" NETS-T 1,3,4

Ferguson, H, & McClintock Miller, S. (2010). Join the flock, enhance your twitter experience. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/Leading_and_Learning_Docs/June_July_2010_Join_the_Flock.sflb.ashx

Summary:
This article is written as a beginners guide for educators using twitter as a professional learning network, or PLN.  It begins with Hadley Furguson's step by step instructions on forming a twitter account and establishing an interactive community.  She explains how when you set up your account is it important to identify yourself in your bio with personal interests that you may wish to learn more about by following others with the same identifiers.  For example, as a teacher, I would want to identify myself as so to attract other people with similar interests who may want to follow me and share their ideas.  You will then begin to form a network of people who will tweet helpful resources which you can read and learn from.  She explains how even if you are apprehensive about leaving your own input you can read others post with no pressure.  However, once you feel comfortable to input your own knowledge, your community of followers will grow and establish more resources for your professional growth. 
From here, Shannon McClinton Miller continues by explaining ways to enhance your twitter experience.  She explains how her twitter account has exposed her to many great educational tools that she otherwise would have never known about.  Not only can you learn from others, but you as well can share with others great resources and expose your followers to helpful links.  Shannon continues by explaining how to use helpful tools to help organize and manage all the resources of the twitter community.  She explains the use of hash tags to focus in on a specific area of concentration as well as organization tools such as tweet deck and hirsute to help easily manage your different communities of interest.  Through these articles, the beginning tweeter can learn of the advantages to a PLN, and the ways in which they can benefit by using twitter as an educational resource. 

Question 1: What is a PLN, and how is it helpful for educators?

A PLN is a personal learning network, meaning a connection between a network of people who share similar interests as yourself, that you can follow and learn from.  This tool is extremely beneficial for educators as our goals should be to always be learning.  With this resource we can connect with fellow educators all around the globe which can expose you to numerous opportunities.  You can get ideas about lesson plans, what worked well in one classroom and not so well in another, as well helpful Internet links to online resources.  In addition you can exchange conversations and learn of new or different concepts. 

Question 2:  What is one way you can enhance your twitter account, to make it more beneficial for your professional growth?

I believe that I can use twitter as an educational tool if I take the time to establish my PLN by exploring the site and finding people to follow who share in my interests and tweet things that i find interesting or helpful.  Through following others with similar interests i will be exposed to many more, and be able to broaden my community and knowledge.