A Crazy Little Thing Called...Twitter?

     As I set sail on my maiden voyage into the sea of blogging, I decided it was important to share what has led me to this place.  So, I'm going to take a little trip back in time to share what I've learned:

March through April:   The Twitter Journey Begins

The perception I had of Twitter was that it was for all things entertainment: actors, musicians, movies, television, radio, sports, etc.  I'm not one to be enamored with the famous or infamous.  Granted, I appreciate the works of many in the aforementioned category, but not enough to want to read about their daily lives.  Then, one day at work, I happened to receive an email from a fellow principal to join the Twitter universe.  I knew two colleagues that also had Twitter accounts, so after several weeks of ignoring the invitation to join, I decided to "check it out."  

Still skeptical, I created an account and followed the three people I actually knew in addition to organizations I trusted (@BattelleforKids @ASCD @OAESA @NAESP).  I had a private profile b/c I didn't yet trust this thing called Twitter.  After all, what was it and why would I need it? 

As I began receiving updates from those I trusted, I grew curious about who they were following and who I might know that followed them.  It was within that first week of twitter that I discovered @PrincipalJ, @Joe_Mazza, @CurtReess, @donalynbooks, and @NMHS_Principal  I was blown away by the content that they were posting and the conversations they had with one another.  (However, at this point, I wondered if this was just a #NewJerseything or a #Wisconsinthing).  As I began to feel more comfortable, I actually started to explore the idea of Re-Tweeting and using Favorites and even composed a few Tweets of my own.

I continued to follow others, stayed up-to-date with those I was already following, began reading their blogs and articles they posted.  This was when I began to understand the potential of Twitter to grow me as a leader.

April through May:  Jumping in to the Land of Hashtags

Finally, I set sail on my Twitter journey.  I began navigating the tweets as if I had been doing it for years.  Then, I became curious about the power of Hashtags and Twitter chats.  With the encouragement of @bCurrie5 and @drjolly I decided to first "lurk" them participate in Twitter chats.  I also noticed this amazing thing happening, I discovered other Ohio leaders on Twitter.  I connected to them and discovered #OHedchat  What could be more important in discussing the many changes and challenges happening in my "own backyard?"  These first chats were mind-blowing experiences!  I could hardly keep up with the amount of information that was flowing from the number of educators.  The more I read, the more I began to reflect and reconsider my past and current practices.  I was made aware of great professional books for principals and so with my Amazon account having been neglected since spring break, I ordered several titles, including @donalynbooks' The Book Whisperer, @burgessdave's Teach Like a Pirate and @ToddWhitaker's Shifting the Monkey and The Ten Minute Inservice.  These books were completely inspirational and transformational.  As I wrapped up the year, I knew I would be spending more time on Twitter and connecting to others who read these books and responded to them in the way that I had.

June through August:  The More You Read...

During this time, I was able to participate in more Twitter chats, connect to more educators, and introduced Twitter to a few teachers.  I even met a small group at Panera one evening to "teach" them how to use Twitter.  I was "hooked," but in a good way.  As educators, we often work in isolation, sometimes not even talking to another adult for hours at a time.  As a principal, you are sometimes even more unconnected.  As the only principal of my K-6 building, I don't always have the opportunity to bounce ideas off others or share questions or concerns with another with like responsibilities.  This is where I have found "salvation" in my PLN from greats like @twhitford, @courosa, and @gcouros!  I no longer feel isolated and know that I can post a question and receive ideas and support.  Recently, because of Twitter, I was able to attend hands-down one of the best conferences I have attended in a long time!  I was able to learn first-hand from @RickWormeli @NLHSprincipal @snbeach and @RichardCash.  The best part of the conference; however, was found in the #ILEOhio feed.  The conversation between participants was amazing.  This enhanced the learning times 10!  I have continued to connect and reflect.  

August and Beyond:  The future's so bright...

So, where does this leave me now?  From my PLN or tweeps, I have developed very clear goals for the upcoming school year.  I have made a commitment to use what I have learned and put them into practice.  One of my favorite sayings is "You don't know what you don't know."  This couldn't have been more true for me than what I have experienced in these past few months.  And so, now, even though I still consider myself a "newbie" to this Twitter universe, I am beginning my next steps into becoming a better educator:  a more reflective, yet connected educator by blogging.