The Best Examples of Educators Using Twitter
Social media is a divisive topic in education. Some teachers prefer not to use it, and many school leaders would rather their staff weren’t active on social media. But, while misusing platforms such as Twitter and Facebook can cause problems, proper use can be beneficial for your teachers and your school’s students.
In this blog, we’ve assembled a series of examples showing how educators successfully use Twitter. Some demonstrate how your teachers can contribute themselves, while others show how your staff can benefit from ‘following’ others.
Sharing Motivation Techniques
Motivating students is a crucial part of any teacher’s job. But every learner is different, so your go-to technique might not always be the best option. Teachers on Twitter enjoy sharing their own methods with others, especially when it comes to motivating students. Their input makes Twitter a great forum for your staff to discover new ideas and discuss their own style.
Giving Advice to Students
School and college students make up a significant proportion of Twitter’s usership. Those who are preparing for exams can find educators on Twitter offering sound advice and guidance. For your school’s students, seeing encouragement from teachers they know can be really reassuring.
For your teachers, an online presence gives them an outlet to support any student, not just those attending their school. This can be a real confidence booster and reaffirm their passion for helping children.
Offering an Insight into the Life of a Teacher
A strong teacher-parent relationship is integral to a child’s learning. But, mediating a connection between teachers and parents can be difficult. One way to foster the relationship is by sharing an insight into the life and challenges of being a teacher.
This is a good example of a teacher using Twitter to share their feelings. While it offers an insight to others, it is also a good way for your staff to find support from other teachers and relieve internal pressure.
Sharing Thoughts from Teaching Events
Networking events are a popular method of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers. But, many are unable to attend them due to their work commitments. Helpfully, some of those in attendance will recount insightful takeaways and learning opportunities from the event on Twitter. So, even if your staff don’t attend an event, they can still catch up on the important parts through social media.
Discussing Current Issues in Education
The field of education is ever-changing. Whether it’s new legislation or changes to exams, there’s always a topic rife for discussion. A great way to form an opinion or increase your understanding is by reading the thoughts of others.
The Twitter teaching community offers the perfect platform to discuss current education issues. This gives your staff the opportunity to learn more about education and develop their knowledge of subjects they may not otherwise encounter until later in their careers. A well-informed staff is a real advantage for your school.
The Importance of a Policy
To provide your school’s staff with real guidance, it is crucial that you have a school social media policy to refer to. Without it, your staff may be unaware of their responsibilities and the parameters in place regarding their social media usage.
Writing a social media policy can be difficult. It requires thorough research and a full understanding of each platform. It should also be extensive and wide-ranging in its coverage. Rather than starting from scratch, contact the Eduprise team, and we’d be happy to send you a school social media policy template.
Achieve Social Media Success
The most successful teachers on social media share their insight with others and use the platform to improve their own skills. The potential for self-development is clear. Their presence on social media also humanises their work, which helps to develop closer links with parents and the school community.
The Eduprise team has an extensive understanding of the relationship between schools, teachers, and social media. We have helped many schools implement social media policies that facilitate the utilisation of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and govern their staff’s usage to prevent issues.
If you would like some guidance on your school’s and staff’s usage of social media, we would love to help, so do not hesitate to contact us.
