For most of us, Twitter is a go-to for news and casual conversations with friends and others in our industry. Without even thinking much about it, we learn a lot of new information and share our knowledge with each other. That’s continuing education, and it’s essential for anyone looking for career growth.
Alberto Gómez is a blogger with a long-time experience in the publishing industry. He’s worked with a range of clients and has extensive knowledge about education and sustained learning. Plus, he’s a member of our #TwitterSmarter team. He seemed the ideal person to talk to about the changing trends in our typical education industry as well as how people are adopting Twitter for everyday learning.
Here’s a summary of our chat.
Topic: Using Twitter and Twitter Chats as Educational Tools
Guest: Alberto Gómez
Format: Eight questions directed at the guest. Everyone’s welcome to answer.
If you think about the internet as a whole, until about 15-20 years ago, there was nothing significant for the education industry to speak of. In fact, as Tim pointed out, it’s always been a rather conservative.
A1: Incredibly, though usually behind the rest of society in my experience, as the teaching sector tends to be conservative. #TwitterSmarter
— Tim Lewis @Stoneham Press #indieAuthorChat (@StonehamPress) January 16, 2020
As our guest Alberto mentioned, in the past, most people went directly from school to the workplace and learning ended right there. However, recently, education has taken a modern twist. More and more enterprises realize the value of flexible learning. For example, global giants like Apple, IBM, Google, and Microsoft not only let their employees learn online, but they also sometimes sponsor such continued learning experiences.
A3c But guest what? Atari, Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Linux, GNU, Nintendo, Sony, and other more. Rise to bring us a new era: The Digital Age! #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
All this, as Vítor specified, has given rise to the modern digital age, giving us more options like online MOOCs, learn-at-your-own-pace courses, and interactive tools, and training videos on YouTube.
A1: It has changed a lot, we have interactive tools, online courses, youtube and of course, that companies believe in the certificates obtained in this way #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/0kxZql3HZG
— Vítor de Oliveira – VitorPro (@VitorProDev) January 16, 2020
A5e Have you see a Tutorial in internet in the last 48 hours and learn something cool or useful? Guest what, this wasn't possible 30 years ago. Internet wasn't there (for the public 😉 ) #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Educational Technology or edtech refers to the use of software and hardware products to enhance learning experiences.
In a broad sense, as Eddie said, it indicates teachers using modern technology to improve the way they teach students within the classroom.
A2. EdTech refers to software designed to enhance teacher-led learning in classrooms & improve students' education outcomes. In the early stages of development but it shows promise as a method of customizing curriculum for a student’s ability level #TwitterSmarter https://t.co/W5515cyYyu
— Eddie Garrison #FacebookLive (@EddieGarrison) January 16, 2020
Over time, the meaning of edtech has evolved into refer to all kinds of learning, even beyond the standard classroom age. None of this is new, of course. Technology in education has been around for a while, but it’s catapulted recently because the internet has become cheaper and easily accessible around the world and mobile gadgets are more prevalent. Whether you’re looking to learn a new cuisine or the history of Old English, you can do it all online.
A2b Edtech is not new, but is changing rapidly thanks to software, internet, mobile devices and online communities. Now education is cheaper and accessible for many around the globe. You can learn from Economy theory to how to cook Chinese food. #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Tools and methodologies like Duolingo, Udemy, OpenEnglish, and even Wikipedia are all conveyors or edtech.
A3c Here some examples of Edtech: Duolingo, Udemy, Wikipedia, OpenEnglish, Kramer Electronics y University of People. And of course @thinkific @teachable #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
In a way, chats like #TwitterSmarter, also help people improve their knowledge, serving as a teacher.
Twitter is obviously one of the most progressive communication channels we have today. Not only does it encourage sharing of opinions about every imaginable topic, but it’s also a way for like-minded people to meet at specified times and brainstorm ideas using a common hashtag—like during Twitter chats.
Alberto shared some good ideas to use Twitter in an educational sense. For instance, you can share content in threads or make Moments about certain topics for anyone to consume. You can use videos, images, GIFs, and live streaming channels to have a more interactive communication with your community, and learn something yourself in the process.
A3b Twitter offer a bunch of features like:
+ Twitter Chats to comunication and feedback
+ Twitter Threats for main topics
+ Live Video and periscope for turorials
+ Moments to put ideas together
+ Advance Search to listen and research#TwitterSmarter— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Teachers use Twitter inside the classroom as well. And Avery suggested a few more ideas from that perspective. For example, teachers can have a dedicated hashtag for their class and encourage students to discuss on social media, finding each other through the common hashtag.
Another idea is to have students read threads and research topics using Advanced Search, or even to observe what industry leaders share and how they engage with their audiences. All these are powerful ways to learn and improve their understanding of proper social media usage.
A3. Here are a few ways to use Twitter in education:
☀️A class hashtag for conversations
☀️Encourage students to follow influencers in the field
☀️Have them do research on Twitter
☀️Share hashtags to follow and then have a class discussion on what's discovered#TwitterSmarter— Avery Horzewski (@averyh) January 16, 2020
Alberto mentioned a specific chat he likes. One is #CyACartuja where the instructor uses the hashtag to connect students with the professionals in the business and marketing industry. It’s an excellent way to ensure students get some exposure.
A4d @Jmalex invites more than 40 professionals and experts every year to show his students the news, trends, topics and businesses that are ruling the world right know. Cool don't you think? #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
In addition to that, our guest also shared an interesting introduction article about education Twitter chats. Check it out here.
Dr. Donald also shared some of his favourite chats, namely, #LTHEchat, #CCOutcomes, and #ChatOnEducation.
A4: #LTHEchat #CCOutcomes #ChatOnEducation
Just to name a few education chats. #TwitterSmarter
— Dr. Donald Hecht (@realDocHecht) January 16, 2020
And if you’re in the education industry, here’s a great place to find some new education-related chats.
Alberto’s top feature to use for education is a Twitter chat. Think about it: it’s the easiest way to get people to interact with each other. It’s so easy and intuitive that you don’t even have to learn how to use the system. Besides, the best part of Twitter is that it’s open to the public. Students not only get to share with each other, but they also get the opportunity to discuss and learn from a wider network of people.
A5a
A Twitter Chat. Think on a WhatsApp group but open & accessible not only for teachers & students, but also to the community. Use Twitter Advance Search to navigate into topic!
Check this conversation with @espirian to learn more: https://t.co/aSaD9R00un #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Twitter videos are quite powerful as well. You can upload videos of unto 140 seconds, as Alberto said. That’s more than 2 whole minutes! Considering the speed of Twitter, that’s a lot of time you can utilize to share meaningful messages. Here’s Twitter’s guide on how to use the Media Studio.
And here’s a helpful article from Madalyn that explains more about using the Media Studio to improve your reach.
A5b
Twitter Video and Media Studio. You can Upload videos up to 140 Seconds (remember the 140 characters). Its the same 😉
Here you can find more info: https://t.co/8qcOCunzQo #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Yet another great feature is Twitter Moments. A largely unappreciated feature, this lets you collect tweets of the same topic and package it as one easy-to-read piece. For example, if you’re a science teacher, you could compile the top 10 household science experiments tweeted out by people from all over the world, and present it as a project for your students. Or if you’re a business coach, you could collect tweets that talk about strategy and marketing.
A5c
Also, you can create moments with topics or Tweets with Videos. Think for example a Twitter Crash Course. Short videos to teach something.
Here a moment made by my friend @blogpocket hope you found some inspiration https://t.co/C2xaKqdrME #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
As our friends from Sked Social mentioned, Twitter Lists are a great feature too. Aside from being a way to group together a bunch of people in the same industry, you can also make your list public so people can subscribe to it. It’s an ideal way to share knowledge and learn as well.
A5: The list is endless! But my daily go tos are:
– Lists
– #TwitterChats
– Explore/Trending to see what's going on and relevant #TwitterSmarter— Sked Social (@getskedsocial) January 16, 2020
One of the major challenges of using Twitter for education is that most of the younger generation doesn’t see Twitter as a viable social tool. Most of them use Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok even, but Twitter is still alien for them. Despite the fact that the world’s most important news items, political incidents, and incidents are discussed and shared through Twitter, those who don’t already use the platform often miss out on its value.
A7b
Youngest generations uses Social Media a lot, but many of them Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and now Tiktok.
So we need to evangelize a little about twitter and encourage them to use it. #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Therefore, anyone hoping to spread knowledge through Twitter needs to evangelize the benefits of network on the platform.
A7c
When you teach the power and benefits of Twitter (not only for education, but also, news, networking, businesses, marketing, etc) and people catch the idea, its a instant crush and the love it. #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Our friends from The Karcher Group made a good point about being overwhelmed on Twitter. Since it’s such a dynamic platform with rapidly moving discussions, it’s too easy to get over-involved at first, feel a burn out, and then become overrun with emotion because there’s so much you can’t keep up with.
A7: If you aren't used to the fast-paced environment of Twitter and Twitter communities, you can easily get lost and overwhelmed. This is a definite hurdle if you are trying to teach via the platform. #TwitterSmarter
— The Karcher Group (@KarcherGroup) January 16, 2020
Also, like Jonni said, it can be difficult to get educators adopt new technology and online leaning systems.
A7: it’s getting teachers and the system to accept new technologies like twitter, e-learning #TwitterSmarter
— Jonni Martinez (@iJonniM) January 16, 2020
Alberto follows a systematic process. First he asks himself if he can effectively teach the topic on Twitter. Once he knows he can convey his lessons, he figures out a way to create micro content. A great example of using micro content efficiently is Gary Vee, who strategically distributes a larger piece of content in small chunks.
A8a
First I start with this question: Can I teach this topic by using Tweets (280 characters and 140 seconds video). If yes, this other question. How to put a topic into a micro content format? Need help with this, check @garyvee strategy https://t.co/uONqJohUt5 #TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Next, our guest turns to Twitter for research. He observes his audience’s behaviour and how they respond to interactions. All of this helps him identify the right tone and the type of material he should include in his course.
A8b
Second, I listen the audience, this means to follow and see how students are engaging and using technology and social media. This helps me define the tone, features, formats, length, etc. Also, their interests!#TwitterSmarter
— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Finally, equipped with all the information, Alberto creates the content itself, including tweet copy, images and GIFs, videos, and calls to action buttons. To do that, he uses tools like Canva, Inkscape, Twitter Media Studio, and TweetDeck.
A8d
Here some tools that helps me in this process:
+ @canva promos
+ @inkscape infographics
+ OBS video and live video
+ Twitter Media Studio manage media
+ @TweetDeck schedule#TwitterSmarter— Alberto Gómez ?? (@alberMoire) January 16, 2020
Of course, there’re more ways to go about planning an educational series. Another great place to start is by asking your audience what they want to hear from you. If you’re a teacher or a coach, most of your followers will be students and potential clients interested in learning from you. Survey them and see what they have to say. That can be a highly relevant way to come up with a curriculum.
Well, folks. That’s all from me this week. Thanks for reading, and if you’d like to see more insights from our chat with Alberto, check out this Twitter Moment Joana put together. Hope to see you around on our next #TwitterSmarter chat at 1pm ET on Thursday.
About me, Narmadhaa:
I’m a writer of all things—technical and marketing copy to fill the pocket; haiku and short stories to fill the soul. A social media enthusiast, I’m a member of the #TwitterSmarter chat crew, and always happy to take on writing gigs.
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