Exploring MTBos Post #2

So since the prompt for Exploring MTBos came up so late yesterday, I'm skipping the first part.  I've been using Twitter since July.  I joined because of a blog post that I read by another math teacher.  It has definitely been a worthwhile endeavor.  Shortly after Twitter became a thing in 200-I don't know, I joined and then immediately closed my account.  I didn't like it at all.  It was not offering anything that I wasn't getting elsewhere.  Now it is.

I love all of the professional development opportunities Twitter has to offer.  (Especially when you follow organizations that offer webinars.)  Most of all, I love using Twitter as a means of connecting with other math teachers.  The school I work in now is relatively small.  I am the only Geometry and Contemporary Math teacher in the building.  I often feel lonely and isolated.  The school I worked in previously was much larger and I was one of four teachers teaching the subject.  We shared lesson plans, resources, ideas, and experiences.  We were also centrally located, unlike where I work now.  In my school, teachers are located based upon the grade that they primarily teach.  While it is beneficial to be across the hall from two of the other 10th grade teachers, it is not beneficial to be so far from the other math teachers.

This past weekend, I tweeted a question to two wonderful ladies that have more experience implementing Interactive Notebooks.  They tweeted back right away with tons of advice and resources to help my situation.  An exchange such as this is the reason why I now absolutely love Twitter.  (I will add a follow-up post about that in the coming weeks.) 

Typically I use Twitter once a week during Geometry Chat (#geomchat - Wednesdays at 9pm).  I follow a few celebrities, but pay relatively no attention to the Twitter feed..  I peek in on some other choice hashtags (#mtbos, #mathchat, #made4math), and that's basically it.  The students in my school are avid Twitter users, so I've made my tweets private.  Of course, during Geometry Chat I have to go public, but I switch back and forth just because I don't want any students following me.  As an additional measure of security (just like with facebook), I'm careful about what I post.  It's a little easier with Twitter though because I don't follow any of the my friends and they don't follow me.  I use it specifically for professional development purposes, and I feel better about using it that way.