Twitter As A Language Teacher’s Personalized PD

Rebecca Grimes, Upper Grand District School Board

Twitter is a microblog website that allows you to post messages of 140 characters or less. It can be an incredibly powerful tool for connecting with other educators around the world and creating your own Personal Learning Network.

Some basic terminology:

username / Your twitter name. It is preceded by @. / nom d’utilisateur
tweeter / a person who tweets / un tweeteur
a tweet / a message of no more than 140 characters. A tweet can include pictures, videos or links to other websites. / un gazouillis / un tweet / un twit
to tweet / to post a message on Twitter / gazouiller / tweeter / twitter
a list / use a list to organize accounts you follow by similar topics (e.g. People I know, French Teachers, etc.)
a hashtag / use the # to identify key words / topics. These keywords then become hyperlinks that allow you to follow a discussion / topic. / un mot-clic
DM / direct message / a private message (not visible on the Twitter page) sent to a follower / un message directe
Twitter Chat / Tweet Chat / Using a hashtag, like-minded people meet onine at a specific time to discuss a topic.
Tweetup / a in-person meeting of people who follow each other on Twitter
RT / Retweet – use if you are copying someone else’s post
MT / Modified Tweet – use if you are copying someone else’s tweet but need to modify to fit 140 character limit
Following / tweeters you are following on Twitter / abonnements
Followers / tweeters who are following your tweets / abonnés
Tweeps / your group of people on Twitter (e.g. your “peeps”) / Twittos

Create Your Account:

  1. Create a username and keep it short
  2. How will you use Twitter? Do you need / want a personal account and a professional account?
  3. Privacy Pros & Cons
  4. Upload a picture to personalize your account. Replacing the egg default picture also shows others that you are serious about being active on Twitter
  5. Fill out your profile. This will help other likeminded Tweeters find you.

Getting Started:

  1. Follow people who interest you
  2. Don’t hesitate to “lurk” for a little while as you get used to Twitter
  3. Don’t be shy: jump into conversations and add your thoughts and ideas.
  4. Follow hashtags that cover topics of interest to you
  5. Don’t expect to read every Tweet posted by the people you follow.
  6. Check your account regularly and post regularly.
  7. Post links, ideas, photos, questions, answers, articles, resources, quotations

Useful Tools:

  • TweetDeck is an app available for SmartPhones and computers. A free download, it allows you to easily organize the way you follow others. You can have multiple columns or “feeds”.

Cautions:

  • If you receive a Direct Message saying that so and so is saying terrible things about you – do NOT click on the link. This is a spam / virus message.
  • If you receive a reply to a tweet from an account you are not sure about (or don’t follow), do NOT click on the link – at least not right away. Click on the username and check out their stats.
  • If a user’s stats indicate that they have only sent a couple tweets (or, conversely, that they have sent hundreds of tweets) and they follow lots of people but don’t have a lot of followers, then the account is likely a bot and should be ignored. (You can “block” the tweeter and report them for spam.)

Useful Educational Hashtags:

#edchat  educational chat official meeting: Tuesday at noon and 7 pm EST

#claved  French educational chat  official meeting: Wednesday at noon EST

#langchat language teachers chat official meeting: Thursday at 8 pm EST

#FLE Français langue étrangère

#FLS  Français langue seconde

#frimm  French Immersion

#ONTEd  Ontario Education

#sschat  Social Studies chat official meeting: Monday at 7 pm EST

#twittclasse  use if your class tweets in French

#edtech  technology in the classroom

#FF or #FollowFriday  use to promote tweeters that you follow. Can also be a good way to find new tweeters to follow (#VV or #ViveVendredi en francais)

Active Language Teachers:

Rebecca Grimes / Learner. Teacher. Traveller. Photographer. Helping students discover French and History.
Shauna Nero / French, French Immersion,Spanish & Social Studies teacher in BC. Works to use tech,collaborate & put her students at the center of the learning process
Jayne Abrate / The American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) is the largest national association of French teachers in the world with nearly 10,000 members.
Ingrid Veilleux / Grade 7 Late French immersion teacher, wife, mom, crafter & life-long learner. I seek joy & authenticity.
Cristy Vogel / High school teacher of French who loves to connect & collaborate with educators around the globe.
Catherine Ousselin / French (M.A.) Teacher, World Language Tech Consultant/Presenter. Geek. Research interest in 19th cent. Parisian literary cafés.
C. Hughes / SD No.73 Language Coordinator, French Immersion/FSL Educator, MEd SFU. - Supporting second-language teachers.
Sylvia Duckworth / Core French teacher in Canada. Passionate about #AIMlang and technology! Class accounts: @mmeduckworthgr3@mmeduckworthgr4@mmeduckworthgr5
mmebrady / French teacher :) techie
Joe Dale
/ UK Independent modern foreign languages and technology consultant. Host of the TES MFL forum and MFL portal manager for the OU's Vital programme.
Theresa Conlin / I'm a teacher who loves her job! Interested in technology & engaging students.Teaching Core French, Art, Music, Drama, & Media Lit. :)
Ma Jose
/ Prof de FLE
Colleen Lee-Hayes / Japanese teacher trying to incorporate more tech into her teaching....and blogging about the journey....
Cote Annie / Prof de français au secondaire. Alter ego de @anniesentiers Ici pour discuter et là-bas pour mes élèves.
Mona Metcalfe / Teacher of French in secondary school for 12-18 year olds. Enthusiastic user of ICT.
Kelly MacLeod / French teacher and francophile. In transition...searching for my destiny.
Celeste Lalonde / I'm a grade 5/6 French Immersion teacher in Regina....Looking for new ideas and resources...

Other Language-Learning Oriented Tweeters:

OMLTA / AOPLV / Ontario Modern Language Teachers' Association/Association Ontarienne des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes
·
CASLT ACPLS / Excellence in teaching languages / L’excellence dans l’enseignement des langues
OffQc
/ For lovers of French + diehard fans of all things québécois!
LangCanada.ca / Resources for ESL and FSL / Ressources en français et en anglais langues secondes
CPF National / Founded in 1977, CPF is a proactive national network dedicated to ensuring children have the opportunity to become bilingual in the Canadian school system.
iSLCollective French / Fiches pédagogiques FLE gratuites + ELE, DAF, ESL Resources
Le Point du FLE / Hélène Weinachter ♥ Les meilleurs liens pour apprendre et enseigner le français - et les langues
fdlmorg
/ Toute l'actualité du français langue étrangère : depuis 50 ans, la revue de référence des professeurs de FLE, partout dans le monde.
Français Avenir / Le français pour l'avenir (French for the Future) est un organisme à but non lucratif qui encourage les élèves canadiens à apprendre et à vivre en français.
1Jour1Mot / Chaque jour, la définition d'un mot de #français peu usité. #fr Merci à @julie_adore pour le fond Twitter ;-) Contact: 1Jour1Mot{@t}gmail.com
RadioFLE / Podcasts, Radio, Archives Sonores, Conférences, Blogs / Réseaux Education, Apprentissage Langues, FLE
CFORPmultimedia / Éditeur numérique de ressources pédagogiques multiplateformes/Educational Digital Publisher (Ottawa, Canada)
textivate
/ The twitter account of textivate.com - create online browser-based interactive exercises from any text.
T’enseignes-tu ? / Administratrice du blog T'enseignes-tu (le FLE) ? destiné aux enseignants ... de nouveaux articles toutes les semaines ! Vos retours sont très attendus :)
Steven Smith / Former Head of MFL at Ripon Grammar School, barbershop singer, drum player, prog fan. Retired in July 2012 to spend more time reading and making resources.

French Culture Tweeters:

CFAmériques / Pour que rayonne la francophonie aux 4 coins du continent!
Conte-moi / Conte-moi la francophonie est un centre de ressources en ligne du patrimoine oral francophone regroupant des contes en provenance de différents pays.
Real Life Language / Real Life Language brings relevant, real language for travel and more from native speakers to people looking to learn real language for real life.
lefrancaisjadore / Le Français j'adore! La langue française à tous les grands événements!
Frenchophile / Frenchophile celebrates all things French: culture, travel, food, wine, restaurants, art, literature, people, fashion, happenings and more.
La Francophonie / L’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) : 75 États et gouvernements | + de Culture, de Démocratie, d’Éducation, de Développement.

Find out more:

11 Tips for Twitter Newbies:

45 Simple Twitter Tips Everyone Should Know About | Edudemic:

A Teacher’s Guide to Twitter:

Cybrary Man’s Collection of Educational Hashtags:

R U Ready 4TwitterII:

Twitter acronym and abbreviation crib sheet:

Use Twitter #Hashtags to Amplify Your Learning:

Vocabulaire Twitter: 15 Mots et Symboles à Connaître!

Pinterest.com

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board, allowing you to create visual bookmarks to great websites. You can organize these “pins” into a multitude of different boards.

You can create a Pinterest account using your Twitter or Facebook accounts. Your Pinterest homepage is a visual display of recent pins by people you follow.

Pins:

  • Pins are the pictures found on Pinterest.
  • On your homepage, if you hover over a “pin” (a picture), you will be given the option to “like,” comment on, and repin any pin you find. When you repin a picture, you can add it to any of your boards or create a new board.
  • You can also pin directly from websites using the “Pin It” button (add to your bookmark bar by going to

Active Language Teachers on Pinterest:

Rebecca Grimes /
Sarah Shackelford /
Cristy Vogel /
Andrea Behn /
SunnyEarthAcademy /
Texane /
Diane Farrug /
Shannon Weibe /

Facebook

A few pages to “like” on Facebook for French resources and ideas:

American Association of Teachers of French /
Français pour les profs de français langue étrangère /