One of the things I am most excited about in my new position of Innovative Teaching and Learning Specialist for Gering Public Schools is helping teachers and administrators build their own personal learning networks. I have been on Twitter for exactly six years. During this time I have made more connections with educators from around the world and learned more than I ever thought was possible. Learning how to tweet is fairly easy, but figuring out who to follow is not always easy. Twitter is only as valuable as the people you follow. If you are only following celebrities or other Nebraskans then you are missing out on some AMAZING opportunities to learn and connect.
I have put together a list of around 100 people to help get you going. I love lists because it allows users to group people together and follow them more closely, but at the same time I always fear I will leave someone off. The nice thing about following a list is that you are not following the people on the list. This allows you to preview people and see what they tweet about before you follow them.
I included a wide variety of people on this list from kindergarten teachers to college professors. I included teachers, administrators, and consultants from all over the place. Most are from the United States, but a few are international. A few are from Nebraska, but most are from other states. While we have our share of phenomenal educators in our state, I cannot express how important it is to connect with people from outside of our region as well. I'm not trying to discourage you from connecting with fellow educators from across the state. Local and regional connections are meaningful and valuable, but don't underestimate the value of connecting with people beyond Nebraska as well.
The one thing that all of the people on my list have in common is that each one of them is a valuable member of my personal learning network. I included a few people that I do not necessarily see eye to eye with because those tend to be the people who teach me the most.
As you grow your personal learning network I can promise that you will discover that it is a wealth of information. And if you invest some time in it you will make some great connections as well. Happy tweeting!
