Friday Focus - January 6

This week's Friday Focus is going to be a "guest post" from another Daily 5 teacher, Laura Komos who is now going to be a regular addition to the Sisters' Tip of the Week.  I've shared Laura's blog a few times now and enjoy learning from her reflections on teaching with Daily 5/Cafe in her classroom.  

I've shared a countless number of times how much I have learned by connecting with other educators on twitter.  With the announcement of Twitter being opened up after student contact hours, I wanted to share with you Laura's recent post on the benefits of Twitter from a Teacher (if you want to ask a Dodgeland teacher, just let me know and I'll share some go-to people to ask what they think).

With permission from Laura, here is her post which can also be found on the Sisters' site:

Twitter Tidbits: Twitter Has Changed My Life!

by Laura Komos

Twitter has changed my life. Yes. You read that correctly! I'll admit, when I first joined Twitter, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing or how it all worked. My first tweet on January 18, 2010 was, "I'm on Twitter. Now what?" followed by the exact same tweet months later. Once I got past the initial fear of having no idea how it all worked, I started jumping in and figuring it all out. It's almost two years later now, and I can say with absolute certainty that Twitter has changed my life. In fact, Twitter has changed my life in ways I never dreamed possible!

Twitter has become an invaluable addition to my professional development. It is the world's largest (and arguably best) PLN (Personal Learning Network)! I can learn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if I choose to. I've connected with like-minded educators from across the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. I have a support system, as well as a network of friends who push my thinking daily!

Not only have I become a writer because of Twitter, but my Tweeps encouraged me to start a class blog and individual blogs for my students. Through these connections, I also co-hosted a blog book chat around Patrick Allen's book Conferring with author/teacher Cathy Mere and first grade teacher Jill Fisch. Last month, Stenhouse Publishers and author Kassia Omohundro Wedekind approached me to be one of four blog stops focused on Kassia's new book, Math Exchanges.

On a weekly basis, my Canadian friend Melody and I co-moderate (host and facilitate) a chat about the Daily Five/Cafe. I also participate in a weekly first grade teacher chat so that I can connect and share ideas with my global grade-level teammates. I've also added so many books to my To-Be-Read pile, thanks to my tweeps and especially Donalyn Miller's monthly TitleTalk chat!

Last week, I met many of my Twitter friends at the NCTE convention held in Chicago. Never before did I find myself surrounded by so many passionate, brilliant educators! Because I am able to customize my list of who I follow, I have created my own network of book-loving, techy, child-centered teachers. 

Ultimately it was also Twitter that brought Joan, Gail and me together! Because their thinking has so greatly impacted my teaching life, I think my connection to them has been one of my very favorite Twitter benefits. Sitting down for coffee and chatting about writing for them was (and still is) very surreal. I thank them.. and Twitter.

In the weeks to come, I'll be sharing some tips and tricks for getting started on Twitter! If you're like me and enjoy just jumping in, be sure to look me up (@Komos72!) See you soon! 

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 If there's interest, I can share more about twitter at our February Tech Tuesday.  If you want to try it on your own, here's a checklist to get started once you make your account.  And of course, I'd be glad to help with any questions you may have. 

Happy Weekend! :)