By Jillian Martin
Recently, my seventh graders were asked to define globalization in their social studies class. Their definitions of globalization were varied, but they all had one thing in common: globalization is when the world is more connected. It is when you can Skype with your family in the Dominican Republic and call your friends in Thailand.
Our world is more connected than ever, and that is in huge part due to the many social media platforms we use, including Twitter. Social media is not just for connecting with friends and family halfway across the world. It is used by millions of professionals to discuss their common interests. City Year Boston uses Twitter not only to connect with future and current corps members, but to the communities in which we serve, and to learn more about education. The following accounts are our five favorite education-centric Twitter handles.
@BostonSchools
Our first twitter is a no-brainer. We serve in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) system, and need to be connected with them on Twitter for the latest in school news, including events and weather information. BPS also tweets about new studies, tips and tricks for teachers, and is involved in education chats on the social media platform.
@EducationWeek
Education Week was founded in 1981 as a newspaper that printed news and analysis directly related to K-12 education. This Twitter feed is much more academic, focusing on studies surrounding education and looking closely at education policy at the federal level. They also tweet national news related to education, like when a Philadelphia district planned to open an online school.
@Edutopia
Edutopia’s goal is simple: make education better. How do they do this? By using social media and edutopia.org, they shine a spotlight on evidence-based best practices for teachers to implement in the classroom. They celebrate fun ideas for the classroom, bust myths that inhibit instead of innovate, and share good reads.
@Scholastic
At the thought of Scholastic, one might remember flipping through catalogues of books in preparation for the book fair. In addition to celebrating reading, Scholastic tweets tips for parents, math games, and links for students and adults to check out.
@EmergingEdTech
Students are digital natives; many have been using computers, phones and even tablets since they were toddlers. Many educators are adapting to this learning style and incorporating technology into the classroom as a way to engage their students. EmergingEdTech.com author Kelly Walsh shares articles ranging from what apps to download to your tablet to articles that discuss classroom technology.
Thanks to Twitter, we can all connect with like-minded people by following education themed accounts and chat about education using various hashtags. This technology is second-nature for our students, but, with some practice, we can also use social media and technology to enhance our learning too.
About the author:
Jillian Martin was a 2012-2013 corps members serving on the MFS Investment Management team at the Dever-McCormack Upper School in Dorchester.
