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"If you are in an educational field as a student, teacher, or parent, you may have wondered about the benefits of social media-specifically Twitter. All that tweeting seems like it could give you a headache. What if Twitter was more than just a way to dish about the amazing Caprese salad you had at lunch and actually a way to help students learn better? Here are 5 ways that Twitter may enhance learning . . ."

Just to review, the idea behind the Twitter Writing Contest was simple… compose a story in exactly 140 characters and post it on Twitter. I want to thank everyone who participated, because there are a ton of talented writers out there (even at 140 characters)!

"Saturday morning someone asked me why some of my tweets start with a period. I was participating in the New Teacher to Twitter (#nt2t) chat. A twitter chat is an hour long conversation on a particular topic. This means that I am replying quite a bit. When you reply to a tweet it starts the tweet with the @symbol. Twitter assumes that when you are replying that you are talking to that person and not all of your followers. A tweet that starts with the @ symbol does not go to the Twitter stream of your followers. It can still be publicly seen through the hashtag or on your profile, so it is not private, but it does not get as much exposure as a regular tweet does."

"n this context, Twitter is working hard to enhance the performance of its search functionality. They have now what is called Twitter advanced search engine. Next time you use Twitter search and it does not turn up results for your desired terms, you may want to use these search operators :"

" Using Twitter sounds so simple. Type out no more than 140 characters - the maximum allowed in a single tweet - and hit send. That's all, right? Not quite. Twitter's interface may look simple, but it is not, and its complexity has turned off many people who tried the service. This is a problem because one of the big questions facing Twitter before it starts trading as a public company, perhaps as early as next month, is whether it can attract enough users to become a robust outlet for advertising dollars. Although Twitter brings in money from advertising, it does not yet sell enough ads to make a profit. "

Recently, many libraries across the nation have begun adopting Twitter as a means to keep on the cutting edge of new technology as well as keep patrons informed and interested in library services.Not sure Twitter has a place in your library? Here are all the resources you'll need to make an informed decision on whether or not to become part of the growing number of Twitter users.

10 raisons de se désabonner de Twitter. Nétiquette sur Twitter

Real time Twitter trends and search tool. Pick your own topic or watch popular Twitter trends

Real time Twitter trends and search. Pick your own topic or monitor popular Twitter trends

"Is this you? You've joined Twitter. You're following a few people. Your profile picture may or may not be an egg. You've even tweeted a couple of times. But you're wondering what all the fuss is about. Or maybe this is you? You've joined Twitter and you've found tons of interesting people and ideas. But there is just way too much information. You can't keep track of the stuff you want to know more about.   If one of these scenarios sounds familiar, you've probably begun the process of building your PLN (see this post I wrote back in September), but you want guidance about how to make it extraordinary, transformative and-most importantly-personalized for you and your needs. Here's how to master Twitter in five steps:"

"If you aren't using Twitter, chances are that you're reluctant to adopt new technology. Or maybe you've used Twitter for years to keep up with friends but now want to use it in the classroom. Either way, you might be hesitant to ask colleagues for help. Fear not. We'll guide you through the Twitter landscape and show you how to find the best educational resources for both yourself and your students."

"In case you didn't know there are thousands of educators and an array of learning communities over at Google+.  The bottom line is that many people are missing out on some great content, resources, and conversation.  From my point of view educators become quickly attached to one specific social media tool as their go to source for his/her Personal Learning Network (PLN).  Take Twitter for example.  Now anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely love Twitter as a professional learning and networking tool. It has been and will continue to be my number one choice when it comes to learning in the foreseeable future. Twitter has many positive attributes, but also a growing number of negative aspects.  Some examples in my opinion, include an increasing amount of negativity and disrespect, rise in social media cliques, difficulty in following chats, noise, and overbearing opinions.  Even as Twitter still works great for me and others it is not the only player out there.  Nor should it be considered the best learning option for all. At times I just need to get away from the echo chamber to focus more on my learning."

" just came across this wonderful video featuring 7 steps to use Twitter to grow professionally. This is basically " Summer of Twitter " challenge created to motivate teachers to use Twitter to connect with others in education."

The Twitter Dictionary aka Twittonary provides explanations of various Twitter related words. You can search the entire Twitter Dictionary or by single word using their letter of the alphabet in the list below:

"I spend a significant amount of time watching Twitter; in particular teachers and educators on Twitter. I call this research although I know I am deluding myself as at best it is usually procrastination. I am beginning to notice with interest that Twitter is causing the power balance in education to be shifted slightly away from the centre with a number of grassroots initiatives that look as if they are influencing policy for example a few high profile Tweachers meeting with Ofsed and the Headteachers Roundtable . Among the many topics currently being debated in this Twibe is evidence informed teaching practice and Random Controlled Trials (RCT). This interest has been particularly apparent over the last 18 months or so. I see the trigger being a presentation given by Ben Goldacre a doctor, academic and author of the Guardian column Bad Science and the book Bad Pharma. "

Twitter is a great place for educators to share ideas. It has become my go to place when I am looking for something to read, a new idea or some inspiration. It is a great avenue for sharing practice, asking questions and building a community.    But . . .   . . . Twitter has some problems and these seems to be growing. To get the most out of Twitter a degree of caution is advised.

" lot of words have been added to the dictionary over the past few decades thanks to social media, but few have become so widely used and accepted as "hashtag." For a long time, the hashtag symbol (#) was known simply as the "pound" symbol. Now, I could swear that the only time I hear it referred to as a pound symbol is when I enter my PIN number to pay my cell phone bill. Manage and plan your social media content with the help of this free calendar template. While hashtags were originally made famous by Twitter, they're now used on many major social networks, including Facebook and Instagram. Let's explore what a hashtag is, why they're so great, and how they work on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram."

"If I told you your child's teacher was constantly on Twitter, you might, without thinking, react negatively. What a waste of precious time. Aren't there better things you could be doing? How dare you troll around on social media instead of planning my child's next thrilling Common Core lesson. The truth is much the opposite. There is an amazing world out there on Twitter, and for educators, there is much to find and benefit from."

"I talk and share what I do with a lots of teachers. When these educators hear about the ways their colleagues are using blogs and Twitter in their classrooms they are intrigued. Most of them are interested enough to want to look further, but the idea is a bit overwhelming. I find this to be especially true of primary teachers. "What would that look like with young children?" they wonder. "What do the different blogging tools look like if you teach six year olds?" "How could you use Twitter in a kindergarten classroom?" "Yes, I can see what that would look like with older students, but my students are young. Most of them can't yet write. What would THAT look li"