Now that you're on Twitter...

Created by @PalmyTeacher

Who are you?

Twitter really only works if you have followers who are interested in what you have to say. Sure you can use Twitter to just receive information, read articles others send, or see pictures of other people's activities; but the real power is in having people follow you and connecting them to the things you find interesting. Once you start engaging with your followers, the magic of new ideas and learning start to flow!

A quick search through my Twitter followers reveals many of the people I follow have yet to add photos or bios to their Twitter pages. Initially, some users may be hesitant to share or identify themselves on social media. I understand where that fear can come from, but by catering to it, you limit yourself to a world of new ideas. In the social media landscape, people want to know who you are, what you are about, and what ideas you might share with them. A profile like this one gives me no information about who this person is or what they may have to contribute. 

Adding a photo or a basic bio gives your audience a chance to find out a little bit about who you are.  @Astro_Sandy uses a handle and has a picture that makes me think that she is an astronaut, however, I have to visit her Twitter feed before I can really know for sure. Col. Mike Fincke goes one step further by adding a basic bio that lets me know right away that he is, in fact, an astronaut. 



Leland Melvin, while having one of the most epic NASA profile photos ever, goes even one step further and adds a very detailed bio that lets his audience know who he is, what he is interested in, and I can see why I might want to follow him. Since I am interested in STEAM and I can see from his bio that he is too, I know he might share or tweet about information I will like. He's a great person for me to follow.

Since you've taken the time to create a Twitter account and added a few followers, make sure you also take the time to add a picture and descriptive bio to your profile. Check out this video for a guide on How to Upload a Twitter Profile Picture.

If you are just getting started with Twitter and are interested in connecting with other educators to enhance your own learning, check out this great tutorial: Beginner's Guide to Using Twitter for Professional Development.

As always, feel free to reach out to the Ed Tech Department for additional help or support!

Customizing your own blog with Blogger

​It's been awesome seeing so many FSUSD staff starting their own blogs! Several people have approached me, asking how they can customize their Blog template to reflect their school colors or change the layout to meet more of their needs.

Blogger makes this process pretty easy and gives the user lots of options for personalization. Follow these simple steps to access the Advanced Customization editor. For those who are looking for a video to follow, check out the one by The Blog Beautician posted at the end.

Go to your Blog Editor and select Template, then choose Customize.

    

You are now in the Template Designer. From here you can change anything in the design of your blog. To get to the spot to change your link colors, select Advanced.

Find and Select Links to bring up the options for changing your link colors. There should be a live preview of your blog below the template designer so you can see how the changes will look before you Apply the changes to your blog. Once you are satisfied with your changes, select the orange button and Apply to Blog. 

Blogger: For the Total Newbie by The Blog Beautician

Anatomy of a New Post in Blogger

This is a little meta, however, for those of you who are new to Blogger, it may be helpful to be reminded of where different features can be found when creating a new post. 

Additionally, if you are creating several short posts to cover different topics, consider just writing one post and use Headings and Labels to let people know what info is contained in your post. 

Remember, if you need ANY assistance, you can reach out to me or your Ed Tech Specialist. We are happy to help!