#EdTechTeacherChallenge - January 2020: Twitter, Day 1

Day 1 of the January 2020 #EdTechTeacherChallenge is to "Create a Twitter account and introduce yourself to the world". You certainly cannot participate in a Twitter EdTech Teacher Challenge if you do not have a Twitter account.

To create your account, go to twitter.com or download the Twitter app to your phone. The app is available for Android, iOS and Windows devices.

Whether on the website or through the app, click on the "Sign Up" link.

On the first sign up screen, you will enter your name, phone number and birthdate. You will not be able to continue if any of these fields are left blank. You do not need to put your full name in to continue. You can choose to use your email address instead of your phone number. Your birthdate is important because Twitter, like all social media and others, need to be in compliance with all the laws including FERPA, COPPA, etc. I will go more into these laws and what they mean for educators in a future post.

On the second sign up screen, it will ask if you allow Twitter to track your data. This is a personal preference for you and how you intend on using Twitter. Some of the data they track is which of your posts get viewed the most and how is the biggest influencer that follows you. If you are planning on building a brand empire, this data will be important for you. Even if your only interest is getting the latest tips and tricks on how to keep your kiddos engaged in your lessons, the analytics still might be helpful to you. So, check the box or don't. The choice is yours.

On the third sign up screen, Twitter will ask you to verify the information you entered in the previous screens. If you need to change something, click on what you want to change and you will be jumped back to that screen. If everything is correct, click on the "Sign Up" button and you will get a popup window asking to send a verification text or email depending on what you chose to sign up with. Click "Ok".

On the forth sign up screen you will enter the verification code you just received, it is time sensitive to I believe 5 minutes. Once you click "Next", you will choose a password. Good passwords are ones you haven't used before, contain at least one capital letter, at least one number and at least one special character (!@#$%^&*_?) if allowed.

The next three sign up screens will ask for a profile photo, a short description, and to follow some people. You can skip these for now, if you would like, since we will be doing these over the next couple days. If you do decide to complete these screens, you will be ahead and can relax while everyone else gets caught up. And there is nothing wrong with that.

The next screen asks if you want to turn on notifications. I leave turn mine off because they become too much of a distraction especially as you follow more people and more people follow you. This is another personal preference item. Once you make your decision, you will ready to start tweeting. A "Welcome Screen" will popup. By clicking "Get Started", you will get another popup to change your display preferences. This is something else you can skip as we will come back to it a little later.

Now, you are ready for your first tweet. Click in the box that says "What's happening?" and start typing. Introduce yourself, where you're from, why you joined Twitter, or anything else you would like. Remember to include the hashtag #EdTechTeacherChallenge and tag @mrsmathmagician. I will follow all Challengers and you are free to follow me as well.

NOTE REGARDING DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND DISTRICT POLICIES REGARDING SOCIAL MEDIA

It is very important to make sure you are aware of your districts policies on social media use regarding things that have to do with your school, your district, your students, etc. Some welcome all the good publicity they can get while others shun social media as deplorable. Twitter is a great tool for professional development and connecting with other educators. Like all media, be mindful of what you share and use it responsibly.