I have to say I love communicating using Twitter . Other than being a Grammy sometimes and sharing Riley , most of my Tweets and other posts on social media are dealing with education . To be even more specific, my focus is on the unpacking, understanding and implementing #NGSS, hoping to collaborate with elementary schools teachers and coaches in this work.

Using Twitter I never really know if I am talking to myself or if I am saying something or sharing something that someone finds useful. For example, here is a Tweet that came from me thinking about #NGSS and Innovator’s Mindset  by George Couros . This was a Tweet that I sent during a #reflectiveteacher chat.

 

 

How do people feel when they see Tweets like this where I am pontificating ( for lack of a better word )

on my soapbox of #NGSS science for ALL kids and how struggling learning often use science as the vehicle to improve literacy or mathematical skills  Sometimes I just want to share colleagues who are near and dear to my heart as is the case in the second Tweet above.  For the most part I really never know. Oh yes, some of my tweets get liked and some get re-tweeted  but its not like I have an exit ticket filled out by my followers ( oooh maybe I can figure that out.)

The point of all this rambling is #NSTA16 Nashville changed that all. https://www.facebook.com/NSTA.FB/videos/10153619687767582/  

Educators who I had never met before came up to me and introduced themselves.  Here are some Vermont educators from Milton, Vermont. They came to the Elementary Extravaganza , now I have IMG_2166    a connection.

Other educators came up to me and introduced themselves. They came up to me and thanked me for the sharing I have been doing on social media, mostly on Twitter I think.

They didn’t know Kathy Renfrew but they knew @krsciencelady

I “tweet” because I am a learner. Every time I  post to social media or Twitter I’m hoping someone will probe my thinking, causing me to dig deeper,  or to find new resources. I love learning with and from my colleagues/my PLN

Meeting these people provided validation. Someone does read what I write . This has been one of the highlights of my time in Nashville, meeting teachers from around the country who thanked me for my NGSS presence on social media specifically Twitter.  I have learned there are a lot of lurkers out there who feel what I share is valuable.  I’m not always talking to myself at #elngsschat. I will continue to do so as long as everyone  understands I am a work in progress, I don’t have all the answers…I’m a learner too. Sometimes I might need to be more explicit about my first draft / current thinking…

 

Twitter , FB and other social media can be places of where we grow in our understanding of science.

 

 

 

Thank you all for being my colleagues!