In the last few months, I have led several sessions (in and outside of my district) on the benefits of using Twitter for professional development.  (Here is a link to my session.)  Usually, there are two types of educators in this session: 1.) Educators who have a Twitter account but rarely use it; and 2.) Educators who do not have a Twitter account.  However, both types of educators tend to have on thing in common:

They have never heard of TweetDeck.

Obviously, this is not the case for all educators but I would say that it is true for most of them.  Personally, I was not familiar with TweetDeck until last September.  When I was introduced to TweetDeck at an EdTechTeam Summit, I will say that it changed my Twitter experience forever.  It made my Twitter experience more personalized and easy to use.  It enhanced the experience, simplified it, and made it easy to sort through the thousands of information that come through my Twitter feed a day.

If you are not currently using TweetDeck, I can promise you that (after reading this blog post) you will never use Twitter the same again.

TweetDeck Overview

What is Tweetdeck?

TweetDeck is a personalized browser for viewing Twitter.  It offers a more convenient experience by allowing you to see multiple timelines at once, such as the Home feed, personalized lists, notifications, messages, and more.

How do I begin using TweetDeck?

Simply go to www.tweetdeck.com and log in to your account!  I have recorded several short videos below to walk you through the layout and features of TweetDeck.

Why should I use TweetDeck?

TweetDeck allows you to personalize the information on your Twitter account to better support your professional development needs.  In the last half of this blog post, I will list some specific ways in which you can use TweetDeck to personalize your learning.

Benefits for Teachers & Students

#1: Quickly View Feeds, Notifications, Messages, & More

When you first look at TweetDeck, it may look overwhelming and confusing.  However, once you begin using it, you will see that it makes it easy to sort through information.  Watch the video below to see an overview of TweetDeck:

What are the benefits for Teachers & Students?

Teachers and students can quickly view information based upon their preferences.  They will be less likely to get bogged down by all of the information posted on Twitter.  Instead, they can personalize their TweetDeck to view only the information that they need at that moment and bypass all of the extra information.

#2: Create Columns for Lists & Hashtags

The columns on TweetDeck can be personalized to include specific lists and/or hashtags.  Lists are one of my favorite things about Twitter!  Basically, lists are a group of Twitter accounts based upon a specific topic.  Here are some examples of my lists:

• HUSD – A list of educators from my school district.
• LON17 – A list of the Google Innovators from my London Cohort.
• EDU Favorites – A list of some of my favorite people to follow on Twitter.
• EdTech – A list of educators who share great EdTech tips.

Once you create these lists, you can create columns based on these columns.  When you view this column, you will only see the users from your list.  In the video below, I will walk you through how to create columns based on lists and hashtags:

What are the benefits for Teachers & Students?

The main benefit for teachers and students is the ability to quickly view information based upon a list and/or hashtag.  Is a teacher interesting in learning more about HyperDocs?  Then create a #HyperDocs column!  Is a student doing research on a person, organization, etc?  Then create a column that only follows the information that they need!

#3: Simple Twitter Chat Experience

Twitter chats are a great way to collaborate with teachers all over the world.  In Twitter chats, educators are given a series of questions to respond.  These responses tend to spark conversation among the other educators in the chat, too.  It’s a great way to think about what we are doing in our classrooms and get new ideas!

With TweetDeck, educators will be able to create specific columns based upon the Twitter chat hashtag.  In the video below, I’ll walk you through some tips on using TweetDeck for Twitter Chats:

What are the benefits for Teachers & Students?

Twitter chats are a great way to collaborate with other educators.  For students, I would love to see more Twitter chats to spark conversation.  By using TweetDeck, it simplifies the process of Twitter Chats.  Instead of seeing the “Home” feed (which contains everyone you follow), Twitter users can view only the hashtag of the Twitter chats.  By creating a column with the hashtag and notifications side by side, teachers and students will be less likely to miss any important conversations.

#4: Schedule Tweets

TweetDeck allows users to schedule their tweets to a specific time and day.  Watch the video below to see how to schedule tweets on TweetDeck:

What are the benefits for Teachers & Students?

Scheduling tweets are very helpful for teachers or students that are hosting their own Twitter chats.  It allows them to schedule the tweets and still participate in the Twitter chat.  In addition to this, it allows teachers and students to schedule tweets to share information and/or ask for feedback at peak times, even if they are not near a device.

#5: Link Multiple Accounts

TweetDeck allows users to view easily view and post from multiple accounts.  Watch the video below to see how to use multiple Twitter Accounts:

What are the benefits for Teachers & Students?

Many educators have multiple Twitter accounts, especially those that are involved in Twitter chats and other groups.  For myself, I have my Twitter account and I also manage our @HUSDChat account for our district Twitter chat.  When doing a Twitter chat, it is very easy for me to post on my account and the @HUSDChat account without logging out.  In the same way, students could also easily manage multiple accounts for their own Twitter chats and/or projects.

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As always, I would love to hear from you in the comments below!  Share your Twitter and/or TweetDeck experience with us!