The Power of Twitter and the National PE Institute 2015

About five years ago our technology department offered a course called The Connected Journey.  This was an online, self-paced exploration of the power of social media and education.  The Connected Journey encourage participants to explore the use of iPads, Twitter, and blogs.  I'm sure there were other requirements but at this time my memory of them is blank.

I was a Twitter hater.  My attitude about Twitter was unfounded.  I was in general a non user of any social media.  I did not have a Facebook page, I did no t have a Twitter account or Instagram.  I did not feel these platforms could offer me any additional help in my educational development.  Boy was I wrong!

Twitter has changed my teaching, classroom, and student learning.

Through Twitter I have met so many wonderful #physed teachers.

 

I wish I could list all the fabulous #physed professionals I have worked with through Twitter.  Over the last five years I have followed multiple physical education topics, best practices and initiatives in the field of health and physical education.  I have participated in a few collaborative projects via Twitter using Goodle Docs.  Because of Twitter I have increased my personal professional development and have a professional learning community that reaches across the world.  It has been a truly amazing experience.

This year I was blessed to be able to attend the National Physical Education Institute 2015 in Asheville North Carolina.

What made the Institute unique is that it brought the Twitter Community together for the first time.  For example the Physedagogy team has been working together for years on projects through social media, webinars and Google.  In their own words -  

The idea for PHYSEDagogy originated on a cold, dark, January night in 2013. That night, a group of Physical Education professionals who had been connecting on Twitter as self-identified “PE Geeks,” hosted a roundtable discussion via Google Hangout that they called “PE Geeks Unite”. After that initial conversation, members of the group decided to go further and on a Friday night in February participated in the first PE Geeks Unite Roundtable that was broadcasted live on YouTube via a Google Hangout On Air. One of the members of that group, Adam Howell, had an idea to launch a recurring video series that he called the PHYSEDagogy Teacher Spotlight. The idea was to merge the terms physical education and pedagogy into one. Thus, the birth of what would eventually become PHYSEDagogy.com.

Not only did this team meet meet for the first time in Asheville but, I too was able to meet my Twitter PLN.  I was able to finally shake hands and personally thank those educators who have supported, challenged, and assisted in my development as a physical education teacher.  I am so grateful that I was afforded the opportunity to attend the Institute and for all those who participated in the event.

I continue to contact this community via Twitter as I improve my assessment techniques, positive behavior program, and pedagogical models.  I have found Twitter to be one of the most valuable tool I use in physical education.  

If you are a PE teacher and you have not yet joined Twitter I strongly encourage you to do so.  If you are on Twitter and want to increase your participatory level check out Voxer.  It too is a great venue for the physical education community.