No, that isn’t an insult.
Twitter is GREAT for developing your teaching. I was skeptical too. In fact, I still am, but I’m starting to think it might be worth it.
Why? Well I’ll tell you –
- When I find something that I think another teacher might enjoy, I often send it via email. But when I get those emails from other people, I usually skim it and rarely use it. If I tweet it instead, MORE people see it, rather than just the one recipient, and I don’t have to feel like I’m pestering them by clogging their inbox.
- It’s the quick, short snapshop. Sharing things via blog posts are great, but they are long, reflective, interpretive. Like this one. When you are limited to 140 characters, you have to keep it snappy – which is all I have time for.
- You can follow LOTS of people, but narrow it by what you are interested in by the hashtag:
- #edchat
- #oestech
- #engchat (English teachers)
- #scichat (science teachers)
- It is GREAT at conferences. I used it a lot at Klingenstein, ISTE, and Learning and the Brain.
To reinterate: I was skeptical at first, but it’s worth a try. Just listen for awhile, and eventually start sharing. It might feel like you are drinking out of a firehose. You DON’T HAVE TO DRINK IT ALL! Just keep a few things that are helpful and leave the rest…
Julie Kallio, PhD 
Love the Twitter shout-out JKR! I too have found Twitter to be one of the single best ways to connect and collaborate with colleagues around the nation and world. I would second the suggestion to give it a try!
Here are a couple quick resources to get started:
1. Find teachers to follow here: http://bit.ly/cnlefI (Twitter4Teachers)
2. Read a former chat or view a live chat of educators who use Twitter. Go here for a great list of chats/hashtags: http://nyti.ms/nxiiML (NYTimes Learning Blog)
3. I have a few resources for learning about how to use Twitter with your students on my blog:
a) Twitter for Education: http://bit.ly/fOrdZD
b) Reasons Why Teachers Should Use Twitter: http://bit.ly/95djqt
c) How to Make a Class Backchannel: http://bit.ly/dSKxhK
Happy Tweeting! … “I Connect…”