Last October, I had the privilege of writing an article for the ebulletin Raising and Educating Deaf Children: Foundations for Policy, Practice, and Outcomes. In this article, I described how teachers of the deaf (ToD) have been turning to social media in order to grow professionally and to collaborate with others. The article can be found here http://www.raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org/2019/10/04/using-social-media-for-professional-growth-and-collaboration/
Although I am a member of many Facebook groups that focus on deaf education, I find Twitter to be my preferred connection to other educators and professionals. The hashtag #DeafEd is one that I search for regularly. I love seeing what other ToDs are doing in their classrooms and what new resources they found or made. I enjoy reading snippets of the latest linguistic and brain research. I feel connected to Deaf advocates from across the globe fighting for equal rights.
Every day I get on Twitter and learn something new. Recently, I engaged in a rich conversation with a few Deaf linguists about language, Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills, and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency. You can read the archived conversation here https://wke.lt/w/s/1VWhaR
Why are you waiting to start using Twitter? No more excuses. Your professional growth depends on it. I'll wait right here as you open a new tab on your computer and join Twitter...
Now that you signed up, what do you do? Start following people. Who should you follow? Look for like-minded professionals, those that are in your field, those who share the same interests, those who discuss topics that are of relevance to you, your students, and your profession. Do what I did when I started - find one person to follow, then look at who that person is following. You will find a treasure trove of potential people to follow. You can follow me! @HeidiGASL
If you want a few recommendations of who to follow to get you started, check out this list. These are people/organizations that I follow that I think everyone in #DeafEd should follow. It is not an all-encompassing list, and just because I do not include someone doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow them. I just can’t list everyone. These are top-notch highly engaged folk on Twitter. Also, many schools and programs for the deaf have Twitter accounts. Feel free to search for them too!
Once you feel comfortable with Twitter, consider participating in our monthly #DeafEd Twitter chats. Happening the second Thursday of every month, 4:30pmPT/7:30pmET, it is a fantastic way to learn from colleagues about various topics pertinent to deaf education. For information on how to participate in a Twitter chat, check out this informational video by Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lJ9YRAwOj4
I can't wait to see you on Twitter soon!
In no particular order...
Deaf Education Specific
@laurenmaucere @tcsamaripa @transformdeafed
@treejam7 @ThisisNYCarlos @rafnarr
@AtomicHands @michaelskyer @NRSCenter
@NationalDeafCtr @CEASD1868 @CAIDOfficial
@sarahlovesears @wyattehall @TerynceTeaches
@SuptNYSD @FSDB_PD @DeafKidsCode
@KymPMeyer @jrscoyote @Caledorg @jmhenner
Education in General
@tolerance_org @ClearTheAirEdu @NatGeoEducation
@alicekeeler @christienold @brewerhm
@TheJLV @teacher2teacher @sevenzo_org
Advocacy
@behearddc @talilalewis @DisVisibility
@CouncildeManos @DisSolidarity
International
@Sarah_albuzaid @DeafTechF @skymazef3
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