I’ve only been on Twitter for about a year, and even though I’m only in my mid-thirties, I’m usually behind the times when it comes to technology and social media trends.  I never had a computer in my house growing up, and because of that, I’m usually fine getting along without the latest phone, tablet, laptop, app, beeper . . . wait, forget that last one.  Originally, I started my Twitter account so I could follow my friends who are storm chasers @tornadotrackers.  After all, I was chasing with them in Kansas and Nebraska and I wanted to see how the amazing footage and pics we were getting were being shared with the world! (check out this video I helped shoot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMPc1EEyDxY&feature=youtu.be

A part of me still agrees with Texas head coach Charlie Strong when he said that social media will be”the downfall of society.”  I mean we can share our most idiotic, heat-of-the-moment thoughts with thousands, maybe millions, of people without really thinking it through first.  That’s scary to me.  So I haven’t done much tweeting over the past year.

However, this summer I must admit that I have become somewhat of a twitter junkie.  I’ve started following some old friends, as well as my favorite author @ericmetaxas. I love being connected with people I admire. The exchange of ideas and resources that occurs so quickly is continuous.  There’s always something new to read, see, or be informed about on Twitter.

Thankfully, because of the Math Rocks Community I’m also learning how Twitter can be an amazing resource for teaching!  I started following some math Tweeps like @mathminds and @mathcoachcorner and am already starting to get overwhelmed (in a good way!) with ideas and resources.  I’m also looking forward to participating in #elemmathchat and #mathphoto15 at some point.

Lastly, one of the most important things I’ve realized about Twitter is that I’m not just following, but I have the opportunity to be a leader.