Social Networking Activity
I’ve had twitter for five
years. It all began when I was trying to
follow my kids to spy on them. Although
I have had twitter, I wasn’t one to follow anyone other than family members or
tweet or retweet for that matter. This
assignment has allowed me to realize the potential of using social media to
network. As per the assignment I followed
a teacher. The teacher’s name is Katherine
Sokolowski. She is a seventh grade
teacher and is a beginner at being a romance writer. Her twitter handle is @katsok. Katherine shares motivation videos like the
one she retweeted on February 11, 2019 when shared a story exhibiting how
Stephen Curry could have had a bad day, encouraging others to have a positive
mindset, which I thought I was good share, so I did retweet. On March 8, 2019, she shared the Book Love
Foundation promoting others to submit an application for a book foundation. She shares links where followers can vote for
Global Read Aloud Choices, she shares her joy of reading. She has a blog where she reflects on
teaching, reading, writing. In her blog
she recommends books and interviews authors.
In short, she shares motivational videos, post job vacancies and
opportunities for free books. The
application for fee books is a great way to help those libraries whose budget
is low. I followed the author Andrew
Smith and his twitter handle is @marburyjack.
Mr. Smith tweets about finding his book in a library in Iowa. On February 2nd he promoted his book Exile
from Eden. On March 1, he promoted his
book the Size of Truth. Wow, he has two
books in the same year. Although Exile
from Eden is not quite out yet. Andrew
responds to honors that he has received and his is big on promoting other
authors. He is one that connects with
the audience, he retweets about publishers.
On March 21st he shared a writer’s worksheet and on March 24th,
he had a Q & A session about the book that wrote, talking about the reasons
why one should read his book The Size of the Truth. I followed the literacy organization Young
Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) whose twitter handle is @yalsa. The organization had a wealth of information
to share. On February 15th
they tweeted inviting non-members to join in their subscription webinars. On that day they also tweeted about
fellowship opportunities, planning summer programs, and resources from ALA
among other things. On February 16th
they shared the top ten graphic novels.
On March 18th, they promoted giveaways and the top ten list
for summer reading, which I shared with my colleagues. On March 19th they shared the
quick picks for reluctant readers as well as learning programs such as Learn
About Multiple Literacies and Get Program Ideas. On March 30th they shared the ALA
elections and a Doctoral Fellowship as well as a six-week e-course that will
make library accessible to patrons, which is a great way to continue education. On March 15th and on March 21st
the organization tweeted about leadership opportunities and summer learning
programs as well as YALSA’s Symposium. I
followed the Publisher Harper Collins @HarperCollins. The publishing company also had a wealth of
information to share with its followers.
On February 15th they shared twenty Young Adult books to add
to your must read collection from buzzfeed.com.
On February 16th, they shared a chance to twin one of fifty
books, which I of course shared with our librarian. They also promote book stores. On February 17th, they shared an
article from the Atlantic.com about Why We Forget Most of the Books We Read,
which I shared with the ELA department head.
They follow authors and share their pitch sales. The publishing company follows the New York
Times. They share quotes from books. They also retweet from their Harper
kids. They have cover reveals and on
March 1st, they had a behind the scenes recording with the Fire on
High audiobook. The publishing company
retweets awards and reviews and they even shared Time Magazine’s 5 funniest
books, which I shared with our librarian and the ELA department. The librarian that I chose to follow was Joquetta
Johnson @accordin2jo. Joquetta has made
an impact on other people as evident by her retweet on February 15th. On February 16th, she retweeted
about proposals for the Hip Hop research for kids only. On February 27th, she retweeted to
provide opportunities for black history month.
On February 28th she shared websites that empower young media
consumers. On March 21st, she
shared that she was excited and honored to have been selected to participate in
the ALA Library workshops for new racial healing practitioners. On March 25th she encouraged
others to find friends that celebrate them, which is a great message. On March 29th, she shared that she
received an award for being a “Drum Major for Social Justice”. In April she shared events like the school
library bingo. On April 3rd,
she retweeted on legislative advocacy.
On April 7th she shared awards and an article that provides
great insight and suggestions to read aloud.
I followed Teri Lesesne @ProfessorNana on January 27th, there
was a retweet on 2019 outstanding international book list. On the same day, Dr. Lesesne retweeted about
the Walter Award Winners and Honorees as well as the impact of extended
instruction and storybook reading and the acquisition and that direct
instruction is less effective. On
January 28th, she retweeted the Schneider Family book award and also
retweeted the Write Now! 2019 conference.
She also shared what other teachers are doing when the weather does not
permit students to go out. In this case,
the teacher posted that with “bad weather, students can stay indoors to
read.” On February she retweeted the
launch of new books. In March, she
retweeted the NTX Teen Book Festival, which is a free book festival in North,
Texas showcasing Young Adult and Middle Grade authors. On March 12th she retweeted about
the 12th annual Boothbay Literacy Retreat. On March 18th, she shared how
poverty is a powerful factor affecting educational outcomes. She also retweeted about job opportunities
and summer reading opportunities, which I shared with our librarian. She also shared the Center for Teachers, CTT
article by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, Debbie Reese and Teri S. Lesesne. In April she shared about the Children’s book
fest and the top 11 most challenged books.
The last person I will write about is Karin Perry @kperry. Dr. Perry is always asking “What are you
reading tonight?” She is really big on
doodling and presto sketching. On
February 16th, she retweeted the new e-book Draw in 4. In February she also retweeted Dr. Lesesne’s
presenting books to librarians in Conroe.
She also shares cover reveals. As
I followed the teacher, the librarian, the publishing company, the author and
my professors, I noticed the potential impact of following others on social
media. As a result, I began following
John Green, Chris Crutcher, Jason Reynolds, the New York Times and more. I have learned that following authors and
publishing companies affords librarians opportunities to stay abreast on new
trends, books grants, books and more. In
following authors, librarians, teachers and professors, I learned that I can
find events professional opportunities to further learn. In addition, I learned that I can use social
media to promote events, testing dates guidelines and information to the
community and all the stake holders. A
librarian can share student awards and accomplishments as well as plan a summer
program and share the program with the community. I was made aware of conferences that I am
able to attend so that I can learn about writing, reading and how to acquire
information that is important for a librarian.
I also learned that social networking is great for just…networking in
general, to gain new ideas and to connect to others who are in your field. It is a way to promote your students, school
and others. I learned that social media
can be used to make a social and emotional impact as it can be used to motivate
and educate.
