As as educator of K-12 educators, I follow trends in the field via Twitter. It has been an invaluable addition to my life. In fact the US Department of Education sponsors a yearly (this is the second year) Connected Educators Month each year - see http://connectededucators.org/ . Teacher often work in silos of isolation (Sheryl Nussenbaum) and Twitter brings them out of the isolation to connect and share with; and learn from their peers. There are some principals on Twitter who state that they want their teachers to connect via Twitter and consider that factor as part of their hiring process. Here are some references that discuss the why and how of Twitter. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Why-Teachers-Should-Try-Twitter.aspx http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/01/twitter-for-educators-beginners-guide.html http://rossieronline.usc.edu/twitter-for-teachers/