Top 10 Twitter Accounts to Follow This Year: FOR EDUCATORS

Although this list is constantly being updated as I discover new and educationally relevant Twitter accounts, I am very pleased with my current Summer list of favourites. This list is for educators looking for awesome education related Twitter accounts to follow!
THIS LIST IS NOT IN ANY SPECIFIC ORDER!

Enjoy browsing, retweeting, and getting inspired!

TOP TEN TWITTER EDUCATION INFORMATION ACCOUNTS

10. @LibraryLadyJane

WHY:  She is a hilarious librarian that contributes her wit and intellect to the very popular website theonion.com and their grammar infographics as well as maintaining her own twitter account. Check out her twitter for helpful and hilarious tweets!

9. @RochelleTkach 

WHY: Rochelle is a Masters student at Brock University and has dedicated herself to improving online education and technology communication and learning! Fantastic Twitter account. Full of a wide variety of #edtech.

8. @mrsbedor  

WHY: A former teacher at my high school in the Upper Canada District School Board. Creative, energetic, and motivational Twitter page with multiple avenues of education information. Looking for a Twitter account to make you smile? This is the one for you!

7. @LessonToolbox  

WHY: Such a great collection of resources for lesson planning. Twitter account offers suggestions, reminders, tips & tricks, as well as links to more in depth learning and information.

6. @avivaloca   

WHY: She is an Ontario based elementary school educator. One of the most involved and consistent users of Twitter in the classroom I have seen. If you are looking for inspiration for #edtech in the classroom, this blog is for you!

5. @jen_theissen  

WHY: Librarians know best! Jen Theissen is a Librarian at Brock University and specializes in assisting Master and PHD students. Her Twitter is a great collection of tips for researching, writing, educating, and finding information!

4. @crutherford  

WHY: This Twitter account is well maintained by a Brock University Education professor! She posts a wide variety of informational and educational posts. Her blog is also a great read if you are looking for examples of a fantastic blog!

3. @hemremmem  

WHY: Insights from a DSBN Superintendent in 140 characters or less! Fabulous twitter account full of local and globally relevant posts about education, being a student, and succeeding as an education team!












2. @markwcarbone  

WHY: This account was one of the first I ever followed! Check out his contributions to #OSSEMOOC and the wonderful world of sharing information online. Comedic. Informative. Consistent. Always well-done!

1. @Jason_Ribeiro   

WHY: Jason Ribeiro is kind of like a personal research hero of mine. Heavily involved in the Brock University academic community, this grad student has made a name for himself by researching and sharing information about #edchat and online learning.

Thank you for reading! Check out my Twitter account and accounts under my Following tab to see who else I am following on Twitter! 

Tutoring with Taylor: Tyranny of Time

For the past year I have been working as a tutor for a private tutoring company in the Niagara Region.

My students range from grades 3 through to grade 12 (and up to fourth year University/College). Each student is tutored individually between 1-3 hours a week. Most of my students are ESL and have been in Canada for no more than 10 years (most from South Korea). 'Tutoring with Taylor' consists of a blend of English/ESL, literacy skills, conversational skill building, academic skill building, and a meta-cognitive approach to understanding and guiding their own academic paths. Currently I have 18 students a week each with a unique set of units designed for the summer. 

I have been looking forward to publishing a series of blog posts dedicated to my adventures with tutoring these students and this academic material. I have been enlightened and exposed to a new adventure of education and learning that has positively influenced my teaching philosophy.

One of my students has been writing a novel as part of our tutoring experience. We have been frequently discussing the concept of time and how there never seems to be enough of it. We began to pull that idea apart to discover what exactly the characters in his book (and us in reflection) are experiencing when they "do not have enough time". We are calling it our 'tyranny of time dilemma'. His character is struggling with not having enough time in each day to be as lazy as she wants, and as productive as she wants. I can certainly relate to that.

I am a big believer in effective and mindful time management. I have have worked time management skill building into my tutoring lessons with each student. I have found that the quality of homework has increased because students are actively planning time to complete homework AND to edit the work before submission.

I try as best I can to 'practice what I preach' and set time aside for writing (anything other than my thesis) and for being creative (taking photos or blogging). I am hoping to use blogging & photography as a component of my reflective teaching practice while continuing on this tutoring journey.

Here is a photo of a storm rolling across Brock University two days ago as I sat in the library and began to write this post on May 27, 2015. Posted on my twitter page.