Twitter for the #GlobalEducator

Twitter has become a vibrant venue where educators around the world connect and share ideas—in 140 or fewer characters at a time. Educators are building their professional learning networks through Twitter chats happening every day on every topic you can imagine in education—including global competence. How do you find these conversations? Check the Education Chat Schedule to start.

The other way to connect is through the use of hashtags. Hashtags allow you to connect with people you probably don’t know, but who are passionate about the same things. A hashtag is a word or several words prefixed by a # symbol. In this format, Twitter users tag an idea, group, or topic, thereby making it easily searchable. Go to Twitter and search #globaled and see what turns up.

Here are eight types of hashtags for educators who teach and learn about the world:

1. The global learning community
   Use #globaled, #globallearning, or #globaledchat to find other educators who are dedicated to building student global competence. Use in combination with the project-based learning hashtag, #pbl, to find real-world projects with which to connect.
    
2. Thought leadership
   Passionate about reforms? Check out #edchat, #edpolicy, #edadmin and similar.
    
3. World regions
   Tag and search world regions or countries to connect on geographic issues. For instance, #afghanistan will turn up a world of perspectives on that critical world region.
    
4. Issues
   For headlines or transnational issues, like #syrianuprising or #globalwarming, search tags first and see which ones are trending.
    
5. What you think or feel
   Combine topics with tags that reflect your feelings on a subject. For example, My students’ #solarpower project makes me #proud.
    
6. Global is digital
   Arguably, global learning is not authentic without digital tools to connect people and ideas around the world. Find ideas and innovators by adding digital and mobile learning hashtags, like #elearning, #edtech, #mlearning, or #web20.
    
7. Make it age appropriate
   Sometimes great ideas aren’t relevant unless you can find age-appropriate applications. Tag or search #elemchat, #kinderchat, #1stchat, #2ndchat, #7thchat, etc. to find educators who teach the same grade level you do.
    
8. Global issues in the academic disciplines
   There are many hashtags for the courses you teach. #mathchat, #scichat, #sschat, #flchat, #artsed are just a few examples. Combine your course tag and the grade you teach with #globaled or other hashtags to get very specific results.

Explore and experiment to find your own niche in the social media universe. It promises to be an educational endeavor.

To get you started, here are some globally focused accounts, along with their Twitter bios, for you to follow:

‪@educatorlisa Educator and lifelong learner. Still building my Global I.Q. Director of Programs at New Global Citizens. My tweets are my own.‬ Moderator of the weekly #GlobalEdChat.

@elemenous Apple Distinguished Educator Lucy Gray is an education technology and social media consultant; co-founder of the Global Education Conference. See also @globaledcon. https://twitter.com/elemenous

@edweekcomm The commentary section of @EducationWeek, America's education newspaper of record.

‪@GCPorganisers Grassroots global education community helping teachers explore new ways to connect, learn, share, and collaborate globally. Est. March 2011.‬

@GLNschools The Global Learning Network is an authentic learning community of well-respected educators who adopt global best practices via the OECD TfS (based on PISA)

‪@Global_DP A nonprofit organization dedicated to making everyone a globally connected learner. Close partner of @DigitalPromise.‬

@global_nomads Fostering dialogue, understanding and peaceful co-existence among the world's youth through #globaled #Exchange20 technology https://twitter.com/global_nomads

@growingupglobal Homa Sabet Tavanger, Author, GrowingUpGlobal ‪#GlobalEd‪ & #Globalcitizenship advocate. #Author, GrowingUpGlobal http://amzn.to/eEzt4U (RandomHouse) & http://globaledtoolkit.com (Corwin) Princeton. UCLA. Momx3.‬

@GTEorg Supporting internationalization of teacher preparation programs in the US. Mission of preparing globally competent teachers. ‪#GlobalCompetence‪ #IntTeacherEd‬

@Hsingmaster Host of EdWeek's Global Learning blog. Work at Asia Society to help ensure our graduates are globally competent!

@iEARNUSA U.S. member of the global K-12 project-based collaboration network. Join us at ‪#iEARN, ‪#globaled & ‪#exchange20 & learn with the world, not just about it. (Follow other iEARN member organizations, too.)

@julielindsay Global education consultant, Innovator, Teacherpreneur, Author, Leader, EdD student. ‪@flatconnections‪ #flatconnections,  ADE. Google Certified Teacher‬

@langwitches Educational Consultant, Coach & Mentor Modern Learning - Globally Connected Learning- The Amplified Classroom- Blogging As Pedagogy

@OWYP One World Youth Project links schools and universities around the world to build generations of discerning, empathetic & empowered global citizens.

@PrimarySRC Helping educators gain the knowledge & tools they need to prepare students to thrive in today's interconnected world. Tweeting: ‪@libraryjenn

@TGC_IREX Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) is an ‪@ECAatState program that enables U.S. teachers to globalize their classrooms.

@Tonya_Muro Director of School Outreach and Educational Partnerships ‪@AFSUSA. ‪#globaled collaborator! Global Citizen, Multitasking Mama of Twins! Eternal Hope-timist...

‪@VIFprogram‪ We build global education programs that prepare K-12 students for success in an interconnected world and believe in global learning for all.‬

@WorldSavvy World Savvy educates and engages youth in community and world affairs, to learn, work and thrive as responsible global citizens in the 21st century.

This list is just a starting point. The problem with these lists is as soon as it is so-called "done," it's incomplete! Please recommend others by tweeting to @AsiaSocietyEDU with the #globaled hashtag.