If you aren’t on Twitter already, maybe this list will be the push you needed to give it a try. We’ve rounded up our ten favorite organizations to follow on Twitter. All of the organizations on our list are dedicated to supporting teachers and students as readers and writers. Though they’re presented as a ranked list, each organization has served as a source of trustworthy advice, research, and ideas to us at Two Writing Teachers. We hope you’ll enjoy them as well!
#10. @MindshiftKQED
Mindshift is a podcast produced by KQED, San Francisco’s public radio station. On the podcast they feature real teachers and real kids in a way that most other news and media coverage does not. On Twitter, @MindshiftKQED not only shares the latest podcast episode, but they often share relevant, up-to-date, and super interesting articles, ideas, and information that all teachers can dig into.
If you’re looking for book recommendations, tips for teaching or instructional coaching, links to really good articles, or general inspiration, you can get a daily dose of these by following @teachersforteachers.
#8. @nerdybookclub
We’ve been huge fans of The Nerdy Book Club forever. Their blog/website and Twitter feed is a treasure trove of not only book reviews and recommendations–but stories of teaching reading, learning to read, and loving to read. Published authors frequently write posts for The Nerdy Book Club, describing bits and pieces of their writing process and writing lives.
#7. @TheEdCollab
The Educators Collaborative provides an array of innovative professional learning experiences. Lots of online study groups and courses, as well as their free twice-a-year online “conference,” called TheEdCollabGathering. Follow @TheEdCollab for lots of up-to-date inspiration.
#6. @stenhousepub
Following Stenhouse Publishers on Twitter will give you the inside scoop on all their new books coming your way. In addition to the latest news on what’s coming out, you’ll see updates on your favorite authors’ upcoming workshops and presentations.
#5. @choiceliteracy
Following Choice Literacy on Twitter helps you keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in literacy education and professional learning. New professional books, conferences to attend, articles to read, video clips to watch, you name it.
We Need Diverse Books is an organization with an important mission: “Putting more books featuring diverse characters into the hands of all children.” The We Need Diverse Books website, as well as their app, Our Story, provide important resources for building diverse classroom libraries and finding diverse mentor texts to use in writing instruction. They also mentor aspiring authors, and advocate for changes in the publishing industry. Follow them on Twitter to keep up with and be a part of the movement.
#3. @HeinemannPub & @HeinemannPD
The folks at Heinemann Publishing are highly active on Twitter, sharing tons of great resources every day. Their Twitter feeds announce upcoming books and author presentations, as well as inspiration and information from around the web.
#2. @NCTE
The National Council of Teachers of English is a gigantic organization of teachers, with over 25,000 members, and 62,000 followers on Twitter, it is an organization to know, if you didn’t know already.
#1. @TCRWP
The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, based at Columbia University, is professional home-base for a least a few Two Writing Teachers authors. From updates on innovative teaching practices, to live-tweets from TCRWP events, this Twitter feed is one you probably don’t want to miss out on.
If you’ve been on Twitter for some time, do you have a list of a few favorite organizations? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below.
And if you’re still holding out – will 2018 be the year that you join the thousands of other educators who are already connecting with each other on Twitter?
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 
Great list! Thanks Beth.
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Fantastic list! I was already following most, but just added the others. I am also a huge fan of @edutopia. Thanks for sharing these!
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This is great, Beth! I can’t begin to express how much my life as an educator has been positively affected by Twitter. To be honest, I was reluctant to “join” because I didn’t feel I would have enough time, nor did I realize the benefits. But connecting with other educators, organizations, and people (a) is something I can easily do when I have a minute or two to look at my phone, and (b) has helped me keep current on many national conversations around literacy. Love this post!
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This is an extremely helpful post. Thanks so much.
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I’d like to add two hashtags that you should follow. #TeachWrite is a monthly chat (first Monday at 7:30 Eastern) that encourages teachers to be writers. #G2Great is a weekly chat that meets on Thursdays at 8:30 Eastern. This chat discusses innovative ideas in literacy education and always includes an author guest and a book give-away. This week’s chat is with Tom Newkirk. Don’t miss these opportunities to join a community of teachers/learners/writers.
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A minor correction re: #10 – the public radio station in San Francisco is KQED, not KWED. Thanks for putting this list of resources together.
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