Before actually jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, physical education teacher Blue Jay Bridge followed the conversations online among teachers for 8 months. But once he started tweeting, he couldn’t be stopped.
Now, more than 11,000 tweets later, Bridge is up for an international social media award from the ThePhysicalEducator.com, a website which encourages teachers’ professional development through online networking.
“Teachers are sharing all the time, but they’re growing as well”, phys-ed teacher Blue Jay Bridge
The Winnipeg teacher and two other competitors from St. Louis and Singapore are finalists in the “Best Twitter Teacher Award” category.
Bridge says he is undoubtedly excited, especially because it was an open nomination.
“Enough educators from around the world thought I was deserving of this opportunity, as well as two other fantastic individuals whom I’m nominated with,” he says.
Through Twitter, Bridge interacts with other phys-ed teachers from around the world, discussing new techniques and activities and ways to engage with students.
‘It’s become this really cool place where teachers are sharing all the time, and they’re sharing their best practices, but they’re growing as well,” says Bridge.
Bridge also sends tweets to his students and their parents through another account he created with fellow teacher from Henry G. Izatt Middle School, in Winnipeg, Deondra Twerdun.
“We’re sharing stuff to our neighbourhood and we share to the world, things that are happening in our classes… I look at that as …community building,” he says.
The results of the contest will be known next week.
Meanwhile, Bridge is on vacation, camping with his family and only partially connected to the Internet. He can only tweet when he’s near the camp store that offers Wi-Fi.
Blue Jay Bridge, a physical education teacher at Henry G. Izatt Middle School, in Winnipeg, talks to Gilda Salomone about his nomination for the 2013 #PhysEd Awards.
ListenExternal links:
Blue Jay Bridge’s Twitter account: @MrBridge204
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