Hashtags for Teachers: How to Use Them for Growth, Learning, and Discussion

Social media is a powerful tool that allows everyone from kids to scientists to teachers to connect and share. Hashtags (#) connect similar topics and conversations and by using them, you extend the reach of your messages and add value to your posts.

With school back in full swing, we’re focusing on how Twitter and hashtags can be used in the education industry. By joining in on or leading a hashtag conversation, teachers can share powerful moments from their classroom, gain insights and helpful tips from other teachers, and receive and lend support to others in their field. One area teacher who maximizes Twitter and hashtags is Kayla Delzer (@MrsDelz). Kayla is a 2nd grade teacher with West Fargo Public Schools and recent speaker at TEDxFargo, as well as the co-founder of two different hashtags, #happyclassrooms and #FMedchat.

#happyclassrooms is used to share positive things happening in classrooms around the world, and #FMedchat, which will start this month,  is an education-based chat meant to help not only local educators learn, grow, and discuss, but also educators worldwide. And when asked about how she uses Twitter for continued learning in her profession, she said,  “I participate in and lead chats to learn from forward-thinking educators who push my thinking and challenge me to think outside the educational box.”

Kayla also incorporates hashtags into her classroom. She has hashtags proudly displayed around her classroom and even has a class Twitter account, @TweetingTopDogs, that’s run by her students. The students’ tweets showcase what they’re learning, their classroom environment, and industry-related hashtags. It’s a great way for them to learn how to be digital citizens from an early age.