So you’ve created a Twitter account, and started following all the key voices in education. However, you have no clue as to what sort of hashtags you should be using. I remember when I started using Twitter and would always get stuck when it came to the bit where I should use a hashtag. I would spend ages trying to think of the sort of hashtag I should use and then go off searching google to see what I should be using. By the time I had decided on what to use the moment was lost and so I would delete the Tweet! So if you are going through similar or just need a general idea of the best hashtags for teachers then keep reading.

Maybe I should start at the beginning.  What is a hashtag?

When used properly, education hashtags can help you take part in important conversations and make valuable connections whether you’re a teacher or part of the SLT. Some hashtags are genuinely helpful when you are trying to search for important things like #nationalpoetryday or #happyfriday, while some of them are #totallymadeupandobscure, either by accident or on purpose.

A hashtag automatically becomes a clickable link when you tweet it. Anyone who sees the hashtag can click on it and be brought to a page featuring the feed of all the most recent tweets that contain that particular hashtag. Twitter users put hashtags in their tweets to categorise them in a way that makes it easy for other users to find and follow tweets about a specific topics or themes.

Things to think about when using Hashtags.

When you tweet and want your message to be part of a larger conversation beyond your followers, by adding relevant hashtags to your message you’ll automatically reach anyone who is monitoring the same hashtag.

Some best practices for educators wanting to up their hashtag game include:

  • If you are wondering if others are using a certain keyword for a hashtag, simply enter it into the Twitter search function with the # before it and see what it pulls up.
  • Clicking on a hashtagged word in any message will show you all other Tweets using that keyword.
  • Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet – at the beginning, middle or end.
  • Use more than one hashtag if it applies to more than one topic, but choose wisely. Three is plenty!
  • Don’t hashtag spam – if your tweet doesn’t add to that hashtag’s topic, discussion, or user base, don’t add the hashtag.

Try and do a search for #ukedchat and you will come up with a huge stream of tweets which have been tagged as interesting to anyone wanting to read about UK education. As well as searching for tagged tweets, you can tag your own tweet to make sure you are talking to an interested audience that extends beyond your followers.

Twitter has become an effective way for teachers to share information and resources as well as connect with like-minded experts in education. If you want to get started on Twitter and you’re looking for some relevant tweets then here are some of the best hastags for teachers to use in the UK

#ukedchat – For those involved in UK education, this hashtag is one of the most popular in the UK and is often used for resources, debates and information.

#edteach – Used by those tweeting about UK education but not as widely used as #ukedchat.

#edtech – A wide range of tweets will come up with this search relating to the use of technology in education. One of the more popular subject-specific hashtags used.

#education and #edu – More relevant for worldwide tweets about education news and information in general rather than teaching-specific tweets.

#elearning – Throws up lots of tweets about e-learning – teaching-related, school-related and more.

#KS1, #KS2 , #KS3 and #earlyyears are great hashtags for searching specific tweets about each key stage level and will help narrow down the advice and resources you see in your feed.

#lrnchat – Linked to learning, this hashtag throws up a lot of teaching links but also everything in between, such as learning and self-development as an adult.

#mathchat #scichat #engchat – A few hashtags used worldwide which throw up lots of tweets from around the globe. Team it with #ukedchat and you could narrow down tweets from the UK.

#nqtchat, #NQT and #Nqts are relatively popular hashtags for newly qualified teachers , tweeting about everything from advice to resources.

#School(s) – This can encompasses a wide range of school-related topics but isn’t as widely used for teaching resources – a great way to find schools and information on school-based articles.

#Teachertips – A relatively popular hashtags for advice-based articles for teachers.

#TeacherTuesday – Log on every Tuesday and share teacher-related quotes as well as suggesting other educators for fellow tweeters to follow.

#Teaching – A popular hashtag for teachers, but also commonly used for teacher recruitment – so be prepared for job adverts with this search.

#SEN – Useful for teachers who specialise in SEN. Teamed with additional hashtags such as #teaching will help filter some non-teaching tweets out.

I hope that has helped to clear up some of the mystery behind the dreaded hashtag.  Oh one other tip, which has me stumped in the beginning.  If you are using an apple mac, then the hashtag can be found by holding down ‘alt’ and the number ‘3’.  Happy Tweeting!