Twitter is a fantastic tool for teachers, but it can be a little (okay…a lot!) overwhelming when you’re learning the ropes. In our first slowchat with teacher hosts Lyndsay Nottingham and Sarah Thomas, we asked what you wish you had known when you joined Twitter to help your fellow teachers who are new to the network. Read on for their best tips and share your own in the comments below.

1. “Sip from the Twitter fountain, don’t try to guzzle it—there’s time to pick what works for you & learn.”—@heidinelt
2. “That you can look at the lists people belong to in order to find others to connect with—a great way to expand your network.” —@EduLeading
3. “The impact of growing my PLN and all the professional learning!”—@kdcreekmore
4. “Before I started Tweeting, I wish I’d known how much class fun you can share with families—w/o waiting for the weekly newsletter!”—@MsMileham
5. “I wish someone had taught me about list creation! Too many resources and people sharing. Very overwhelming!”—@edtechsmurph
6. “I wish I’d known about @TweetDeck. It makes it so much easier to keep up with active chats.”—@GartnerMel
7. “How to find, follow, join relevant chats for PLN building, tools, pedagogy tips.”—@philosophypaul
8. “How to connect w/ Ts for ProDev! I initially didn’t know about Twitter chats until #wateachlead.”—@GoZags2001
9. “I wish I would have figured out hashtags sooner. Great way to give students voice and assess. Great for them in online class.”—@kinsey80
10. “I wish I had known the strong positive value of telling your classroom story.”—@CorbellHiAk

Don’t miss this week’s slow chat about social networks—use #T2TChat to join in the conversation with hosts Lyndsay Nottingham and Sarah Thomas. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter if you don’t already!