Education Law

All the little birds on jaybird street …

… love to hear the robin go tweet, tweet, tweet. Do you Tweet? Do you know what Twitter is? If the answer is no, don’t worry. You’re in good company?69 percent of adults don?t really know either.

You would think that with an estimated $48 million of free media coverage per month, most people would have a better grasp on Twitter, even if they don’t use it. But according to a new study from Harris Interactive, 69 percent of adults don?t know enough about Twitter ?to have an opinion about it.?

Well, let’s put this one to bed. Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are short text blurbs of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. Yeah, and it’s all the rage. People love to know what other people are doing or thinking.

What’s the use, you may ask? BoardBuzz came across some interesting coverage from the Glasgow Daily Times that can enlighten us. Two Kentucky school systems, Barren and Metcalfe County, are recent adopters of Twitter.

“The Metcalfe County School District has made a massive attempt over the course of the past few years to improve communication, both within the district as well as from the district to parents and the community. Twitter gives MCS one more opportunity to communicate to those parents and community members,” said Justin Hubbard, Webmaster for the school system.

Communication with your community is one prime example of how Twitter can be leveraged.

“Parents, students, staff and community members who follow Metcalfe County Schools on Twitter get real-time updates on events, and receive important announcements in a timely manner. Using Twitter allows us to send instant information to people who want it,” he said. “Twitter is a fairly new tool for Metcalfe County Schools. The district began tweeting just this summer. As our district calendar fills, however, and as announcements are made, Twitter will become much more vital to the district.”

Metcalfe County Schools Superintendent, Pat Hurt also tweets to keep people informed and engaged.

?I believe if I want our staff and leaders to be users of the latest communication tools, I have to lead that. I want our teachers to integrate technology in the classroom and so, when there is a novel way that may get used by young and old alike, I will try it,? she said. ?Communication cannot be over done, nor can the integration of technology in our teaching. We are preparing students for a tomorrow we cannot see, but we know 21st century communication skills will be needed.?

?I think it will help to enlighten people about the role of the superintendent and the level of activity the job entails. It is a form of accountability as well as forum for communication in real time,? she said.

Barren County Schools also began tweeting last school year.

“We don’t necessarily do daily ?tweets’… we do them when we think it is appropriate. We try and keep them ?light’ as well as informative,” said Benny Lile, director of technology and instruction. “This is a technology that more and more people are relying on for information. There is no cost to it and takes very little time so we just see it as another avenue to help communicate with the community. I have oft said that I am not sure what the longevity of Twitter will be but if it is a long term tech trend we want to be there taking advantage of it.”

Twitter is easy to start and a great way to communicate with your community. If you’re still looking for more information, BoardBuzz suggests visiting Mashable’s Twitter Guide. They’ll get you up and running with Twitter 101 as well provide you with tips, best practices, and a glossary of the lingo. 

Do you tweet? Let us know.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on August 04, 2009 (boomark / email).