Twitter for Parent Communication

(Keep Your Parents Updated Quickly, Easily)

Whenever I talk to people about Twitter, I usually get one of three reactions:

1. They love it
2. They think it's a waste of time
3. They have heard of it but really don't have a clear idea of what it is

If you fall into the third group, watch this short video for an explanation.

If you understand what Twitter is, you may still be skeptical on how it could ever be helpful to teachers and schools. 


Check out the Twitter feed I have embedded in the left-side of this web site.  It has very short messages.  The nice thing is that I do not have to edit my site in order to update it.  I can send a Tweet via my cell phone in a matter of seconds from anywhere at anytime.


Best Practices for Using Twitter for School Communication

1. Create an entirely new Twitter profile if you have a personal one in order to generate your school/class tweets.  Keep your online professional and personal "worlds" separate.
2. Combine your technology. Embed your Twitter feed into your school web site.  
3. Keep the account login information secure so updates are done by trusted personnel.  
4. Use Twitter to communicate with parents, not students. 
• DPS Board Policy 5150 states the following:Employees may not use personal web sites or online networking profiles to post information in an attempt to communicate with students in their roles as school system employees.
• Facebook and Twitter are blocked for students by the District's Web filter to adhere to CIPA regulations, but are accessible by staff.
5. Keep your tweets up to date, but don't flood your followers with too many.  

So, how can you utilize Twitter to communicate with your community? Visit the Google Doc wiki below to view a few ideas and add your own ideas, benefits, and concerns.

http://goo.gl/hU3YO