Below is an article in the August 1, 2012 issue of School Administrator magazine that I wrote in partnership with my colleague superintendents Pam Moran, David Britten, and Joshua Starr.
Can a message of only 140 characters really affect change in
the world? Twitter is doing just that one message at a time.
Twitter is the world’s second most popular social network
with 140 million users. Members send microblogs or “tweets” of a maximum of 140
characters. Twitter forwards 340 million of these tweets every day. Educators
around the world are using Twitter for conversations on significant educational
issues. Joining the confabulation, a growing number of school superintendents
are realizing the power of Twitter as a tool within the profession.
Twitter is helping superintendents overcome the isolation of
the office. David Britten (@colonelb) of Godfrey-Lee Public Schools in Michigan said he found
it lonely at the top. “Along came Twitter and although I didn’t really know how
to use it effectively at first, when I began meeting other superintendents like
Pam Moran (@pammoran), Dave Doty (@canyonsdave), and John Carver
(@johnccarver),” said Britten, “I quickly realized the value of connecting on a
nearly real-time basis with my professional peers.”
Pam Moran, superintendent of Albermarle County , Virginia
For Britten, Twitter fits his philosophy of transparent
leadership by providing him with a vehicle to communicate on the move to staff,
students, parents, and his Board of Education. He links Twitter to the
district’s web page, his personal blogs, and the district Facebook page, which
her personally manages. “One of the immediate benefits of real-time
communications is the growing level of trust between my administration and the
professional staff,” said Britten.
Joshua Starr (@mcpssuper), superintendent of the 147,000
student district of Montgomery County Maryland, uses Twitter to promote best
teaching practices. “If I am visiting a school and see a powerful lesson or an
effective teaching strategy, I can take a picture and send out a Tweet,” said
Starr. “It takes 30 seconds and not only let’s people know I’m visiting
schools, but gives them a glimpse into my educational philosophy and what I
value in teaching and learning.”
The depth of Twitter increases as users follow “hashtags,”
key words beginning with the pound symbol (#). This makes them easy to search
and connect. An on-going dialogue is taking place daily at #suptchat.
Lists also make Twitter more usable. “I follow
@DanielLFrazier/supts and it’s a key list for me,” said Moran. “I can click in
anytime and find any of several hundred other superintendents in the stream.
Some days, I may lurk in watching what my peers post because I just need the
reflective space. On other days, I will retweet and add to the conversation,
bringing in other people to the conversation.”
Beginning users are cautioned to take it slowly but be
persistent. The cacophony of messages can drive people away shortly after they
start. Taken as a whole, the messages make little sense at first. But users
watch and learn. It takes time to acquire an understanding of the power of the
tool.
“Even if a superintendent is not actively tweeting, they
should be monitoring Twitter,” said Starr. “There is an important conversation
happening about education right now, and much of it is happening on Twitter. By
following the right people, you can quickly understand what is going on in the
world of education, know what you need to read or, at least, ask your staff to
get up to speed.”
Moran describes Twitter as, “a tool for learning,
re-energizing, engaging, and searching collaboratively with people from all
walks of life and background experience. Twitter helps superintendents sow
their seeds of curiosity and reap the benefits of exploring beyond the
boundaries of our districts.”
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