Contact
Chris Carter Hertfordshire Development Centre Tel: 01438 843918 Email: chris.carter @hertscc.gov.uk
Do not delete cell
Links
www.twitter.com
Do not delete cell

 

What is a Twitter?	Why do people use it?	The HertsICT Twitter Feed	How do I follow the HertsICT Twitter Feed?
	Twitter
updated HGfL Twitter Feeds	updated Can I use Twitter in Schools?	New Using in a School Guidance

What is a Twitter?

Twitter is a ‘micro-blogging’ service that allows people to post short updates, of no more than 140 characters, onto the internet. People can then ‘follow’ these updates, either by signing up to Twitter themselves and then choosing to follow as many people as they want, or by simply viewing the ‘Twitter feed’  which is a web page of all the updates from one user.

• top

Why do people use it?

Twitter is used in different ways by different people. Socially it is used for people to tell friends/family what they are doing or thinking. Businesses use it to keep customers up to date with their latest news and products. The BBC uses it to post news headlines. Bands use it to keep fans up to date. There are now millions of Twitter users around the world.

The Hertfordshire ICT Team use it to post short pieces of news and information, about schools’ ICT, which we think may be of interest and use to schools. Each post (or ‘tweet’ as they are known) will always be short and to the point, and may link to further information such as another website or the HGfL. Followers can then choose to follow the link or ignore the ‘tweet’ if it is not of interest.

• top

Can I use Twitter in Schools?

Twitter is available in schools under the WF1 web filtering policy.

We encourage schools to get WF1 enabled, even if it's only employed on 1 computer in the school (perhaps the Head or school office) so that any possible online incidents can be investigated (eg online bullying via Facebook - a common occurrence.) It is easy to have different levels of filtering on different computers in school - it's not a case of everything having to be on the same filter, so many schools employ WF1 for staff, and WF3 for pupils.

• Find out how to change to WF1 web filtering
• Further information on the HGfL web filtering system

• William Ransom Case Study: Use of Twitter to Communicate with Parents New
• Verulam School Case Study: Using Social Media tools for home/school communication New

• top

Using in a School Guidance New

Using Twitter for Communication: A Guide for Schools

Schools that use Twitter report that it is an easy way of keeping the school community updated with short pieces of information. Because Twitter is accessed by many from mobile devices such as smartphones, it means they can receive your news any time and any place. Similarly, it is possible to make ‘tweets’ from mobile devices, so you do not need to be sitting at your desk to be able to share important information.

Download this document for facts you should be aware of and how to do it:

• Acrobat pdf, 437kb/7 pages, 11/10/2011, using_twitter_school_comms.pdf

• top

The HertsICT Twitter Feed

The Hertfordshire ICT Team have a Twitter feed which is used to post short pieces of news and information, about schools’ ICT, which we think may be of interest and use to schools.

Each post (or ‘tweet’ as they are known) will always be short and to the point, and may link to further information such as another website or the HGfL.

Followers can then choose to follow the link or ignore the ‘tweet’ if it is not of interest.

• top

How do I follow the HertsICT Twitter feed?

If you have a Twitter account you can just add HertsICT to your ‘following’ list.

If you don’t want to sign up to Twitter, just visit our Twitter feed page regularly:

www.twitter.com/hertsict 

This page also has an RSS feed so you can choose to follow us by subscribing to the RSS feed through an RSS reader.

• More information on newsfeeds

• top

HGfL Twitter Feeds

For a list of other Standards and School Effectiveness Twitter feeds you can follow please visit:

• eServices: Twitter feeds

• top