Top Texas School Districts on Twitter in 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 5, 2016

Contact: Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards at (254) 307-1375 or jtedwards@tarleton.edu.

Top Texas School Districts on Twitter

The top Texas School Districts on Twitter will be honored at the 5th Annual Texas Social Media Conference in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday, November 4.

Fort Worth, Texas - The Texas Social Media Research Institute (@TSMRI) will present statewide social media awards (advertising/media, arts/culture/entertainment, finance/insurance, construction/equipment/contractors, family/community/civic organizations, government/education) at the 5th Annual Social Media Conference (#TXSocialMedia) in Fort Worth, Texas on Friday, November 4, 2016. The following Fort Worth Area companies will be honored at the #TXSocialMedia Conference.

The Top 10 Region 4 Texas School Districts on Twitter:

Klein ISD	@kleinisd	1
Houston ISD	@houstonisd	2
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD	@cyfairisd	3
Alief ISD	@aliefisd	4
Fort Bend ISD	@fortbendisd	5
Spring Branch ISD	@sbisd	6
Spring ISD	@springisd	7
Aldine ISD	@aldineisd	8
Pasadena ISD	@pasadeniaisd_tx	9
Lamar CISD	@lamarcisd	10

The Top 10 Region 10 Texas School Districts on Twitter:

Carrolton/Farmers Branch ISD	@cfbisd	1
Dallas ISD	@dallasschools	2
Grand Prairie ISD	@grandprairieisd	3
Frisco ISD	@friscoisd	4
Midlothian ISD	@midlothianisd	5
Garland ISD	@gisdnews	6
Irving ISD	@irvingisd	7
Mesquite ISD	@mesquiteisdtx	8
Rockwall ISD	@rockwallschools	9
Duncanville ISD	@duncanvilleisd	10

The Top 10 Region 11 Texas School Districts on Twitter:

Northwest ISD	@northwestisd	1
Keller ISD	@kellerisd	2
Carroll ISD	@carrollisd	3
Arlington ISD	@arlingtonisd	4
Mansfield ISD	@mansfieldisd	5
Lewisville ISD	@lewisvilleisd	6
Denton ISD	@dentonisd	7
Fort Worth ISD	@fortworth_isd	8
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD	@emsisd	9
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD	@gcisd	10

The Top 10 Region 13 Texas School Districts on Twitter:

Round Rock ISD	@roundrockisd	1
Austin ISD	@austinisd	2
Leander ISD	@leanderisd	3
Georgetown ISD	@georgetownisd	4
Hays CISD	@hayscisd	5
Pflugerville ISD	@pfisd	6
Lake Travis ISD	@ltisdschools	7
Comal ISD	@cisdnews	8
Dripping Springs ISD	@dsisd	9
Manor ISD	@manorisd	10

The Top 10 Region 20 Texas School Districts on Twitter:

Northside ISD	@nisd	1
North East ISD	@neisd	2
San Antonio ISD	@saisd	3
Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD	@scucisd	4
Alamo Heights ISD	@ahisd	5
Southwest ISD	@swisd	6
South San Antonio ISD	@ssaisd	7
Boerne ISD	@boerneisd	8
Harlandale ISD	@harlandaleisd	9
Southside ISD	@southsideisd	10

The top Texas School District Twitter accounts in each category will be honored at the 6th Annual Social Media Conference in Fort Worth, Texas at Tarleton State University Fort Worth on Friday, November 4, 2016.  To register for the conference, please visit http://www.txsocialmedia.org/. Representatives from the “Top Texas School Districts on Twitter” are encouraged to contact texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com for a special registration code.

The following criteria were utilized to determine the top Texas School District: included on a Texas Education Service Center district list, Klout (influencer) score of at least 40, and number of followers. For more information about Klout scores, please visit http://www.klout.com/

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The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is a group of faculty, staff, and students at Tarleton State University with a mission of conducting social media research; sharing social media best practices; and providing social media education for students, non-profit organizations, state agencies, school districts, and higher education institutions.


Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
Join Us for Our #TXSocialMedia Weekly Twitter Chats on Thursday Nights at 8pm CDT
texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com

Engaging with K-12 Parents on Social Media (Especially Facebook Pages)

As a new millennial teacher, you could follow five these steps for promoting parent involvement in your class social media page:

1 - Produce a video (on YouTube) focused on HOW you would like the Facebook page (or other page) to function and the benefits the page provides to the parent.

2 - Email this video with an introductory message to the parents.

3 - Schedule Facebook page updates for the parents. (This can function as a time management hack for you during the school year).

4 - Provide interactive post experiences for your parents. (For example, provide an assignment for the weekend and invite parents to post the results of the assignment via a picture on the class page. The students do not have to be pictured on the page. Here's an example of how parents can feature their kids without showing their faces. I try to avoid facial recognition technology for my little one and I like her photographs (from a mommy blogger) - http://mommysnippets.com/diy-dinosaur-fossils/

5 - Provide praise for your parent (and legal guardian) participants!

Sometimes, they just need a little encouragement! Maybe you can provide a social media parent of the month incentive?

Some ideas!

@drjtedwards - Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute

Live Streaming in the Classroom with UStream - How to Live Stream

Live Streaming in the Classroom with Ustream

by Sheila Dankers (@sheiladankers)

In a recent graduate course, Seminar in New Communication Technology, I learned that by using applications such as Ustream, anyone can broadcast live and/or watch live streaming broadcasts for free.  The possibilities for using live streaming are limitless.  As an elementary teacher, I began thinking about how I could use live streaming to engage my students and help them understand what they were learning.  For example, NASA has its own livestreaming channels on Ustream, including NASA Education and NASA Public.  

Watching the NASA live stream be a great way to introduce many concepts to students and to learn by watching astronauts do experiments and the amazing NASA robonaut in action on the International Space Station and space shuttle launches.  After learning about live streaming, I started exploring more, for the life science unit I was about to teach and found many wildlife streaming channels.  Since I was teaching my students about food chains, animal adaptations, and life cycles, I decided to show my students the Hanover, Pennsylvania eagle cam.  Both my students and I were so excited to see bald eagles in action.  The eagle pair, who had become famous back in March for sitting on their two eggs even when covered in snow during a blizzard, can be seen these days taking turns bringing fish back to their nest and feeding their eaglets.  Just from watching this, we were able to discuss many of the concepts we were learning with the eagles as a case study—and my students were very engaged.  In fact, they did not want to stop watching, asking questions, and discussing when we had to move on to other learning activities!

In addition to using livestreaming to flatten the classroom’s walls by bringing the world inside, it could be used to broadcast presentations or shows by students and as a way to let parents “attend” special events when they can’t be there in person.

UStream is the largest live streaming provider.  As with all good things, it has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Advantages of Livestreaming and Ustream is that they are both free and accessible on any device with internet access.  Like YouTube, UStream offers monetization programs, including subscription, advertising splits, and pay-per-view and gives users control over their videos such as who can view their videos, restrict embedding, and moderating comments before they appear.  It also has a chat tool which you can use when broadcasting to chat with viewers and a poll tools which you can use to create polls for your viewers as well as the ability record and save broadcasts.

Disadvantages

Free live streaming service is funded by advertising.   Adverstisement free service is available starting at $99 per month. 

How to Use Ustream

Watch the below videos to see how to sign up with Ustream and set up your channel and for advanced features.  Quick directions for getting started broadcasting with the web broadcaster:

1 - Log in and click Go Live.

2 - Choose the channel you want to broadcast on.

3 - Click allow to give permission for the program to access your webcam and microphone.

4 - Click the Start Broadcast button to begin streaming.

5 - Click the Start Record button to begin recording.

6 - Use the Share menu to share a link to your channel page through Facebook and Twitter to attract viewers.  You can also copy and paste the link and share it through email or other ways.

7 - Review your broadcast by clicking on the link below the share message which will take you to your Ustream channel page.

8 - To access the chat to interact with viewers while broadcasting, click on the menu and choose chat.

UStream Video Tutorial Part 1:  Signing Up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE-r2FgNKPs

UStream Video Tutorial Part 2:  Setting Up a UStream Show:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsCmSBjwjWE

UStream Video Tutorial Part 3: Advanced Features:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzM6ZTfTOXI

Steps to Using YouTube Videos in K-12 and Higher Education Classrooms

Using YouTube Videos in the Classroom

I chose videos because it combines both audio and visual techniques to engage learners. Videos allow learners to retain the content more easily, make deeper connections, and increase students’ enthusiasm for learning. Due to the widespread sharing capabilities of most devices, students are now more exposed than ever to video. With video recording technology becoming easier to use, implementing it into the classroom is simple and it can lead to some excellent learning opportunities.

Flipping the classroom is a great way to encourage active learning. Using video encourages students to use their time collaborating with their classmates instead of listening to their teacher drone on about a boring lesson. It engages students in the learning process while allowing the teacher to facilitate their learning. Struggling students have the opportunity to re-watch the videos to help them understand difficult concepts. Also, it saves the teacher from having to constantly repeat themselves.

As a teacher, I can curate/create videos for my students to watch. Using videos allows me to act more as a guide on the side, helping students make interpretations about what they watched instead of telling the students what to think.  For example, I made a video discussing how to compose a thesis statement for my writing class. As students had questions about writing thesis statements throughout the year, I directed them to the video to clarify any misconceptions. Using a video allows students to watch the key concepts over and over until they are mastered. It is a great tool to use for maximizing instruction.

Why Use Video in the Classroom

Sal Kahn TED Talk - Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education

6 Steps for Using Video in the Classroom

1. Ensure the video aligns with the learning objectives.
2. Create pre-video, during video, and post-video activities to promote active learning among students.
3. Review expectations for watching videos with students - these expectations should mirror your expectations for other activities.
4. Explain desired learning objectives with students prior to watching the video - What do you want the students to learn after they watch the video?
5. Actively monitor students while the video is playing - Many students mistake video time as free time. Walking around the room while the video is playing will increase the class’ attentiveness.
6. Complete a post-viewing activity - Lead a class discussion that relates the content in the video to the learning goals of the class.

Pros and Cons of Using Videos in the Classroom

Pros:

• Enhances student comprehension and discussion - Students usually retain more information when presented in a video, leading to more engaging classroom discussion.
• Accommodates for diverse learning styles - Because it uses audio and video, it reaches the students’ different learning styles.
• Increases student motivation and enthusiasm - Students are excited to watch videos and learn from a different perspective.

Cons:

• Students associate videos with free time and don’t take the content as seriously as they should - Establishing clear expectations for watching videos will help students take it seriously.
• Some videos don’t match the learning objectives - With video production tools becoming easier to use, many teachers now create their own custom videos to align with the learning objectives.
• Effective video use requires preparation from the teacher - While videos can make the day seem easier, effective teaching requires quite a bit of forethought to ensure the video meets the learning objectives.

- Post Written by Kyle Esco (@kyleesco)