Is technology taking over? Well It is for Leyden High Schools! Especially the social media website and app, Twitter.

Two years ago Leyden High Schools issued Chromebooks to every single student at both campuses. And the one thing everybody has in common now is Twitter. Most students have it and use it, and now staff and teachers are using it as well. A lot of teachers and departments have created their own accounts or hashtags for a variety of reasons.

There are over 150 accounts for Leyden High School. So, as a school, we’re on Twitter. But are we making it work? Is it changing what we can do?

Of the many accounts, there is only one account with enough followers to say it truly has reach. The most popular Twitter account is the “LeydenPride” account and hashtag. Every week a student from either East or West Leyden is selected by administrators to run the account and spread the word about what’s going on during that week, what they are up to, places they are seeing and sharing their opinions with everyone that follows for seven days. Anybody can click on the account and see all of the information and fun stuff that Leyden has going on. Students are informed of snow days, activities, etc. all from a students point of view.

Diana Csercse, senior at East Leyden, said she loves having Leyden on Twitter and thinks it’s a great idea. She said,“I like the fact that Leyden has a twitter account because it allows the students to get connected and see what is going on.”

Tweets from https://twitter.com/JasonMMarkey/lists/lhs212

Mr. Tony Pecucci, East Leyden High School’s Activities Director, said “#leydenpride is the most helpful.  Many Leyden students, staff and community members follow the hashtag to see the great things that are happening.  There are other useful hashtags like “#leydenpln,” which help teachers get information, but everyone mostly uses #leydenpride.”

Other Leyden hashtags that Leyden have used to spread the word worked out. Pecucci says “Leyden is known nationwide and worldwide for it’s use of #leydenpride. Other schools look to Leyden as a model of how to use social networking correctly.  We think we are doing something right given the amount of activity on the hashtag.” Most teachers begin their use of Twitter by posting their information to the hashtag because it’s the quickest way to spread out the word to everyone on Twitter. Students post their school pictures to the hashtag, so everyone has a way to see it.

Twitter is currently blocked on the Chromebooks that Leyden distributed due to Students only being on their computers during class and not paying attention to the teachers, but it’s of course still on the students phone’s still and Leyden supports it! Brian Weinert, Director of Technology said “The decision to block Twitter on the Chromebooks derived from conversations at the administrative and department chair meetings with input from teachers and students.  I’m assuming that if a change were to be made, similar discussions would need to happen again.”

At East Leyden “#LeydenPride” was recently painted on the wall above the lockers, and on the staircases to spread the word. Leyden has made a YouTube video describing the Leyden High Schools Twitter account and showing what it’s all about.