I found this blog really interesting. I was instantly curious to find out how educators are engaging students to learn through twitter. I know from my own personal experience with twitter that most people who tweet share what is basically a "status update" on every single breathe they take during the course of their day. I am not too proud to admit that I too have tweeted in such a way. I found myself thinking twitter was super egotistical - who really cares what nail polish color you are looking at in CVS or what you had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? So, I don't tweet so much as I follow humorous or interesting accounts.

Only having this kind of experience with the world of twitter made me wonder how this blog was going to explain the role twitter is taking in classrooms. I was pleasantly surprised to see that educators see many benefits to connecting and sharing information with their students through live tweeting and sharing. I really liked that teachers were tweeting links to articles they were reading so that students who follow them could gain further knowledge and insight into the topics being learning about in class. I also really liked the use of live tweeting as a way to "take notes". It turns the notes into a conversation and forum for students.

The greatest thing, in my opinion, was that educators were teaching students HOW to use twitter to interact, engage, and share with others in a productive and enriching way. The blog specifically outlines how to utilize twitter in a manner that helps share meaningful ideas with people who share common interests and thoughts. The blog highlights really great key points to be aware of when setting up a twitter account as well as how to tweet purposefully and effectively.

Even though I enjoyed reading through this blog and the articles linked in it, I will probably not be using twitter with my students. I just would not be comfortable asking elementary school children to participate in learning via twitter because I think there is a lot of room for disaster and mistakes. Twitter can be a dangerous way to communicate if it is not used responsibly, and I'm not sure young children truly understand the repercussions of what they may post on a social forum such as twitter. Plus There is always the chance (very likely chance) that parents would be opposed to their child having twitter, which would not allow the whole class to participate in the learning and activities that would happen there. However, I think it is a great idea for college and university level learning!

“Giving Reluctant Students a Voice”

I really enjoyed this article and love the idea of using a class blog to facilitate learning and discussions. I think it provides a terrific forum for students to all share their thoughts and bounce ideas and opinions off of one another in a constructive way. This is a terrific platform for learning and the students are not only sharing ideas and discussing academic concepts/answering questions, but they are also learning how to respectfully communicate with one another. They learn how to respectfully agree and disagree with opinions, give constructive criticism, and how to share their thoughts clearly to others through their writing.

I also really like that this provides EVERY student an opportunity to share and contribute at their own pace. Not every person thinks at the same pace, processes at the same pace, or shares with large crowds comfortably. Having a class discussion forum such as the blog allows them to share within their comfort zone, and may even give those level 3 and 4 students a bit of a confidence boost to share more in class.

I think another strong point with the blogs is that it provides students an opportunity to practice typing. Depending on the blog/assignment/teacher the blogging could even be part of a typing or writing grade. The submitted blog entries could have such requirements as having to apply spelling and grammar check before submitting. This would also have students practicing the utilization of word processing toolbars. It may also make them more aware of their spelling and grammar.

What standard are you using as a target of focus this semester? How can you link activities for different learning styles to this standard?

I will be doing a non-fiction reading and writing project in 6^th grade language arts. Students will integrate technology into this unit by exploring the internet for credible sources to use in their non-fiction research project. the graphic organizers will have a variety of ways to be utilized so that different learners can organize the information the gather in a way that makes sense to them and final presentations will be a creative non-fiction writing display, allowing different learners to create and organize writing that works for them.

English Standards of Learning, Grade 6

Reading

6.3    The student will read and learn the meanings of unfamiliar words and phrases.

d)     Use word-reference materials.

6.4    The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and poetry.

d)     Describe how word choice and imagery contribute to the meaning of a text.

e)      Describe cause-effect relationships and their impact on plot.

f)      Use information stated explicitly in the text to draw conclusions and make inferences.

g)      Explain how character and plot development are used in a selection to support a central conflict or story line.

h)     Paraphrase and summarize the main points in the text.

6.5    The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of informational selections.

a)      Identify questions to be answered. 

c)      Use context to determine meanings of unfamiliar words and technical vocabulary.

d)        Draw conclusions and make inferences based on explicit and implied information.

e)        Organize the main idea and details to form a summary.

f)         Compare and contrast information about one topic contained in different selections.

g)        Select informational sources appropriate for a given purpose.

Writing

6.6    The student will write narratives, descriptions, and explanations.

a)      Use a variety of planning strategies to generate and organize ideas.

b)     Establish central idea, organization, elaboration, and unity.

c)      Select vocabulary and information to enhance the central idea, tone, and voice. e)       Revise writing for clarity.

6.7    The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure.

a)      Use a variety of graphic organizers, including sentence diagrams, to analyze and improve sentence formation and paragraph structure.

b)     Use subject-verb agreement with intervening phrases and clauses.

d)     Maintain consistent tense inflections across paragraphs.

f)         Use correct spelling for frequently used words.

Computer/Technology Standards of Learning

Grades 6-8 Basic Operations and Concepts

C/T 6-8.1

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the nature and operation of technology systems.

 • Describe how technology impacts learning.

C/T 6-8.4

The student will practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.

• Demonstrate the correct use of fair use and copyright regulations.

• Demonstrate compliance with the school division’s Acceptable Use Policy and other legal guidelines.

C/T 6-8.5

The student will demonstrate knowledge of technologies that support collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

• Work collaboratively and/or independently when using technology.

• Explore the potential of the Internet as a means of personal learning and the respectful exchange of ideas and products.

Technology Research Tools

C/T 6-8.6

The student will use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

• Use databases and spreadsheets to evaluate information.

• Use Internet and other electronic resources to locate information in real time.

C/T 6-8.7

The student will evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.

• Use search strategies to retrieve information.

• Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness of electronic information sources.

Technology Communication Tools

C/T 6-8.9

The student will use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

• Choose the appropriate tool, format, and style to communicate information.

• Independently use technology tools to create and communicate for individual and/or collaborative projects.

• Produce documents demonstrating the ability to edit, reformat, and integrate various software tools.