Week 2 Responses

Response to "7 Things You Should Know About Twitter" and "Twitter in Plain English"

When I think of Twitter I think of it as something celebrities and young people do.  I'd never thought about how it could be used in the classroom to support student learning.  After reading the article and the video I started to think about how it could be used in  the upper elementary education setting.  The article described Twitter as a "micro-blog", a way to let people know what you are up to.  Unfortunately, in the building I work in the staff is large and we never have time to get to know each other.  This can sometimes create an awkward and uncomfortable working environment.  I think Twitter would be a great way for all of us to get to know about each other without taking a great deal of time out of our already busy lives.  I also thought of using Twitter with my students for writing assignments.  What a great way to brainstorm with each other.

Sources-
Twitter in Plain English
User: ijagriti - Added: 12/29/10
7 Things You Should Know About Twitter- Educause Learning Initiative

Respsonse to article from NPR Education News feed "Giving Boys A Bigger Emotional Toolbox"

I chose this article because I work with a lot of male students who display behaviors that often get them into trouble.  In fact my district has been fined by the state of Michigan for having a very high suspension rate of African American boys.   This article was about a teacher in California who has started a boys club for his at risk male students.  He stated that the boys need a place where they can fell safe and their weaknesses aren't pointed out.  A place where they can talk about their feelings and get their emotions out.

"Our boys are in trouble; they're in crisis now," Branch says. "Because of the type of energy that they are bringing to school, maybe they don't have the kind of house and neighborhood they can go play at in the evening."  This quote was a such a light bulb moment for me.  I never even thought of it this way!  I do know that many of my students go home to apartments where they are left on their own for the night.  They aren't outside playing or involved in extra curriculum that help them socialize and get their energy out.  School is that place for them.

Another part of the article that I really liked was that the boys club has two meeting times.  One is a voluntary after school club and the other is a mandatory lunch time club that disruptive boys get an invitation to. 

"In the two high schools where Branch has started Ever Forward Clubs, he says, they helped dramatically halt the class-failure and dropout rates. He says about 90 percent of the kids who went through his club went on to graduate."  I was really impressed with what I read about this program and I thought this article gave me a couple of things I could add to my teacher toolbox.

Source-
"Giving Boys a Bigger Emotional Toolbox"-by Eric Westervelt