In honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to point back to an entry I wrote last October on writing about photos. The image I used to illustrate it was the one that came to mind when I thought about Memorial…
Tag: twitter
Graduations: Bits Flashback for May 16
A severe thunderstorm brought graduation ceremonies at Virginia Tech to an abrupt and very early conclusion here in Blacksburg on Friday night. The keynote speaker never even made it to the podium. Fortunately, students were able to pick up their…
Bits Flashback for May 2
Did you stay up late last night watching the developing news (or maybe grading papers)? If so, it’s possible “Parts of your brain could be sleeping right now,” according to a recent study. The NIH-funded study of the brain activity…
Bits Flashback for April 24
I have a weakness for bunny rabbits. I encourage them to visit my yard and exclaim happily when they comply. Not so for the folks at Long Beach City College. Their campus was so overrun with cute, fluffy-tailed bunnies that…
OMG! LOL! Bits Flashback for March 28
Last week, the OED announced a new batch of words that have been added to the dictionary. Among this year’s inductees are OMG, short for “Oh My God,” and LOL, short for “Laughing Out Loud.” My favorite part of the…
Trying Out Some Tasty Blackbird Pie
I immediately liked the name of the new WordPress plug-in, Blackbird Pie. The nursery rhyme popped right into my head: Four and Twenty Black Birds, Baked in a Pie. The plug-in makes this, essentially a jazzy block quotation: [blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/tengrrl/status/1348769496965120″]…
What Are Kidwatching, Microblogging, and Podcasts?
Soon NCTE will be launching an online site for members that will include many cool features, including an online glossary for English teachers. My assignment this afternoon was to come up with 3 definitions to add to the collection as…
My Top 3 Tips for Teaching with Twitter
So you’re ready to dive in and try Twitter in the classroom. Let me share these tips that can make sure your classroom experience is a smooth and effective. Create separate logins. Audience and purpose shift from message to message.…
Classroom Activities Using Twitter
Since Twitter is a communications tool, there are infinite ways to use the site in the English classroom. These two excellent videos provide introductions to using Twitter with students that are polished enough to share at staff meetings and professional…
Resources You Need to Teach Effectively with Twitter
Tuesday, I argued that Twitter is a great classroom tool. Students can publish their ideas immediately to a ready audience of readers. This authentic audience and purpose makes Twitter one of the many ways that teachers can engage writers in…