Example: Twitter Post Assignment

What if? What if some of our most famous or infamous historic figures had a technology like Twitter at their disposal during time of crisis, war, victory, or defeat? What would they have said?

From time to time I will assign a Twitter-like assignment for your blog. You will answer these above questions. Below I will show you how I would like the formatting to look for these assignments. You will see a short summary followed by the imitation Twitter posts for the historic figure.

On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Navy Admiral Husband E. Kimmel was in command of the base. Here is what I believe his "tweets" of the event would have looked like:

NavyBigCheese
The B-17s are on their way home to the Big Island. Aloha boys!
12/07/41 7:02AM

NavyBigCheese
Beautiful Sunday morning here in Hawaii. What a great day to be stationed at Pearl Harbor.
12/07/41 7:15AM

NavyBigCheese
Something wrong! Under attack from don't know who... bombs are falling - this is not a drill.
12/07/41 7:53AM

NavyBigCheese
The Japanese bombers have us pinned down. We need help. Total destruction of the air strip and battleships are in trouble. USS Arizona in trouble.
12/07/41 8:03AM

NavyBigCheese
Second wave! Bombers are back again. We have no chance here - many battleships on fire in the harbor - casualties will be high!
12/07/41 8:57AM

NavyBigCheese
Attack over. 8 ships damaged, 5 sunk with 188 aircraft destroyed. Casualties are high - many unaccounted for. Terrible day in Hawaii!
12/07/41 9:43AM

[END]

Don't forget that Twitter only allows 140 characters in their posts. You must do the same.

Mr. M.

Source: http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm

To Blog or Not to Blog...

To blog or not to blog - that is the question.

This is the question you should ask yourself before you post your work to your blog. As I assess your work, I am noticing a trend. Short concise posts with two to three sentences that comprise the post - and to be honest, that is not what I am looking for, and more importantly you will get nothing from completing the assignments in that way.

The point of this project is to strecth your brains and present you with questions that make you think at higher levels. So, I will be adapting the blog assessment to reflect the writing that I am looking for. We will be discussing the details in class during the coming weeks.

I hope that all of you will get into the habit of writing original thoughts that make your reader ponder. You, as the writer, have a tremendous "soap box" to get your thoughts and ideas across to your audience. It is about quality, not quantity - however, quality includes powerful thoughts and commentary that answer the topic at hand.

So, before you click that "PUBLISH POST" button, run this through your head: To blog or not to blog - that is the question.

Publish quality work that you are proud of - always.

For some examples of quality work from your peers, click here for the blog highlights from this week.

Mr. M.

The Beginning, the Middle, and

Exactly.

A blog post without an ending is just as bad as a movie without an ending. Furthermore, a blog post without a beginning or middle - well, that is just as bad too.

The first week of blog posting went well. Now having said that, lots of what I read lacked thought and originality. Keep in mind that you are publishing work to an audience, not just your teacher. Two to three sentences can not possibly answer these higher order thinking (HOT) questions that you face in your weekly dailies.

Believe me - it is possible to keep your blog post short and concise while at the same time including a beginning, middle and an end for your reader. The point of this project is to mold and shape you into a better writer by allowing you to practice your craft. Please take these suggestions and use them. Not only will your grade thank you, but as will your reading audience.

I have included a few highlights from the first week, here, here, here, here, and here. Check out the HUB for this weeks "dailies".

Good luck and happy blogging.

The Journey

Hello Scholars:

You are about to embark on a journey that most of you have not experienced before in the classroom. This year in the USH Project, you will experience a new form of assessment that will help you grow as a writer, reader, scholar, independent thinker, and future college student.

It is this instructor's belief that students should be independent thinkers and should be able to read and write using 21st C. skills and technique. Students in this course will create an online portfolio (blog) of their original thoughts and ideas. This process of creation is one that will challenge you to reach to a new level of academic thought that you will see at the collegiate level.

I look forward to working with you, reading your work, and watching you grow as an academic throughout this year. Good luck on your journey.

Mr. M.

Image Source: Rlevse | This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.