Spicing Up Class Discussions With Twitter

Twitter chats have taken the education PD world by storm over the past several years. Every day, there are tons of engaging chats for educators, technology specialists, and administers to get involved with and learn from. If you want to know if there is one for you, just check out the archive HERE of daily education chats. Since I, like many others in the education field have found Twitter and the chats to be beneficial in the journey to continually learn, connect, and grow; I thought why not give it a try with my students and show them the power behind the software.

Check out this FLIPGRID on how "Twitter Has Impacted You As An Educator!" to hear testimonials from ROCKSTAR educators about how Twitter has changed their teaching careers.

I have found that when we as educators give students a platform to express their thoughts through another avenue other than raising their hand in class, you hear from everyone's perspective, not just the interpersonal ones. Twitter chats allow everyone to share their thoughts and opinions in a quick and fun way.

So far, I have conducted two Twitter chats with my entrepreneurship and accounting I students. Check out the #DTacct & #DTentrep in the search box to see how it went! HERE IS MY LESSON PLAN for the entrepreneurship one I conducted.

Some things that I think are important to know if you complete one with your students:

1. Take time to brief students about what a Twitter chat is, how they are run, and why they are useful.
2. Don't assume everyone knows how to use Twitter. Take time to go over hashtags, how to follow, and how to comment, favorite, and retweet someone else's post. Also, remind them that every tweet must have the hashtag you are using!
3. Give students the option to create another Twitter handle that isn't their personal one. 
4. Prep students the day before with the questions you will ask them.
5. Teach them how to appropriately comment and respond to others. 

I am lucky in that my district is very open and supportive in not blocking Twitter and having it be used for educational purposes. If you are interested in trying a Twitter chat with your students, but Twitter is blocked, you can always do a "Mock Twitter Chat." Thank you Alice Keeler for the second option! Please let me know if you have any questions and don't be afraid to try something different and SPICE UP those class discussions! 

The Five Day NO Cell Phone Challenge

Teenagers are spending nine hours on average consuming media according to a recent study by Common Sense Media. Research from Milan and Swansea Universities also reported that 66% of teens admit to feeling panicked without their phones.

As a high school teacher, I have noticed a huge shift over the past few years in how teenagers use and interact with each other when it comes to their cell phones. Many of them are addicted to their devices and have no awareness of how it is affecting them personally. In order to help students better understand how being "connected" all of the time isn't necessarily the best for their learning and mental health, I conducted a fun, yet challenging experiment with all of my classes this semester.

The challenge was simple with a few twists. Can you survive in school for five days without your cell phone? 

The challenge starts on a full five day week. The students can quit at any time if it gets too stressful. I do tell them the ground rules and expectations on the first day. If they successfully complete all five days and challenges, they get a pizza party and certificate along with mindfulness and awareness of what they are doing each day with their devices.

What are the challenges and what do they have to do?

Day 1: Show this video on YouTube. Go over the rules, students sign the pledge sheet, and then they put their cell phone in the back of the classroom for the entire period without checking it. HERE IS THE PLEDGE SHEET.
Days 2-3: Same as day 1.
Day 4: Students have to bring it to me before first period with it turned off and cannot get it back until the end of the day. (NOTE: I lock in my closet all day with a sticky note on the phone to avoid any confusion when picking-up). *You could even make this a two day challenge instead of one.
Day 5: Put the phone in the back of the class and complete a flipgrid video reflection answering the following three questions.

1. First name and how many hours you use your phone a day.
2. Do you feel you focus better in class with or without your cell phone next to you and why?
3. Share your thoughts on the challenge and how it can help all students in life and school. 

The party is then held on the following Monday at the end of the school day. HERE IS THE CERTIFICATE. During the party, we watch the Flipgrid videos, talk about the challenge, handout the certificates, take a team picture, and celebrate their success! I'd love to share the Flipgrid reflections, but out of respect and privacy of the students, I did not share the link to the videos in this post. 

I offered this challenge to all four of my classes totalling 95 students. On day one, we started with 50 students who wanted to take the challenge. By the end of day five, 20 students finished and completed the challenge. They did such an amazing job with their reflection videos. Here are the three biggest themes that popped-up in each reflection.

1. I focus more in school without my cell phone.
2. It forced me to be more aware of my surroundings and social with those around me.
3. I didn't feel anxious all of the time.

WOW! Proud teacher. I can't wait to do this challenge again next semester to see how others feel without their devices for a week. If you try this challenge with your students, please let me know how it goes and feel free to modify it!

DISCLAIMER: We are not a school that forces students to put their cell phones away throughout the school day. Also, I am a huge advocate of educational technology and using it for learning where and when applicable.