Six-Word Memoirs from Veterans

I'm a fan of SMITH Magazine, a dedicated online space for storytelling (in six words or less). Like haiku and twaiku, the six-word memoir is an exercise in tight writing. But it's less contrived, more bare-bones. The stories are sometimes silly, but often poignant and very real.In a recent project, SMITH teamed up with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to create memoirs about coming home from war.  A timely tribute for Veterans Day, the stories speak for themselves:

Joined army; left legs in Iraq.

I am okay. Honestly. Maybe. Not.

I can't forget I can't forget

Youth returns, age rejoices, love eternalBest. Words. Ever? 'Mom, I'm home.'Enough said.Read more Six-Word Memoirs© from veterans here.Happy Veterans Day and thanksto all who have served.

TECH TIPS BLOG | Web 2.0: Multiple intelligences, multiple possibilities

My latest post on the Tech Tips Blog, part of the Web 20.10 site by Discovery Education and partners including Microsoft and SMART Technologies. How do I learn thee? Let me count the ways...By now most American educators have embraced the idea of multiple intelligences—of different kinds of "minds" and different styles of learning.Whether you subscribe to Howard Gardner's eight  kinds of minds—Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Spatial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic—or the broader VAK (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) categorization, you recognize that teaching and learning is not one-size-fits-all.No one expects you to customize a lesson in eight different ways for the eight different kinds of minds in your class. But with Web 2.0, it’s a distinct possibility.

Read the entire post here:

Web 2.0: Multiple Intelligences, Multiple Possibilities

http://web2010.discoveryeducation.com/blog/

Social Media 103: Twitter as Creative Writing Tool in the Classroom

After writing the copy and content for "Web 20.10," a Discovery Education website produced in partnership with Microsoft and SMART Technologies, I was asked to write an accompanying blog. The Tech Tips Blog touches on Web 2.0 topics found elsewhere on the site—like wikis, blogs, podcasts, Skype, social media sites and multimedia presentation tools for schools.Here’s my post on Twitter in the classroom:

Twitter: The Ultimate Writing Tool?

Will Twitter hinder literacy or help it blossom? It depends on who you ask. But more and more educators—many of them former skeptics—are now touting the use of Twitter as a writing tool. The micro-blogging platform is proving useful for all kinds of inventive exercises to hone writing skills, in and out of the classroom.Read the whole blog post here:Web 20.10 Tech Tips Blog | Twitter: The Ultimate Writing Tool?What’s your take: A fun exercise in creativity? or the decline of Western civilization? Leave a comment and let me know…