Metropolis Blue Foundation
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Teaching, pedagogy, blogging, Twitter, social media, Web 2.0, correspondence
An initiative of the Metropolis Blue Foundation's Educational Programmes, Tweet Pals is an innovative project designed to provide young Canadians aged 13 to 16 with a unique linguistic and cultural experience through correspondence in their second official language, on the social network Twitter and on a blog.
The programme is designed to improve students' linguistic abilities. Through the exchanges, students will discover how their correspondents live in other parts of the country.
Under the guidance of a journalist (Katerine-Lune Rollet @katconseil) and a media artist (Julie Lapalme @cuckoografik), students will familiarize themselves with the current Web 2.0 technologies as well as the etiquette of social media. They will develop their language skills by writing posts on the project's blog, as well as microblogs (Tweets) on the Twitter account.
In 140 characters, Francophone students will write in English to Anglophone students about what matters to them in their daily lives. Anglophone students will do the same, in French. Selected Tweets from each group will be edited and their grammar, spelling and syntax corrected by group members. They will then be posted on a blog in order to be commented on and discussed by their authors.
Responsibilities:
- Develop, prepare and conduct workshops offered to participating schools in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Saint-Boniface and Vancouver
- Facilitate the integration of classroom curriculum by communicating regularly with teachers and students
- Establish blogs and networks to be used in the project; provide technical support and maintenance
- Provide technical advice and best practices to students to facilitate the use of software and increase knowledge exchange on various social networks used in the project.
