Help with a online discussion board

Instructions for this discussion board:

By now, you have had an opportunity to learn more about gender development.  This topic can be somewhat controversial, with many parents struggling to give their children the freedom to choose activities, clothing, etc., while also feel pressure to maintain societal norms.  This week, we covered many of the different dimensions of gender development as well as some theories about how gender develops.  This discussion board is meant to give you an opportunity to explore these issues further.

Before you participate in this discussion board, please complete the following tasks:

1. Read and watch the content above on development in early childhood, including the video by Sam Killerman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRcPXtqdKjE

2. Click the following link to read an article presented on The Guardian about gender-typed toys:  http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/22/gendered-toys-stereotypes-boy-girl-segregation-equality

3. Browse the toy selections that are available either in-store or online.  Some places to look include Toys R Us (www.toysrus.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com).  Find an example of a toy that is clearly marketed toward boys or girls in early to middle childhood (the target age range should fall between 3 and 11 years).  Find a toy that is gender neutral (i.e., not marketed toward boys or girls).   

In your initial post (DUE Thursday, 6/4 by 11:59PM):

1. Locate the discussion forum, "Week 3 Discussion: Shaping Gender"(see instructions for finding your group discussion board below).  Create a thread and describe the two toys that you found.  What values do you think they are trying to convey to children?  What does each toy attempt to teach a child (if anything)?  Are these gender-specific messages or are they gender neutral? 

2. How might the toy itself, or the way it is packaged and marketed, be changed to make it more gender neutral?  

3. What suggestions would you give to a parent who is concerned about gender stereotypes?   Be sure to link your responses back to the course material!

You must also provice at least two thoughtful, respectful responses to your peers (DUE Sunday, 6/7 by 11:59PM).  This is your opportunity to discuss, so there are not strict guidelines for what you must include in your response.  However, responses must ADD TO THE DISCUSSION.  "I agree!" or "Cool idea!" or "That's dumb!" will not earn you points.  Things that may prompt discussion are comments that include ideas like the reasons for similarities/differences between posts, the potential real-world application of your classmates' ideas, and links to other course content (including lectures and videos).  

Please remember that late posts will not earn any credit, so be sure to be mindful of the course deadlines and to make sure that your post showed up in the discussion.  This is your responsibility.

Here is some general information about discussion board requirements:

Each discussion consists of three posts as follows:

1. Your original post in response to the instructor's thread/post. (Due Thursday)

2. Response posts to two of your peers. (Due Sunday)

ACCESSING THE DISCUSSION BOARD

1. At the bottom of the course menu to your left, expand the My Groups area as shown below and click on Group Discussion Board (TIP: click both arrows to fully expand the area.)

2. Click the discussion forum titled Week 3 Discussion: Shaping Gender.

3. Participate in the discussion thread for your group.  You will find instructions in the thread!

GRADING

Your discussion participation is graded using the rubric below. This rubric also shows on your Group discussion board page. Don't forget to use it to maximize your contribution!

Component	Unacceptable 0 Points	Emerging 4 - 6 Points	Good 7 - 8 Points	Excellent 9 - 10 Points
Original Post 10 points possible (Due Thursday)	No post within the allotted timeframe	Post is less than 100 words; argumentation is weak with scant or no course references; multiple typos and/or poor sentence structure	Post is between 100 and 149 words; argument is moderately articulated but course references are not strong; writing is not well constructed; some typos or awkward sentence structure (doesn’t look proof-read)	Post is at least 150 words; it reflects a thoughtful/ creative/ insightful argument; includes direct course reference; writing is coherent and organized with good grammatical structure
Component	Unacceptable 0 Points	Emerging 1 point per post	Good 2 points per post	Excellent 3 points per post
2 Peer Responses  3 points possible per response  (Due Sunday)	No responses posted; post is rude or inappropriate	Post is less than 30 words; post is either merely supportive or merely antagonistic without support for agreement or disagreement	Post is between 30 - 49 words; response is not well constructed, i.e., “totally, I agree” without supporting reasons; repeats original post instead of building upon it	YOU MUST ADD SOMETHING TO THE DISCUSSION (not repeat); Post is at least 50 words; it is respectful and thoughtful; it builds on the original post; does NOT say the same thing the posts right above it say; it’s well written