I've just arrived home from TYCA-PNW, a conference for English instructors at two year colleges in the Pacific Northwest, and my mind is absolutely buzzing with ideas for English 102 next quarter. I know, it's the weekend, and I should be letting down my hair a bit, right? Well, the hair's down but the synapses are flying; planning my class is exactly what I want to do. I guess I got into the right profession!
Idea: Student Blogs
Concept:
Students will create a blog to highlight their research process throughout 102. This will be 25% of their final grade. Before they create their blogs they will peruse existing food blogs to get an idea of how they want their blog to look and what they want it to be about. This will be a space they create to explain who they are, the role food plays in their lives, and to share articles, recipes, volunteer activities, grocery adventures, books, etc. that they are using in their research. My blog will be a model for them, but they will be able to add to and design the space as they wish. All the blogs will be linked together through blackboard and through the followers list on my blog. We will discuss and analyze the blog genre, as well as exploring ideas of personal representation and writing in a public space.
Logistics:
I will have to teach them how to set up a blog space, and I'll do that using Jing. For those of you who do not know what Jing is, you can read more about it here. I'll also post separately about this technology, because it can be used in some really inventive ways. Each assignment during the first week will get students to learn to use blogger and to add pages, gadgets, and design elements to their blog. My own blog will feature an explanation of each of these assignments, an example of what the finished product might look like, and instructions on how to do it.
Goal:
A fundamental part of my teaching philosophy is that I want my students to see the course in connection with the larger world around them. Students will be able to use the blogs to chronicle their journey in 102 and as a record for their research. They will hopefully be inspired by other students' blogs, and use the space to share sources and ideas. Perhaps they will even begin to see their work in a larger context outside of the class, and to see new avenues for the research process. Students may even keep their blog going after they exit 102.
Potential downfalls:
Students will be frustrated with the technology. Some may spend more time on design than on the content of their course.
