tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523147403803590661.post5221314192707532877..comments2023-05-26T04:59:34.008-07:00Comments on Teaching United States History: Teaching with Blogs - Gale Kenny Joins UsKevin M. Schultzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10983890538804950630noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523147403803590661.post-43625568630295214762011-09-01T07:09:20.565-07:002011-09-01T07:09:20.565-07:00Thanks for the responses! I still have over a week...Thanks for the responses! I still have over a week before class starts, so it all remains theoretical.<br /><br />Curtis: the idea of using a student's post in class is a great idea. Even if it makes them uncomfortable, it is valuable for them to get some experience sharing their writing for a semi-public audience since it is likely they'll have to do this in their post-college lives.<br /><br />Joshua - Yes, I am okay with less formal writing on the blogs, as long as they are citing/linking to their sources. I suspect that a kind of "survival of the fittest" might happen, and the better written blogs get more comments. If one or two students raise the bar, I think the rest will follow.Gale Kennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09051295784299114920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523147403803590661.post-59590895559398410902011-08-25T11:00:45.515-07:002011-08-25T11:00:45.515-07:00I find discussino works best when students have al...I find discussino works best when students have already written out their thoughts, and the blog is a very public way to force clarity. When I just try to start a discussion from cold questions in class, usually everyone sits quietly, waits for someone else to talk, etc. Another idea could be have the students chat with a partner about what they 'blogged about' then share insights with the class. This gets the chatter going.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523147403803590661.post-79056325297531894142011-08-25T10:28:25.657-07:002011-08-25T10:28:25.657-07:00Wow, Gale,
this seems like a lot of work, but it m...Wow, Gale,<br />this seems like a lot of work, but it may prove to be quite rewarding for you and the students. Your use of technology makes me seem like I'm living in a different age. When I taught a survey course (on American Religious history) at Florida State University some years ago, because the class rooms were so sophisticated and equipped with new technology, I was much more open innovative ways of teaching. One basic tool of assessment--student responses of a page or two each week to the main reading-- turned out to be quite interesting (in my view--not sure how most students felt about this). They blogged or posted on the course webpage each week and I reminded them that I was going to read all of their postings and would, from time to time, project them before the entire class for discussion (during our class hour for discussion of the readings). This class started with about 55 students, but I had only about 35 or more before it ended. I would read a few postings before the class (as they appeared projected), ask the student who wrote it for any additional comment or clarification, and open it up for class discussion. Some students were a little nervous, but most of them were happy to see their own words projected before the class (and to know that I had read them and thought them worthy of comment) and thus took ownership of them. This experience may have prompted some of them to be more careful about what they posted and their grammar, though it did not always work. I was much more open to images, limited use of power point, and such things when I was at FSU, but my sense is that decisions of this kind can be affected by "simple" matters such as how well equipped technologically one's school is and how user friendly the classroom is. <br /><br />Good luck with your class, Gale. You will have to tell us how it works out.Curtis J. Evansnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523147403803590661.post-23795775853147920692011-08-25T09:26:11.531-07:002011-08-25T09:26:11.531-07:00I'll be curious to hear how your experiment go...I'll be curious to hear how your experiment goes. I've considered doing something similar but hesitate due to the prospect of having to constantly monitor 20 student blogs. Will you allow "looser" writing on the blogs than you will on the formal papers? I can see pluses and minuses in allowing students more latitude...Joshua Paddisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18227176664571430229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2523147403803590661.post-66697163718815598952011-08-25T08:54:46.998-07:002011-08-25T08:54:46.998-07:00I think this is such a great way to have dynamic c...I think this is such a great way to have dynamic conversation. I've never done it, but will try in the future for my smaller classes. I think also highlighting a few blog entries in class would be a great way to set off a discussion or lecture.<br />I hope some of your folks will look into Laura Towne's life and writings. She's a hero in my book. I recall getting to her gravestone in South Carolina and marveling at all she did during Reconstruction. I always mention her in my Reconstruction lecture for the survey.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com