Blog Talk

Today I was a faculty presenter for the RBC library's brown bag lunch series. I talked about blogging as a teaching tool and a little about my Chronicle of Higher Education blog. Below, I've pasted my notes and links to student blogs (and my Chronicle blogs) I used as examples. If you are a student, you are reading this, and you made the "Blah!" list, try to do better in your next posts. Also if you are student, you are reading this, and you haven't written any posts, get to work!

Here are the notes:

Some Talking Points/Links – Student Blogging

MY INTENTIONS

Reading Responses (Journal. Reading for comprehension. Interaction with texts. Thoughts into word form.)

               Procrastination

               Not very insightful

               Plagiarism

Not that innovative:

               Some of my colleagues at JMU used blogs in the classroom

               Here are some other examples with some different approaches: http://freshmanreflections.blogspot.com/ (prof’s blog), http://elaine128.blogspot.com/ (student’s blog for class), http://courses.carrielamanna.com/e501fall2012/ (Isaac, show this one)

              

PROS

-I (and the rest of the college community) get to know more about students

-Know one another and learn from one another. A kind of interaction that isn’t always so easy in the physical classroom.

-Opportunities for shy students to have a say.

-Practice writing. Finding a voice. Putting thoughts into words.

-Responding to each other’s posts (as opposed to a journal that exists by itself)

-Linking.

-Accountability. Involvement from the “whole world.” An author of a story, essay, or article you’re writing about may even read what you’re writing.

-Retention of information (works with physical journals too).

-Can spur ideas for further writing (works in a physical journal too)

-I can sometimes see what people are learning (if anything).

-Less plagiarism.

 

CONS

-It’s hard for me to keep up with all of them, especially comments.

-The usual – people don’t do it or do the bare minimum.

-Public forum, so they may say things that anger others (is this a con?)

-If they plagiarize, could be legal consequences beyond RBC.

 

-Beyond words (fun pictures and stuff):

http://poeticj121893.blogspot.com/

http://mcquhaej67.blogspot.com/

http://jesterxoxo.blogspot.com/2013/01/friday-through-monday.html

http://hrizontalrunning.tumblr.com/

http://emfaries.blogspot.com/

 

Helping each other:

http://haleyradvany.blogspot.com/2013/01/lone-ranger-and-tonto-fistfight-in.html#comment-form

 

Disagreement among students:

http://laurenashleyjackson.blogspot.com/

 

Beyond the walls (ENG 101 and 102 mix a little):

http://jessicasenglishstuff.blogspot.com/2013/01/hills-like-white-elephants.html

 

Blah! – short and underdeveloped. Could be more intriguing.

http://laticiatuckerblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/this-week.html

http://whitbo26.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-movie-mama.html

 

Good – I like all of these, mostly because they provide some insight.

http://snfxoxo.blogspot.com/2013/01/struggles.html

http://darrellcox.blogspot.com/2013/02/library-tour.html

http://efsmit117.blogspot.com/2013/02/yello-mello.html

http://specksgoor.blogspot.com/

 

 

Some Talking Points/Links – Chronicle Blog

-How it started:

http://chronicle.com/article/Value-Students-Then-Value/48881/

http://chronicle.com/article/An-Adjuncts-Summer-Plight/65676/

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/07/23/sweeney

http://www.aaup.org/article/novel-departure

 

Lots of Comments (top five):

http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/why-i-should-keep-my-mouth-shut-the-2-year-track/28198

http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/can-we-overproduce-a-degree/30516

http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/not-so-adjunct-anymore/28867#disqus_thread

http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/who-is-paul-newman/34116

http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/apathetic-students/30657

 

Discussion Forums:

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,77253.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,78445.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,79984.0.html

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,82110.0.html