I've taken the plunge and decided to incorporate blogging as a requirement in my Filipino American lit class. It took me a while to decide: my hesitation towards it was primarily the students' internet access, which ultimately wasn't a problem (only 2 or 3 people didn't have access from home, but otherwise had it regularly at work).
The other waffling point was the quality of writing. I've experimented enough with simple private discussion boards in my classes to know that, despite my warnings, entire responses would still be posted consisting of nothing but "Me too!" or "w00t!" or "LOL." To make it a graded requirement, and to make it publicly readable, I hope, would force the students to write something more substantive.
But I was pushed towards the blogging option again over the summer after I received my student evaluation comments for the spring. The comments about my "discussion sections" were positive overall, yet I was somehow quite bothered by the few students who demanded more lectures -- not because the discussions weren't a waste of time, but because (paraphrasing one student) "I'd rather just sit back and take notes rather than be forced to talk."
The comment just brought back everything I hated the most in college: my arm cramping up, filling notebooks with little opportunity for Q&A, pointless exam after pointless exam. When I'm interrupted in mid-lecture (sometimes jokingly -- I hope) by students who ask "Will this be on the exam?" I'm worried that the students are already so used to "teaching to the test." What it promoted, it seemed to me, was a different conception of "studying." One crams as much stuff as possible into the brain the night before the midterm, closes the book and recites what one has just read, vomits everything onto the bluebook (and don't even talk to me about multiple-choice Scantron exams -- I still have my pride, and refuse to give them, despite my incredible number of students): well, this just isn't what I want from studying, and it certainly isn't "learning" either.
So I've decided -- and I think the students were pleased, although a little apprehensive concerning the upped requirements for class participation -- to do away with the exams altogether and concentrate on essay writing and discussion.
Anyhow, here's the main classroom blog, Flips in Fog City (everyone we're reading in the class has or had some connection of sorts to the Bay Area). At some point in the next couple of weeks, the students should have their group blogs up. Then we'll see what happens.
"woot" ? wtf is "woot" ?
anyway, lookin forward to reading the blog. to up the ante a bit, you can also tell yr students the authors will visit them there .... i know i will. tee hee!
Posted by: barb on August 30, 2004 11:45 AMCareful, Barb... you're showing your generation gap!
Sounds good to me, Sunny, if I ever get around to teaching kids, I'd do the same thing. I had one prof at UCSD who consider class participation 50% of the grade... I took three of her classes when I was there... yay! can't wait to read some entries!
Posted by: Jesse! on August 30, 2004 01:13 PMI'm having my students do blogs too. First time I've done this. Any advice you can give me would be EXTREMELY appreciated. You have my e-mail.
What's "WOOT"? any other words I should know?
jean
Posted by: jean on August 30, 2004 01:55 PMI'm so annoyed that I know this. I believe that "Woot" is a general celebratory response to...whatever. For example:
Post: Barabara (hahaha!) Jane's book got a great review in MELUS!
Response: Woot!
But maybe I'm wrong about "woot." I'm half hoping I'm wrong...
Posted by: Veronica on August 30, 2004 09:59 PMYou're not wrong, Veronica -- w00t!
How are you using it, Jean?
I toyed with the idea of making them have individual blogs first. I think making the individual student responsible for her own blog gives it a more important dimension -- they can fiddle with it anyway they want, and they have a nice sense of ownership -- but having to read 40-odd blogs, even if they're blogrolled and I'd be able to tell which was most recently updated, would be a drag.
I don't want it to simply replace a discussion board (I want more substantive entries), and I don't want it to simply be a higher-tech replacement for journal writing (though it beats grading stacks of notebooks), so I'm pushing the "conversational," blog-referential aspect of it. Linking to what other people write and musing about it in a an almost real-time fashion is, after all, one of the things that's innovative about blogs.
Posted by: the wily filipino on August 30, 2004 10:25 PMLooks like we are using the blogs in nearly identical ways. I'm having them all set up their own blogs (I have a small class of 17) (yay!), and using them to converse (hopefully in complete sentences) about our readings & discussions in class, and linking, etc.
I love the cool title of your blog/class! Mine is Writing & Reading Communities in Filipino American Literature. The title was actually a lot longer, but I decided it was too verbose.
The URL is http://R1b-6.blogspot.com/, although there's nothing in it yet except an image I was testing. Funny thing is, somebody commented on the image already. We won't get down to serious blogging for at least another week.
j.
Posted by: jean on August 30, 2004 10:42 PM
...and thanks for the info on "woot!" Veronica!
Wonder where THAT came from? It's a very strange word.
jean
Posted by: jean on August 30, 2004 10:44 PMmy theory on w00t is that it came from the Arsenio Hall show, you know when he'd do that fist shaking in the air thing? when you like something, or agreed, you'd do that... and eventually it came into L33t-speak... which is... um, well that's another story...
Posted by: Jesse! on August 30, 2004 10:59 PMah, i see. "woot" or "w00t" is pronounced with a prolonged hold on that short U vowel sound. like, whuuuuut?
Posted by: barb on August 30, 2004 11:25 PMmind if i add you to my links?
Posted by: keno on September 3, 2004 10:17 PMThat's an awesome idea to use weblogs as a grade requirement.
Wish they did that in my class.
Posted by: Mushroom on September 8, 2004 02:10 AMMushroom -- if I can get the damn things to work, then it would be great. =)
I have the same wish, Mushroom. Those kids who are in school right now are so darn lucky! I wish I were born much later, then I'd still be in grade school and would be tech-savvy.
That's a great idea, Wily! I'm sure a lot of your students will be grateful to you because you've encouraged them to do this blogging thing.
I think it's not any different from journaling (is this word accepted as a verb?). And as we know, keeping a journal is very therapeutic. You'll be saving a lot of those kids from having to pay a shrink when they get older.
i should add -- i am impressed by what your students have written/posted/journaled (yes, legit verb) so far. and i am curious how this public forum of blogging makes students more thoughtful before immediately posting just anything, "woot" or whatever.
Posted by: barb on September 9, 2004 11:54 AMHey Barb -- we'll see: I told my student (in front of everyone in the class) that you liked her entry -- *that* alone, I'm sure, would make the students more careful with what they write. =)