Lisa’s Slidecast:
I love the visual map that Lisa created to get you thinking about “why” you want to use a blog? What is the end result you are looking for? Anotherwords, what is your pedagogical goal?
Commenting: I think I need a rubric on commenting… I don’t know about many of you, but sometimes I read your blogs and all I have to say is “great idea!” Maybe I’m just tired, old and lazy…. but sometimes, that’s all that comes to mind!
Ruth Reynard’s “Avoiding the 5 most common mistakes…” is a great summation of what happens when instructors don’t think about why they are doing certain activities. It’s a great reminder for all of us!
Jim’s First Friday:
I never thought of the fact that almost everything on the web today is really a “blog.” Commenting and interacting is essentially a blog!
I attended this workshop the first time around, but it did me good to listen to it again. I forgot how exciting the world of blogging can be!!
I think blogging is a must for my online Spanish class, I want to see students interacting in español. I have see quite a bit of interaction on my Facebook page that I recently created for my students. It is so exciting to see them interact in the target langauge!!
Engrade:
Another course management system? I am still using my “old” grading program “Making the Grade,” because it is easy and I know it well. Everybody keeps telling me to “just use the Blackboard grade book.” Engrade looks interesting… but I’m not going there! :/
Google site:
I created my google site… but I’m not quite sure what the point of it is?? Just to have another webpage with my information on it? I fear having too much “stuff” to maintain… Bb, college website, blog, e-mail, ahhhhhhhh!!! Tooooooo muuuuch infoooooormaaaaation!!!
Hi Donna – while reading your blog, I wanted to say ‘great idea’ several times. I experience that same dilemma about how to participate in a blog. It happens in my head sometimes, but I can’t seem to get it into writing! As I read your blog, I felt like it was me speaking because I identify with so much of what you said. I can’t really speak to Engrade from experience but I had the same thoughts about the Google site. Not sure I see the purpose – although it looks like a much simpler option than WordPress.
AND of course – I thoroughly enjoyed (and benefitted from) Jim and Lisa’s info and comments on blogging. Good luck with your ongoing blogging!
I enjoyed your post. I hear you, when something works (like course management systems/grading), why change it? What I liked about Engrade (just trying it out since I usually use Gradekeeper) was the attendance portion. I use Blackboard for grades (it’s more simple for teachers/students) but keeping up with attendance is easier with Gradekeeper or Engrade. 🙂
LOL The point of trying Google Sites was just a quickie option for making either a single webpage or a full site, since so many people use Google. I’ve actually since found an even faster way for just tossing something up on the web, but if I tell you it will just give you another thing to do! 🙂
“to much stuff to maintain” ~ I can identify with that but still bookmark them, an electronic McGee’s Closet. I either forget about them or come back later to try them out. It’s usually the first but not always.
There are a couple of built in advantages to that: the new app improves and I get to after bug fixes or it crashes and burns before I do.
pageOrama and Instablogg are handy for throwing up a single page. I have used them when I get a submission too long for a blog post. One repeat offender sends huge emails with thirty links or more plus text chunks from articles.
Agree that blogging is good for students but wonder too about managing too many pieces of myself scattered about cyberspace.
Alternately, part of having comments everywhere is it forces me not to repeat myself so I never really have to complete a thought, just start a new one at every stop on the comment route. The down side is this may be entirely inaccurate and I’m saying the same thing everywhere–but since I forget where I’ve been, how would I know?
Generally find it easier to respond to someone’s blog than to create my own. It feels more satisfying to be engaged in something real (real as in created by someone else and “out there” to interact with). It’s also a good cure for writer’s block:-)
Like your comments on grade books. We use the ones in Moodle but they are actually a limitation by forcing certain formats onto how simple questions can be asked. Students also get freaked out by seeing quiz icons on clearly marked practice exercises and worry that every thing they say or do is being watched and graded. Since I just build the courses it seems an intrusion on the relationship between teacher and student for me to determine any assessment at all. Wonder how teacher’s feel about this?