Todd used a blog for his class on autobiographical media. Looks like it went well. :-)
My winter session's class blog was exciting for me, because the students really got into using it for thier own purposes.
teaching: January 2005 Archives
And we're off! Twenty-seven students today (three no shows). After the opening "icebreaker" activity they had to fill out worksheets on the effect that particular icebreaker might have on the class as it unfolds. A way to try and get our attention on watching group processes. One student described the class as "unconventional". An observer thought so too - "you gave them mixed messages," on the one hand "it felt like a party", but "then there was a test!" "That," she said, "was a shock!" Hopefully her prediction that "they're really wondering" about the class and how it will turn out is accurate. We'll see if they're really "hooked"...
Some comments from Paul Jones, which he describes as: "not an official reading, but i blogged about a session on corporate blogging held at the O'Reilly Camp this fall. the upside is several links to corporate blogs and references to current corporate bloggers and the issues they, the corporate bloggers, see as important."
Wow. Never get complacent with group dynamics! This winter's group (interpersonal comm) started IN storming. Well, not really of course, but within two hours. So, no easing into skills development; we're taking the plunge. I've been literally exhausted after class the past few days. Maybe it's 'cause I haven't been doing people very much for three weeks? That could be part of it, but I think it's also the unique mix of this group: seven guys and one woman. And young. No duh - traditional undergraduates. But usually I have a few "older" students too. So this is a very different configuration than I've experienced before. Nothing like being on the edge of my own learning curve!
Here's the link to their blog, we start using it today.
