I like how you touch upon more than one theme in this assignment, but they are all under the the "big" theme--the theme of place. I’m just wondering if proper citation should be one the evaluation points (the ones that are mentioned at the end of the assignment), just to emphasize that citing properly plays an important role in their final grade.
I appreciate how you ground this assignment in your own ongoing pedagogical interests. Your attention to local place within the global context of the blogosphere.
I think it's important that you draw your student's attention to the disconnect between the academic community and the larger community of Athens: "Or perhaps you've fallen preyto the mistaken notion that, if one can find his or her way around Court Street, there is nothing more toknow about Athens."
I'm sure you plan on exploring this idea more in class discussions, but it might warrant another line or two in the assignment. How is this attitude dangerous? What's at stake? I'm really interested in this idea-how OU and OU students seems utterly disconnected, in certain ways, from the region/regional issues.
On another note, your own admission of the "time-consuming" nature of this assignment, in my mind, calls for a higher percentage of course value, 30 or 35% instead of 20%, perhaps?
These are really minor things, though, great work!
"Additionally, you will have the option of working in groups of no more than four"
But then you do not present it as an option at all--they work in groups. This is where I get a little confused. Do they compose the four posts as a group? If yes, why not have them use a wiki for that process? If not, how will the group divide up the tasks, posts etc?
If there is a single due date for the four posts, then this seems kind of un-bloglike in spirit. Not sure how to get around that. Will they use the blog to comment on other groups' posts?
My impression is that the blog is largely text-based, although you say they should include pictures, videos, etc. You mention that many of these can be from the internet but that they are encouraged to take their own pictures, conduct interviews, etc. Should you make this a requirement? If students aren't require to interview someone, my guess is that they won't.
I was also a little confused on the groups. Does each group have one place and post on the same blog, or does each student have an individual blog?
I also wonder about the possibility of making commenting and interacting with each other an important part of the assignment. You list commenting as #4 on the composing process, but perhaps you should discuss this more.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI like how you touch upon more than one theme in this assignment, but they are all under the the "big" theme--the theme of place. I’m just wondering if proper citation should be one the evaluation points (the ones that are mentioned at the end of the assignment), just to emphasize that citing properly plays an important role in their final grade.
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you ground this assignment in your own ongoing pedagogical interests. Your attention to local place within the global context of the blogosphere.
I think it's important that you draw your student's attention to the disconnect between the academic community and the larger community of Athens: "Or perhaps you've fallen preyto the mistaken notion that, if one can find his or her way around Court Street, there is nothing more toknow about Athens."
I'm sure you plan on exploring this idea more in class discussions, but it might warrant another line or two in the assignment. How is this attitude dangerous? What's at stake? I'm really interested in this idea-how OU and OU students seems utterly disconnected, in certain ways, from the region/regional issues.
On another note, your own admission of the "time-consuming" nature of this assignment, in my mind, calls for a higher percentage of course value, 30 or 35% instead of 20%, perhaps?
These are really minor things, though, great work!
Wait, will they have specific prompts for every post?
ReplyDelete"Additionally, you will have the option of working in groups of no more than four"
ReplyDeleteBut then you do not present it as an option at all--they work in groups. This is where I get a little confused. Do they compose the four posts as a group? If yes, why not have them use a wiki for that process? If not, how will the group divide up the tasks, posts etc?
If there is a single due date for the four posts, then this seems kind of un-bloglike in spirit. Not sure how to get around that. Will they use the blog to comment on other groups' posts?
My impression is that the blog is largely text-based, although you say they should include pictures, videos, etc. You mention that many of these can be from the internet but that they are encouraged to take their own pictures, conduct interviews, etc. Should you make this a requirement? If students aren't require to interview someone, my guess is that they won't.
ReplyDeleteI was also a little confused on the groups. Does each group have one place and post on the same blog, or does each student have an individual blog?
I also wonder about the possibility of making commenting and interacting with each other an important part of the assignment. You list commenting as #4 on the composing process, but perhaps you should discuss this more.