Presented at TLT Symposium by Chris Long and student panel
Based on PHIL 200
Using technology is about relinquishing control and allowing students to take ownership of their own experience (ownership of meaning a la Wenger)
Similarities between this course and ours (ci597):
*Blog used for self-reflection
*Students were encouraged to tweet during class, but there was resistance
*Weekly podcasts were submitted to summarize the course material (similar to our weekly posts)
*Blogs allowed for discussion beyond what was possible within the time allotted for the class
Key points:
*Enduring dialogue results when we strive together for understanding.
*The "conversation" that took place on the blog motivated the students to keep writing more and better
*The less the teacher commented on the blogs themselves, the better they seemed to work
*Assessment: If they didn't do the blogs, they weren't participating [This fits with our previous class discussion on participation and the assessment of participation.]
*When we teachers talk about community we have to recognize that we as faculty are part of that community.
Within the course they had to deal with an anonymous person who was posting inappropriately and attacking student posts on the blog. It turned out to be a learning experience for teacher and students, but was a real struggle for everyone. [How would we handle this situation if it came up in our class?]
Anonymity protects the person speaking the words, but threatens those of us who are hearing it (uncertainty, no physical referents, etc.).
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