I was an early adopter of educational technology, and have tried many different platforms and tools, from Flickr to del.icio.us, from LMSs to wikis. I like wikis a lot, and want to do more to explore their educational uses. The great thing about wikis is that they allow students to collaborate and create something of their own.
I have to say, though, that the piece of technology I return to over and over again, and the one, apart from Flickr, that informs my own life in and out of my job the most, is the blog. I like the way you can use a blog as a quick and easy homepage for your students. Create a multiple user blog, and you have a collaboration tool.
But the most significant asset of the blog, from the point of view of an educator, is its use as a tool for reflection. I have started asking students to write in a blog instead of handing in a written journal for reflection on their class work. The advantage? Number one, because it is published “in real life,” the students tend to take it seriously as an assignment. Number two, and more importantly in many ways, it’s easy for students to find each other’s blogs, and you can facilitate that connection. This way, they read and comment on their classmates’ work. I find that the one or two students who do exceptional work become an incentive for others, and the overall quality of work in the class improves as a result.
In my own life, I am addicted to blogs and blogging. Using the magic of RSS feeds, I subscribe to other bloggers in my field or the blogs that interest me. I also maintain a personal blog in addition to this one and have found it to be a valuable part of my life for personal reflection and writing practice.
Help us celebrate our 2nd Annual Conference, Walls Optional, promoting excellence in teaching and learning through technology.
Have you ever taught or been a student in a class where technology was used in a creative way?
Tell us about it!
Write a blog post, before April 30, that describes any really effective teaching and/or learning experience you have had. For those who may have lots of experience with educational technology, write about the MOST effective tool or activity you have encountered. Submit it here.
The completed Carnival will be posted to coincide with our conference date of May 6. Look for it in our blog after May 4.
This fabulous video was made as a class assignment by a Camosun student. It’s an extremely effective presentation on an important topic. Let’s see it rise in popularity on YouTube!
Science fiction and fantasy fans were shocked by Terry Pratchett’s announcement recently that he’s suffering from a rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s.
Many of us have been touched personally by this disease. As we age, more and more of us will have to face it ourselves, or watch as people we love become strangers.
Wonderfully, Pratchett announced recently that he is donating half a million pounds, or about a million dollars, to Alzheimer’s research, and now we have a chance to help, too. Terry Pratchett’s fans have launched a challenge, to “match it for Pratchett,” and word is sweeping the blogosphere.
Help spread the word! Link back here, create your own message, donate to the organization in your country.
Gill Othen, a British English teacher and blogger, created the graphic below and would be happy if you copied it and used it. I’ve supplied links to major Alzheimer’s Research sites.
Last night, the English Department at Camosun College celebrated the official launch of their already successful creative writing program. The evening featured open mic readings from the public, followed by “feature” readings by selected students of the “Class of 2008.” The readings ranged from hip hop poetry to a sonnet, with everything in between - a little bit of a play, part of a story, a creative non-fiction piece with help from “plants” in the audience. It was all extremely professional; the representatives in the audience from our financial sponsors must have had no doubt that their money will be well spent.
It was also the launch of an exciting new online journal, Beside The Point. It will be run by students, for students, and will provide a venue for up-and-coming writers. It is now welcoming submissions for its next edition.
Boy, I wish I were a student, so that I could take this course. Gardner Campbell is one of my blogging heroes, and he sounds like an inspiring instructor, too.
Via Neil Gaiman’s blog comes word of a series of stories on BBC Radio 4 inspired by poems of William Blake. Gaiman’s is called “Jerusalem” - intriguing. It will be available later today and archived for a week.
I haven’t seen it yet, and am not sure I want to. I’d rather like to go with my 280 students and sit in the back and be silly and throw things, but I think we’re all mired in writing papers and marking papers and just Getting Through the next few weeks. Maybe we’ll go - we’ll see.
Anyway, I thought you might be interested to read a few responses from the scholars of Old English and/or Medieval studies on my blogroll.
Dr Virago calls it similar to a student’s B- paper, which I think is a very good analogy. Something that has good intentions and some ideas but fails in the application.
Michael Drout, on Wormtalk and Slugspeak, has rather the opposite reaction: he thinks there are some marvellous visuals (naked Angelina Joli being one) but that the themes are tedious and cliche.
Richard Nokes is still waiting for the Great Beowulf Film. He seems to quite like the theme (of narrative unreliability) but didn’t seem to like much else except Angelina Jolie’s prehensile tail braid.
