class notes 1-30-8

First off - fantastic class discussion. The small groups I attended had great questions and the open class discussion really took off.

There was a very small number who participated in the whole class discussion in a limited way, which is one reason I think our blogs will be so fruitful. Some students hold back due to influences of native educational culture, affect (sorry for the jargon - but the usage isn't too uncommon, and you'll hear it in professional educational/medical/psychological discussions. I wonder if the usage might come from the trouble some people have it saying "emotion"), etc. I experienced this in a big way teaching in Asia.

Regarding The advantages of blogs over Blackboard. (Great questions - whoever asked that). Last year, when I used blackboard, it was not equipped to use blogs or wikis. I heard some talk about the next version encorporating or importing these technologies - but it would be bringing outside programs in - and questions of compatibility and the added steps necessary to make it work gave me pause.

Threaded discussions incourage short responses - and you can't see much of the content without a lot of clicking. Blogs are journals. Several of the graduate courses (at least 3) that I took required a teaching or learning journal of some kind. Posting journals online offers several advantages. I've written about this in more depth at http://gdixon.edublogs.org/what’s-in-it-for-you-purpose-and-audience/ The savings in paper and costs - not to mention trasportation and the reduction of clutter - are substantial.

Were we to do this through a Learning Management Software (such as Blackboard, Angel, Web CT or other) who would own your work? What would happen to your work at the end of the semester? How might someone else use your work? You might be surprised what's happening.

Re: security. While people can share your address (we may need a modicum of trust in our classmates) - I don't think your blog can be found unless someone knows what they are looking for. None-the-less, using a psuedonym rather than your own name, or an avatar (click for definiton) is always an option. Just tell me in class what your psuedonym is.

Do you keep your completed assignments for future reference - or do they go pretty much straight into the trash? What is better and why?