Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Students blog

This semester, as part of my web design class, I am teaching students how to use the various web based resources available for creating and publishing content.

The class is a wide mix of honor role to self-described "haters" of reading and writing. Regardless of their place on this continuum, they are all blogging--reading, reflecting, and writing both in their own blogs and in comments on one another's blogs. The classroom is silent, save for the tapping of keys, when they have blog assignments. The entire class is engaged in ways I have never seen in other read/respond assignments. The answers are more thought out, and the students are more open to revision when I make suggestions.

Perhaps most notably, when I ask for feedback, the students respond that they like the blogging process and feel heard, as opposed to class discussions where the reluctant learners tend to remain silent.

There have been bumps, certainly, but today was a very good day. I am choosing to ride the wave. Deconstruction will just wait until later.