Blogging Assignment
Having nearly completed the blogging assignment for the semester, I think that it proved to not be a particularly worthwhile assignment. I say this because I only made comments as the deadline approached for grading. Most of my classmates also did this. If I had found it useful, I would have been more inclined to make comments throughout the grading period. In principle, it is a good idea to have this additional forum for class discussion. However, I never felt that any of the discussions on the blogs really went far beyond the discussions in class, which were generally adequate for the topics covered. The blogs were mostly done to satisfy the requirements for the assignment and did not add much more to the class.
Comments
Posted by: Angelo Mirando
Posted on: December 11, 2005 09:21 PM
Daniel,
I agree with what you're saying. Most people do these blogs just to get them done and some don't put much time or effort into them. It seems like what we went over in class is what is being put into these blogs. I hope for 251 we won't have to do these but I'm guessing that we will.
Posted by:
Posted on: December 11, 2005 09:41 PM
"If I had found it useful, I would have been more inclined to make comments throughout the grading period."
Just the opposite could be said as well. If you make regular comments and push the discussions, you will see greater benefits.
Posted by: Artur Grabowski
Posted on: December 11, 2005 10:57 PM
Daniel,
I have mixed feelings about the blogging assignment and therefore I only partially agree with you. I do feel that many, if not most, people post blogs only as a means of satisfying the requirements of the course. Based on this point, I also agree with you that the blog discussions usually don’t take off because people only post as much as they have to and thus there is no incentive to continue an extended dialog.
However, I also feel that reflecting on in class activities is something that is rarely done. In most classes, a lecture is given once and it is referred to only if it may be covered on a future exam. However, in forcing students to write down their thoughts about in-class activities, the blogging system is allowing people to reflect on what happened in the classroom or during out of class project work.
Hence, although I do not feel that the current blogging assignment setup is ideal, I feel that the underlying purpose of it is important.