About+blogs+and+small+group+discussions


 * Blog posts ** 75 points (You will receive an assigned blog internet address)
 * Why a Blog? **

Article: Blogs help students think for themselves
Blogging is helping students to think and write more critically, says an Australian researcher, and can help draw out people who would otherwise not engage in debate.
 * By Anna Salleh ABC Science || Friday, 2 September 2005 ||

These are the preliminary findings of PhD research by Anne Bartlett-Bragg, a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, who has been using weblogs or blogs in her own teaching since 2001.

"[The students] are thinking more critically," she says. "They are learning to be responsible and they're communicating outside the boundaries of the classroom and the institution, and they like that."

Bartlett-Bragg says in conventional teaching, students often rely on the lecturer as the main source of ideas and critique for their work.

"I'm a bit over listening to my students giving me back in an essay what I've told them in class," she says. "I want them to think for themselves and get different perspectives."

What makes blogs useful is their interactive nature, she says.

These web-based forums for discussing ideas, experiences or opinions allow students to discuss publicly what they are studying with other students and experts outside their own university.

"I really encourage them to put their personal opinion in there, __provided they are informed and backed up with evidence__."




 * Blog guidelines: **

Blogs have been set up for this class. I will share the address for your group by sending you an email inviting you to join the blog group. __Members of the group that offers the most stimulating and active responses will receive an extra 10 points at the end of the quarter__. Last quarter this award made a significant difference in several students’ grades.


 * 1) Blog entry deadlines are on your class calendar and in the weekly content portion of your syllabus.
 * 2) First, read the assignment.
 * 3) Second, get onto the blog site and post a response using critical thinking skills. Perhaps you can compare to something in your own experience or from your own knowledge base. Perhaps you feel something strongly from reading the article and you explain why. Perhaps you would like to critique some aspect of the article itself either positively or negatively. Perhaps you can share some research to find out how things might be changing to affect the situation(s) described in the article. Some people have been known to include illustrations or cartoons that help illustrate their points.
 * 4) Third, you are encouraged to respond diplomatically to other students’ posts.


 * __ Personal Behavior __**** : ** In general, it is expected that all participants (both students and faculty) will maintain a safe, respectful, collaborative blog and classroom environment at all times.
 * Blog discourse should be respectful – students are encouraged to critique and debate others’ ideas but in ways that are diplomatic and respectful.
 * Blog discourse should be accurate - students need to back up and site factual information with creditable sources.
 * Blog discourse should include citations of information and idea sources that are gathered elsewhere.


 * As your instructor, I will be looking for the following in your posts: **
 * 1) Understanding of the main purpose of the article or reading.
 * 2) A sense of personal engagement with the material that includes critical thinking.
 * 3) Engagement with other students.

Small Group Discussion Leader Assignment (or role-playing leader assignment) Each student will lead a small, in-class, group discussion about one of the readings (or students can initiate a role-playing session instead).

I will pass around a sign-up sheet and post the list on the wiki so you can remember your discussion-leader (or role-playing leader) date. Dates are tentative and are likely to change, but be prepared __by__ the assigned date, and you will be safe.

1. Be ready to summarize the article to remind everyone about the main points. 2. Prepare a list of questions to inspire reflection, critique, perhaps debate, and comparison. Be prepared to expand on and answer your own questions to add to the conversation. (You can review the blog discussion about the article and expand on some of the issues that students chose to write about, or you can find new questions.)
 * For a discussion:**


 * 3. ** ** Turn in a copy of your prepared discussion summary, questions, and your answers to your questions to the instructor at the end of the class. **

4. Have some fun with it.

=__** For a role-playing approach **__=
 * Sometimes we can get a better sense of others' circumstances if we work to be 'in their shoes' - to see the world as they see it. It also helps to practice conversation through role playing to better understand the concepts and comparisons. **

1. Be ready to summarize the article to remind everyone about the main points. 2. Prepare a role-playing situation connected with the article's points and concepts. 3. Give other students an idea of their parts in the role playing situation. Let them know what concepts they will be working to portray. 4. Allow time for students to work out their parts. 5. Once the role playing is completed, take time to discuss what went well (accurately) and what could be improved. What was learned from the role playing experience?

** 6. Turn in a copy of your prepared discussion summary and your plan for role playing to the instructor at the end of the class. **