Task 11: Use Your Tools

Since I do not teach a regular class, I’m in a somewhat different situation than most teachers. I do teach an Ethics section every year, so I’m thinking about how what I’ve learned in Pi 2.0 can apply there. We do have a blog (set up by Laura Magnanini). I posed some questions on it last year, and a few students replied, but we did not emphasize it much in class. I know from watching student behavior they considered the class blog as just another assignment, even though most were more proficient with using one than I was. Some teachers in other sections reported more success than I had, probably because their students felt it was more important. So I’m thinking about how I can make the blog more a part of what we do and discuss in class. I think they need to see it as something that helps them think about Ethics, not just something they have to do for the class. I’m planning to do the following this coming year.
• Introduce the blog the first or second day. Take some time in class to have everyone log on.
• Show (ActivBoard) the first question. Choose a question related to the beginning of the course. Choose a question where there is no right answer, but something everyone can reply to based on their thoughts.
• The day after the first blog question is assigned go over the responses (again using the ActivBoard) at the beginning of class. Use the responses as the starting point for discussion in class. This will reinforce the belief that the blog is important.
• Continue the process of posing questions, expecting responses, reviewing them the next day as the course progresses. This will mean having significant and stimulating questions available for each assignment.

I’ve also been thinking about how to use a wiki. The place the wiki can go beyond a blog is by making something a group effort rather than just individual reactions and thoughts. I’m going to think about some statements that the class can work on together to produce a single product. This will necessitate choosing something different from a blog question (where different opinions are valid and respected). I don’t yet have a starting statement for the Ethics class, though it may begin on a specific issue with something like “People should....” I’m open to suggestions from anyone who reads this blog and has ideas.