Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project Blog

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Bluebonnets, Please Share your Input

Hiya, Bluebonnets, please consider this....

Bluebonnets%2C%20Please%20Provide%20Feedback.m4a


Here is the mp3 for the Mac-impaired.

Bluebonnets%2C%20Please%20Provide%20Feedback.mp3

Janelle

posted by Janelle @ 6/25/2006 07:53:00 PM  

8 Comments:

  • At 6/25/2006 9:03 PM, Blogger Scott S. Floyd said…

    Great podcast! I enjoyed it, although the music scared me to death in the beginning since my volume was apparently turned way up in Real Player (I never use that software except for listening to the Texas Legislature in session).

    As for your topics, I think blogs and discussion boards both have their places. Discussion boards allow a discussion to thread naturally following replies all the way through like a conversation. In other words, it allows several conversations to be organized easier in one thread than blogs allow. Blogs offer the chance to comment on the post and other comments as well, but organizing the comments that go with each other (as in a discussion that might occur between certain users and not all) is not as easy. It requires organization.

    As for using blogs for writers' workshop, I think it is a great idea. It will give the student much needed practice in communicating effectively in a technology medium they will face in the real world. They enjoy using technology, so I would think they would take it serious in order to continue to be able to use it in class. It is going to also help different learning styles.

    Thanks for the podcast.

     

  • At 6/26/2006 4:52 AM, Blogger Janelle said…

    I'm sure you know there is much written about discussion boards vs. blogs. Blogs are said to be the new "ecology of education," and I, for one, would love ideas on how to use them to their utmost potential.

    I know that I see a deeper discussion on blogs vs. discussion forums/boards, and it could be that the ease of the format as well as other features helps to encourage this.

    What are your thoughts on helping to promote more organization----not as static as on a discussion board, however? Barbara Ganley mentioned creating a Mother Blog with small offshoots. Well, how many blogs are too many?

    I see professors using blogs entirely instead of discussion boards like Web CT and Blackboard, and they love the results----stronger connections between students and instructors, etc. How do you think we can get there?

    Thank you so much for the listen,
    Janelle

     

  • At 6/26/2006 11:53 AM, Blogger Kelly said…

    Janelle,

    As far as blogs vs. discussion boards - I think both have a place for integrating technology, motivation, and building a community on the web. I see blogs as more of a diary, with a one-theme topic; discussion boards seem to have an organization to discuss several topics (and find them). My problem with blogs is that they get too "blogged" down and difficult to find things. The people posting have to be very organized.

    I see blogs as being very useful in the writing process. Anything to encourage motivation and participation (and I think blogs are very good at that) should be used to the greatest extent.

    Thanks for getting this discussion started!

     

  • At 6/26/2006 12:09 PM, Blogger Scott S. Floyd said…

    I really enjoyed listening to your Podcast. You seem to have a lot of fun working with and using technology which is a great model for students. I have had more experience with discussion boards than blogs, but believe that they both have the potential to benefit kids. I agree with Scott that blogging would be a great tool to use during writer’s workshop. Children love working with computers and I think that using them during writing workshop would help motivate students to write and respond.

    Rebecca

     

  • At 6/26/2006 6:56 PM, Blogger Janelle said…

    Okay, so does anyone have ideas on using blogs in a more organized fashion? I would love to be able to hold onto the benefits of the blog, and I cannot help but think if entire courses are taught on blogs, there's gotta be a way to keep 'em organized.

     

  • At 6/26/2006 7:35 PM, Blogger Scott S. Floyd said…

    The best way to do that (organize a blog) is with Tags and categories. If you look down the right side of Wesley Fryer's blog he has a list of words with numbers in parenthesis. These are the categories that he uses and "tags" each post with the one that best fits it.

    Tags make it easier to find articles that way and also offers the chance for others to find your posts through Technorati. Vicki Davis has a post on tagging and how to add it to your blog.

     

  • At 6/27/2006 6:30 PM, Blogger Janelle said…

    Yes, I want to learn that. Plus, I am exploring other blog sites, and Pete has provided some good off-site blog editors so perhaps, this will help in getting the organization down.

    About the Tags----will del.icio.us help with that?

     

  • At 6/27/2006 7:39 PM, Blogger Kelly said…

    I, too, would love the benefits of blogs with the organization of the discussion board. We'll have to look into that tagging stuff... gosh, it has such a negative connotation, doesn't it!

     

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