The Blog Blog

I'm getting sick of that title already. It sounds a bit too much like Bob Loblaw, for you Arrested Development fans :)...any suggestions?

I enjoyed coming to the pre-semester workshop. The link to the resource/discussion blog is bloggingfyc.wordpress.com. Please let me know if you'd like to be an author and let me know what you think would be helpful to add (send me an email to a.sowa@tcu.edu)!

YouTube Posts to Complement Assignments.

I learned today in the "Beyond the Basics" eCollege workshop that we should not have blank pages on our eCollege unit tabs. I confess I was guilty of having a blank page on each unit tab, which I labeled "Portfolio One," etc. Therefore, I decided to post YouTube videos on each of those units (listed below). I chose to embed my videos within the page. To do this, you simply click on the "Author" view of the unit, post your heading, then scroll down and change the view to "html" and paste the Youtube embed code and "save." The YouTube code is to the right of the video. If you click the star next to the code, you can choose the color of border--make sure you unclick "Include related videos," as you cannot be sure what will pop up afterwards.

Personal essay
Discovery essay
Profile essay
Argument essay

The Personal Essay video--make sure to watch it until the end.

Texting in Class

I've been hemming and hawing about how best to deal with the now-epidemic texting and Facebook phone and laptop issues in class. We don't have an official program policy (and likely won't, as this is up to folks' discretion), but I'm going to try a new one this year and wonder what y'all think or if you'd be willing to share what you have in your syllabus (either in the comments here or in your own post).

Here's what I think I'm going to try this year:

"Technologies: Please turn cell phones and any other electronics off during class. You’ll be notified in advance if you should bring laptops to class for work; otherwise, assume you won’t need them. Texting, checking Facebook, etc. from your phone or computer means you’re not engaging in the daily activities of our course. If you are using your electronics during class, it will be marked in the gradebook and I’ll notify you after class or via email; two violations will equal an absence for the course, and each additional violation will accrue another absence. Thus, failure to adhere to the technology policies can impact your final grade."

Here's my thinking: I had sometimes been calling students out, even making them put their phones on my desk if it got bad or after a warning or two, but that felt too much like policing. What I like about this policy is that it's not about disrupting class, and since I'll notify students, it's not something that would shock them at the end of the semester. It also seems a policy one could use at their discretion (for example, my husband asked if I meant if I ever see their phone, and I meant more when I observe prolonged use [meaning, to my mind, more than the cursory check of who just made one's phone vibrate--as they never do really turn them off]).

I don't think this policy is without drawbacks, it's something to work with. What have you tried that works well? How might you tinker with this one and why? Or should there be no policy in our syllabi at all on this?

First Week of College

So I found this link giving advice to students for their first week of college. Might it be something you'd want to post to your eCollege course? Check it out and see; there are some good ideas there.

Stop! GrammarTime!

My husband sent me this link today called "10 Easy Secrets of Good Grammar" (which I think should be entitled "Ten Easy...," but let's not quibble). Some of you might find it a bit loosey-goosey for your tastes (she says at the outset you can split an infinitive), but it's a conversational, laid-back approach to some common grammar issues students might find less daunting. Thought it might be something you'd want to post to your webliographies if you don't find anything in here too disagreeable.

Distracted!

Did y'all see the article in the LA Times by an avid reader who confesses how hard it is to simply sit and read these days? Might be good fodder for discussion with students.

Check it out here.

Web Star

Have you seen the new AddRan webpage? It's been spruced up, and our very own GI Peter is featured on the site. Check it out here.