Reflections

I'm always amazed by how quickly the semester flies by. I tend to get nostalgic this time of the year. I've learned a lot about the uses of technology this semester, although it was not always easy. I tend to learn the most from classes that take me out of my element, and this has definitely been one of those classes. I think back to the first night of class, trying to learn how to use MOO, I wasn't sure I would get used to it, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy and helpful. (I'm so glad we didn't have to brave the cold)! I was uncomfortable with blogging at first as well, but again I have learned a lot from this exercise. This has also led me to wonder how I can take my students out of their comfort zone. I think that using technology in the classroom will help me do this. They may be more comfortable with technology in general than I am, but I think that it cans still be used to give them more fulfilling experience.

No, I will not give you an A!

As the semester comes to a close, I am faced with the unpleasantness of grade negotiations. No-I don't let students negotiate their grades, but that does not stop them from trying to sweet-talk their way to a better grade. I'm sure I'm not the only one to face this issue each semester, but I am curious how other people handle it. I find it interesting that students want a better grade, but they generally have no real reasons why I should change their grade. If they would come to me with some real reasons, I would consider it (maybe). They don't think about what they could have done during the semester to avoid this situation. I've lost all sympathy for the students who approach me about this. Sometimes I feel like a hard***, but all of this would be pointless if we gave students the grades that they want, instead of the grades they earn. How do the rest of you feel about this situation?

Community vs. Individual Blogs

After our final class on Monday night, I started thinking about the differences between individual and community blogs. The biggest issue that comes to mind for me is grading. Grading 25 blogs per semester seems overwhelming. Maybe this makes me seem lazy, but I don't want to spend my time policing 25 blogs each semester. I would also like to see my students read each other's entries as well, so I'm leaning towards a community blog for my next class. I know I will still have the same number of entries to read, but I like the fact that they would all be in one place. I think a community blog would create just that-a sense of community within the class. I don't really trust students to actively seek out other student's blogs, so this will force them to read at least a few entries (hopefully). It would be a great place to discuss readings and concerns as they arise. I am excited to find out how this will work in the future.

Scary...

I recently read an article in Newsweek about a family in California-their daughter was killed in a horrific car accident (the body was decapitated). Officers on the scene took pictures of the crash site and posted them on the internet without notifying the family. Since then, the family has received pictures of the crash site via email and they can also be found by simply searching the family name. The family has hired a lawyer to attempt to stop the spread of these photos, but it is nearly impossible. The parents and their remaining children live in constant fear that they will run into the photos while browsing the internet. The article delves into a discussion of the legal battle that the family is waging, and also the question of "why does anyone want to see these images?" It is awful that people have taken this personal tragedy and turned it into entertainment, but the most frightening aspect is that there is really nothing to be done to stop it.

Here is the link for anyone interested:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/195073

Grading

I have been terribly remiss in my blogging lately. It seems as if grading has overtaken my life in the past few weeks, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. My students turned in their final papers this weekend. This is the only paper that I have required the students to submit online. Normally I prefer to have paper copies to save my eyes from further hours of computer glare, but I actually am enjoying the online grading this time. I think it has cut down on my grading time, which is nice, but I've also noticed that I am making fewer comments on the papers. Maybe it's grading burnout, I'm not sure yet. I don't think that I could switch to online submissions only (especially not for the research paper), but it is nice to have both options available. My main question is-am I getting lazy or is online grading more efficient?