Blogging assignment details

Some of you have been asking me about the blogging requirement in this course. Here are a few clarifications and suggestions.

1. Remember to post/comment regularly. To receive full credit for this part of the course grade, the minimum number of posts and/or comments is 15. Generally try to post/comment once a week.

2. Some of you have been struggling with what to post about. Look at other people's blogs to get some inspiration. Feel free to start posting initial thoughts about your final project topic. Post your reaction to what you're reading (trade books, course articles). AND, if you're still stuck, email me and I'll help you out!

3. Remember that the idea behind the blogging part of the course is to help you become more proficient at using technology and to widen the audience for your writing/reflections.

Blogging information

Last year's 448 instructor (Valerie) posted a really helpful post on this subject.
I've cut and pasted it below:

* If you use a direct quote you need to put it in quotation marks or off-set it and give the source.
* If you paraphrase someone else's idea, you need to indicate that you've done so.

In most cases I think that doing this informally is fine. (Meaning you don't have to do a reference list like you might in a course paper.) For example, indicating the author's name and year of publication when you are drawing from a course reading or including the web address of where you drew a quote or big idea.

Here's where things get a little fuzzier, since a lot of our work is collaborative.

* If you are summarizing ideas formed in group discussion or sharing an idea that one of your classmates developed, you need to indicate that.

For example, if your analysis of a book is the product of a whole group discussion that helped you think of the book in new ways, say so. For example, "Class discussion helped me see..." or "One of my group members helped me understand..." or "Our debriefing after the such-and-such activity made me realize..." Or maybe leading with, "One of my group members wrote a questioning the text paper that made me look at the book in a different way".

Several positive things come out of acknowledging sources: it allows readers to track down written sources, it reminds us of the value of talking through ideas and hearing multiple interpretations of text and it keeps us "honest" in terms of sharing the credit for ideas.

TE 448 - Welcome!

Welcome!
Welcome to the class blog for TE 448, Issues of Diversity in Children's and Adolescent Literature, Fall 2008.

In this community blog along with your individual blogs, we will communicate and track your thoughts and perspectives on ideas addressed in this course.

I'm looking forward to getting started and to seeing where we go this semester.

On a different note, below is some advice on using/reading/posting to blogs for this class:

*Audience for blogs and confidentiality concerns.
Remember that your blogs are currently set up so that anyone can read them. This includes prospective employers, family members, and "the public". Never disclose information on your blog that you don't want to be public. This might include controversial positions which might be misread outside the context of the course.

*Consider your audience.
One audience for the blogs will be your classmates with whom you've built relationships and who know the context of the course. Another audience might be potential employers who might be interested in your ideas, your writing skills, and whether you "sound like a teacher". (I can imagine a principal asking herself, "Could I imagine this person creating a classroom blog that students and parents would read?")

* Rules of confidentiality:
Don't mention other classmates by name or with identifying information. Respond to ideas, not to people. If in doubt, choose the more confidential option. We have lots of "spaces" in which to exchange ideas in our class: our face to face meetings, our blogs, the questioning the text papers, and the Angel website. For example,if you want to pose a question that feels more personal or "risky", you might decide not to start that conversation on your blog, but rather start a discussion strand on Angel.

* As professionals, one of your tasks is to develop "professional discretion".
Although I read all posts and will contact you if I have a concern, it is ultimately up to you to make choices that demonstrate good judgment and respect for your classmates.In the future you'll be making the same types of choices with your students, parents, and professional communities!

* In terms of copyrighted material, you need to be aware of what you can and can not post on your blog. Posting the full text of a copyrighted article, for example, is a no-no. Providing a link to that article, a short excerpt, or summary of the article is fine.

Suggestions for posts to fulfill blogging assignment:

* Write a post that summarizes how you are thinking about one of the key questions we explore each week.

* Explore electronic resources connected to diverse literature and share them through your blog. Several of our readings so far have noted blogs you might want to check out--both by authors of articles and authors of children's literature

* Try adding elements to your blog. For example, you might create links to the blogs of people in your discussion group. Or you might create a space for professional resources.