Class blogs vice websites
Campus Technology has an article out concerning the uses of blogging in University of Arizona classes. Interesting stuff. For the uninitiated, professors at UA will typically put out class websites where students can download lecture notes, homework assignments, etc. Other classes will have listservs where teachers might put out supplemental information including but not limited to class cancellations, homework reminders, etc. Blogging brings both of these concepts together and additionally fosters more discussion than forums.
I tried getting the forum idea to work at my high school more than once, but it never caught on. Not only did many students not have internet access in the home, but they simply weren’t proficient enough at computing to make it a useful resource. Moreover, bad web design on teachers’ part made the concept of Internet-aided classes notorious. With blogs’ prevalance and familiarity, we just might be seeing that perception come to an end.
Of course, this is notwithstanding the possibility of computers in the classroom being more of a distraction than an aid.
