For sometime now, I've been pondering what role the use of blogs might have in the classroom. I have even made some half-attempts at writing down my thoughts about same, and sent a few emails about same. Now it's time to start going more public with some of my half-baked notions, and seeing what discourse might come about from it. For my (ir)regular readers, even if you aren't currently involved with the education field directly, I welcome (plead for) your input, since I figure you were involved with the education field in some way at some point, anyhow.

Six weeks ago, Russ Hunt (who I had the pleasure of meeting in mid-February 1999) shared the following observations with the POD mailing list, in the context of a discussion about binge-purge, bulemic-style 'studying' versus actual engagement with the course material.

On Thursday, May 30, 2002, at 12:41 PM, Russ Hunt wrote:

It occurs to me that part of the problem here is the general verb "study" itself. "Study" means to most students -- and, I suspect, most faculty members -- finding a way to internalize what's external. "Studying," to my students, means rereading textbooks, readings, and lecture notes, probably highlighting important (= random) passages, closing the book or page and trying to recite what was there, etc. Getting the info into the bank. Bingeing.

It seems to me most people wouldn't call most of what my students are asked to do in the eight hours a week they're expected to devote to a class "studying." This may include things like these (there are many more possibilities):

• Using a periodical index to locate articles on a subject
• Skimming articles looking for appropriate ones to read in greater detail
• Reading and responding to postings to an email discussion board
• Editing a research report written by other members of a group
• Summarizing relevant portions of articles for the other members of a research group
• Creating links on a Web page to elements of a collaborative report
• Reading and asking substantial questions of a collaborative report prepared by a group in the class
• Taking notes for a response to an in-class presentation by a research group
• Writing a reflective learning journal

When Stephen Adkison suggests, quite accurately, that what we want is "engagement" and that we should consider that rather than quantity of time, and thus "articulate our expectations" more clearly, it occurs to me we need pretty much to abandon the word "study" altogether.

I now ask the following question of those who may stumble across this posting: In a not-too-future version of a classroom, that you or your offspring might inhabit, which of those items in Russ' list might involve the use of a blog, and how can you see that being done?

Disclaimer: I did take the liberty of rearranging the order of the items slightly, since it was an unordered list Russ posted.

7:56:17 PM  [] blah blah blah'd on this    

How have we managed to move so far from that which inspired so many?

House GOP Already Failed on Corporate Responsibility

On July 9, 2002, President Bush went to Wall Street to call for several specific reforms in response to the recent corporate responsibility scandals. However, many of his plans have already been proposed by Democrats in Congress - and shot down by Bush's fellow Republicans. The following is a list of reforms that the House Republicans have already rejected.

• 214 Republicans Voted Against Criminal Penalties for CEOs Who Falsify Financial Reports.
• 218 Republicans Voted Again Against Tougher Corporate Regulations and Executive Accountability.
• 214 Republicans Voted Against Greater Auditing Safeguards.
• 214 Republicans Voted Against Greater Limits on Analyst Conflicts of Interest.
• 214 Republicans Voted Against Executives Certifying Financial Statements.
• 209 Republicans Voted Against Stronger Protections for Employee Pensions.
• 191 Republicans Voted to Allow Companies to Avoid Paying Federal Taxes.

Don't you wonder why?

(link via The Last Liberal)

Not really, Craig, but I've been called 'cynical' by more than one person. Your post made me think of the following:

"... It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."

Time to re-write this chunk of history, too, I guess, and not just because of the reference to a particular Supreme Being. Apologies to the Great Emancipator, and everyone who is not privileged enough to be white-collar criminals deemed connected enough to be above the law..

10:24:52 AM  [] blah blah blah'd on this    [ blinked via Craig's BookNotes ]