Robert W - Culminating Project

http://acesartanddesign.blogspot.com/

For my culminating project I've created a blog for my web design class. Not only are there weekly homework assignments that students need to write in the blog, but also the blog provides group feedback for each web project they complete. This way the kids learn not only from me, but from each other. There were a couple of glitches, one where a students wrote "WTF" in a post, in which I used it as a teaching example of what is not acceptable blog journaling. Another example was a student told a dirty joke in her profile. I had to make sure all students realize that they had to be personally responsible for anything they wrote connected to the class blog, including their profiles and student created blogs. The blog is really working well so far. Since I am deaf, it has allowed better communication between students and me, and parents as well. Some of the posts have been outstanding and thoughtful. I can see that most are taking it seriously, because it sheds light on their intelligence and thoughts. No one (for the most part) wants to appear stupid. So it creates peer pressure (rather than teacher pressure) to think and do well. I also think they enjoy having a blog because no other class incorporates "their technology" to this extent. I encourage them to upload any photos from their cellphones they want to share. They really like "cross dressing" technologies and seeing them work with each other. I must say using the class blog has been a shot in the arm for my web classes, which were already doing well enough. We also have a class wiki, http://acesart.wikispaces.com/ which relays important information. Kind of being used as a source board since the whiteboard in the classroom has to be shared and frequently changed.