Blogs and Effective Teaching Reimagining our Physical and Symbolic

Classrooms

#wabsm@thewabashnation

@mhess@rwilliamsonjr

@rogernam

“What’s the title of your paper?”

“Incised concentric circles on royal Judahite storage jars: an in depth analysis of a Unique Late Iron Age administrative marker”

Some important caveats• “Reimagining our physical and symbolic classrooms”

is not primarily about online teaching.• In many ways, I am a traditional teacher.

What if we reimagine our physical and symbolic

classrooms?

Classrooms of Shame A Tumblr blog curated by “The Professor Is In.”

Classrooms of Shame A Tumblr blog curated by “The Professor Is In.”

Classrooms of Shame A Tumblr blog curated by “The Professor Is In.”

Classrooms of Shame A Tumblr blog curated by “The Professor Is In.”

What if we reimagine our physical and symbolic

classrooms?

Look at this sample assignment for an introductory Bible Survey

class

A sample blog assignmentEach student will contribute to the weekly class blog, posting an approximately 200-300 word response to the week’s readings. There are a number of ways to approach these open-ended posts: consider the reading in relation to its historical or theoretical context; write about an aspect of the day’s reading that you don’t understand, or something that jars you; formulate an insightful question about the reading and then attempt to answer your own questions; or respond to another student’s post, building upon it, disagreeing with it, or re-thinking it.

What do you see as beneficial to this type of assignment? Please tweet your response to #wabsmblogWhat do you see as potentially harmful or negative with this type of assignment? Please tweet your response to #wabsmblog

Blog Reading Assignments

An example

Individual Blog Writing Assignments

Take a look at any assignment, can you use the blog as a platform?

• Book review?• Brief exegetical assignment?• Short theological essay?• Deity report?

Group Blog Writing Assignments

Look at this sample assignment for an introductory Bible Survey class

• Think about a class that you are teaching next semester that might work well with a blog?

• Take this assignment, and adapt the questions to fit your blog; decide on a way of assessment and percentage of course grade.

• In pairs, present your assignment to a partner.• How do you see your students react to this kind of

assignment.• How do you think they will do?

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment4 Exceptional. The blog post is focused and coherently integrates examples with explanations or analysis. The post demonstrates awareness of its own limitations or implications, and it considers multiple perspectives when appropriate. The entry reflects in-depth engagement with the topic.3 Satisfactory. The blog post is reasonably focused, and explanations or analysis are mostly based on examples or other evidence. Fewer connections are made between ideas, and though new insights are offered, they are not fully developed. The post reflects moderate engagement with the topic.

Assessment2 Underdeveloped. The blog post is mostly description or summary, without consideration of alternative perspectives, and few connections are made between ideas. The post reflects passing engagement with the topic.1 Limited. The blog post is unfocused, or simply rehashes previous comments, and displays no evidence of student engagement with the topic.0 No Credit. The blog post is missing or consists of one or two disconnected sentences.

Assessment

Four Tips for Using Blogs in Teaching• Disclaim, disclaim, disclaim!• Start slow• Match the assignment to the course

objectives/learning outcomes• Be prepared for resistance (sometimes from

surprising places).

Tools and Resources

Tools and Resources

• http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/a-better-blogging-assignment/41127

• www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu (Teaching and Learning Resources)