I'd like to get some feedback from you regarding these two questions: first, what are your thoughts on our class blog (things you like about it, limitations, and any suggestions) and second, what are your thoughts on the beauty blogs (and any other blogs) you created for this class (things you enjoyed about the process, limitations of the process, and any suggestions for teachers who might be thinking of using blogs in their classes).
You can either leave the feedback in the comments below (if that doesn't work, just email me your responses and I'll post them) or leave feedback on the wallwisher site below.
Thanks.
You guys are the best and I'm going to miss you after this week.
I like this blog but I find it annoying that I can't post this comment on the "Beauty Blogs" page. Oh well. Reading the beauty blogs, I found it really interesting how similar many students' definitions of beauty are. All of them I looked at seemed very well put together, especially taking into account that it was most likely most student's first time blogging. The main criticism I do have is that I could have used more of an explanation for some of the posts. Instead of saying "this is a beautiful video, song, picture,etc.", you should explain WHY you find it beautiful. It is effortless to call something beautiful but to analyze it for its beauty is a challenge. Other than that, I think they were well done.
ReplyDeleteThe only other advice I have for any future bloggers is to incorporate an image in every post. It wasn't too much of an issue in the beauty blogs since the topic of most posts was the image. But truthfully most new readers, like myself, are too lazy to read an actual paragraph if there is not an image there to back it up and introduce the topic, especially if the heading isn't eye catching. And believe me, you can find a picture for ANY topic.
I loved having a blog for this class, and think every teacher should consider having one. They could use this one as their model. I love the layout, it's very easy to use, always has something interesting to look at, and is a great place for students to interact with each other. Blogs are a perfect way for students to show their work and ideas, and for other students to give them feedback. In addition, I like having a place to go and see what the assignments are when I'm taking a class.
ReplyDeleteI also think having a blog for class is awesome. When you are wasting time on facebook, twitter, or pinterest, it's just a click away to find the blog for your next assignment. Instead of having to find a syllabus or a paper with your assignment (or if you forgot those papers at school) you can just get on the internet and find out what you need to be doing for class. There is also a sense of immediate feedback, if you are expected to make a post about an assignment you can immediately see what other people are saying about that assignment as well. Using a blog for this class inspired me to make my own blog just for fun. And now I blog somewhat frequently, it's an excuse to "write" about events in my life that I wouldn't otherwise write about. Many people have smart phones and so there is always access to what you need to be doing for class. I think blogs are a good way to keep the teachers accountable (they have to be constantly upating the blog) and to keep students on their toes (they need to be constantly checking the blog, and there is no excuse for not getting something done). I think more teachers should implement using blogs in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI loved having this blog for class too. Like others have mentioned, it makes it really easy to stay caught up if you miss a class for any reason, and its a nice way for all of us to interact. Most of the assignments posted here are to leave feedback to something, or your own ideas, or a combination of them. Sometimes it's easier for students to get their ideas out there this way, rather than speaking in front of the whole class. As for the blogs we created, they were really fun. I'd never created a blog before and I found that they're surprisingly easy. The beauty blogs were a great assignment all around in my opinion. It was a lot of fun to get to express and share my thoughts in a new way and really, when was the last time anyone got an assignment to go on a scavenger hunt?! To any teachers thinking about using a blog, I'd say do it! As long as you can keep up with it. But it's a lot less paper, and with all the technology students have access to these days, it's generally a lot more convenient for us!
ReplyDeleteHaving a class blog is something every class should start doing. It allows us to be much more connected to the material we are learning and it's great for discussions. I also love that if we'd ever forget what was assigned or needed examples to go off of...we have it all on one reliable place. Never stop having a blog it made the class that much better!
ReplyDeleteCreating the beauty blogs was also great. I ended up spending my whole Saturday creating it because it was really fun. I loved creating something of my own. And after it was done I felt very accomplished and proud of what I'd put together. for once, an assignment wasn't done on a piece of paper and that was very refreshing. I wouldn't have minded making more of them.