Nancy's Reading Notes #4

We have reached the middle of the semester at NDSU, and while I can see that my students are more comfortable with me, they still seem to be shying away from one another at times. I noticed that students are not really offering constructive criticism because I believe students seem too afraid to hurt anyone's feelings. Due to this issue, and our reading for this week, I believe our class should discuss the importance of social networks, formulating small groups, and the ideas behind service learning.

In a world where we constantly find a way to incorporate technology in all aspects of life, I believe our class should discuss the ideas behind multiple formats of the "Web 2.0" idea and social networks. Some schools require that all classes take advantage of the online operating system (such as Blackboard); however, some classes also incorporate blogs, social networking sites, class websites etc. Since all of these formats cannot necessarily be accessed from the same starting point, I wonder, how many web sources are too many? I once took a course that posted assignments on Blackboard, required us to continue a journal on a personal blog, and use a social networking site to speak with our classmates. Davis explains how all of these web based platforms are great outlets for teaching; however instructors should pick and choose the platforms used in a particular course (pgs. 183-188). It is also important to know which platforms will work best for particular tasks. This makes me wonder, am I not in favor of too many platforms because it is actually an overload for students, or do I feel this way because I may not be as technologically savvy as many people?

Another topic I believe is very important for our class to discuss is the idea of group activities. I am a strong advocate of group activities. This is actually one of my top three learning goals included in my teaching philosophy. The only aspect that I wonder about is deciding on the best way to actually form the groups. Both Davis and Lang discuss the idea of small groups and offer options to assign, randomly pick, or have students count off. Lang mentions group students with varying academic ability; however, I wonder if it would be more beneficial to group them by interests (p. 112).

Lastly, I believe the class should discuss service-learning opportunities as addressed in chapter 26 of Davis’ text. In this chapter she explains how service-learning helps students because they are being submerged into a particular field. The setting is organized in a manner that would allow for students to perform activities or functions tied to a particular objective or learning goal, and also helps students work together and work with an organization. While I believe this is very helpful, I am concerned about the amount of time this type of project will take. How often should students be required to meet with the organization to provide positive learning results? Where can instructors find the balance between issuing this sort of project, along with other course projects, without overwhelming students?