3. It’s helped me to
think critically
about the materials
I’m studying in
the program.
Pressured with meeting deadlines,
providing constant creative writing,
and properly editing my work helped me
completely change the way I write.
Blogging has
helped me grow
as a writer.
I find myself reading
things online all the time
now and having the urge
to write about them.
My blog has served as
a portfolio, which has led to paid
writing work and to a paid internship
halfway through the first semester
of the program.
4. Today
1. How to craft it
2. How to deliver it
3. Challenges (aka what sucks)
4. Student experience (Jason
Manuge)
5. Q&A
6. Create your own teaching
blog
6. Crafting the Assignment
1. Create a WordPress blog &
get comfortable.
2. Determine the assignment’s
Learning Outcomes.
3. Develop a clear and simple
evaluation for you & students.
4. Develop an example-rich
lesson that explains the
assignment & how to achieve
LOs.
9. Crafting—Determine LOs
1. Improve grammar and good
proofreading habits
2. Learn business writing basics
(formatting and content)
3. Advance critical thinking skills
4. Develop a practice of reflecting
on key lessons
5. Develop a practice of citing
sources
6. Learn WordPress platform (e.g.
embedding media, hyperlinks)
10. Crafting—Assignment
•
Six to eight weekly posts
•
Instructor marks at random
three to four blogs (first, last
and one in middle)
•
Students evaluate one
another’s posts weekly—
evaluatees assigned by you
11. Crafting—Evaluation
NOTE: You have a copy of this
evaluation.
•
Checklist or rubric?
•
For use by students and instructor.
•
Simple, clear expectations.
•
Zeros for noncompliance related to
most common errors.
•
Students get a small mark each week
for evaluating one another’s posts.
12. Crafting—Prepping the Prep
Lesson
•
A week before, hand out the
assignment.
•
Consider bringing a successful
industry blogger to class to create buyin (Skype if not local).
•
Prepare to spend lots of time in class
reviewing the assignment, answering
questions.
•
Explain how to satisfy key requirements
of checklist/rubric.
•
Provide examples of blogs that do and
don’t work and review with class.
14. Delivery—Before the intro
lesson
•
Distribute assignment a few days/a
week before discussing.
•
Develop peer evaluation spreadsheet
(Two sections? Evaluate across
sections, not in same).
•
Consider bringing in that industry
blogger.
15. Delivery—The Lesson
•
Leave 20 minutes for assignment
walkthrough and questions.
•
Two hours total.
•
Set the stage: “When you enter
each of your classes, you should
be thinking to yourselves, ‘I’ve
got to find a blog topic before
Friday’s deadline. Could it be in
Andrew’s class today?’”
Blog, blog,
blogidee, blogger,
blogga, blogododee
and…blog.
25. Delivery—Evaluating
•
Mark tough at the start to show
expectations are high, including with
peer evaluations.
•
Mark all blogs in Week 1 and develop
the evaluation spread sheet for first
class of Week 2.
•
All blog URLs must be sent to me before
the first blog’s deadline.
•
Peer evaluations are due weekly in
second class of Week 2 (must attend to
submit).
•
A missed blog earns a zero (no
makeups)
Hooah!
Yes, sir!
I WILL cite
my sources!
26. Options and Add-Ons
•
Consider side assignments:
Grammar Diaries
•
Assign weekly topics
•
Randomly mark two to four or run
assignment six to eight weeks
•
Get other profs to help with
marking
•
Your weekly Top 5 or 10
•
End-of-semester awards
•
Carry it on throughout program
27. Not all wine and roses
A killer learning experience, it may slay you, too
28. The Student Perspective
The Process, The Experience, The Results
According to first-year AMC student Jason Manuge
30. This Presentation:
http://www.slideshare.net/frankarmstrong73744/blogging-pd-workshop-ppt
Blog structure slides:
http://www.slideshare.net/frankarmstrong73744/edit_my_uploads
E-copies of my Peer Evaluation checklists and Grammar Diary
forms (including good and bad examples): farmstrong@sl.on.ca
WordPress startup how-to video:
http://codex.wordpress.org/New_To_WordPress_-_Where_to_Start
Downloads available
Please visit my teaching blog at
www.teachingteacher.wordpress.com
