As I'm a novice at blogging, I couldn't find where to post you a short comment about the site - so I hope you look in here at some point (pre or post your big day!)
I like the site and the instructions are clear (specially to those who are more familiar with blogging than me!)Only time wil tell how well it is used. I presume you are encouraging students by some other means as well?
Just a couple of comments by way of constructive feedback:
1. Where you have the instructions in a very prominant red box, it is actually quite hard to read them. Can you bolden the text or change the background to a lighter but equally prominant colour?
2. How about asking your speakers to post a photo of themselves or some chosen image just to make the site more visual? Or alternately, ask the students to see if they can find a photo of the speakers in public or a relavant image and post this up?
Please feel free to remove these suggestions once your speaker is confirmed for this slot!!
This discussion page has been set up to let BACCC students share opinions and comments about guest lectures.
What we'd like is that you write up your notes from the lectures and post them here. You can also respond to posts.
The blog represents a project I'm doing as part of my teacher-training (PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education). My aim is to try to get students to engage with the guest lectures in a more critical way, learning how to ask better questions of the speaker and draw the material from the lectures into the work you do in essays and other projects.
When I was doing my MA in art history, first year students were required to attend every guest lecture and write up a 1-page critical analysis, which was marked by our tutor. We were also encouraged to pose informed questions of the speaker. The exercise was effective because it made us into active listeners, gave us practice taking good notes, and, by writing up our notes, created a context where we reflected on the lecture, its content and the speaker's particular approach, developing an 'argument' about it, much like you would about a reading.
By making this activity take place online (instead of something students share only with their tutor) my hope is that the exercise will accomplish, for those who take part, the things mentioned above, but also generate a dialogue between students.
The discussion also has the potential to be expansive--you might like to post comments referring to related material or relevant links, in effect sharing research.
I hope this works. Please let me know!
How this is supposed to work
Follow the links at the top right to the posts for each lecture
Submit your comment there--it's probably best to compose the text elsewhere and paste it in. Then you have a copy for yourself, which is a good resource for your Research Journals or coursework
Comments can be any length, but a good guide might be 1-3 paragraphs
Please keep your comments constructive, but do feel free to disagree!
You could also share exta information on the speaker or links to related subjects
The blog is open to staff and students of BACCC only, for the time being
1 comment:
Hi Alison
As I'm a novice at blogging, I couldn't find where to post you a short comment about the site - so I hope you look in here at some point (pre or post your big day!)
I like the site and the instructions are clear (specially to those who are more familiar with blogging than me!)Only time wil tell how well it is used. I presume you are encouraging students by some other means as well?
Just a couple of comments by way of constructive feedback:
1. Where you have the instructions in a very prominant red box, it is actually quite hard to read them. Can you bolden the text or change the background to a lighter but equally prominant colour?
2. How about asking your speakers to post a photo of themselves or some chosen image just to make the site more visual? Or alternately, ask the students to see if they can find a photo of the speakers in public or a relavant image and post this up?
Please feel free to remove these suggestions once your speaker is confirmed for this slot!!
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