I asked them all to create a post suggesting a commandment that they think people in our class/section should follow when they are engaging with each other (or each other's ideas) in our online space, for example, a suggestion that everyone needs to be respectful of each other and each other's ideas.
Once everyone had an opportunity to make suggestions, we revised and edited the list to narrow it down to "10 Commandments of Blogging" for my classes.
Here's what they came up with:
- Be respectful of each other and each others' ideas.
- Be responsible about posting and commenting in a timely and academic manner.
- Be original and authentic. Your ideas should be your own, and they should be posted with integrity. Do not plagiarize or merely repeat others' ideas.
- Be focused and purposeful. Stay on topic and be sure your comments and posts are germane with regard to the topic or task at hand.
- Be open-minded when considering others' ideas and/or suggestions.
- Be constructive in your commentary. Offer a balanced mix of both praise and suggestions for improvement.
- Be specific. Offer evidence and support for your ideas.
- Be thoughtful and expansive. Your posts and comments should deepen and continue the conversation.
- Be perseverant and willing to work hard, but also try to have fun.
- Be cautious of your tone. Do not be patronizing or condescending to others; instead, be helpful, collaborative, and supportive even when offering critique.
I think it is super important to teach students good online practices and manners. We hear so much about the students being mean to eachother online, we need to promote positve commmenting and sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to build ownership of the blog. I'm curious how you narrowed the list down to 10.
ReplyDeleteIn the spirit of ownership, we spent a class scrolling through and categorizing all of the suggested commandments that students had submitted across all 5 of my classes (that's freshmen, sophomores, and juniors). I took additional suggestions from each class at the end of the period in case they had thought of something new or felt as though something had been left out. Here's where I entered. I'm the one who made the decision to word the commandments in a positive way, rather than sticking to the "thou shalt not" language that seemed a little antithetical to the community I was trying to create with my students. Other than that, they're the ones who categorized and narrowed it down. I kept a running record on my chalkboard next to the projector screen for the entire day and then typed it up into the webpage. Viola!
ReplyDelete