Help Me Out...
Soon, I'll be giving a survey to all of the TOK students to help me evaluate the blog this year. Overall, I've been happy with what I've seen but considering the blog is still in its infancy, I'm looking to get feedback as to what has worked and what hasn't so that I can figure out what I want the survey to look like.
My goal is for it to be a forum for discussion between classes as well as schools in the future. I love the idea but it isn't there yet. It's been great at times, inconsistent others. It's provided a place to discuss but hasn't generated the discussion that it could. So what I would like from you, at least those of you that still surf occasionally...
What has worked? What hasn't?
How could it be improved?
How could we build a stronger online community?
How could it be better utilized?
Any other suggestions?
Thank you in advance.
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8 comments:
I admit I didn't spend a lot of time on the blog because I am kind of busy. It was cool that we could all post whatever we wanted whenever. What didn't work was when there were too many posts at the same time, and not enough time to respond to all of them. I'm not really sure how you could fix the business or the too-many-posts factors. It would be nice if we could get onto the blog during school and maybe discuss some of the posts during class.
*cough*
FACEBOOK
okay, seriously, this tok blog was used by more individuals first semester, partly because it was new and everyone was learning about tok, and partly because this new blogger formatting is annoying.
if the tok blog is to have more users, it first has to be easily accessible (not out of the way on a site that I doubt many IB kids use for entertainment/personal purposes). And facebook is certainly convenient to access; almost every IB senior has a facebook account (I think). And facebook is somewhat respectable. And there are a lot of random, TOKish ideas floating around that site anyways. Convenient.
1) Make everyone get a facebook account.
2) Create a group on PHS TOK.
3) Type stuff.
Opposed to SAM's oh so rightious opinion about the sanctity of this supposed site "Facebook" I personally enjoy reading blogs. In fact, I subscribe to several off of blogger. So there. In order for there to be an actuall attempt to write on this I feel that the amount required needs to be increased from 3 a quarter to perhaps once a week, or once biweekly. This would give people a greater incentive to actually participate. Also, blogger is very, very easy to use. It also has the added advantage of not using any personalization unless you make a blog yourself (which I notice few people have done) whereas Facebook has a lot more potential for distracting personalization.
So in sumation. Blogger works. Well. However we need to use it more. We need to have people actually participate. If people make their own blogs it is very neat, something devoted to their opinion.
I appreciate the thoughts...
Facebook would never fly... too many distractions, too personal... no way the the district unblocks it. The only way this will ever fly with the district is if kids are unidentifiable. In other words, one cannot find a picture of Wolf online. A change that will have to be made. Facebook goes against that. The increased amount of postings I agree with...
It's a start...
As I have not personally been active on the blog I suppose I have different opinions. Facebook is the thing I am crusading against the most within my life right now so please don't make that mandatory, besides people would get acdicted to every other part of facebook and ignore blogger. As for increasing the posts maybe, but i still think that kinda takes away from the effectiveness of the posts. People will post for points not for learning. In my opinion you should make it private, perhaps only moderators can see who posted what, this gives people the opputunity to vocalize opinions that may seem contreversial and confusing. I personally never have a problem speaking my mind in public but others do. My main problem with the blog all year is what is the point. Perhaps within the first week of class it should be explained what is meant to be achieved through this blog. I was never sure whether we were supposed to be discussing ethical issues or stuff in class or world events. Make the point clear. Also I dunno if this is possible but seperate each post by class in order to better alleviate spoilers and confusion. Not every class is doing the same thing at the same time so it is difficult to navigate through all the posts. Also perhaps introduce and work through it in class in the beginning so that students learn to enjoy it and actually will give their time to it at home when they could be sleeping. Finally allow more honesty I think creating a forum for discussion about the viability of the class would get more posters. I know people that hate the class so they hate the blog, but if the blog could have stuff about the flaws within the class perhaps people would be more willing to delve deep into the tok philosophy in class and on the blog. Let them talk about hate till it turns into love.
I believe that the blog has been one of the best things about tok this year. Many of the things that we disscussed were things that would never come up in the regular classroom, but had an inherent value to not only tok, but also in a way that makes us consider things that we would normally not, and help us grow. It also gives us an opportunity to write our ideas down which have alot more value to it than its given credit. Personally it helps me seperate my thoughts when i write, and i am able to articulate far better than a in a class discussion where you arent given as much of an oppurtunity to think, which is what tok is about. There are definently improvements that can be made however. One thing that I think definnelty needs to happen is that the blog needs to have more conversation centered around it during class. This will not only help keep kids involved in it throughout the year, but it will engage alot more topics. Perhaps it should be more of an assignment however i think steps should be taken to avoid that because we are insanely busy sometimes. I think the blog is a great thing, but I am honestly so busy that I just don't have the time to read, post, and comment everyday or every week. Also if you make it a requirment you loose some of the meaningful aspects behind it, thats not to say you will loose it all, but us taking the initiative to post something rather than doing it for a grade makes all the difference in the world in what we take form it. Also I know its sometimes based of what we talk about in class, but i think an effort needs to be made in order to try and connect it more with what we are disscussing. Overall though i think that the blog is a fantastic thing because it takes tok outside the classroom, which is important in order for everyone in understanding what tok is about. And thats all I gots to day about that... onto math hw
not making this a homework assignment might help.
Making it an homework assignment causes pressure on people to do this.
ALso there is either a great influx at either the beginning or the end of each semester to get it done.
*decays a little bit more*
This is rather frustrating to remember to do this on top of our other assignements.
*bites someone's hand*
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