Blog Post Assignment

A large part of this class will be composed of blog postings.  My hope is that this assignment will allow us to explore lots of different areas of technology.  For week one our assignment is:

BLOG POST ASSIGNMENT

Please prepare a 250-400 word blog post on one of the following topics or on a topic of your choice. Once you have decided your topic please post it to our blackboard site to reserve that topic for you to avoid duplicates. Please make sure to include links to resources you find helpful and try to make your blog post engaging. Remember that in addition to your own blog post you are asked to comment on at least two other student’s blogs throughout the week your thoughts and reactions. Please note that the blog is on a public server so anything you post is available to the entire internet!

For week 1 please also include a brief introduction about yourself and any links to your sites on the internet so we can all get to know each other better.

WEEK 1 – Course Goals Explored:

1. To create effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology

8. To appreciate the range of technology applications available and what they can do to enhance educational practice and learning

POSSIBLE BLOG POSTS

1. What do you think constitutes an effective learning environment? Are there resources which discuss effective learning environments ? How have other schools/teachers integrated technology into their learning environment?

2. Choose any technology application and introduce the rest of the class to that application. Suggestions: Wikipedia, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Skype, etc..

3. Another topic of your own choosing addressing one of the course goals above – please email me to ensure appropriateness.

Please remember to post your choice for your blog post to our discussion board on Blackboard as soon as possible so we can avoid duplicating topics.  Please make sure to pick a topic that interests you.  The assignment is due by noon CST on Thursday, August 5th.

I will post an example Blog Post on using Skype.  Here is the grading criteria I will be using for the assignment:

GRADING RUBRIC

Content - 10 points
___ 10 points – explained topic, explored connections to course material, included links, met length requirement
___ 8-9 points – explained topic, limited connections, 1 link, met length requirement
___ 5-7 points – topic a bit confusing, no real connections, no links, a bit short or long on content
___ 1-4 points – no explanation, no links, no connections to course material, very brief or much to long

Presentation - 10 points
___ 10 points – Easy to read, integrated graphics, used space effectively
___ 8-9 points - Easy to read, few graphics, flow might be hard to follow
___ 5-7 points – Presentation a bit confusing, flow confusing, distracts from point of post
___ 1-4 points – Presentation detracts from message, no graphics, no effective use of space

Finally, here are some links that may help you with your blog post.  Please email me through Blackboard if you have any questions or leave a comment below!

Nine Signs Of An Effective Blog Post
Using Images from Flickr
Free Stock Images