I have assigned the blogs for extra credit, with a bonus this marking period for starting the blog and making the first post. So far I have 4 blogs listed. Others have set up their blogs but not posted. Still others are awaiting computer time to set up their blogs.
Here's how the credit works after the initial set up. I will award 1 point for each entry either on your own blog or commenting on another person's blog. The points are added to students' homework scores until they get to 100. After that I start adding onto class participation grade, then quizzes, and so on. The idea is to get students talking to each other about science outside of class. Of course I have to lay down the guidelines and discuss etiquette. Most of the guidelines have already been formulated, it's just a matter of making sure again that everyone understands. You can find the rules here that I posted last year when I was just piloting the idea. You can also find the parental consent forms I am using here.
Of course the current concept is a lot different. I had originally wanted to have a single blog for the entire class, but I abandonded that idea because it depended too heavily on me providing activities and links to the students.
I thought they might be a little more motivated if they had their own personal blogs. I even allow them to write about other topics, but they only get science credit for science posts - everything else is for their own personal enjoyment. I may assign specific questions that I want students to address at various points throughout the rest of the year.
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