My revised teaching artifact is a peer-review activity for a sync online course of ENG 2150, which combines genre, rhetoric, and research. Previously, the activity took place in Blackboard in the discussion boards, but I’m relocating it to either Bb + Discord or a blog + Discord (haven’t decided on where I’d host the class, yet). My motivation for using Discord as a tool is to deepen student engagement in modes other than writing in a discussion board, and I arrived at this decision after hearing from others who utilize discords or slacks for class; it seems as though students appreciate being able to participate beyond the limitations of Bb. (I also wonder if the use of a non-academic platform encourages participation in a way that a standard LMS doesn’t.) My only concern is asking students to incorporate additional technology into their practice, as I imagine they have other courses also involving multiple platforms.
This week, we’re working in our writing pods to move into P4. First, reread the project description in the syllabus; if you have any questions, email me or drop in during office hours to chat.
Second, in your pod’s voice channel, take turns answering the following questions. Presenters, talk through your ideas; everyone else, listen and ask any questions via text.
- Remind everyone: what’s your topic?
- Which approach are you taking in P4, an argumentative approach to persuade your audience of your position or an investigative approach to inform your audience? Why?
- Which genre are you contemplating composing in? Options include news article, a blog, a podcast, or a short video such as a vlog or documentary.
- With that genre in mind, which technological tools do you anticipate possibly using? For example, if you want to create an article like what you’d find on The New York Times or Newsweek, do you want to compose it online in a website or in a program like InDesign? I’ll share a more detailed list of options [in Bb/on the blog].
Third, pod members, after the presenter is done and has had a chance to answer any questions, take turns giving feedback based on the following points, either via voice or text.
- Comment on the presenter’s decision to be persuasive or informative: does it feel logical, given the topic and reasoning?
- Does their choice of genre seem appropriate, given the topic and above goal?
- Does their choice of technology seem realistic and manageable in terms of the time left in our class?
Last, [in Bb/on the blog], presenters, reflect on the feedback from your pod members (in a paragraph, in a list—however), considering the following:
- Does any of the feedback surprise you?
- What are your next steps?
6 replies on “Cover Letter + Artifact”
I’m curious about what advantages Discord has over other interactive platforms and who its structure facilitates the kinds of things you are doing with your students. LOL I always thought Discord was a site you had to pay for to access content. I didn’t realize it had a public free side.
Interesting–I’ve only ever known Discord as an app for text, voice, and video chat, largely through NaNoWriMo. I like it because it offers those different modes in a pretty seamless manner, from my experience–it’s never crashed, even when I was guest lecturing for a friend and students were clamoring over each other in the text chat and over voice during the Q-and-A. And I’ve found that a number of students are already familiar with it even if they don’t log in regularly, which I hadn’t expected when I first designed the current iteration of this course. My course is heavily discussion-based, and Bb just doesn’t seem to deliver when it comes to interactivity (that doesn’t crash).
I share your concerns about adding to students’ load of apps and tech to keep track of (though some of it is also not wanting to add to my own, either!). But if students are already using it, that worry is minimal. I did an informal survey last semester asking students how they felt about extra apps, especially during class (e.g. using Kialo, which lets you set up pros and cons in a sort of argument tree in answer to questions). Some were all in favor, and some were fervently against. It may be worth doing a similar survey just to see if there are unanticipated issues that students have that you can help them resolve or work around.
It’s interesting that your survey had such a variety of results! I did survey my students around the second week of class asking how they felt about Bb vs. other platforms, and only a fraction of students wanted extra-Bb tools–which I went with. But I haven’t really seen students *use* Bb the way I wanted, so I figure there’s not much to lose by trying alternatives next semester.
Hi, Kyllikki, I like your idea of incorporating a more interactive form of technology for students to communicate with in and out of class other than BB. This is my first semester using BB in a very long time (I usually use Canvas). I have found it to be very clunky for engagement. I’d be interested in finding out how Discord works with your students (I’m teaching the T version of ENG 2150 next semester). I hope it works well!
Hi Killikki, Your concern to expand your students engagement of fundamental literary and writing analysis activities via the tech platforms promotes such strong interactive experience. You see how this will help them so clearly – I admire your efforts. Sincerely, Roger