Lessons Almost Done

The research lessons are almost done....only a week away. The assessments have gone well this semester, in spite of glitches with the technology which has been documented. There are some striking differences between the paper and digital versions of this research class that are worth noting.

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1) Students are doing more writing in their blogs than they did in their journals. While it is true the students who were always writers still write, overall the amount of writing has been more extensive. The connection between the lessons and the projects has been more detailed, and have been illustrated. More connections are being made.

2) The assessments, overall, have shown the students are understanding the lessons without having to re-teach portions of the lessons for re-testing. In semester's past, the quiz would indicate portions of the lessons I thought were understood were, in fact, not. This led to re-teaching and re-testing. This semester, the first test is all that has been needed to show that students have connected concepts to their research topics. Students may miss one or two questions, but in my opinion the blog writing has helped.

3) I can access their writing without having to ask that journals be left behind. I can make comments and move on while they work. So, the students know I can see their writing immediately, they know their blog is open for others to read, and they know their parents can read the blogs. All around, it is not as easy to slip through a class period anonymously and then end up with an empty (or token) journal at the end of the week.