The web created the first universal publishing platform but schools, of all levels, are still having students submit paper or “electronic documents” for grading and review. Academic work lives in private, closed systems, never exposing students to the opportunity of external feedback.
This session will propose a different approach. We require incoming college freshmen to become publishers during their first few weeks in school. They create websites and use that publishing platform to post personal reflections, current event updates … and all of their assignments. The website becomes a repository for what will be a portfolio of assignments by the time a student graduates.
Our approach could work for any discipline, but it will take a change of mindset and the acquisition of new skills and infrastructure. It’s time to change the culture of education by creating college graduates that are media literate, proficient web publishers and good digital citizens.
15. Good for Instructors
•Simple updates of “Evergreen”
content
•Always current course information
•Most Current information about the
subject matter
•Students can’t lose the syllabus
16. Things I Do
•List student websites
•Social media publishing
•Interconnect class websites
•Post once-ish a week
•Use template pages
We will discuss using websites while building a best practice course website using the wordpress.com platform.
I will also have information on VERY inexpensive web hosting of faculty and student websites which includes a free domain.
Old school websites
HTML coding
WordPress
A platform makes things easy
Syllabi
Schedules
Assignments
Resources
Home page
Updates
Syllabus
Schedule
Assignments
Resources
About Me
HOME PAGE
Syllabus
schedule
Assignments
Related websites
Examples
Current events.
Simple semester to semester updates of “evergreen” content
Publish the latest information about the course subject matter
Students can’t lose the syllabus
Always current course information
List student websites
Social media publishing
Interconnect class websites
Post at least once a week
Use templates
List student websites
Connecting courses through social media
Post regularly
Use page templates
Things I’ve done
Added students as Authors
Given quizzes
Embedded skills assessments
Things I Haven’t Tried
Polls
Embedding video (flipped classroom)
WhoWhatWhenWhyWhereHow
Millennials
92% are online constantly
Gen Z
they have never known a time when there wasn’t
cable or satellite TV
Britney Spears
the Internet
streaming music
text messagin online and console games.
60% like to share their knowledge with others
55% say they like to share their opinion with others.
Top 2 reasons for
It’s entertaining and fun (70%
they like to learn new things (64%)
Weekly Progress reports
Current Event Posts
Assignments
Serve as reflection (EXL)
Provides a “temperature” check on the class
Push subject matter outside of the classroom
Shared in class
Publishing internationally turns up the heat
Builds a portfolio with every assignment
Freshman - Survey
Sophomores - Writing
Juniors - Social media, Audio, Video
Seniors - Capstone
Survey of New Media
Writing for Digital Media, Media and Messages
Intro to Social Media Practice
New Media Video Application
Intro to Podcasting
New Media Capstone
New Media Capstone
Required
Across the Concentration
Teachable moments
They are not publishing for themselves now
Copyright & Fair Use
Free Expression
Writing mechanics - grammar, punctuation, usage
Online identity
Online publishing
Internet culture
sharing
Cultural sensitivity
WordPress
Wix
Weebly
Tumblr
IMAGE - WP LOGO
Free
Fast
Simple
IMAGE - LARGE SPACESHIP WITH WP LOGO
The Mothership
Cheap ($25 a year)
Simple
Familiar
How
Basic structure
Basic Knowledge
IMAGE - IA diagram
Home
About
Contact
and...
IMAGE - IA diagram
Home
About
Contact
and...
IMAGE - screen grabs of Posts, Pages, Media, Links UI
Create pages
Create posts
Add images and links
Real world online experience
Foundation for a professional online presence
Two year head start on a graduation portfolio
My students are at a state school and are competing with Vanderbilt and UT students
Instructors
Keeps courses organized, consistent and flexible
Easy to create new course sites
Students
Create good online creation habits
Each assignment builds the portfolio