Alana,
I would do the same. You can look at a variety of things. Would you have students to evaluate the other students work?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When using blogs in the classroom I would include a rubric that is posted in a few places, and cover that with students at the start of the session. This will help to ensure things start off on the right note.
I would evaluate the frequency of posting and the quality of the responses (are they helping to further the discussion? Are they adding to the collaborative environment?).
I would also take into account their professionalism (adherence to guidelines and appropriate online behavior as we learned about in this module).
I would also model the behavior I expect to see from students, as I interact and they see I am present and willing to engage as well.
I see opportunity for blogs to make an impact in the online classroom!
Kelly,
I would assess my students' use of blogging through an established and public rubric. Students therefore know at the outset what is expected of them when utilizing a blog. The rubrics would also contain information such as number of postings per week, guidelines to staying on topic, and behaviors acceptable for posting on the blog.
- Dr. Eileen Wibbeke
Blog is a great way to share external contents with students. I usually post external videos and articles in the blog for better understanding.
Matt
Hi Professor Wilkinson
I would create a rubric for my students so they can see how they are being graded. For example, I love the website Rubistar and would add areas such as content, critical thinking, spelling/grammar, etc. into the rubric categories besides the 4, 3, 2 and 1 points format.
Thanks
Alana
The instructor must determine whether to assess the blog on the content, number of blog posts, blog entries that stimulate additional blog postings or reflection. Each of these requires different criteria for assessment.
Posting frequency is one area that can be considered for assessment. However, since blogs are used as web-journals, the student’s quality of writing and relevance should also be taken in consideration in addition to posting frequency.
Instructors should be looking for student engagement. Assessment can be done on the comments provided and the amount of engagement and collaborative learning they generated.
It is always helpful to provide examples of a model blog post for students to have a basis of comparison of what constitutes a good blog and a poor blog entry. In addition, a rubric provides guidelines and structure and can be an excellent tool to assess blog work.
I would create a grading rubric to judge the quality of posts. People who constantly post fresh material or engage in meaningful discussion would earn high marks. I'll also look favorably upon people who use media (audio, RSS, pictures, etc) to further engage their classmate or blog subscribers.
I would create a specific rubric for the students to follow. Before the blog is opened, the student would have to acknowledge they received the rubric.
I would assess their use of blogging by whether they post regularly and how thoughtful and engaging their content was (substantive). I would also see if it lead to dialogue among their peers.
Eugene,
True, there is something to be said for quantity. We do seem to focus on Quality that we forget the quantity.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Patrice,
I think those criteria for assessment are very good and allow for good constructive feedback. Nice job.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Personally, I assess based on quantity and quality of the blogging. I want to make sure that the students post quality conversations that add to the conversation. I warn students to stay on topic. I also try to make sure that the topics are interesting in order to get the blood pressure slightly up. So far, it worked for me.
I would assess the students' blog posting by ensuring that the post provides relevant, interesting information from a variety of credible sources. I would look to see if the blog provides input and insights about the topic and moves the discussion along. I would want the post to provide an opportunity to draw conclusions. I would not count the quantity of posts, but I would assess the quality of the posts.
Patrice Nybro
Erin,
What a great idea to use blogs in math. It is interesting to think about the thought process and sharing it with others. Very interesting. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would assess students' blogs based on content and reflection. As a math instructor, I might have students discuss the learning process for a specific concept and have students reflect on what did or did not work for them. I could also grade students based on their responses to classmates' blogs and how well they share different strategies for problem solving.
Esther,
You bring up such an important point; engagement. You do want engagement of the other students. good post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Matt,
Great post. I agree with you, this is one option of several for assessing learning. Using a rubric would help tie the assessment together.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Because blogging has a free-form nature generally, I would balance this with structured requirements in much the same way I provide requirements for discussion question submissions.
First, I would identify which weeks blog assignments would be required and make it clear how many points they would be worth and what the deadlines would be.
Next, I would create a rubric that would identify a certain number of the total points for each of content, timeliness, organization, and spelling and grammatical accuracy. I would then publish the rubric so that students would know exactly what to expect in terms of how their blog posts would be assessed.
Finally, I would use the rubric in assessing the students' blogs and include the rubric and my feedback in the virtual classroom gradebook.
I believe the best assessment is three fold:
Content of blog
Number of input replies to blog
Interaction with other bloggers
These three items demonstrate an understanding of the blog topic, active involvement, and collaborative learning.
Austin,
I hadn't thought about the consideration of intended audience. That is so important that the student is writing to a predetermined audience.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
