Public vs private
I'm curious about what people think about the pros and cons of allowing a class blog to be public. I have never used blogging as part of one of my classes before, but other colleagues have, and made them public. They were excited that people who the students were writing about found the blog and commented on it. Perhaps because I have never done this before, there is something intimidating about a blog being linked to my name (a course that I teach) without me really having control over it. We can give students guidelines, but they may not completely follow them, for example. Do instructors monitor blogs like this and have the ability to remove posts that could be considered plagiarism or netiquette violations?
Karen,
That could be said for everything in a course so I can't have the mindset that if 100% don't comply I won't do it. Yes, this is a great risk but you make sure there are checks and balances in place such as usage policy, rubric, and learning community that will help support your expectations.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dawn,
It is something to think about. Your position at the institution may determine what you can or cannot do and you have to consider that. It surprises me that students feel they can say whatever comes to their lips. We have to make sure they understand the importance of watching what you say.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would be hesitant to go "live" because even by giving the guidelines, not all comply 100%. It is just a fact of life...
I agree. I am hesitant to allow blogs to go live as well. As instructors our reputation is at stake especially if you happen to be one of those adjunct instructors looking for a full time position like myself. You can prepare students and coach them on appropriate behavior but you cannot control them. Of course rubrics are there so they know their expectations and the consequences of not abiding by the rules. Nevertheless there are students who seem not to care about their online presence and their own reputation which is upsetting.
Jennifer,
It can be great. You have to really prepare students to the give and take because when you let the public in you can't control it; but such is life. You must make sure your students are ready for this.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
