In other words, I'm delirious and tired and ready to start reflecting. I believe (unless I heard this wrong) that this last period's post is supposed to be a reflection on the course blog generally, though I'm beginning to think I misinterpreted this since I only see a couple posts that would be classified this way (maybe they're still coming?). I'll stay the course regardless though.
As I started to say in my comment on Hillery's latest post, I'm torn with regard to the blog's potential in a course. As you can tell by my previous posts, what I like about the blog is the ability to bring in exterior electronic sources that you wouldn't normally be able to do during class discussion. It seems the most obvious advantage of having a blog component to a course. But Matthew's eloquent final post has me thinking about the potential of incorporating some running meta-commentaries alongside (or inside?) the blog discourse. I suppose that this is actually happening right now...as I'm bringing it up in the context of a "final reflective post"...but it would be interesting to have some function of technological self-reflexivity built into a course blog that is always turning back and referring to/analyzing itself as an instantiation of electronic discourse (a la Postman and Kubey). I think this might be most interesting in analyzing the social dynamics of the blog and how discourse is shaped (who is silenced, who is voiced, how is language impacted, etc.) via each contributor's unique notion of themselves as a writing subject within the space. This might also just be really annoying and get so self-conscious as to implode, but I think it would be an interesting experiment. It might also allow for a space in which classroom communication and discourse becomes the subject of discourse (and so wouldn't just mimic the structure and power dynamics established by personalities in the physical classroom). It could be a project that forces students to self-consciously play with dynamics that go largely unexplored in a classroom setting (electronic vs. embodied personalities, classroom power dynamics, silencing/censoring, etc.) What would such a blog look like? How would you make such a space completely "safe" (which I think it would have to be in order to succeed)?
Anyway...for the sake of consistency, my final blog video:
I like your idea of a "technological self-reflexivity built into a course blog" and I'm wondering how it might work. Perhaps the instructor could ask students to reflect periodically on the differences between their contributions in class and online. Would that be enough or would that only lead to superficial responses? I find it excruciatingly difficult to teach students how identities are enacted in online networks but I always start by talking about Facebook and the "profile." I want them to think about how they construct their identities in these spaces and how their identities are constructed through the various functions, possibilities,and genres of these spaces. Many of them get it, I think, but many of them don't see it as anything meaningful, anything they could apply to their lives.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting idea, but I wonder if it would fly--certainly grad students might be able to do it.I doubt it could be sustained. Maybe a mid-term accounting like that and then at the end, because it would interesting to see if having that element altered the way people wrote and responded.
ReplyDeleteI do not think of this as an extension of the power relationships in the seminar. In some ways, yes, but in may other ways, not at all. Quiet students write here and so are 'heard'--theoretically anyway. Writing is not speaking--it is a different kind of performance and I think it allows for digressions more and for linking outside.