When I initially saw this assignment on the syllabus for ED500, I was dreading it. I have made several failed attempts to blog on my own personal interests, and now to have to do it about what we will be studying in class? It'll be just another hassle, I thought. However, once I understood Dr. Shutkin's concept and purpose behind the assignment, I became more openminded. Perhaps this would be an interesting way to stay connected to what we're learning in class. I knew that in order for me to genuinely succeed in a class, that being earning good grades AND developing comprehensive and analytical applications of the knowledge, I have to be engaged. Traditionally I accomplish this by class participation, but I realized that in our larger class setting, I might not get to say everything I want to, or I might think of things later and not get the chance to explore them. With this web long concept, however, I now had space to do such further exploration of ideas and make connections to real life history, present and future! It was an avenue of taking those "intellectual risks" that Dr. Shutkin had mentioned at the start of the course. And for me, who is much more effective in communicating through writing than speaking, this web log assignment has been an academic gift. In all seriousness, I have never been given this opportunity before, and what was great about this was we were given actual class time to discuss the themes of our blog posts with other members of the class! The concept is quite marvelous, and I am so grateful for having had this learning experience.
Thank you.
Spring, J. (2011) The American School : a global context from the puritans to the Obama era. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill
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