Liftoff in the Seminar?

Today we conducted the third in our series of tech tools sessions, this one introducing students to flickr. After getting students registered, we (and by “we” I mean Martha and Jerry) showed the students how to locate photos tagged with a given keyword, like “globalization.” We then introduced the students to the concept of Creative Commons, and showed how to post selected photos directly into one’s blog. This last trick was new to me.

Students really seemed to respond to this. Every student posted at least once to their blog. Many posted several times today, even after class was over. I found it interesting that it was images that provided the catalyst for blogging. I hope the students continue to use images as integral parts of their arguments.

Only a few of the posts were substantive, involving globalization. See for example, the ones by Hart and Katie (who used one of her personal photos after uploading it to flickr). I plan to respond to such posts with what I hope to be thought and discussion provoking questions.

So far, most of the blog posts are tentative and monologues. Contrast this with the blog posts in my junior level research methodology class, where the students are already making substantive posts and providing feedback to one another. Could this be another cognitive development issue, or merely reflect a better understanding so far of the content of the respective courses?

Clearly the next step in the seminar is to get the students involved in discussing with each other the issues they raise.