Comments on: Teaching with Pixels: A Free Form Meditation http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/ Joseph Duemer's blog about reading, writing, politics, birds, food, & weather Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:31:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: sdh http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/comment-page-1/#comment-4288 sdh Thu, 31 May 2007 16:50:23 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/#comment-4288 <i>The Blackboard software is beastly, often requiring both students & instructor to click five times when twice would be enough in a decent UI.</i> Blackboard is beastly. The less I use it the happier I am. Nice idea on using podcasts. The Blackboard software is beastly, often requiring both students & instructor to click five times when twice would be enough in a decent UI.

Blackboard is beastly. The less I use it the happier I am.

Nice idea on using podcasts.

]]> By: jd http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/comment-page-1/#comment-4181 jd Thu, 31 May 2007 00:49:34 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/#comment-4181 Pam, thanks for the link & for the advice about podcasts. I have Audacity & would like to add some audio. Did you also have to install the LAME converter to make mp3 files? Pam, thanks for the link & for the advice about podcasts. I have Audacity & would like to add some audio. Did you also have to install the LAME converter to make mp3 files?

]]> By: Pam http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/comment-page-1/#comment-4149 Pam Wed, 30 May 2007 20:53:41 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/#comment-4149 I highly recommend doing a little podcasting. I used Audacity to record some audio files for my students last summer, not formal lectures but informal reflections on ideas I particularly wanted them to think about. They loved them, I think because otherwise the experience is so very visual. I haven't revised my course for second summer session this year yet but you can see some examples at <a href="http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/syl122distance.html" rel="nofollow">this location</a> if you page down to the schedule. I link that syllabus into Blackboard and so most of my content is on regular web pages but students can access it through blackboard. I highly recommend doing a little podcasting. I used Audacity to record some audio files for my students last summer, not formal lectures but informal reflections on ideas I particularly wanted them to think about. They loved them, I think because otherwise the experience is so very visual. I haven’t revised my course for second summer session this year yet but you can see some examples at this location if you page down to the schedule. I link that syllabus into Blackboard and so most of my content is on regular web pages but students can access it through blackboard.

]]> By: jd http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/comment-page-1/#comment-4068 jd Tue, 29 May 2007 13:44:05 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/#comment-4068 Andru, for me it is the intimacy of the written word that has this effect, I think. I'm both a blogger & a poet, so when I write a response to a student online, it feels very close & real. Or maybe I feel more in control of the dramatization in written form. Words on the page are more stable than words in the air. And I've read a little about Moodle without having tried it. I will take a closer look. One of the problems with open source ironically is that institutional IT people are leery of supporting them. Andru, for me it is the intimacy of the written word that has this effect, I think. I’m both a blogger & a poet, so when I write a response to a student online, it feels very close & real. Or maybe I feel more in control of the dramatization in written form. Words on the page are more stable than words in the air.

And I’ve read a little about Moodle without having tried it. I will take a closer look. One of the problems with open source ironically is that institutional IT people are leery of supporting them.

]]> By: andru http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/comment-page-1/#comment-4067 andru Tue, 29 May 2007 13:09:24 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/2007/05/28/teaching-with-pixels-a-free-form-meditation/#comment-4067 I've been looking at online learning systems in preparation for my upcoming courses and thought that Moodle looked like a nice package. It's open-source and takes a modular approach that allows you to turn completely off any module that you don't want to see or deal with. It's paradoxical that you feel a more immediate connection with your students online than in person, but perhaps that stems from your long experience blogging (and there's as well), where you've worked out the questions and difficulties of intimacy that the apparent distance that one would expect a mediated experience would create. Certainly, it has been true for me that I can feel like I know someone better from reading their website than I do about people I see at the office every day. Perhaps if you were knew to being online, it would seem more strained to you. I think, too, that the written word is more intimate in many ways than any other sort of encounter, because it provides enough anonymity (even when you use your real name) to allow you to expose yourself in ways you might not otherwise. It allows you to reveal your thoughts directly (but only your thoughts). I’ve been looking at online learning systems in preparation for my upcoming courses and thought that Moodle looked like a nice package. It’s open-source and takes a modular approach that allows you to turn completely off any module that you don’t want to see or deal with.

It’s paradoxical that you feel a more immediate connection with your students online than in person, but perhaps that stems from your long experience blogging (and there’s as well), where you’ve worked out the questions and difficulties of intimacy that the apparent distance that one would expect a mediated experience would create. Certainly, it has been true for me that I can feel like I know someone better from reading their website than I do about people I see at the office every day. Perhaps if you were knew to being online, it would seem more strained to you.

I think, too, that the written word is more intimate in many ways than any other sort of encounter, because it provides enough anonymity (even when you use your real name) to allow you to expose yourself in ways you might not otherwise. It allows you to reveal your thoughts directly (but only your thoughts).

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