For Tuesday

Hello all,

Today, we spent some time being spiders and seeing what we could catch and what we could release.

We spent some time talking about the student evaluations. As I mentioned in class, the evaluation survey will be open until everyone has the chance to complete it. We reviewed some of the comments: I hear what you are saying about the readings, and I have changed some of the readings to accommodate your comments. I also reviewed some of the various other issues related to postings, classroom discussions, and other elements of the course. Keep me posted if you have any other feedback to give in relation to the course.

Next, we discussed the evaluation and assessment of the student portfolios. I handed out the common rubric, and we applied it to a student sample annotation and summary. We all agreed that the text was average (some of you saw it as close to passing and some of you saw it as close to failing). However, we all "normed" ourselves with the paper. Remember as we move forward with the evaluations that you need to make sure that you are remember our discussion today.

Lastly, we did some roundtable discussion of grading practices in general. We mentioned the need for grades, but the need for grades to be evaluated and assessed fairly and individually--for each students' growth. Sounds like a lot of work, but work that is wothwhile.

For Tuesday:
Read Mike Rose's two readings located on the moodle. These readings are also attached to the email.

Post a summary and reaction on your blog for the readings.
Evaluate the portfolio that you were given. (if you were not given a portfolio, please let me know asap).

Thanks and take care,

Kat