Especially, the Summary Index is a list of my students' work, which I've included here as examples, with their permission. You should delete the links on this page, and post your own students' summary titles with links.
In addition, you may want to delete my e-mail address on the "Send comments to the author" link at the end of the Example. I really don't mind getting comments, though.
You also may want to adapt the Sources page. Sources for a variety of levels are included here as a point of departure for different classes. If you are teaching an advanced level class, you should probably delete the lower-level sources, and reload this page, with the others, on your own server.
Finally, since the e-mail discussion lists that I used with my classes
are no longer in service, I've deleted the "send comments to author" links
at the ends of all of my students's summaries.However, if you wish your
students to interact with each other, you should include a link [mailto:your.discussion.address]
at the end of each of your students' summaries.
| Project Main Page | Objectives | Requirements | Sources | How to Save | Summary Index | Example |
Caveats
Be sure that all of your students know how to use a browser and are at least a bit internet-savvy. This may require some individual tutoring on your part, or peer teaching.
Publishing yourself can be time-consuming, especially if you have a large class. To save time, you should create a template (see the page on "How to Save"). You might also do any of the following:
-have students publish their own workStudents will probably balk at sending comments to each other about their work. You might do the following:
-have students work collaboratively to reduce the total number of summaries
-reduce the frequency of publication
-require students to participate (establish at the beginning of the term a minimumSome students may find a particular source easier than the others. Encourage or require students to use a variety of sources.
number of comments to be sent from each student)
-encourage comments and replies to comments in any way you can
Technical Notes
The website. If students publish themselves, you will need a website to which they all have "write" permission. Some sites are commercially available (e.g. through Yahoo or Lycos), but these may not be secure. An alternative is to contact the technical support people at your institution and set up a "dummy" account/site. In any case, I think it's advisable to prevent people outside the class from wandering in and giving unsolicited comments. You never know who's out there.Does it all sound terribly complicated? Actually, it is at the beginning, and not for the faint of heart when it comes to using technology in the classroom. However, once you get into a routine, it becomes much easier, and is tremendously rewarding both for you and your students.The e-mail dicussion. There are several different ways to do this. Two alternatives are described below. In all cases, emphasize to students that they must use the correct titles of summaries as subject headings for their comments. Otherwise, it will be almost impossible to tell which summary the comment is about.
Set up a simple distribution list with all the names of your students, so everyone receives the same messages. This assumes that students are proficient enough to "take" a whole distribution list. However, it is as secure as any private e-mail message.OR Set up a threaded web-based list. Everyone in the class then sends comments to one single address, but everyone receives the mail. They can also view messages through a browser. You should also be able to password-protect this list so you don't get unsolicited comments from outside. Contact the technical support people at your institution to set this up.
Please feel free to send me comments and suggestions. Have fun, and good luck!