Comments on: The Google+ Assignment http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2012/01/26/the-google-assignment/ Responses to Media and Culture Fri, 12 Feb 2016 19:35:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5 By: Jorie http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2012/01/26/the-google-assignment/comment-page-1/#comment-157941 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:23:16 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=11990#comment-157941 Thanks for your response, Erin. I’ve used blogs in the past to do something similar to what you described in your Facebook group. I’m hoping this gets even more interactive and that the students start to see it as a sort of role-playing game. So far, I definitely have varied levels of participation from student to student. I have a small class though (16) and most of them are upperclassmen who know each other and feel comfortable interacting and enjoy the creativity involved. The first check point is in about 2 weeks, so that’ll be the real test of how it’s going. I’ll be keeping you all posted!

]]> By: Erin Copple Smith http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/2012/01/26/the-google-assignment/comment-page-1/#comment-157481 Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:41:03 +0000 http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/?p=11990#comment-157481 Excellent post, Jorie, and I look forward to seeing how your experiment develops over the semester! Last year, I started a Facebook group for each of my classes, with mixed results. The FB group isn’t an assignment (the students don’t have to join), but I give them extra credit for contributing links (to articles, video, etc.) over the course of the semester.

I enjoy the group, as it gives me an opportunity to share news items and other internet tidbits with them in a less formal/organized way. Students who actively use the group have found it helpful in working on their own research projects, or in-class presentations. (For instance, I’ll tag a post about SOPA with the names of students who are assigned to present on SOPA in a few weeks. They like that!)

I’ve had mixed results, as I said, depending on the group of students and the material of the class. My media industries course this semester has not fully embraced the group (less than half of the students joined, no one has posted), but my gender/sexuality course is obsessed with it (46 out of 50 students have joined, with upwards of 12 posts PER DAY).

All-in-all, I’ve found it to be a useful tool and resource for those students who embrace it, and I look forward to hearing more about your experiences using Google+ for a semester-long project! Thanks so much for sharing!

]]>