Chat Rooms and Blogs (July 14 class)

1. So, right off the bat, I'd like to talk about the TappedIn.org chat room. I thought chatting with classmates was fun idea and a great way for Liz and Jeff to get real-time feedback about their instruction. BUT, I also found chatting during classroom instruction very distracting. Even though I refrained from chatting while Jeff or Liz was talking, I still found it difficult to focus, as my eyes were constantly drawn to the dialog on the screen. Moreover, having others around me typing away took even more of my attention away from what the instructors were saying. More thoughts on this to follow, I'm sure...

2. On my last class reflection posting (July 7) I mentioned that I was a little skeptical about the value of a classroom blog. I must now confess that I've been completely won over by this assignment. I've really become enthusiastic about posting and updating on my own blog, as well as commenting on others' blogs. [Sidenote: Sorry about all the pink...I think my inner "girly girl" was suppressed too long during my childhood and lately it's been coming out in big explosions of pink cellphones, sparkly jewelery, and this big old pink blog template. :)]
Anyways, I'm coming around to the instructional benefits of blogging, as well. I realize that this is a great way for my instructors and peers to learn more about my interests, personality, and issues.
In a traditional high school classroom setting, this could be a great way for me to get participation out of those students that shy away from talking during class. Particularly, I envision that blogging could be a great tool for my economics classroom. Blogs seem to be a great medium for economic and political discourse (as exemplified by the recent explosion of blogs concerning economic and political commentary). This could be an effective instructional activity for economics students to track economic news and issues and share them with me and other classmates.