Goals

What do I want to achieve this semester? What are my goals for myself? For my students?

STUDENTS:

* read more authentic texts, ones that will allow my students to have a broader worldview. My students need to be able to join the conversation. This means they must be exposed to what's happening in the world around them, and then comment about these events in an educational forum. Can accomplish this through various writings on cnn.com, time.com, msnbc.com, espn.com, etc.


* write more in response to readings. Can accomplish this through responses to the articles/stories that I post, and ones that they post.

* have mature discussions about literature and their thoughts on various topics. Due to limited class time, these discussions could take place via online postings.

* work on writing voice. Allowing students to have a discussion about literature, and also have them journal frequently, will help students develop their writing voice. This means I'd also want students to discuss pop culture, along with any topics that interest them, to allow them to write as they speak.


ME:

* write more. Practicing the craft of writing has many benefits for my students and me, including modeling how to analyze text, or how to I apply the effective writing techniques I want my students to adopt. I see me possibly having a blog, where I could respond not only to items I've been reading but also share with students various observations (journaling). It's important that students are able to have many discussions with me - and for them to see my writing, and what I write well or not so well.

* show my students that I'm a lifelong learner, thinker, reader and writer.

* establish stronger relationships with all students. Being able to have online discussions will allow me to spend more time with each student. I'll get to hear from students who rarely speak in class. I'll learn their personalities, and this enhanced relationship will spill over into the classroom (with classroom management, and with students feeling more comfortable to speak because they've "spoken" so much through our online discussions).

I'm not sure how I'm going to achieve all of the ideas listed abov. I know Edline has the ability for students to post online articles, but I don't know if Edline has discussion boards and other attributes that I'm seeking. I think Wiki is an option, but I know very little about it.