Revising assignments

Spent entire Saturday afternoon and into the evening modifying two assignments.

1. Last year's Prayer students did an audio file instead of writing one particular assignment. But I relied on a free podcasting website that became not free right as they were to begin. Not fun. This year they all have computers with Audacity, so I had to rewrite everything, pointing them to directions for LAME that I don't even understand. Still have to work on that. On the understanding part.

2. The frosh thing. A story about Jesus. Partners now. Four options for presenting content. Can't wait to see how this works out.

Yay for Moodle

I don't do too many letters of recommendation for college as a religion teacher, but some. It's not an easy thing for me, remembering a particular student's strengths after months have passed by. I teach a hundred or a hundred and a quarter each semester, after all. But here's what's been a help, since I started having a lot of assignments uploaded through Moodle. I can add a student back into a course, and view the work that she did last year. Some of it anyway. It helps me remember. Yay, Moodle!

Random assignments?

I wrote a reading assignment on the board and one freshman asked if I was going to have an assignment calendar online. I said no, that I would be giving the assignments in class (which is what I have been doing for many, many years, both verbally and in writing on the board). "So, we're just going to get random assignments?" she wanted to know.

I found her choice of words interesting. If it's not on a calendar, it's "random." For a while I resisted the idea of putting homework assignments online because I felt that students would not feel as though they have to listen in class if they can just see it later. A couple of years ago I tried posting assignments on Moodle, but it felt like a great burden to remember to do that.

I might have to revisit that. Right now students can see me or email me to find out about missed assignments, but it would be more convenient for all if they could just go online when they are absent. More thinking needed on this one.

Assignments through Moodle

A couple of disadvantages to having students upload through Moodle (some advantages, too). Here's one that has bothered me: I write comments, students don't read comments. They just go to PowerSchool to see what the grade is.

Writing the comments on PowerSchool would be too clumsy and time-consuming. I have sometimes delayed recording just so that they would have to go to Moodle and click on the assignment to see how they did.

So now that they all have their laptops, and assuming they are ready from the get-go (not necessarily a good assumption), I will try to get in the habit of telling them at the beginning of a class, while I take attendance and such, to go to Moodle and check the grade and comments.