RhetoricVille

I have been playing around lately with Joomla, the open source content-management system.  Partly I just like to learn new technologies — new to me, I mean.  Partly, I am thinking of using Joomla for the web site I manage for my union.   I am fond of open source software.  Not just because it’s free, but because of the community aspect of it.

I’m thinking of moving this blog off of the root directory at www.rhetoricville.com.  The reason is, I have put up a Google Apps site for the rhetoricville domain, and want to have the root available to represent that.  Or to be connected with that.  I may want to use the Google Apps in my courses, and don’t necessarily want my students reading this meandering, personal blog — or having it thrust under their noses, so to speak.   Here I might put up a blog with a tighter focus.  Perhaps a blog that analyzes a different bit of rhetoric for the news each day. Well, at least several days a week.  Not sure where I will put this current blog, or what I will call it. I could put it on a subdomain of rhetoricville, but if I don’t call it “rhetoricville” then I could put it anywhere.

I was doing some of that grading the modern way this afternoon when the server at my school went down. So I have the work graded, but can’t return it online until the server comes back up. This is not a big deal for me; I did not promise to have all the work returned today.   But this is final exam time, and I can imagine some students may have lost their connection during the middle of an online exam — through no fault of their own or their ISP. I am always easy-going when my students report technical difficulties. Even when I suspect the problem was of their own making, the fact is, taking a class online or partly online adds another layer of potential problems. Sure, some student claims of technical difficulties are just more of the old “the dog ate my homework” type of excuse. Teachers have a right to be skeptical. But like everyone else, they ought to fight against being cynical. There may be a  homework-eating dog out there somewhere.  For sure, there are servers that go “poof.”

I am doing all of my grading via computer these days. When I am in the office and see boxes around for dropping off papers, I think, “How 20th Century.” There are numerous advantages to grading on the computer and returning the work through an online classroom program such as Blackboard.

First, I get to type my comments. I get all the space I need to type them, and there is a good chance students will be able to decipher what I am saying.

Second, I get to have a copy of every paper submitted by every student, and a copy of all of my comments on those papers.

Third, I don’t have to lug around a bunch of papers.

Although I have never lost a student paper, I think the odds are less now of that every happening.

There are some drawbacks. Mostly these involved limitations in software and in student experience with the software. I don’t get excited about program glitches. I give everybody a second chance to submit work if something goes wrong. Let’s face it, I can’t grade more than one paper at a time anyway, regardless of the technology.

Speaking of grading, it is time to do some more!

Well, almost. I still have papers to grade. Only none of them are actually on paper. I have all my students submit their work electronically now, using the Blackboard online program.  A nice thing about it is that you, the teacher, can see exactly when each assignment was submitted, and can grade and return them in a first-in, first-out fashion. I did some grading today, but was interrupted by minor household emergencies — a van with an engine warning light lit and a kitchen sink with a backup. Neither one of these could I actually fix myself, of course.  But they were distractions — not to mention expenses.