Leveraging new features of Bb Learn for innovative teaching

1. Leveraging new features of Bb Learn for innovative teaching Using Journaling to Encourage Reading, Critical Thinking & Application of Core Concepts Beyond the Classroom Bianca Bersani Department of Sociology

2. Why Journal? • Classroom challenge • Getting students to READ!....and THINK about the reading material • Previous experimental strategies used • Unannounced quizzes • 2-minute papers • Frequency, announced quizzes • Journaling as a “new” strategy to engage and initiate the learning process • Requires the immediate processing of information • Read and react • Allows students flexibility in what they react to • What resonated with them the most

3. Results What I hoped for: What I ended up with: • Interaction with (some of) the text before class • This would free up time to apply and “debate” ideas rather than review concepts • Begin to foster independent learning • These and more… • Less time spent on personal accounts • Catch “errors” in learning • More active class participation • Integration of ideas across classes • More intimate familiarity with my students

4. The Assignment (from my syllabus) • Response Journals: Students will keep a response journal located on the class blackboard page and are expected to write one entry prior to each class period (two each week). Each journal entry should include 2 things: 1) the selection of one direct quote (with page number) from the reading material that they found particularly engaging, and 2) their reaction or thoughts regarding each quote. Some days do not require a journal entry – these are noted on the syllabus and typically correspond with the days writing assignments are due or exam dates. Students must post their responses to the class blackboard page BEFORE class each day; late entries will not be graded. Please mark specific entries with a note stating “Please Do Not Share” if you would not like your ideas shared with the class. Ideas for responses include, but are not limited to: • make a connection between a personal experience and something you have read in the text • make a connection between something in the assigned reading and another text • make a connection between something in the assigned reading and the real world

5. Example • "As noted, in a rejection of offender based explanations of crime, labeling theorists argued that reacting to people as 'criminals' initiated processes that had the self-fulfilling prophecy of making a person become a criminal-someone more deeply entrenched in a criminal career." (pg 241 Cullen and Agnew) • Labeling someone as a criminal, tags them with a stigma. Labeling theory suggests that someone becomes a criminal because society made them that way by giving them that "self-fulfilling prophecy." Even in criminology we have a typical criminal profile already set up; young, black male and between the ages of 18-24. Therefor anyone who fits that profile, which many do, are already set up for failure. For example, I am reading a book right now called "Punished" by Victor Rios, and he shows how black and Latino boys, at a young age are labeled as criminals, which could tie into why they would commit crime. It takes place in Oakland, California and is a socially disorganized neighborhood. Police are put into the schools, and when kids get in trouble, they are sent to the police. The problem here, is teachers did not what to handle any situation, so no matter what, a child was unfairly sent to deal with police every day. This sets children up for failure, it treats school like an actual prison, and every act they do is labeled as delinquent, so naturally further in their life, they will become delinquent. Society knows who their criminals are, and who the people "worth saving" are. Once thrown into the prison system, there is almost no hope for those individuals. With about a 67% recidivism rate, that just proves that the majority of people - once a criminal, stay a criminal. They figure, I'm already a criminal, might as well just live up to the stigma.

6. Some Keys to Success • Frequent journaling • Every class / every week • Integration of student ideas into class discussion • Let’s them know you are listening • Let’s them know their ideas are interesting • Keep it simple! • Easy grading (0-2 points) • Great Use of TA time

7. Logistics of Journaling in Blackboard Learn

8. Finding the Journaling Feature in Blackboard

9. Inside the Journals Feature

10. Creating a New Journal Entry

11. Creating a New Journal Entry

12. Creating a New Journal Entry

13. Seamless Integration with the Grade Center

14. Benefits and Unanticipated Challenges Benefits Challenges • Ease of use • Standard feature • Integration with grade center • Personal communication with students regarding ideas expressed in their journals • (Re)Ordering of entries • Prioritized by numerical value • Locking assess = locking student view of entry and grading comments

15. Questions? • Bianca.bersani@umb.edu