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Omen

 Looking back now, I think I saw the beginning.  Yes, I saw it coming but wasn't sure what form it would take.  Now that the hue and cry about the dangers of social media is heard internationally and that the  call to limit the use and handling of "devices" in our lives is widespread, I feel sure I saw it coming.  In what was supposed to be an added dimension of learning and positive support, I saw what we were in for. I'm sure of it...now.

It was simple enough at the beginning.  I tried a little experiment in my Honors English classes.  Not a social engineering project, but rather an activity designed for students to extend class discussions, engage one another in a non-threatening, supportive way, and extend their writing skills.  Here's what happened.

Originally, I learned of an activity beginning to be used in  literature and writing classes called "Anonymous Team Journals."  Frustrated by the lack of oral participation by some students in their class discussions, this activity was a way to encourage all students to communicate with one another through team journal entries.  One workshop I attended was led by a teacher who taught a Native American Studies class on the university level. She noted that the native people in her classes rarely participated in class discussions.  Because they often had the most valuable contributions, she wondered if there might be a way that situation could be remedied.  Enter the Team Journal.

Students were divided into teams of 5 or 6, depending on class size.  On a specific day of the week, (Monday, Tuesday...) they would have access to the journal and could write a new entry, respond to an entry already written, or both.  Entries would be based on topics, discussions, that came up in class, or anything else related or worthy of group discussion like current events, or situations that impact the particular learning community.  Sounds intriguing? No?  


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