Comments on: Utilizing the Digital Humanities in the Urban Classroom http://columbus2010.thatcamp.org/12/10/utilizing-the-digital-humanities-in-the-urban-classroom/ The Humanities and Technology Camp Wed, 23 May 2012 10:37:45 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.12 By: Erin Bell http://columbus2010.thatcamp.org/12/10/utilizing-the-digital-humanities-in-the-urban-classroom/#comment-35 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:18:08 +0000 http://thatcamp.clevelandhistory.org/?p=351#comment-35 I really like the way you’ve used online commenting on your sites as a way to kick off in-class discussions. I imagine that writing for a public audience helps (or at least encourages) the students to think about how to present their arguments effectively. I would also think that having students write and read about one another’s opinions/ideas in advance might make for a more civil and thoughtful debate in class.

My big question right now is whether you have noticed any difference in rhetoric, writing style, or attitude after switching from using MySpace as a class hub to a more freestanding open web blog platform? I would guess that in the MySpace environment, being a social network full of all kinds of distractions (friends, music, ads, games…), you might more often see students “acting out” (whether acting out against authority/expectations or acting out their own social identities). In contrast, I think your blog-based course sites appear to be more serious in their presentation and maybe give the students the feeling that their comments might be read by anyone anywhere. And so, they are writing for a “real” public, but also one that is somehow once removed from their real life social circles.

Anyway, sounds like a great session. Looking forward to it.

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