the new comm 101

I haven't taught COMM 101 in four years. The first time I taught the course was when it was still COMM 105. Then the faculty reinvented the major the second or third year after I was hired. COMM 105 became more of a survey course for nonmajors and COMM 101 became the introductory course for majors. So the course has undergone many changes in my time at SJSU.

If you've read my COMM 144 blog, you'll know that eCampus's transition from WebCT to Blackboard led me to completely reconceptualize my online teaching. Rather than rely on the user-unfriendly proprietary software Blackboard offers, I moved to locate my classes primarily on the open internet. I posted all my class materials on my own server and used Google tools for other classroom functions, such as blogging and listservs.

This semester I'm adding another feature, a class wiki. I learned about wikis in a 3-day workshop on classroom technology offered by SJSU's Center for Faculty Development. I implemented several for the department while I was acting chair. The wikis proved essential to completing numerous tasks and preserving institutional memory (e.g. a place to store meeting minutes and agendas that all faculty can access easily). For this class, students will use the wiki to develop their ePortfolio.

So there's a lot of new going on in COMM 101--new teaching and learning tools, a new textbook, new assignments. I've just started working on the class website and hope to have it launched soon. I'll be interested in feedback from students on how the class is designed and structured.

~ Professor Cyborg