Hot Topic: Journal Writing in the Classroom

I have often wished that the class I am a TA for had a journal or reflective component to the watching of the films that we study throughout the semester. I am currently attempting to have my students move past their initial judgment of a character and focus more on how characters move the plot and help the filmmaker create an argument or statement rather than dismiss the character as good or evil.

            For an assignment of this nature with my film students, I would start with an assignment similar to The Reading Log presented in Blau (164-165). However, in order to remind my students that while this is reflective it is still formal, I would have them complete their log in an online format. I would have them create an account using either WordPress or BlogSpot where they could choose to either share their posts or keep them privet, sharing on a main class blog periodically. This would be a quick and efficient way for students to share their work with their peers while also thinking critically about the texts. I would also adapt an assignment from Alex Mueller in which each week 1-2 students are required to share their journals on the main class blog, from here I would require that the students who did not write the original post to comment on the blog post with either questions or comments, typically about a quarter of a typed page. I would not require students to comment weekly on the posts, but I would require them to make a minimum amount of comments. For example, if there were 12 weeks in the semester, there would be roughly 24 blog posts from students. I would require students to comment between 6 and 8 times during the semester to ensure they are reading the blog and responding to their peers.

            I find this format for journal writing convenient because students can check the blog themselves to find out how many posts they have submitted, and as the teacher I can easily access their homework and read their journal entries. For the entries not on the main blog, I would either have them create privacy settings that would enable me to see their posts or periodically have them show me in class their posts. Many of today’s students are well-versed in blogging, so not only would this assignment play to skills they already possess, but many employers look for job candidates that can write well thought out blog posts.

—Erica