Now that our semester is almost over, I'd like to ask what you thought of working on this blog for our class. What did you like most about the blog discussions? What did you like least?
Would you have preferred a regular threaded online discussion online list forum? What did you think about the use of pseudonyms on the blog? Did you enjoy the pseudonymity or would you prefer to have used your real name?
(If you wish, you may now disclose your real identity as part of this response!)
7 comments:
Hi!
It's Chloë, in case anyone forgot who I said I was during my unintentionally dramatic reveal in class today. I loved the pseudonyms. It made me feel open to talk about really personal things that I would otherwise be uncomfortable to discuss in class- even though I'm alright with my classmates knowing those things about me now.
I don't know if another format would be better, because this one seemed pretty intuitive. Either way it made me feel connected to my classmates and was much more fun than other online sources for Lord of the Rings discourse, because everyone on this blog knows what they're talking about.
Hello, this is Paul. I loved the blog site and seeing everyones wonderful posts and their view of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wondrous masterpieces. I wish I had more time this semester to fully enjoy the blogging and make more comments on my classmates blog posts, as well as making a whole bunch more myself. I thought it was a brilliant way to continue our classroom discussions for we all seemed to have so much to say but so little time to say what we truly wanted to. The use of pseudonyms was a fun way to approach the blog site, but I feel like no one should be embarrassed to say what is on their mind and share their thoughts and creative ideas, so I really wouldn't have minded using my real name. It was a fun way to hide one's identity in a game like fashion. I think everyone in the class was wonderfully unique and had some awesome views on the material we read throughout the semester. It was truly wicked sweet and an honor to be amid all these young and bright Tolkien scholars and I will remember this class until the end of time. You all rock, my friends.
I really enjoyed the idea of having pseudonyms as well! It made me feel cool and a lot more professional than I actually am. It just feels so elegant to sign off on a post with a name like Varda. I also really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and ideas on here, especially the original threads. I found many of those to be incredibly interesting and thoughtful. While I personally have a lot of trouble remembering to actually post on here because I'm forgetful and the whole process is so casual, I'm really happy we did it and I strongly support doing more projects like these with your future students.
-Varda*
Hi guys,
So for those of you who don't already know, this is Victoria. I absolutely love the idea of blogging as a part of the class. I personally wouldn't of had a problem blogging under my actual name however, I know that having a pseudonym allows for people to be more open about their thoughts and ideas in a no pressure environment. So I am glad that we had them. I feel as if I have a better understanding as to how all y'all think and process information, which is super dope because I know that I think in a very specific way and it's nice to see other ways.
I think the blogs and pseudonyms were a great way to discuss ideas unrelated to our class discussions or that we did not have time to cover. The pseudonyms were a good way to allow for more open exchange of ideas. I think the blog was a great format for that purpose. The biggest flaw with the blog, in my opinion, was that the discussions did not last. Most people would state their opinion and then move on to something else. I think it would be interesting to be able to keep sustained conversations over many weeks about different topics, and theoretically this structure could allow for that. The problem is that the newest posts are always on top, and people rarely post more than twice a week.
~Ulmo
I found it incredibly difficult to keep up with the blog. I would often times feel as if I had afforded Tolkien as much room and time in my mind as I could during class and while doing readings/assignments and I could think of nothing I wanted to say.
I did not entirely like having a pseudonym because in my mind, the blog would be an opportunity to hear what quieter students in the class thought, but their names stayed secret so I had no way of knowing who was sharing these excellent ideas and it felt very impersonal and detached from a real discussion.
I very much enjoyed reading what my classmates had to say outside of class and being surprised by the perspectives they brought to the blog. I think having a pseudonym helped us come out of our shells in the beginning of the semester, although I don't think people cared too much about anonymity after the second half of the semester. It might be a good idea to make revealing one's identity on the blog mandatory after the halfway point in the semester. This way people can continue conversations started on the blog, as Ulmo mentioned above.
Vairë (Tom)
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