Reflecting on the first 2 weeks (week 1.5...)

Starting a brand new class in a brand new format with many brand new (to me) students is always a strange transition. I'm used to knowing everyone in the room pretty well, and having a routine; and yet, here in the middle of winter in the middle of a school year it's almost like starting from scratch. There are students in the room who I have never met; I don't know what their attendance is like, or what they are like as students or what they even like to do. But, I'm slowly getting to know students and hopefully they are starting to get more comfortable with me.

It's also strange because there are several freshmen in the room, and I rarely teach freshmen. They will definitely have to get used to my style of teaching! On the flip side, the seniors in the room know me so well that it's like we've known each other forever. I wonder what that must feel like, to be a freshman in a room full of seniors where everyone else seems to know the expectations and routines...I will definitely have to be aware of that and make sure that we all are on the same page.

So far, I'm really liking using this website as a resource, and using peergrade. I think the students liked peergrade as well; although turning the first assignment in was a struggle because of the rampant flu going around and students being absent so much, the feedback they gave was great, and they seemed pretty positive about the whole experience.

Finally, the student blogs and websites (posted under Student Publications) are really great to look through. Their first ISOs were amazing, and I love the fact that each design is just a little bit different and a little bit unique. I hope that the students in the class are enjoying this as much as I am, and I can't wait to read more of what they produce.