The past few weeks have been full of time-consuming activities which involve travel time. My in-laws have had several health issues since Christmas, babysitting with the grandchildren has taken time, and traveling between the Rochester Instructional Site and the Logansport campus takes extra time two days each week. Therefore my grading time has been cut into because of the time I have spent riding in an ambulance, sitting at the hospital, grocery shopping for two families, and hopping between my daughters' houses (which are 15 miles apart).
Grading blogs is fun, but it is also time-consuming. My method? Read the blog, one entry at a time. Pull up the scoresheet for the writer, record the date and subject, then the grade. Look at the responses for that blog entry, pull up those scoresheets and record the dates and scores, then move to the next post and do the same thing. Close the blog and open a new one to read and go through that same process. By the time I am finished, I have a row of scoresheets across the bottom of the screen, and I am hoping I didn't miss anyone or mix up who responded to whom and what the post was about. Sometimes I can't resist my own response, so that adds to the madness!
Secrets to success? Grading one blog at a time. Opening the scoresheets only as needed. Grading in one sitting, with no interruptions. If I have to move or talk to anyone, the process is destroyed and I can't remember which ones I have read, or haven't read, and which ones I have recorded, or haven't recorded.
Yesterday I found myself with a two hour block of time between returning from Rochester and the time of the ENGL 112 class. Perfect! I shut myself in my office, door closed, Pandora playing, and read and graded. No interruptions! I was successful! By the time I finished, every post had been read, all of the scoresheets had been sent to the individual students, grades had been recorded in the online gradebook, and I had time to spare before ENGL 112 began at 2. Whew!
I told Sarabia and Emma in class at 2 that these blogs were so much fun to read. I really enjoy the varied interests, the styles of writing, and the creativity. I like the selections, and I can be surprised by the direction that a blog takes, especially when I know the student personally. The creativity of the posts have been interesting to see also. The blogs are definitely a reflection of personalities.
The blogs will continue to the end of the semester. I hope everyone enjoys posting as much as I enjoy reading.
Blog on!
