Kate Mangelsdorf

1. What class are you using TJP in?

English 0311, Basic English Composition

2. What are some of the goals/purposes for the class?

To introduce students to essay writing, with a focus on writing in-class academic essays.

3. How are you using it in the class? A specific exercise.

Twice a week they write journals on specific topics.  Some topics are current events (Iraq, the space shuttle), some pertain to readings that are a part of the course.

4. What percentage of the grade do you give to the journal and why?

 20% of the grade.  It's enough to affect their grade--gives them a reason to keep responding.

5. How does TJP help fulfill those goals?

It's a lot better than regular journals because students can respond to each other's journals.  Also, they love playing around with their pictures, the background colors, etc.  These students for the most part don't like writing, so it's a good motivator because it's new, different, and fun.

6. What special insights would you like to share with a reader/fellow teacher?  That is, any special way that TJP has helped or opened the class up.

For students who don't like to write, it's very motivating.  Also, this group of students (basic writers) usually isn't as computer savvy as higher levels of students.  Many of them have poor typing skills.  So it gives them practice on the computer in a fun way.  And it opens up class discussions.  Shy students who don't like to speak up in class can still share their ideas through TJP.

 Rose Galindo

1. What class are you using TJP in?

0310  TASP remediation course.  Focus of class is to help students strengthen their reading skills and to help students pass the reading portion of the TASP.

2. What are some of the goals/purposes for the class?

As mentioned above, the class focus is to strengthen students reading skills and to pass the reading portion of the TASP.  Also, since most of the students placed in this class do not like to read, I try to get my students to enjoy reading through fiction novels.

3. How are you using it in the class? A specific exercise.

Students were provided with a list of novels to choose from at the beginning of the semester.  Each week students read a chapter of the novel and write their responses to the novel in the Journal Place.

  4. What percentage of the grade do you give to the journal and why?

  It is averaged in with their daily work worth 35% of their grade. 

5. How does TJP help fulfill those goals?

  The Journal  Place allows my students to practice their writing skills.  

  6. What special insights would you like to share with a reader/fellow teacher?  That is, any special way that TJP has helped or opened the class up.

  Students enjoy writing on the TJP and reading other students' responses.  In one class, a student brought in a web camera and demanded that every student have their picture taken so that everyone would know who is doing the writing.  Or, in the student's words," I want to put a picture to the words".