D.W.+Griffith+Blog

**D.W. Griffith Blog**

 * Description**

This assignment ties directly into my virtual classroom project Icons in Film History: D.W. Griffith. We were tasked with creating a blog on blogger.com that included instructional materials to support our virtual classroom. My blog can be reached by clicking on the image above, or at @http://dwgriffithfilms.blogspot.com/.

Blogger is a free online blogging application run by the internet giant Google. It allows easy access for almost anyone to create their own blog in minutes using simple tools. It also supports HTML editing for the more advanced user, which is a feature I always appreciate in Web 2.0 applications. I created an assignment for the students in my virtual class that will allow them to participate in a blogging activity while learning more about D.W. Griffith. Specifically, the blog will focus on examining some of the short films of the director, while other elements of the course tend to focus on his feature length films.


 * Process**

I sought an assignment for the blog that would support my virtual class without replacing any of the existing assignments. Examining some of D.W. Griffith's short films is the perfect addition to a course primarily focused on Griffith's feature length films. After creating specific instructions for the assignment and posting them to the blog, I selected a short as an example and posted a brief critical analysis. I also included a gadget for searching youtube videos right from the blog.

The specifics of the assignment assignment ask the students to search for a short online using an internet video source like youtube, then post it to the blog along with a critical analysis. Since most D.W. Griffith films are now in the public domain they are easily available for viewing online. This type of assignment would be much more difficult if it was dealing with films produced more recently. Most internet video sites also support video embedding, so this is easily accomplished on Blogger by using the HTML editing feature. For the less tech-savvy students posting a link to the film is also acceptable. They are also asked to comment on at least two other videos and posts from other students to help promote discussion. A blog is the perfect communication tool for students to comment on each others posts and further develop or refute their arguments.


 * Reflection**

This type of assignment will definitely come in handy if I am teaching online courses in the future. It would also work as an assignment for a face-to-face class, though I would incorporate classroom viewing and discussion of the films instead of the entire assignment taking place online. An issue I have with Blogger is one shared by many Web 2.0 applications, and that is the sacrifice of flexibility in exchange for ease-of-use. Unfortunately as these programs are designed to be accessible to anyone, some dynamic features are lost. One example is that posts on Blogger cannot be reordered, they only appear in chronological order with the newest post first. There is a workaround fortunately by editing the posting date, but that is hardly an ideal solution. Even with the option to edit the HTML code there are many options that are simply not available in this format due to the complexity of their implementation. Items like javascript applications that I might use on a website have to be sacrificed when working in the confines of a blog. Even with some limitations, I can certainly see many uses in the future for online assignment possibilities.


 * Sources**

The Internet Movie Database. (1990-2010). //The Lonely Villa//. Retrieved from[| http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000942/]

Griffith, D.W. (Director). (1909) //The Lonely Villa//. Video retrieved from[| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEI18n_GcuQ]