Say "Hi" to Hybrid

The worldwide web has become a universal tool for students pursuing an education. Students use the internet for research, finding resources, and communication. The hybrid setup of this class takes advantage of a very popular branch of the internet, the world of blogging. On the blog site, we are able to communicate our thoughts in a formal or informal way, depending on the nature of the topic at hand. Since our peers have access to our individual posts, blogging becomes a way to pass opinions and information between students studying the same subject matter. 

The curriculum of this course ties very nicely into the hybrid format of instruction. We are not analyzing the works of Shakespeare or any classical novel, but rather we are attacking English and writing from a more modern angle. For this reason, it is rather appropriate to incorporate a modern technological tool into the curriculum. Debating about the pros and cons of Facebook or deciding whether college makes us smarter are addressed through discussion based questions on the blog. The blog becomes an open forum of conversation and ideas. One must think critically and outside general parameters to pose a new idea that was not already discussed in another student's previous post.  This generates a higher standard across the board and forces students to put in the extra effort.