Loretta A. Ragsdell is an Adjunct Professor of English at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. She teaches several levels of English Composition and magazine writing.As a class project, I instructed my students to create an online magazine using a new internet program called Themeefy. The results were extraordinary. Themeefy.com, the website which allows anyone to curate information from the internet into his or her own online magazine, was the perfect tool for this project. In addition to curating internet information, the students were instructed to add some of their own original content and pictures. They were also instructed to create two pages: an about the author page and a publisher's corner page in which they had to write an editorial about youth and the internet.
During three class periods, they were allowed to work on their magazines. The experience
turned out to be a workshop in collaboration in that the students started to assist one another in finding information and learning how to navigate Themeefy. One student, Joe Evans, became a Guru on Themeefy and quickly emerged as our technology and Theemefy expert.
The magazines' content is far beyond my expectations. I knew my students were unique and interesting individuals, but I had no idea as to how diverse their interests are. I learned more about them by reviewing their magazines than I did in the entire twelve weeks we have been together as a class.
Earlier in the semester, they were given an assignment to create and maintain a blog in Blogger.com. The blog could be on any topic and they were required to post at least once every other week. In addition, they were required to log on to at least two of their classmates' blogs and leave comments at least every other week.
Little did I know when I made this assignment that it would be a wonderful companion and addition to the Themeefy Magazines. In addition to the personal photographs, curated and original material, the students were required to upload their blogs into their magazines. This gave the magazines an entire new dimension.
During two class periods, each student presented his or her magazines to the entire class. This allowed their classmates to get better acquainted with them, ask questions, and make suggestions for enhancements to the magazines and blogs. All in all, it was a wonderful, transformative educational experience.
As an educator, I have always prided myself in my innovative teaching techniques. I love introducing and using cutting edge technology in my curriculum. When I decided to included Themeefy's online magazines and Blogger's blogspots as class assignments, I out did myself because the results left me wowed and extremely proud of my "Stellar Students."
On the right side of this blog are the links to my students’ magazines. I hope you will visit them and leave comments of praise and encouragement on their blogs. Remember a little encouragement and praise can go a long way in keeping a student motivated and focused on achieving educational excellence. Our youth is our future, and education, transformative education, is their passport to a successful, productive, and extraordinary life. Enjoy your journey into the creative minds of my stellar students. You are in for a treat!
Professor Ragsdell
Dominican University
