Thanks for helping with Mike Z's research!

Hi Participant

I thought I'd take a second to let you know about my research, since you will be part of it (unless you opt out; please don't!).

This is very harmless stuff! I am looking into processes of "dialogue," which is a term with many definitions! I am working on developing a practical (aka "pragmatic") definition, and to do so with any academic viability requires that I have data (people talking together) and analyze it productively. That is why I am recording the sessions.

The ideas and talk-in-general that you might share in the sessions are not materially important to my work (though often very interesting, and yes I am very interested in curriculum development). What is more important is the "group talk as a whole." It takes multiple parties to make "dialogue." In other words, I will not be critiquing, in my research, the content of your thoughts and ideas; rather, I will be looking (as I've said a few times) at "how talk influences talk."

I have to say that it's amazing how little of what goes on is actually used in the research report. A 25-page paper might include as little as five or ten minutes of actual talk, from the whole semester-long project! Sorry if you don't "get in," but if you do, rest assured that it will be under a changed name.

I have a university-approved (by HRC/IRB) consent form for you to sign, once we meet. Please do that for me, when we meet live, so I can possibly include, in my analysis, talk that you have contributed.

Many thanks,

Mike Zizzi
(future Pulitzer Prize winner -- well, maybe)

Course Redesign 2008

Hi, everyone,

We will hold our first meeting on Friday, February 1 in 200 ATLAS.

Please, for the faculty involved in our project,be sure to send to Laura Border by January 25, 2008 an electronic copy of the syllabus of the course that you are interested in redesigning, a list of potential technologies that you are interested in exploring, and a problem you hope to address through the redesign process. We will use this information to tailor the project as miuch as we can to your situation.

Thanks,

Laura