Today I would like to highlight the idea of a blog, or website, as a "living textbook" in a college course. That is the main purpose of my other blog, Life as a Modern Dancer.
We all know well that our selection of books on dance is small, and that the rate of new ones getting published is a slow one. Also, through my own experience, I see that it takes years to create a book, edit the writing, and work with a publisher.
Blogs and websites can offer valuable information and reading material for college courses and offer information that is current and up-to-date. Editing and updating is made super easy on the web. Online sources also can be free or very reasonably priced.
My Life as a Modern Dancer Blog has been in existence for one academic year so far, and several colleges around the United States are using it within a course. Each week I highlight a different artist, who answers a series of questions. The goal is to highlight dancers in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s and the many career paths we take within modern dance. Each week I also pose some discussion questions related to the post. To date, 43 artists have volunteered their time to write heartfelt, honest, and informative posts.
Back to the bigger topic of "living textbooks," iTunes U is still an incredible and untapped resource for the dance community (whether you make a course public or simply use the format to run a course at your school).
We continue to see interesting intersections of higher ed and the internet. None of these ideas - blogs, websites, or iTunes U courses - are meant to replace in person college courses. The internet sources are simply meant to be an integral component for the course and as a source of reading material.
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