Technical literacy has been a focal point for me the past 4 years through our teacher evaluation process. I have concentrated heavily on technical writing - primarily around student breaking a process down into it's simplest parts and creating detailed instructions on how to create their woodworking projects.
It is very challenging technical writing. You must break down each step and describe in detail what needs to be done. Describe the process ( plane, rip, crosscut ) and the size to cut to and the machine to use. "Use the planer to plane the board to 1/4" thick." This must be done for each piece that goes into the project, then they explain how to assemble the pieces and finish.
I believe I can have the students blog the instructions and scan their drawings. The work would then be on the computer and "safe" from being lost as a paper copy. Other students can review and see if the steps make sense and leave comments.
Now to "make it so" as a famous captain once said.
Very nice plan to integrate blogging into your woodworking class. Good thinking. Yeah...it's always a question of getting down to the nuts and bolts of implementing, isn't it? Good luck!
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