Miracle Cure? Online Tools Help Students “Let their Hair Down”

June 8, 2018

Dr. Laurie Rozakis

College professors world-wide have been coming up against a problem for decades, and it is this: how do you get students to open up about themselves in the classroom?

Dr. Laurie Rozakis, English/Humanities, seems to have discovered at least one cure for reticence: online tools.

“Last year, I started looking closely at ways to allow students to use digital tools to discover their identity and to share their stories,” Dr. Rozakis said. “I have discovered that students are often willing to share stories online that they would never share in class.”

She launched the project in her Young Adult Literature class, where students are reading novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird; Sarah, Plain and Tall; and Number the Stars.

“To encourage students to share their stories and empower them to express themselves in writing, I invited them to upload their personal stories and insights as they relate to the books. I saw my role as encouraging students to understand the world through their experiences and the course material, to speak out for equity and justice, and to use the tools they are most comfortable with – online platforms – to engage with their peers and the larger community. I was surprised by their candor.”

Dr. Rozakis has been invited to present her findings at the National Council of Teachers of English convention in Dallas this fall.