Original Thoughts, Anyone?

So I don't know if we're really allowed to use these blogs for this, but it says "thoughts about the course (discussions)" on the syllabus, so I suppose I'll give it a try and hope that I don't get shot down.

I admit that I am kind of apprehensive about this whole blog thing. It's not that I've never had to post reading responses before, it's just that I've never had to post so often about such a vague assortment of things (since it's not supposed to be solely about our readings, am I right?), and while I understand that this is meant to foster discussion in the absence of the real discussion we would be having if our class met more than once a week, I have to admit that I'm afraid that this is just not going to happen.

At the risk of blacklisting myself before this class has even really gotten underway, I'm going to hazard expressing the opinion that whenever students are required to post responses and replicate discussion outside of class time, particularly in a graded electronic format, discussion just doesn't happen. A few may attempt it, perhaps, but it lacks the vivacity that occurs when people toss around ideas face to face. Simply put, when it's electronic and it's graded, instead of discussion it tends to turn into Who Can Come Up With the Most Completely Original Thoughts. I don't know about the rest of you, but I doubt that I think up three whole original thoughts in a week, even when I try.

Discussion just works so much better when you can play half-ideas off each other until they coalesce into a whole idea that everyone can take away from the table. And don't get me wrong: It's not that I don't have faith that discussion can happen here. It will be harder, but it can happen. I just hope that as a class we'll be given permission to run crazy, half-baked ideas through here as necessary... preferrably in a way that is informal and therefore conducive to others adding on and sharing in.

Besides, playing Completely Original Thought just isn't any fun.