How should I approach assigning Substack essays for my class this fall?
Advice requested
I plan to write about my experience putting their advice into practice when I return to teaching this fall. Of course, I'll post those essays alongside the hot takes on edtech and long-form essays on the history of pragmatism. Reading Nick's list reminds me that I need to figure out a system, or at least introduce some consistency, to manage my growing list of Substack subscriptions and my habit of pulling out my credit card while reading. I now spend more each month on Substack than I do at my local bookstore, and way more than on coffee! I'm a sucker for the for-the-price-of-a-cup-of-coffee-you-can-support-my-writing sales pitch. While there is a limit to the amount of coffee I can imagine drinking, my imagination knows no bounds when it comes to what I plan to read.
I've received great advice about teaching with AI. Any advice on the new world (for me) of assigning writing published on Substack?
Nick's list also reminds me that I want to assign some of these writers to my class. So, here is the question: How do you manage assigning internet writing published on Substack or another platform with paid subscriptions in a class you teach? Specifically, how do you handle the dynamic of writers asking for contributions or putting some content behind paywalls?
I send a welcome email to each student when they register for my class. It includes the cost of the assigned materials, so this term, I will include the cost of monthly subscriptions to the blogs I assign. They can decide, just as I do, how to address the option to pay voluntarily for writing. On the first day, I plan to discuss this question along with their thoughts about how best to share relevant writing they find on the internet or have encountered in another class (something I ask them to do) and the importance of respecting the intellectual labor of others. This will hopefully lead to a discussion about the changing dynamics of scholarly publishing, online course materials, and the politics (and history!) of social media.
I took three semesters off from teaching, but with generative AI and new ways to write on the internet, Fall 2024 feels decades removed from Fall 2022. I am not sure what to expect from that first-day conversation, or what pitfalls I'll encounter as I try out online writing as course material. I've received great advice about teaching with AI. Any advice on the new world (for me) of assigning writing published on Substack?
𝑨𝑰 𝑳𝒐𝒈 © 2024 by Rob Nelson is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hey Rob, your question raises so many issues! I have no good answer I'm afraid but perhaps some of these writers would be willing to grant comps to students? I know I would, if a teacher asked me to and gave a list of emails of their students.
I'm glad I discovered AI Log too, thanks to Nick.