The blog about blogs….

Now that some of the dust has settled—and before the next round swells up—we thought it might be time pause and listen to the many (online) voices around U of T. This is, of course, only a small sampling of what is available but will hopefully get you started and move beyond the President’s Blog (as informative, as it is).

The Life@UofT blog, courtesy of Student Life, features a number of student bloggers discussing their lives (the ups, the downs, the caffeine excess) in-and-after class. Student Life partners with a number of departments and offices across campus, including First Nations House, the Faculty of Arts and Science, and the Health and Wellness office. CTSI is also a proud partner in the program. Charles, our blogger this year, has already discussed the return to classes, navigating life at U of T, and tutorials. Charles is in his fifth and final year, with a keen interest in philosophy, pedagogy, and Pooh (as in Winnie-the)*, and brings his unique voice to the topic of faculty-TA-student engagement and interaction. I don’t want to give too much away but he has some exciting (okay, interesting and fun) upcoming posts planned.

The various student newspapers regularly feature opinion pieces and editorials—providing a large cross section of what students are thinking about these days. The Varsity, The Underground (UTSC), and The Medium (UTM), may not always post (The Varsity still produces a print version—the other two are only online) what instructors and staff want to hear but reading about the varied and alternate perspectives on academic and campus life can be invaluable.

For the graduate student perspective, visit the Grad Life blog. Their regular and guest bloggers focus on engagement—events, workshops, dilemmas, concerns, and favourite campus spots—and encourage online discussion among the U of T graduate student community.

This barely scratches the surface of online posts and opinions, and doesn’t come close to capturing all the departmental, personal, and administrative blogs and news sites available. Because, of course, if you are keen on hearing what is new at the university, the U of T News and U of T Magazine sites is still one of your best bets.

CTSI is always happy to promote sites and blogs that concern teaching and learning so please feel free to pass on any tips or favourites.

* In truth, Charles’ interest and enthusiasm for Pooh is probably more Milne based, and probably not as upfront as I made it sound. I couldn’t resist the alliteration. So many half-truths and exaggerations are based on, “Well, it was a funny thing to say at the time.”