Moodle 1.9 beta
The blog works fine, except that when I edit an entry for a past date, the post gets promoted to todays entry! That's not right, as the rest of the posts run chronologically. Editing a post should not change the date stamp IMHO.
Ideally, there should be an option to set a post's date and it should be repositioned chronologically. Thats another feature maybe...
Anyways, is there any way I can edit a post and keep its chronological position?
TIA
Richard.
In reply to Richard Strauss
Re: Blogs: editing an old entry brings it back on top!
by Richard Strauss -
Any ideas on this, Is this a bug, or an intentional feature?
TIA
Richard
TIA
Richard
We have started using the Blog this year as a form of Learning Journal with great hopes of the benefits that it will bring to our course in the way of self-discipline and the regular creation and sharing of reflective comment. Being on-line, we can see how the students are using their journals and provide regular feedback through stage assessment and a linked discussion forum.
All this is undermined because of this effect.
Before I go on, please note that we have 250 students doing this and that magnifies any small logistical problem.
I had hoped to use the dating in Moodle as a way of uniquely identifying posts and making usage clearly evident. Can't rely on that now, because the entries change their date and order.
I wanted to encourage development of ideas - but if they do this by editing, the process of development gets lost and it is the process that is being nurtured not the actual content - we use essays for that!
We want students to reflect on entries by their peers, but those entries can disappear.
The very facility of being able to edit past entries undermines the process of journalling. Personally, I would like to see the ability to put a restricted editing period onto the Blog.
We wanted to give them formative assessment during the course of the year. Students can interpret the written feedback to suit themselves but a letter grade has no ambiguity. However, I cannot grade and regrade (250 students * 27 weeks is an awful lot of entries), but the students can change already graded input and thus undermine the whole process. Furthermore, I cannot with confidence guarantee that I have not already graded an entry.
Finally, many of our students are resisting this aspect of the course, preferring to do the minimum and leave everything to the last minute. With the paper-based journal they could do this and we were unable to prove otherwise - even though the entries looked last minute. They now know that they can do this and Moodle cannot prove otherwise, so it is undermining our attempts to promote regular engagement in the course.
Ideally, I would like to disable the editing option.
Finally, thanks Richard. I came into this Blog hoping that I was not the only one who thinks this needs improving.
All this is undermined because of this effect.
Before I go on, please note that we have 250 students doing this and that magnifies any small logistical problem.
I had hoped to use the dating in Moodle as a way of uniquely identifying posts and making usage clearly evident. Can't rely on that now, because the entries change their date and order.
I wanted to encourage development of ideas - but if they do this by editing, the process of development gets lost and it is the process that is being nurtured not the actual content - we use essays for that!
We want students to reflect on entries by their peers, but those entries can disappear.
The very facility of being able to edit past entries undermines the process of journalling. Personally, I would like to see the ability to put a restricted editing period onto the Blog.
We wanted to give them formative assessment during the course of the year. Students can interpret the written feedback to suit themselves but a letter grade has no ambiguity. However, I cannot grade and regrade (250 students * 27 weeks is an awful lot of entries), but the students can change already graded input and thus undermine the whole process. Furthermore, I cannot with confidence guarantee that I have not already graded an entry.
Finally, many of our students are resisting this aspect of the course, preferring to do the minimum and leave everything to the last minute. With the paper-based journal they could do this and we were unable to prove otherwise - even though the entries looked last minute. They now know that they can do this and Moodle cannot prove otherwise, so it is undermining our attempts to promote regular engagement in the course.
Conclusion
If by setting a posts date, you mean the original date and it be sorted in that order I agree. However, I would like that date to stay visible and, if it really matters, to have also the date of last update. At least then we can see that it has been updated.Ideally, I would like to disable the editing option.
Finally, thanks Richard. I came into this Blog hoping that I was not the only one who thinks this needs improving.
Hi Richard and Peter,
Please could one of you report this issue in the tracker, then post the report number in this discussion for others to watch, comment on and/or vote for.
Please could one of you report this issue in the tracker, then post the report number in this discussion for others to watch, comment on and/or vote for.
Ok, I thought this one was lost in the pile! I'll try to log this tomorrow as I was unable to get to the tracker this evening.
I agree, this surely must be a bug or a design error. The idea of promoting a previous post to the top of the list because I corrected a spelling error a week later is wrong logic for a blog. That's how it works now, however.
Thanks for your comments, I'll post updates here as I get them.
Richard
I agree, this surely must be a bug or a design error. The idea of promoting a previous post to the top of the list because I corrected a spelling error a week later is wrong logic for a blog. That's how it works now, however.
Thanks for your comments, I'll post updates here as I get them.
Richard
In reply to Richard Strauss
Re: Blogs - issue with date stamping and promotion to top of list
by Don Hinkelman -
Well said, this is a problem we noted a long time ago, but assumed it had a good reason. Your explanations state the particular pedagogical issues that happen when our posts had their original date removed. Please post the issue tracker number and I will go there to comment and vote.
Don
Don
In reply to Don Hinkelman
Re: Blogs - issue with date stamping and promotion to top of list
by Richard Strauss -
This has now been logged with the issue tracker here
http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-12649
Please add your comments and votes.
Thanks
Richard
http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-12649
Please add your comments and votes.
Thanks
Richard
In reply to Richard Strauss
Re: Blogs - issue with date stamping and promotion to top of list
by Peter Vivian -
I can live with the students being able to edit entries if the original order is maintained. i.e. The 34th entry remains entry number 34. I then have a unique way of referring to entries.
I would prefer that the option to edit entries could be limited to a time (as with forums).
Don't like the idea of repositioning entries. It alters history. Much prefer students to create a new entry reflecting back on previous entries. After all, this is a journal, not a formal submission. e.g. essay. It is the process of maintaining a journal that is important here not producing a final document.
In reply to Peter Vivian
Re: Blogs - issue with date stamping and promotion to top of list
by Richard Strauss -
"Don't like the idea of repositioning entries. It alters history."
Maybe not for you Peter, but this is a common feature in blogs, such as wordpress. It also allows users to set a future date publication as well as correcting past publication date errors. This also opens the blog module's flexibility, into the possibility of a news publication module.
Personally, I would be happy for starters, to just correct the datestamp issue as reported. The rest is an extra feature, not a bug
Richard