Litspot made its first appearance in 2005, after I polled students about using D2L, the software package that the UW-system uses as a classroom tool. The general student feedback on the use of the D2L was not very good, and after playing with it for a while myself, I decided to use a series of free tools that students were more familiar with: a message board, blog and wiki.

I started with a terrible Frontpage mock up monstrosity, which included stock photo parchment background and bullets that I downloaded from various sites. The information on the portal was generally static, and an overall eyesore.

However, the message board took on a bit of life, and it’s a tool that I have incorporated into all my classes. Students do all their general responses to the texts in private forums, and each semester they become more interactive, which was what I wanted to see from the start. I have included several sections that exist outside the formal class boards, too. While most are centered on art, philosophy and literature, the discussion is somewhat less structured but often just as intellectual.

I added the wiki to the network in 2007. It is slowly growing, too. However, this summer will require a security update, as the bots are getting through the registration process and I am spending far too much time deleting ads. The Listpot wiki is already a nice example of the the work of my students. I would like to see it also become a teaching aid, rather than just a repository of semester projects.

The front page has changed several times. I switched to WordPress about the same time that I added the wiki (MediaWiki) page, but I am still trying to add content consistently.

Currently, I am developing the web site for Straylight, UW-Parkside’s literary journal, which will house a second network, one centered on creative writing, rather than critical analysis.