Introduce Yourself
Every course I teach starts here. Before the first activity, you introduce yourself to your classmates in Harmonize. If you’re taking more than one of my courses, introduce yourself in each one, because each has its own class.
Why it matters
In these courses you write for each other, not for me. How activities work explains what that means for your posts. Your introduction is the first thing your classmates see from you, and it gets used after the first week. Before a classmate gives you feedback on an activity, they look at your introduction, so they can put a face with the name.
Harmonize
Harmonize is where the course’s shared work goes: every activity, the Midterm Journal, and the Project. A post there can hold writing, images, audio, and video, and classmates reply right in the thread. That’s why I use it. The course is built around what you learn from each other, and Harmonize makes that easy to do.
You’ll use it every week. If you’re new to it, start with Harmonize’s Getting Started guide for students (opens in a new tab).
What to post
Start a new thread in Harmonize with your name as the subject line. Then post a video of 30–60 seconds. Harmonize’s built-in recorder is the easiest way, or you can share a link to a video you recorded elsewhere. If you’d rather not be on camera, film a view while you talk.
If video won’t work for you, either of these counts the same:
- Audio. Record 30–60 seconds with your voice only.
- Writing. Write a short paragraph, about 100–150 words, and add a photo of something that interests you: a pet, a sunset, anything at all.
What you say is up to you. If you’re not sure where to start, tell your classmates who you are, why you’re taking the course, and one thing about you that has nothing to do with school.
Share only what you’re comfortable sharing
Everyone in the course can see and hear your introduction. Share what you’d be glad to tell a room of new classmates, and leave out the rest. You don’t need to say where you live or work.
Your own words
Don’t use AI on any part of your introduction. The point is for your classmates to meet you. It’s one of two exceptions in my AI policy, along with the Midterm Journal.
When it’s due
The due date is set in your course.