Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Logs and Blogs: Requirements and Instructions
READING LOGS
You are responsible for writing reading logs for three short stories, three poems and one drama covered in class. You may choose any of the works listed on the readings and assignments sheet for this class. You are required, however, to post your entry at least 24 hours before the story or poem or drama is scheduled to be discussed in class. Each log entry should consist of about 300 words.
Why Keep a Reading Log?
The log entries are reflections of your thoughts about a particular work. Their purpose is to help you generate ideas and to interact with a work in ways that may lead to research topics and class discussion. While log entries should adhere to proper rules of writing (good grammar, complete sentences, proper spelling, etc.), they are not intended to be highly polished essays—they can ramble and question and explore. Remember also that log entries are analytical in nature; they are not summaries. Two reading log examples are in the “Reading Logs and Blog” folder of the Shared Files area of CampusCruiser.
RESPONSE ENTRIES
In addition to writing your own log entries, you also will respond to log entries of your classmates. You are responsible for responding to two short story entries, two poem entries and two drama entries. Furthermore, you may not respond to the same classmate twice. Your responses, then, will be to a total of six students. The length of the responses should be at least one brief paragraph.
Why Respond to Other Entries?
The purpose of responding to others’ entries is for you to see other perspectives about works that you have read, think about those perspectives and evaluate how those perspectives affect your own thoughts about the same work. The responses are not to be peer reviews of your classmates’ entry—do not point out grammatical errors or berate their thoughts. Discuss instead how the entry changes, reinforces or in other ways affects your own thoughts about the work. The focus of the response, then, is on you, not the entry to which you’re responding.
THE BLOG
The reading logs and responses discussed above will be kept in blog form. For purposes of this class, you will create and maintain a blog account on a free service, Blogger.com. Once you have created your blog, email your blog URL to me at rodney.rather@my.tccd.edu so I can add it to a list of student links on the class blog I have created, which is http://rathersclass.blogspot.com/.
How to Create a Blog
Instructions for creating a blog are in the “Reading Logs and Blog” folder of the Shared Files area of CampusCruiser.
How to Post Responses
To post a response to a classmate’s blog:
You are responsible for writing reading logs for three short stories, three poems and one drama covered in class. You may choose any of the works listed on the readings and assignments sheet for this class. You are required, however, to post your entry at least 24 hours before the story or poem or drama is scheduled to be discussed in class. Each log entry should consist of about 300 words.
Why Keep a Reading Log?
The log entries are reflections of your thoughts about a particular work. Their purpose is to help you generate ideas and to interact with a work in ways that may lead to research topics and class discussion. While log entries should adhere to proper rules of writing (good grammar, complete sentences, proper spelling, etc.), they are not intended to be highly polished essays—they can ramble and question and explore. Remember also that log entries are analytical in nature; they are not summaries. Two reading log examples are in the “Reading Logs and Blog” folder of the Shared Files area of CampusCruiser.
RESPONSE ENTRIES
In addition to writing your own log entries, you also will respond to log entries of your classmates. You are responsible for responding to two short story entries, two poem entries and two drama entries. Furthermore, you may not respond to the same classmate twice. Your responses, then, will be to a total of six students. The length of the responses should be at least one brief paragraph.
Why Respond to Other Entries?
The purpose of responding to others’ entries is for you to see other perspectives about works that you have read, think about those perspectives and evaluate how those perspectives affect your own thoughts about the same work. The responses are not to be peer reviews of your classmates’ entry—do not point out grammatical errors or berate their thoughts. Discuss instead how the entry changes, reinforces or in other ways affects your own thoughts about the work. The focus of the response, then, is on you, not the entry to which you’re responding.
THE BLOG
The reading logs and responses discussed above will be kept in blog form. For purposes of this class, you will create and maintain a blog account on a free service, Blogger.com. Once you have created your blog, email your blog URL to me at rodney.rather@my.tccd.edu so I can add it to a list of student links on the class blog I have created, which is http://rathersclass.blogspot.com/.
How to Create a Blog
Instructions for creating a blog are in the “Reading Logs and Blog” folder of the Shared Files area of CampusCruiser.
How to Post Responses
To post a response to a classmate’s blog:
- Go to my blog and view the list of blog links for your classmates.
- Click on the link of the blog you wish to visit.
NOTE: Be sure to click on a link for a student in your class.
Other classes are listed as well. - After choosing a posted entry that interests you, click the “comments” link at the bottom of the post.
- Write your response in the subsequent “Leave your comment” window.
- Follow instructions for completing the “word verification” feature.
- Use your blogger user name to fill out the “Choose and identity” feature.
- Click the “publish your comment” button.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Welcome to Rather's Class--A Blog Incomplete
Welcome to Rather's Class, the blog. If you're in one of my classes at Tarrant County College, you're in the right place, even though little is here right now. The purpose of my blog primarily is to serve as a hub for your blogs, and by the end of the semester your blogs will brim with thoughts about class readings and, in the case of technical writing, with audience-specific information sharing.
I'm still figuring out how to best use the blogs to best benefit all of you, but I'll figure it out as we go if I can rely on your help, your suggestions and your creativity as we progress. The next post, then, will discuss more clearly what the blogs should accomplish.
If you're not in one of my classes, feel free to drop by anytime, not to hang out here--nothing interesting to see--but as a portal to the minds of students.
That's where the good stuff will be.
I'm still figuring out how to best use the blogs to best benefit all of you, but I'll figure it out as we go if I can rely on your help, your suggestions and your creativity as we progress. The next post, then, will discuss more clearly what the blogs should accomplish.
If you're not in one of my classes, feel free to drop by anytime, not to hang out here--nothing interesting to see--but as a portal to the minds of students.
That's where the good stuff will be.
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