House Rules
The same rules that govern your speech in the classroom govern this blog.
NO plagiarizing. Do not post work written by other people and claim that it is your own original work.
"Yo, Ms. do I get credit for this?"
Yes, you get credit for this and here's how:
For each week of a unit you will be expected to do the following:
- Answer at least two (2) questions
- Create at least one original blog post
- Write a response to at least one post created by student
Requirements for grading:
A blog is a place for a reader or writer to share their thoughts, feelings, and comments about what they have read, seen, or heard and those are my expectations of you. Take a moment to extend the dialogue around a text that is being read or studied, share your own feelings about a particular topic before and after completing the reading and discussing it in class. Challenge the text--where did the author leave things unclear or fail to portray the situation correctly.
- Questions. Your response to questions posed by me should not be less than three sentences. It must contain proper punctuation and spelling. Reread your comment before posting. Your answers should be posted no later than 11:59 pm on Friday for full credit.
- Responses. Your response to original posts created by students. Your response should be posted no later than 11:59 pm on Friday for full credit.
- The blog post. This post should be a 1-2 page response (minimum 250-500 words) to the reading from that week or an extension of a discussion had as a whole class or within your group. The blog post should be posted no later than 11:59 pm on Friday for full credit–and you should be prepared to share some of your thoughts from it in class discussion. Take a closer look at an idea presented or quote used in or two of the texts we have read and see where your thought goes.In your post you should raise questions, speculate upon some answers to those questions, experiment with ideas. Some of your ideas may take you no where or lead you to the beginning of a strong essay, the creation of a new policy, or the fodder for a strong class discussion. You may even add links to a website or blog from the ‘real’ world that deals with an issue or idea related to your thinking.
Structure
The format and structure for your blog post is up to you, but here is a suggested model for those of you who are new to the blogosphere and need an outline to follow.
- Know: Provide the context for the reader. What do you know about the topic what does a reader need to know about the topic to understand what you are writing about. Remember, this blog is on the Internet, although your classmates and I are your intended readers you still want those that have not sat in the classroom with you to understand what you writing about. You should include about 1/2 page of notes/summary–an overview of key points you have been reading, the author's thesis statement (if there is one), or main idea, some quotations and key words that get your attention.
- Notice: What did you notice about the text? Consider the structure of the piece, and the language used. How does the author treat the topic? You should include 1/2 to 1 page of reflection/analysis/interpretation–take one or two of the key points or passages that you noticed (perhaps a quotation from your first section) and spend more time with it, dig in, probe it, try to understand it better, raise questions, suggest answers. In addition to digging into the text, this is also a place where you might start to link out (as a good digital text will do): connect to other readings, further insight that is available elsewhere, other discussions or sites.
- Wonder: What do you wonder about the text, topic, or writer's feelings. Perhaps you can include a listing of some questions that still remain in your head, that you would like to ask the author, need or would like to raise in class discussion for clarification.
Assessment
There will be no “wrong answers” for a blog post–only strong posts and weak
posts; a strong post will be thoughtful and creative in the response to the reading. A
stronger one will create and encourage others to enter into a discussion. A weak
blog post will show that the reader has done the assignment but did not put a lot of
thought or time into their post.
I will use the following point scale in my evaluation of your assigned blogs
to provide you a guideline for how you are doing:
- 9-10: very strong/excellent—post is 500 words+ and explores 2 or more ideas/issues from reading thoughtfully and in depth, strong in not just synthesizing but forwarding the discussion; blogger has stuff worthy of an essay and could lead class discussion.
- 8: strong—a solid post (250-300 words minimum), strong in hearing the reading, 1 or more ideas with some depth and some room for more expansion and additional noticing; blogger has basis for solid participation in class discussion.
- 7: average—post is barely a page and sufficiently responds to reading with need for more attention to depth in its response; sufficient for class participation but limited in the reader’s elaboration of what s/he noticed and wondered.
- 6: weak/insufficient—post is less than a page and weakly or insufficiently responds to reading with any depth; insufficient for class participation; blogger should plan to conference with me about ways to improve.
- 0-5: failing—blog is posted late or not at all or otherwise incomplete.
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