Welcome to Our Class Blog

English 327-01 Students,

Welcome to our blog! As I mentioned in class, this is a place where you are asked to post once a week (and comment twice). I hope we can use this space as an online semi-informal forum to enrich class discussion. Sometimes ideas that you might have half formed in class, and therefore are not ready to share, can be posted on the blog. Here you can develop these half-formed ideas through writing and solicit feedback on them. I will do my best to keep abreast of your postings, and will reference them in future class discussions. And, please keep in mind that even if I do not mention your posts, I do read them and take them into consideration when designing class activities, discussion topics, and lecture themes.

Before you start blogging away, let me put forth a few guidelines and expectations. I try not to be too restrictive on your blogging, but there are some things I would like to get across up front:

1. One post and two comments are required each week for full blogging points. A week begins on Monday at 10 am. Thus, a post at 9:55 on Monday, Jan 23 will count for week 1, and one at 10:05 am will count for week 2. Multiple blogs during a particular week will not gain you additional points.

2. Always be respectful of one another. These are your classmates and they have a right to their ideas about different subjects. Sometimes reactions can be over-quick or over-excited, so remember that the posters are actual people who you might be sitting next to in class. This does not mean you always must agree with your classmates. On the contrary, I encourage you to disagree and to have discussions. But I encourage you to do it respectfully.

3. Always use language appropriate for class room discussion. If you would not say it in front of your teacher, do not write it in a blog post. I reserve the right to remove posts that use improper language or inappropriate slang. I will be reading all posts and comments, and I will know who everyone is, so do not make comments or suggestions that you do not wish me to read and connect to you.

4. Try to show thought and reflection in each of your posts and comments.There is no set down length requirement, but each post should be interesting and evidence some actual thought. Each comment should connect to the post for which it is a comment.

5. Read the previous posts so that you know your posted ideas are original in the blog. If someone has already said the exact same thing as you, pick another topic or at least attempt to expand upon what they have said.

6. Feel free to insert (appropriate) visuals or weblinks into your blog posts. Often, these visuals can be a jumping off point for reflection.

7. Remember to re-read and spell check your blog posts and comments before posting! Although I do not expect blogs to be in formal and academic prose, I expect few to no spelling errors, no major grammatical errors, full sentences, and little txt spk. Also, please capitalize your Is.

8. Set up your blog account as soon as possible. I have had minor troubles using blogger before, but I can guide you through resolving most of them. Don't procrastinate in setting up your blog and thus lose points for the first week. Come to me immediately with issues, preferably in person.

9. A class blog is as good as you make it. Like many other elements of education and especially this class, what you put in to the blog is what you will get out of it. If you post opinions, ideas, and passionate appeals, the blog will gain life and activity. If you procrastinate, rush all of your blogs, and don't connect to your classmates it will lose force and purpose. I hope that each person in the class can contribute something to a vibrate online cultural of blogging in this class.

And with that, happy blogging to you!

Ms. Lambke