And So...

I shall dub this class the "Small World" class. In this group of students, I found contained:

- a cousin of a friend of mine
- a friend of friends of mine
- a friend of a friend of my sister
- someone who reminds me of the best man at our wedding

Again, it's been a fun experience with you guys. Thanks for the memories and the pleasant sendoff.

And you guys will have the added benefit of not running the risk of encountering me on campus in future quarters, forcing you to ask yourselves the question- 'do I acknowledge I see her, or do I pretend not to notice?' Apparently this is a troubling concern for many former students. None the less, I do hope you feel free to keep in touch, and I wish you all a wonderful summer and good luck in the rest of your college careers.

An Observation

While I was grading all of the blog essays, one thing I noticed that really stood out and made an essay work well was this- including a photo and then directly addressing it in the body of the text. Explaining what the photo meant in relation to the topic was really effective. For those that wish to revise.

Really Bloggy Blog Essays

Here's a few examples of essays that converted really well to blogs. If you're still struggling with making them less academic, check these out while working on your revision and notice what they do.

http://idontknowatimdoing.blogspot.com/2010/05/wild-children-theyre-in-your-backyard.html

Above is a link to Britainy Gober's blog on Feral Children. Her introduction is spot on, with excellent tone - it's conversational, funny, and surprising. The whole thing reads like a persuasive call to arms, written by someone really engaged in the subject- meaning, someone who cares enough to blog about it. (Sure, you guys were all forced to do this, but it's okay for your essay to read like you weren't!)

http://halpinja.blogspot.com/2010/05/mutations-in-your-backyard.html

Jenna does a great job with genetic mutations- especially in her use of photos to illustrate her points.

http://samdropsdead.blogspot.com/2010/05/samsung-3d-led-tv-full-commercial.html

Sam does a really great job with organizing his essay- breaking it into easy to read parts.

Grading

Grades are cropping up in your Blackboard grades list, which is exciting and frightening I'm sure! Remember, even after all those grades are filled, the percentage displayed might NOT BE your REAL FINAL grade. Attendance, cell phone usage and extra credit will all influence the final grade that I will be submitting.

You will be getting my notes on your blog essays in class on Weds. - I'm writing them out so your fellow classmates can't see your grades, good or bad. You will then have until the Weds. of exam week to revise your blog essay if you wish to improve your grade. Be sure to let me know you intend to do so, and email me once you have it posted so I know to go back in and check the new version. I won't submit final grades until Thursday of exam week, at the earliest.

Once again, if you wish to do the extra credit and have not already done so, that is also due next Weds. and you should also email me when you post it so I know to check.

Blog Checklist: Week Nine

This is the last week you need to post anything new to your blog, unless you revise your blog essay or turn in the extra credit listed a few entries back. (If you do attempt the extra credit, email me so that I know to go check your blog, in case I've done up the final grades for it before you post. Extra credit can be posted until Weds. of exam week.)

Checklist:

-Random weekly blog post
- Blog essay

'Homework' for Weds.

Finish writing your final reflection essay (pg 293 in the Student Guide) and type it up. Bring in a hard copy to turn in on Weds. I won't be writing notes or comments on it, just inputing a grade to Blackboard, and I won't be on campus next year to bring the stack in, but if you really want it back email me and we can make arrangements. Remember, it needs to be a solid 1-2 pages (double space) and show serious reflection on your work from this quarter.

What I'm looking for:

- how the concerns you had at the start of the class have been resolved/what advances have you made in your writing?
- what did you do really well in your papers/what are you proud of?
- what do you think still needs work?

Posting a Video

To Post a video:

* This is VERY IMPORTANT- make sure you post the video first if you're working through YouTube (note- you can upload videos from your own computer much as you upload pictures).

1. Find the video you want

2. Click on the Share button under the video- it has a twitter, FB etc. logo

3. Click on the Blogger button and a new window with the video will crop up- a new entry. (You do need to be logged in for this to work!)

4. Put the entry together!

5. If you publish the post, you can then go back in through the Dashboard to Edit Post and you will have all of the options you need to put in photos, etc. So don't panic!