ENG 400 Group 2 Spring 2011: Welcome to the Blog

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Welcome to the Blog

Hi all!

Soon I will post your first discussion topic. Each member of your group will be expected to post a primary response to the topic by Tuesday 2/22, 5 PM. You will then be expected to post at least two secondary responses by the end of that week. This will, more-or-less, mirror the basic schedule for the blog weeks throughout the semester.

Details on this assignment is located on the side of this blog. I will also discuss the assignment in more detail on 2/9 and field any technical questions in the week following.

Best, sb

P.S. Make sure your REAL NAME is the one featured on your profile. Otherwise, I cannot keep track of your posts. To access and edit your profile, click 'new post' on the top right of your screen, then click 'dashboard' on the top right, then 'edit profile' left of your blog listing. You can change your name there.

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Group Discussion Blog

In the next few days, I will be sending out email invitations to your student account for you to join your group blog. Each group blog is made up of 10 or so students. These blogs are not opened to the public, only to your peers and the professor. Please follow the instructions on the email to create your Blogger account.

NOTE: You do not need a Gmail account to open a Google account to blog. Use any email you want to register. Also be sure to use your proper name. I will be sending the blog invitation to your NIU student account. Please follow the instructions in the email.

Starting the FOURTH week of class, I will post a discussion topic concerning the assigned readings and/or film. There will be FOUR blog discussion weeks throughout the term, which are listed on the syllabus. The detailed discussion topic will always be posted by Thursday evening, if not earlier. On WEDS of the following week, we will discuss the blog responses in class. Often, the blogs might be projected onto the screen.

Primary Responses – Posted as “NEW POST” (Upper right of the blog)

You will post a 400 or more word response to this topic, employing direct evidence from film texts and the readings - short quotations and paraphrases. You may also reference other readings and/or film examples, along with insights from other students’ posts in these responses. In fact, doing so is encouraged and will improve your grade.

Often, I will ask you to locate examples from other films online and link a clip. The great thing about a blog is how you may use different sorts of media in your responses. The primary post must be posted by the following days and times:

Blog response #1: Tuesday 2/22, 5 PM
Blog response #2: Tuesday 3/8, 5 PM
Blog response #3: Tuesday 4/12, 5 PM
Blog response #4: Tuesday 4/19, 5 PM

Any primary responses posted after this time will be deleted by the instructor.

Secondary Responses – Posted as “COMMENTS” underneath a peer’s primary response.

Each blog discussion week, you will expected to post a least two secondary responses during our discussion week. These comments can be relatively short – 50-100 words or over - and very informal in comparison to the primary responses. They are direct responses to a peer’s primary post. Responding to somebody else’s comment to your own primary post also counts. Remember AT LEAST two are required. I welcome and encourage more.

Progress Reports and Grading

After the first and third blog discussion week, I will hand-out a progress report. While there will no grade on the sheets, this will let students know how they are progressing. At the end of the semester, a cumulative grade will be given for the blog work as a whole.

Respecting Others

Because class participation relies heavily on individuals feeling comfortable expressing their opinions, you must always show respect for the diversity of opinions expressed in this class. You must also demonstrate respect for differences in gender, race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation among your peers and instructor. This, of course, extends to the class blog as well. I expect a civil and friendly tone to be used at all times. Name-calling or juvenile attacks will not be tolerated and will adversely affect your grade. If serious, they could also lead to disciplinary action by the university. The professor has the right to omit any post at any time.