Blogs: Rules & Regs

One of the ways you're going to engage the material of this class is through your very own personal blog. I use the term "personal" advisedly and you should too: it's not a personal document; it's a public, "professional" one.

By that I mean basic rules of decorum for academic communication apply: your posts should pertain to the class and they should be appropriately G-rated in every respect. While your posts can convey a sense of your individual voice (yes, it's okay to use "I"), your writing should be considered, engaged, and it should conform to the basic rules of grammar. (The same applies to your comments on your peers' class blogs as well.) This isn't your Facebook page; it's an academic document. Another note: do not display your full name or any contact information anywhere on your blog.

Any links or images you post should conform to these basic rules as well.

The minimum requirement will be one autonomous post per week. It should relate to that week's course material in some way, though interesting oblique relationships are probably acceptable. Most if not all of these weekly posts should include a link and your commentary on said link.

You may, periodically, be assigned an additional blog post based on a specific prompt.

You are also invited to post on your own -- focusing on your own areas of interest that relate to 21st C. Challenges. Again: all posts must be pertinent to this class. Use this blog as a model; Mr. Reardon and I are effectively doing this assignment as well. Watch what we do and follow suit.

We'll link to each class blog on the righthand column, that way we'll each have access to a real-time record of all twenty-one 21stC. paths of inquiry this semester.

To set up a blog, click here and follow the instructions. You'll need to establish a G-Mail account if you don't have one already. If you have questions, ask me and I'll walk you through the set-up process.