Helpful blogs for letter assignment

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/News/Blog/defense.shtml
http://www.politico.com/
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://realclearpolitics.com/
New York Times topic pages - great for overviews
The Washington Post
The Wall Street Journal

Final Reflection

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Aamc-mCgaEw6ZGhodnc4dHRfMTBoY3ptcWtmcQ&hl=en

Please take the time to answer these questions thoroughly (either click on the link above or read below). The responses are both for you to better understand your writing, and for us since this is the first time we’ve used blogs in the classroom.
1. Describe the ways in which knowing your work would be public, able to be read by members of the class and anyone else on the internet, affected your writing.

2. Describe the process of learning how to create and maintain a blog worked for you. What are some of the particular challenges or successes you had?

3. Describe the process of researching, using the various databases and electronic tools available to you. Were you able to successfully navigate them?

4. Describe your work with the final presentation. Do you feel like you were able to fully express your thoughts and ideas? Were there things you wanted to do but couldn’t because of the software? Are there other ideas you have for what you would have liked to do?

5. How would you describe the connection between what you learned during these past three weeks and the ways you were asked to read, write, and present about it? In what ways was this more effective or more challenging or otherwise different from or similar to the ways we usually work in this class?

6. Do you feel like you received adequate assistance during the process? Were the different steps explained to you? Did you receive help and guidance that helped you to be successful?

7. What else should we know about this process for you? Is this the kind of thing you want to do more of during class? What ideas do you have for how to use blogs in our class in the future? Do you plan on maintaining your blog?

** Please type out your response and submit it on Wednesday.

Sharing Day Instructions!

How to respond to blogs today:


1. Surf around the class blogs. Find one on a topic you are interested in / know a bit about.

2. Watch the final presentation / read around some of the posts.

3. Write an extended response in a new post on your blog. This must include specific references to new information you learned from the blog.

4. Surf around the class blogs. Find one on a topic you don’t know much about.

5. Watch the final presentation / read around some of the posts.

6. Write an extended response in a new post on your blog. This must include specific references to new information you learned from the blog.

7. Surf around the class blogs. Find another one to read.

8. Watch the final presentation / read around some of the posts.

9. Write an extended response in a new post on your blog. This must include specific references to new information you learned from the blog.

Last things

Monday is the day!  All of your research, blogging, posting, linking, commenting, and hard work will go on display for everyone to see.  Here are some final thoughts about how to make sure your research project is the best it can be.  Make sure:

1. You have all of the required elements as listed on the class blog.
2. Each entry is thorough, detailed, spell-checked, and includes the necessary labels.  This means you may need to go back and revise / re-write entries to make sure they include all of these elements.
3. Your writing in all postings and in the final project fully reflects the hard work you've been doing, and doesn't sound like someone who just read a quick summary and quickly wrote down a series of first thoughts.
4. Your writing in all postings is accurate and shows a depth of engagement with and understanding of the material.
5. The final project includes all of the required elements and answers all of the questions.

Good luck with it! 

One note - we know there are limitations with the software and that everyone is in a different place with their comfort using these forms of communication.  The work we are looking for and evaluating can be effective and successful in many different ways!

All together for one last time - Let's Blog!

Final presentation - directions

1. Go to http://docs.google.com/
2. On the left hand side, go to "create new" then use the pull-down menu to get to "presentation."
3. A new window will pop open.  Maximize it.  This software is similar to Power Point.  You will be able to use it to create a series of slides / a presentation as the final piece of your research project.
4. Be sure to save frequently.
5. To post it to your blog, first go to the upper right-hand corner and clink "share" and pull down to "publish / embed."
6. This will bring you to a screen with a web address and html code to post into your blog.  Under "presentation player," choose "medium" size for the presentation.  Below that is a box with the words "copy the code..." above it.  Highlight and copy the lines of HTML code.
7. Go back to your blog.  Click "customize."  Click on "Add a gadget."  in the pop-up window, scroll down to "Add HTML/Java script."
8. This will open the gadget for adding HTML.  Enter a title. Click in the box then paste the HTML you copied from the "published" screen in step 6.  click "save."
9. That's it!

Final presentation - requirements

• Based on the research and thinking you’ve done about your topic, what is the story that needs to be told about your topic?
• Title
• One-two sentence overview
• Show (don’t tell) how the pieces fit together (or not).
• Represent the key information you discovered and explain its relevance to your project overall
• Photos, video, quotations, or links along with your interpretations
• Consider:
• How does the background information help us to understand the story? The current events?
• What issues and ideas does the story introduce?
• How has the issue evolved over time?
• What are the current events and controversies, why do they exist, and what are some of the perspectives and solutions?
• What do you think of the issue at this point? This is your blog and your have been working with this issue for several weeks – spend time exploring and articulating your opinion about what it means, why it is an issue, and what should be done.
• How does this topic fit into the growing definition of “what it means to be an American” we’ve been exploring in this class?

Questions to Consider While Reading Analytic Posts

For the background and current events pieces:

1. Is the posting specific and detailed, providing relevant information that shows the blogger's expertise on his/her topic?
2. Does the posting include both specific details and a thoughtful analysis of what they mean and why they matter to this issue?
3. After reading the posting do you have a specific and informed understanding of the issue?
4. Is the writing clear and focused?
5. What questions do you have for the blogger? What else do you want to know more about in order to better understand their point?

For the literary posting:

1. Does the blogger have a clear point about the interpretation of the topic offered by the story? Does the blogger answer the question, "What does the story tell us about this issue?"
2. Does the posting include specific details of the story (character names, events, symbolism, setting) and interpret them in terms of their point? Are these explained sufficiently for a person who has not read the story?
3. Is the writing clear and focused?
4. What questions do you have for the blogger? What else do you want to know more about in order to better understand their point?