Why Blog?
The first half of this class is primarily theoretical. The readings are fairly dense and you will need to spend a significant amount of time working with the readings to understand each author’s perspective. You do not need to understand every single part of the reading by class time, but you do need to engage with the reading. By posting on this blog multiple times a week, you will demonstrate that you’ve 1) read the reading and 2) tried to understand the author’s point. It will also serve as a springboard for specific class concepts.
How to Blog
On the course calendar you will notice multiple blog posts. Normally I would ask you to generally summarize the reading and connect it to your experience. However, that process takes extra intellectual effort and was not a perfect method. The new requirements for blogging are as follows
1. Answer the prompt
I will post a prompt for the blog posts each week that directs you to specific parts of the readings and particular questions for engagement. I will usually set the length requirement for these responses at 250 – 350 words.
2. At least one question to spur class discussion
This question might refer to a specific concept, or even a specific term (what did the author mean by X?). You can ask a question about differentiating two similar terms from class (what’s the difference between X and Y?). You might also ask a question based on your example (How would author X respond to this differently?).
Avoid yes/no questions, or long statements that end with “…do you agree?” Similarly, you should avoid questions that boil down to “which is better, X or Y?” Instead, frame these questions toward your classmates’ individual preferences (which theory do you prefer, X or Y?).
4. One image, animated gif, or video
This can be the example you discuss in your blog post, or it can simply be a visual artifact you think builds on the author’s central claims. The goal of this aspect of the blog posts is to get you thinking about the best ways to connect images and text.
Blog Responses
On the calendar you will see certain required “Blog Response” due dates. I am scheduling these responses for approximately once every 2 weeks. By these dates you will need to respond to someone else’s discussion question from a previous post. There are no requirements for whose post or which post to respond to. Indeed, you could respond to the same person’s posts continually, and in Week 8 you could respond to a question from week 1. My goal is simply to start incorporating responses into the blogging mechanism for the class.
Responses need to respond to discussion questions and should be longer than 100 words.
Grading the Blogs and Responses
In a non-Covid semester I would ask students to share their discussion questions each class. However, since we have very limited in-class time this semester, that engagement will need to take place on the blogs.
I will grade the blog posts within a week of when they are posted, and I will respond to 1 – 2 questions and comment on your thoughts. I will be looking at the depth of answer to the prompt and the effectiveness of your question. In the blog responses I will looking at how well you engage with the original author.
Grading the Blogs
For each class period where there is a reading due, I will randomly select students to share their blog posts with the rest of the class. If your blog is selected, you will be required through your summary, example, and question. Then, the class will try to help us answer your question. You will receive a grade based on your ability to start a discussion about the readings.
Periodically, I will also grade the blog posts directly. I will be looking at the depth of your summary, the novelty of your example, and the effectiveness of your question.
| 5 Points | – The answer demonstrates careful understanding of the reading. – The discussion question would heavily advance our class’s knowledge of the reading and design in general – The written elements of the blog post show that you are putting the reading in your own words and connecting it to your experiences. -There is an image/gif/video embedded in the post -There is an appropriate source credit for the embedded media. |
| 4 Points | – The answer demonstrates some understanding of the reading. – The discussion question is interesting but broad – The written elements of the blog post show that you are putting the reading in your own words and connecting it to your experiences. -There is an image/gif/video embedded in the post -There is an appropriate source credit for the embedded media. |
| 3 Points | – The answer is connected to the reading, but it is confusing or hard to follow. – The discussion question is too narrow or too broad. – The written elements of the blog post seem like you skimmed the reading. -There is an image/gif/video embedded in the post -There is an appropriate source credit for the embedded media. |
| 2 Points | – The answer demonstrates that you looked at the reading, but it is hard to tell that you read enough to answer the question -There is an example, but it is hard to tell how it is connected to the reading. -There is no image/gif/video embedded in the post -There is NOT an appropriate source credit for the embedded media. |
| 1 Point | -The post is missing some core elements. -The post appears to be written at the last minute, it skims the surface of the reading, but shows little attention to any detail. |
| 0 Points | There is no blog post |
Intro to Digital Texts and Media 