Blogging
by zach whalen
Blogging will be a significant part of your work this semester, and for that reason, it comprises 20% of your final grade. You should treat your blog as a space in which to try out or record your ideas, and each blog entry should be a unique, interesting contribution to our seminar. Make a habit of blogging at least once a week; at the end of the semester, I will determine your overall blogging grade by adding up grades for your best 8 blog entries throughout the semester.
Blogs are graded on a checkpoint system. This means that a blog entry is due every Thursday, at 5:00 PM. Now, only your best 8 blog entries "count," so missing a few isn't going to be catastrophic. However, I strongly recommend that you blog each week so you have the best chance of getting full credit in your Blogging grade category.
At a minimum, each blog entry should contain or exhibit the following:
- Keywords This is a comma-separated list of words that your blog entry is about.
- An awareness of context. Each blog entry should be unique. Therefore, if you want to blog about a topic that's already been blogged, you must position your blog rhetorically such that it responds to the original blog entry.
- Something new. This might be, literally, an external link, or it could be simply a new idea or perspective that we haven't considered yet. Teach me something I don't know.
- Images, links, video. These may not always be strictly necessary, but when applicable, these should be closely related to the core discussion. In other words, don't include links or images just to include them; build your blog entry around this new material.
- At least 300 words. Mainly, your entries should be "long enough." That is, you should present an idea, explore it through examples, and draw conclusions. If you do this well, 300 words will come easily.
When I grade your blog entries, I may provide specific (confidential) feedback, but mainly I will assign it a grade, out of 25 possible points using the following table:
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 22 - 25 | This is an exceptional blog entry that contributes a truly unique insight, makes deep connections between and among various readings, and introduces some new concept or material to our discussion. It is long enough to make its point, and the prose is clear and effective. It uses external links, images, and/or embedded video, and it demonstrates an awareness of its audience. |
| 18 - 21 | This is a good blog entry that contains valid insight, but the execution falls flat or the ideas are not sufficiently explored. Connections between other readings and blog entries is either insufficient or absent. It may include links or images, but these are ineffective or irrelevant to the blog's topic. |
| 14 - 17 | This is a competent blog entry that contributes something new but exhibits serious shortcomings in its implementation or expression of those ideas. Connections and insights are lacking or betray a failure to understand or incorporate key concepts from the reading. |
| 10 - 13 | This blog entry meets the minimum requirements, but shows little relevance or insight into the material. It rehashes topics that have already been covered or fails to contribute any substantial new insight at all. This blog entry may also be poorly written, exhibiting a number of grammatical or formatting errors that create a major distraction for the reader. |
| 0 | This blog entry fails to meet the minimum requirements. |
