8/13/2019 Blog Topics for 2013, Semester 1

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Blogs 1-10 as of Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Blog 1:Working. Make a tie-in to working in the shadows. Tell a narrative about a work experience you had. It

should be a narrative, not a summary.

Blog #2should be a two-paragraph summary of any article from the New York Timeswww.nytimes.com.Please

review the Summary Writing Sheet in the Annotated Bib folder for more information on writing summaries.

Blog #3:http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/23/to-tip-or-not-to-tipRead this Room for Debate

topic about tipping. Choose one person's perspective, summarize it in 1 paragraph, then write a response. Do you

agree? Any stories about tipping to add to your response? Aside from a link to the story of course, what other

links/pics/videos/images could you use?

Blog #4:This unit is all about textual analysis--what is the text doing, how does it do it, and how successful is it at

achieving its purpose? Choose a music video from a band you enjoy. Embed the video on your blog. Your post

should be about why the video works so well to achieve its purpose. I won't put a length on there. See what you

can do.

Blog #5:Embed the video from the TED Talk listed here:

http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.htmlAround/above/below the video, you will write a

reaction to her points. Where do you agree? What links/images could you incorporate to make your points?

Blog #6:Music! Music! Music! Your post this week must include a widget that is a music player. For example, you

could use--but don't have to--www.podsnack.com.Your blog post should be how this song or playlist is one you'dlisten to when you're feeling (____insert emotion here___). So, it could be happy/sad/angry/the feeling when

you're on a long drive...whatever your song(s) capture(s). The music player widget should be embedded (not a

youtube clip).

Blog #7:The focus is compare-contrast. The choice is yours. You can choose two bands, two movies, two roles by

the same actor, whatever you choose. Have fun with it, but use effective compare-contrast techniques.

Blog #8:http://www.photovisi.com/Take the 4-6 photos you've been asked to find as they relate to a theme of

your choice from "Midway," and use the website above to make a collage. The text should be a summary of the

theme (ex: the first theme on the sheet about the relationship between the brothers could be summed up in a few

words rather than this whole sentence). You will save the image as a jpg, and then insert that image into the blog.

You will then write about the images you've chosen as they relate to the theme of "Midway."

Blog #9:For your 9th blog, your job is to use one of the four critical lenses--Marxist, Feminist, Psychoanalytic,

Post-Colonial (or another that you understand from reading about on the Purdue OWL sitehttps://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/01/.You will review a movie, tv show, commercial, album, book,

or even a song. You'll be writing about how you could interpret this "text" from a particular perspective. A Feminist

reading of The Little Mermaid? A Marxist reading of "Hi-Ho" by the Seven Dwarves? A Psychoanalytic reading of

Taylor Swift as the narrator of her breakup songs? Just some ideas.

Blog #10:Go towww.change.org.This is a website where people can sign petitions or create petitions to inspire

something to change. The website lists numerous success stories of how they have initiated change. For this blog

entry, you will do the following:

Read the about section at the bottom so you understand the site. Go to Browse at the top left and choose a category to read a petition that interests you. Find a petition you can get behind and write about it on your blog.

o The blog entry should include a link to the petition, a summary of the issue in your own words,and a reason why you support the change the person wants to create. I am not requiring you to

sign the petition, but you surely could if you are interested in it. We are doing this entry to reflect

the role of argument in this final unit. Use any other images, videos or links you find appropriate

to the cause.

http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.nytimes.com/http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/23/to-tip-or-not-to-tiphttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/23/to-tip-or-not-to-tiphttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/23/to-tip-or-not-to-tiphttp://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.htmlhttp://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.htmlhttp://www.podsnack.com/http://www.podsnack.com/http://www.podsnack.com/http://www.photovisi.com/http://www.photovisi.com/http://www.photovisi.com/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/01/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/01/http://www.change.org/http://www.change.org/http://www.change.org/http://www.change.org/https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/01/http://www.photovisi.com/http://www.podsnack.com/http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/23/to-tip-or-not-to-tiphttp://www.nytimes.com/

8/13/2019 Blog Topics for 2013, Semester 1

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Purpose (20):

Successful (A+ thru B):

Uses a blog to complete college-level work and analysis

Genre (50):

Successful (A+ thru B):

Follows the length typical for blog entries Addresses the shifting genres accurately and skillfully for each units posts

Medium/Design (50):

Successful (A+ thru B):

Incorporates images, links, sound, and video as necessary to enhance the blog experience

Offers a visually appealing blog in terms of how the information is arranged Shows a skillful application of the opportunities the blog platform offers

Audience (50):

Successful (A+ thru B):

Uses vocabulary appropriate for the tone of the blog and appropriate for a college freshman as well Demonstrates an ability to critically think and reflect Chooses current events worthy of academic reflection and analysis Adheres to the rules and conventions of mechanics, spelling, usage and grammar while still

maintaining the style of the blog

Stance (30):

Successful (A+ thru B):

Offers a consistent tone throughout the blog Includes arguments, ideas, and analysis that consistently offer insightful reflection Includes support that reflects well on the implicit or explicit thesis with each entry