Blogging Topics

For my students' blogs, I give them a list of options, in the form of questions, for them to choose from. Each set of questions has a theme, for example, politics or social problems. I wanted my students to practice writing about their opinions so that when the time came for their first project, they had adequate practice. I found that the majority of blogs included more descriptions, more personal examples and more passion than any of their in-class writing or homework assignments. I also permit the students to give me suggestions about what they want to write about and then I incorporate those suggestions into the list. I've found that they enjoy the blogs more and this reflects, ultimately, in their writing.--SusanSavageLee

ViereggeLessonPlan3 (Here are several blog topics) -- QuentinVieregge

ENC1101OutrageousBlogTopics -- SarahWray

ENC1101 Blog Typology: Thanks to QV--TaylorjoyMitchell

BlogTopics1101 -- MelissaTully

This blog was to correspond with the first chapter of the Style book, but I think it can work in other areas.

Please go to the following website and read Mark Twain's essay:

http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/learnmore/writings_fenimore.html

Then, following the directions above, answer TWO or more of the following questions:

Who was Twain's audience? What were some of his arguments, claims, ideas (you are more than welcome to reference Writing Arguments)? Was he effective in his arguments and what were some of the more persuasive parts of the essay? Do you disagree or agree with what he was saying? --MarieHendry

This blog was designed to help the students look at arguments critically (I tried to choose something they would know little about, or had not seen, such as the foreign television shows).

Please read this short article http://www.slate.com/id/2150015/?GT1=8592

Prompt for this week

In the on-line article “Foreign Office" Liesl Schillinger talks about how the same show has been translated to four different cultures. She writes the article from an American perspective, and thus compares these shows in that way. She states:

To the outrage of many of my British friends, I find the American version superior to its British relative. It's not that I don't like the U.K. Office, I just don't like it as much. It doesn't reflect the reality of any U.S. workplace I know. The sexism is too blatant and the inside jokes are often too, well, inside.

She goes further: But to an American viewer, a boss who fails to project at least an outward appearance of seriousness would not be credible. And, perhaps because every American thinks he or she can be the boss one day, given the right circumstances, we tend to identify with our employers (Slate). What do think about these statements? What do you think about this article? What are some of Schillinger’s assumptions? Is she biased? If so, does this bias hurt her article? What are some of the issues raised in the article?--MarieHendry

This blog had great results

Go to this week in pictures and respond to the pictures of Aug. 17-24 at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3842331/

Some questions you might like to answer--

Which one is your favorite? When you voted, in what percentage was your favorite? How would you argue that your favorite picture was the most important, most visually appealing, etc? Do these pictures influence awareness? In other words, are these pictures important in anyway?--MarieHendry

Another blog topic:

This is a FOUR part assignment.

Firstgive your definition of rhetoric. It is okay if you have no idea, put that down, or guess.

Secondlook up the definition on the internet through any source you wish (wikipedia is fine) and give that definition and include what web page you found it from.

Thirdlook up the definition in the dictionary (it can be on-line dictionary, but it must be one that is in print as well, such as the Oxford English Dictionary). Include this definition in your post, as well as where you got it from.

AnalysisWhat did you know (or not know) about your own personal definition of rhetoric? How does the definition vary from different sources?--MarieHendry

Evaluating Self As an Audience

Have students watch this video and have them blog a response to this question; What are the underlying issues in this comic video?

Let students post their blogs and respond to eachother - they will have widely varying answers, some that will surprise you.

Then, the next day in class, show the video again, and have students bring to mind their blog response for the question. Now, as a free write, have the students assess and evaluate WHY they wrote that response - where are they coming from, how were they raised, what were the reasons for responding in such a fashion? Have them share their responses in groups, and evaluate with eachother how their backgrounds connect to what they said in their blogs to the question.

Last, have a class discussion about differences in readers, how different readers bring different perspectives, with the focus being that the class will realize that not one answer is the right one, and that when they write there will be different audiences that will see their points in different perspectives. -- DarcyWebber

Analyzing Advertisements Blog

Have students view this ad

Write a 250 word blog reacting to the ad from the opposite sex point of view (girls as guys, guys as girls), analyze how effective it would be if you were that sex, what is your reaction as that sex? -- DarcyWebber

CompositionBlogTopics by TiffanyLowden

MiscellaneousBlogTopics by TiffanyLowden

Here is a list of Blog topics that I had my classmates develop in a presentation for LAE 6375 --MarieHendry