Blog Journal Assignment/Prompt #1

Over the course of 15 weeks, you will be required to write in response to ten different prompts, provided by your instructor, and to post them on your personal blog space. These responses may vary in length, and each prompt will tell you explicitly how to proceed. The writing in your blog journal needn't be formal or academic--blogging is supposed to be conversational, casual and fun-- but it does need to be thoughtful and error-free. You should imagine that you are writing for an audience of your classmates and instructor, certainly, but remember that ultimately, the internet is a public space. But you guys know that already, don't you?

So, without further ado..

Journal # 1: Make Your Blog

For your first assignment, you are required to register for Blogger and then build your own blog. Get yourself over to Blogger.com, where you will either need to register or sign in with your Google account. Once you are logged in, you will arrive at your Dashboard page. In the right hand corner of your Dashboard, click "Create a Blog." As you begin adding titles and design elements to your blog, remember that all your choices are part of a rhetorical situation in which each decision you make plays its own role. Choose a title that suits you and your interests and is appropriate for an English 15 class. Once you've found a suitable title and an available URL (the unique address at which we can find your blog), you'll be sent to a page where you can choose from a variety of design templates. Again, pick a template that will suit the aesthetic and feel of the blog you are developing. At the top of your blog page, you'll see a "Design" tab. Click on it. Here you can rearrange the elements on your page. You can also customize your site more fully by clicking on the "Template Designer" link. Upload a background, change your fonts, the color of your text. Just make sure that 

your design choices allow for easy readability. You can also customize your user profile.

Warning! This stuff is fun to fiddle endlessly with. Don’t forget to pause to eat and sleep!

Once you are satisfied with the look of your blog, you will add it to the list of Class Blogs on our master site.  I have sent invites to all of your PSU accounts.

Then, you can post your first Blog Entry! Here's the prompt:

Think about your past experiences as a writer. What are two of your strengths as a writer? What are two of your writing weaknesses? Specifically, how would you like to improve as a writer? What could you do or learn to make such improvements? How do you anticipate that this particular course will help you improve as a writer?

Answer these questions in 500 words or more.

Additionally, please include a link to an example of “art” that you admire or which interests/puzzles you. This could be something visual, like a painting, or it could be writing or sound or…well, I’m interested in what YOU think art is! Tell me what strikes you about this piece.  Where did you first encounter it? What emotions does it evoke in you? Why do you think it merits the term “art?”  For example, I love the work of the late fashion designer, Alexander McQueen http://blog.metmuseum.org/alexandermcqueen/objects/. His avant garde pieces evoke a mélange of feelings in me: whimsy, thrill, intrigue, puzzlement, discomfort, awe. I think this is part of what art does—it makes us feel strongly.

Your response is due by noon on Tuesday, August 30th.