Blog Updates

Basics

You have all set up blogs via www.blogger.com. Go there to sign in and retrieve your blog, or enter your own unique blog address into the web browser to go directly to your site. Here’s a page of Blogger Frequently Asked Questions.

Due Dates

Throughout the next 2 weeks, you will be required to complete at least 3 blog updates that detail your investigation progress. The due dates for these updates are:

· #1 – by Fri 10/10 at midnight

· #2 – by Tues 10/14 at midnight

· #3 – by Fri 10/17 at midnight

Update Options

You are welcome (and encouraged) to submit early. Blog updates should be 300-500 words, should be written in paragraph form, and should address any of the following possibilities, in any order:

· Primary Research: Observation. Go to your place and observe. Tell us the story of your trip. Describe the place using sensorial details. Analyze the people at this place. Who goes there? Who doesn’t? How do those people act? Pose questions and/or reflections that your observation has raised for you.

· Primary Research: Interviews. Interview one or more people about your place. Focus on open-ended questions like, “What role has this place played in your life?” See other possible questions on Interview Tips. In your blog update, tell us the story of your interview(s), and quote when appropriate. Pose questions and/or reflections that your interview(s) have raised for you.

· Secondary Research: Any sort of textual research. Tell us what you’ve learned through whatever text-based research you’ve completed, whether via online sources or hard-copy sources. Summarize your findings, and narrate the story if it involves you going somewhere (archives or a museum) to do the research. Pose questions and/or reflections that this research has raised for you.

You are not required to complete each of these kinds of updates. Interviews are NOT mandatory, though they are encouraged for most topics. If you do not complete interviews for your essay (or in the given time frame), you may submit two different “Secondary Research” updates.

Peer Response

You are also required to read and respond to your workshop members’ blogs. Find your workshop group here, and find your peers’ blog address here, on the Class Contact link.

Comments could include:

· ideas about how they could investigate

· questions you have about the place,

· insights you may have about how that place functions in the community, etc.

· positive feedback or constructive criticism on their blog updates

Your commentary on their blogs will count as one WJ per student. (So, for example, if you respond every time and intelligently to Mary’s blog, that would be worth a check +. If you respond only half the time, or all the time but poorly, to Dan’s blog, that would be a check -.) Please do your best to be helpful and supportive to your peers. Do unto others…!