Entry #6

Final Blog Reflection

 

 

Blogging in itself was relatively new to me. My experience was quite positive however, tedious. Writing on blogs periodically helped improve and be comfortable with my writing. It's similar to math where you have to practice often in order to become good at it. Ideas seemed to flow well in my head while I struggled to type down everything properly. I honestly didn't like blogging simply because it was extra work. Even though I'm lazy I actually enjoyed the self generated blog posts. The self generated posts allowed us to be ourselves and choose whatever topic we'd like. Doing assigned was a bit interesting but tedious. Commenting on other blogs was also interesting because you were able to view other student's pages that you wouldn't normally talk to. 

I honestly took the blogging serious. I would always manage to complete them all in time and create blogs that I would personally enjoy. I tried to make it as visual as I could. Nobody likes full text and plain looking pages. I always attempted to connect with the audience. My focus was generally towards college students. I tried not to use topics I wouldn't read myself. I would also look for other blogs that had similar or interesting topics. I also took it seriously because it's a big part of the overall grade. I refused to be foolish enough to skip an assignment that could drop my grade. I work hard and take the time to do my work. I understand that we all have busy lives and our own problems. In the long run, doing these assignments can make a difference in the type of students we are.

 

I learned about certain trends while doing my research on my blogs. I learned about dangerous body trends, the occupy wall street movement, and I learned about rhetoric. I previously didn't focus on those thing because I had no need to. However, after doing research I found myself suddenly fascinated by the concepts assigned. I learned how to venture off a bit and speak with other students online. I had never really gone up to strangers and said, "Hey, your blog is pretty cool." It was a way to come out of my shell.

 

I think blogging is useful to those who need practice writing. To those who enjoy writing, it would be a fun project. For those who are lazy, it was seemingly unnecessary. I do however, believe it allowed me to be comfortable with my writing. It helped with time management and responsibility. It could also be valuable to those who have had issues with the writing projects. I personally am confident with my papers. Others may not feel the same way and put effort into theses posts to help their grade. It was also useful because sometimes we can draw inspiration from the assigned blog entries. It helped lead us away from fluff and focus more on the topics we discuss in class. Overall, blog posts were valuable.

 

Using blog entries is a clever way to help students practice writing. It's different from doing paper after paper and adding stress to students. It was a great way to get students to socialize with others. It's kind f interesting to create posts about what we talk about in class and what we can learn from others. Doing blog posts created new experiences with writing and learning about rhetoric. I didn't like doing blogs but I also didn't hate it. Perhaps if Chris assigned less it'd be less stressful. However, I have to argue on his part that he was very lenient with the deadlines and reassured his students that they could get caught up regardless of the due date. I believe that part shouldn't change because we make mistakes, we forget sometimes. He should maybe not grade so harshly because sometimes these things are new and we may not be comfortable with blogging. Ultimately, Chris did an excellent job with the blog assignments.