Why Blogs?

What is a blog?

A blog (shortened from the original words web log) is a forum for you to express your ideas about a topic.  A blog also allows you to include links to evidence, research, images, and other websites in addition to your personal commentary. Blogs can facilitate communication with blog readers through comment features. 

In our class, you will keep a regular blog in which you will publish personal commentary on course readings and discussions. Your blog should also contain links to other research and websites, as well as an image (or more) to accompany your posts. 

Shouldn't we be writing academic papers? Why are we writing blogs? 

Check out this important post by Peter Smagorinsky about academic writing. Smagorinsky notes that those of us involved in academia need to make our voices heard in public forums, and a blog is a great way to do that. A blog can be accessed by anyone, and it's a great way to share what's happening in our classroom and why it's important in the larger world.  

While this blog will be written to discuss readings and respond to issues about the environment, it's also a place to develop a public persona. Think about your future identity as a professional, and start cultivating that professional identity now. 

Use this blog to discuss what you are reading, find links to other research, and connect with other students outside of class. I will post links to blogs shared by our class, and I encourage you to regularly read them and comment, especially in response to class-assigned readings and in preparation of class discussions.