Shakespeare's
Just a reminder that we're meeting at Shakespeare's at 2:00. See you there!
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Earlier this month, there was an article in the Washington Post about net-surfing trends.
Here's what we agreed on during our discussion.
I don't like the idea of a grade pitch. I'm definately going to do it, and I know it could be beneficial for me, but does anyone else feel like we(the students) have just gone a bit to far? I think all the work we've been doing is our grade pitch. The quality of our work should be the argument for the value of our grade. This typed argument for our grade seems to be an attempt to rationalize receiving a higher grade than we deserve. I'm sure Donna understands this, and I hope that my blogging on my own blog is a much stronger case than a typed plea for an A.
Here's a timeline for creating the portfolio:
I like the first three criteria listed on Jerz's sample. I think those are relevant to our course.
I think it would sufficient to display 3 of their bests posts, which could be judged on the most interactive, the best-written, or what sparked the most discussion. And maybe include some of your own comments on the blog as a whole.
I like the idea of doing a "cover letter" for the posts we select from our blogs. I think this would allow more flexibility, because then you have a chance to define "best" from your own perspective. I like the idea of using that "cover letter" as a blog entry gateway to your "best" posts, but I also like the idea of creating another place for the posts to go. A place where one can add to their portfolio and reference it. Furthermore, I think if the portfolio is a post, it will get lost in the shuffle of the blog. As the blog gets longer the portfolio will be pushed out of sight. I think another page is a good idea, although I recognize the technical limitations of this. Perhaps we could create posts and then create a permanent link to them in the sidebar so the portfolio is always at the forefront of the blog?
I really like Nichole's comment about including a bad entry... my concern is that students might just choose a random entry that's very short or contains a bad link. What about including an entry that surprised, disappointed, or otherwise affected you the most (positively or negatively)?
One item to discuss today is the final project for the class, your blogging portfolio. And among the items we need to consider are these:
How does information (or anything) circulate socially? The same way disease circulates: by contact with an infected person. And if a lot of people get "infected" with the same content, the same feeling, the same whatever, we have a social epidemic.
After our captivating discussion today about microchips in your brain, I have am left with a lingering question: What the hell was half the class talking about? How did an article about a possible new medical procedure turn into attack of the Terminator? I understand that there are some ethical issues that go into these kind of procedures, that it could be tampering with human life, somehow turning it unnatural. But isn't it more wrong to deny ourselves our own greatness? If our natural abilities has led us to the discovery of this technology, shouldn't we take advantage of that? What is wrong would be to let die when life is an option. I see where some of my classmates were coming from, that it is just the first step to a Matrix-like reality. But come on, let's be reasonable here. It's like saying you shouldn't let people get an organ transplant, because that will lead to some real life Dr. Frankenstein taking the transplant procedure to the ultimate extreme, creating an entire new person out of transplanted body parts, kind of a living corpse and an abomination to the essence of life. But that probably won't happen and we all know that transplants are an amazing and wonderful thing. Although I must give the argument some credit, it IS intriguing. I myself have often wondered what is the limit of human potential. People are continuously getting bigger, and stronger, and smarter. We are living longer and technology is becoming an ever greater presence in our lives. Will humans continue to grow until we are all walking the Earth as half-robot Titans? or will we even stay on Earth? Will humans branch out to the farthest reaches of the galaxy? Where is the limit? Oh man, this is getting way too deep. I wish I had some kind of microchip to do this kind of thinking for me.
Don't worry: it really is our class blog! Thanks to Megan, we have a cool new template.