Welcome! Getting started...

Here are some guidelines for your response blogs this semester:

Response Blogs: You will write 10 short response papers (between 500-750 words) in response to specific prompts distributed in advance. You will also post these responses on our class blog and submit a copy of each on Sakai. Each response paper should have a specific thesis, well-developed body paragraphs with clear topic sentences, adequate evidence, and correct MLA citations (where necessary). Additionally, your papers should be neat and proofread. For the version you submit on Sakai, use one-inch margins, a reasonable font (Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11), and double-spacing. Also, only for the version you submit on Sakai, include your name, the date, and the course number on the top of the page (no cover pages, please).

Blog Comments: On the blog each of you will also submit at least two comments per set of response papers. These comments should be on your peers’ posts or in response to comments your peers have made on your posts. Comments are due by the deadlines listed on the syllabus.

Blogging tips for beginners:

First, you’ll need to respond to the email invitation you get from Blogger which will give you permission to post to the blog.

Blogger actually has some helpful documents you can check out if you need more guidance on getting started with blogging, but here are some quick tips:

To write a new post:

1. Make sure you are signed in (click sign-in at the top right side of the page)
2. Click on “New Post,” also on the top right side of the page
3. This will bring you to a new screen.
4. Type your post’s title in the box marked “Title”
5. Then post the body of your response in the large white box. You can also type up your response in Microsoft Word and simply cut and paste it in. (That’s how I am writing this post.)
6. To insert a link, type the text you want to be displayed as a link, then click on the little button that says “Link.”
7. This will bring up a pop-up box. Paste or copy the URL of the site you want to link to into that box.
8. Inserting a picture is a similar process. You can either upload a picture or link to a picture elsewhere.
9. When you are all done, click “Publish Post” (the orange box below the big white box).

That’s it! Have fun!