Mr. V Threatens Students

Hey you!  Yeah, the kid without a permission slip in yet!  

2nd Semester... you're toast~!  

You've BEEN WARNED.  Beware.

Yeah, I don't have alligators, but it's gonna feel like that.  Kinda.

Let the Blogging Begin!

Dear Students:

I realize that so far, my blog has basically been (a) a list of things you can't do, (b) a list of requirements, and (c) a rubric that shows how I will evaluate your efforts.  All in all, it sounds a lot like school.  Which, to be fair, it is.

This blog entry, therefore, is an attempt to get you fired up.  To get you excited and inspired not because some teacher told you to be excited and inspired, but because excited and inspired is the natural state of kids, at least until the educational system takes it out of many of you.

Here's the thing - I can tell you what I would write about, and I can give ideas about what you might like to write about (more on that in a second), but my ideas will reflect only the most general and surface-deep understanding of what interests you.  And you know why I can't understand you perfectly, right?  I am a middle-aged dude with a sweet spare tire 'round the middle, two kids, three college degrees, 14 years of teaching, and 21 years of dating/marrying one woman.

YOU, however, are right at that moment where EVERYTHING and ANYTHING can still be possible.  I sincerely hope that you ignore my suggestions (they're almost here) and write on a topic that I couldn't come up with in a million years.  A topic that genuinely engages you, inspires strong feelings from you, and above all, motivates you to work hard toward understanding it.

This is tough; let's be honest.  It's tough because any topic can be simultaneously meaningful or trivial, depending on how you approach it.  I can't tell you "hip-hop" music is off limits; it isn't!  I think there are tons of really important things to say about the genre.  I won't tell you not to write about "LeBron vs. Kobe" because, again, there are many meaningful things to say about them as people, role models, and athletes.

Of course, those topics can be treated in the most trifling, shallow way possible: "LeBron's sneakers are way cooler.  Kobe's a hater."  You get the idea, and let's not go there.

So where to go?  Here's a few of my (perhaps pathetic) ideas to get you broken out of the mold and thinking big:

Image from Twirlit.com

• A music review of [fill in the blank]'s new song/album
• Thoughts on current fashion trends and why they exist
• Reflections on whether a college degree is worth the time and money anymore
• Commentary on Chris Brown and Rihanna's relationship and what it signifies
• Consideration of what it's like to be a young person in a time of political and financial distress

Blog Grading Rubric

Blog Grading Rubric
Points	Requirement and Details
30	News Roundup (Summary and response to 3 pieces) Mention the author, publication (or website) and date of publication Link to the source if you found it online Summarize the main points of the article, especially if you found anything surprising Personally respond to the article Must be 100-150 words in length minimum for full credit.
30	Main Blog Entry Must be approved by Mr. V or Mr. C 300 word minimum for full credit
15	Comment on at least 3 of your peer's blogs Must be constructive criticism, part of a conversation, or a serious response – not just any old comment!
15	Present your blog progress every two weeks. You'll be given 4-5 minutes to showcase your blog every other Friday (so half the class goes each week, with the other half the next week).
5	Embed at least one picture or video AND one link More would be better, but one of each is the minimum!
5	Edit at least one of you prior blog entries. Must make a comment that shows what you fixed and why

Weekly Blog Requirements

OK.  You've got a blog, yay.  Now what?

Here are the bi-weekly requirements for your blog.  You know how this stuff works... do what I ask, and you'll get points.  Don't do stuff, and you won't.  Do nothing, and we'll try this again during the summer or next year (click here for an evil laugh to drive that point home).


Requirements for your blog for every TWO WEEKS:

1. Read, summarize, and respond to THREE written articles/professional blogs per week.  These have to be reliable resources that you find either in print or online.
• You must mention the author, publication (or website) and date of publication 
• Link to the source if you found it online(required, not optional)
• Summarize the main points of the article, especially if you found anything surprising
• Personally respond to the article
• Must be 100-150 words in length minimum for full credit.
2.  Write a 300 word minimum (for full credit) blog entry on a topic of your choice, but it must be approved by Mr. C or Mr. V. -- These must be approached academically!
• Topics can be varied, be creative!  You MAY NOT write on the same topic repeatedly - no more than twice in the same quarter (e.g., you can't just review the Bears game from the night before every week).
• Sports analysis from game the day before
• Fashion commentary
• Music, movie, video game, app, documentary, or TV show review
• Political/current events commentary
• Advice for readers on a specific topic 
• Current trends on YouTube, twitter, or other social media
• Reflections/advice on travel (e.g. what to do on vacation)
• College visit reflections
3. Comment on at least 3 of your peer's blogs
• These have to be at least somewhat constructive.  Don't use our political system as a model for this.  Respond, praise, add an idea... you can't just write "Good one, bro!" repeatedly.  Criticism is fair game, but only if you are actually part of the conversation.  It can't just be a cheap shot.
4. Embed at least one picture, video, or link
• If you link in your summaries, then you're covered.  If not, find something else to embed or link to. 
5. Edit at least one of you prior blog entries.  
• Go back to one of your old entries and fix something, then make a comment that shows what you fixed and why (comment on your own blog, yes.). 
6. Present your blog progress every two weeks.  Each Friday, it's public speaking time in class.  You'll be given 4-5 minutes to showcase your blog every other Friday (so half the class goes each week, with the other half the next week).

Assignment #1: Blog Set-up

Here are the steps to setting up your blog.  Some of them you have to follow in order (the first few), but the rest you can do whenever you please.  Autonomy, baby! 

I prefer to make an "evil plan" face when doing these kinds of things, but it's optional

 for you

1. To go www.google.com and sign in.
2. At the top of the page, click "more" find "Blogger" in the list... and click it
3.  On the right hand side of the "Confim your profile" page, click the box that says "Create a limited Blogger profile"
4.  Create a blogger name for yourself!  You can use your first name as part of it, but not your last name.  Obviously it must be school-acceptable.
5. You probably want to uncheck the box at the bottom of the page before you click "Continue to Blogger"
6. Now comes the moment of glory: click "New Blog" in the top left of the page.
7. Choose a title (you know the deal... appropriate, blah, blah, blah) and address for your blog.  Remember that short and simple addresses are easier to tell people about.  Combinations of numbers and words are easy to remember and often unique, which means it might be available.

10 Commandments of Classroom Blogging

Who dares claim that my class rules aren't EPIC?!

I.  Thou shall not use your real name
II.  Thou shall not use the real names of classmates at our school
III. Thou shall not post pictures of yourself or classmates
IV.  Thou shall not use profane, discriminatory, or offensive language
V.  Thou shall not post inappropriate or objectionable images
VI.  Thou shall not link to inappropriate or objectionable sites 
VII. Thou shall not make inappropriate or offensive comments on your peers' blogs
VIII. Thou shall not write critical blogs about your peers, your teachers, or your parents
IX.  Thou shall not violate copyright for words or images
X.   Thou shall not laugh because I only had 9 real rules

Toe in the Waters - an Introduction

A toe in the waters, indeed.

Here's the deal: I am a failure.  It's true.  I'm okay with it.  I don't need a hug or anything.  What I really need to do is come up with a new plan.  A successful plan.

Let me back up for a minute and explain.  I'm teaching a senior English class full of students who, like many students, are pretty well done reading books and writing essays on character development.  Who can blame them, I guess.

This semester I tried to do something new (and yeah, I don't count it among my many successes).  The idea was to organize the class around thematic topics currently of interest in the world.  I thought the ideas were terrific:

• Violence in the city of Chicago
• Computer hacking
• Armed conflict in the Middle East
• Presidential election tracking

You get the idea.  Some of the topics did pretty well to engage some of the students.   Some of them engaged only a few.  None of them were what I would term a home run.  And so... a new plan.

For the second semester, I want my students to blog as a full-time class occupation.  I have contrived a series of simple requirements that I will enumerate in a future blog entry.  I intend to have them reading and summarizing articles of interest, composing and posting arguments and advice, and linking to resources, pictures, and whatever else they want.

And you (in the very singular sense, as I doubt my ability to draw a real audience) can follow along as we either succeed or... make a new plan.