Had you ever written a blog entry before joining this class? If not, you're not alone. I hadn't written one, either. Nor had I graded one. So I'm working hard to figure out the most helpful way to assess your blog posts. After reading what other instructors across the globe have said (on their blogs, of course), I've come up with my best attempt at a grading sheet for blogs. You'll be getting yours soon, and when you do, feel free to give input to how the process should work.
Part of my online "research" on blogs has involved poking around for some insight into the history and development of blogs. To see one helpful website I happened upon, click here. It categorizes the different sorts of blogs out there, then comments on the nature and audience for each. Check it out as you do your own thinking about blogs.
Feel free to comment in response to this post--what do you think makes for a quality blog post for the purposes of this class?
Part of my online "research" on blogs has involved poking around for some insight into the history and development of blogs. To see one helpful website I happened upon, click here. It categorizes the different sorts of blogs out there, then comments on the nature and audience for each. Check it out as you do your own thinking about blogs.
Feel free to comment in response to this post--what do you think makes for a quality blog post for the purposes of this class?
I feel that a blog has many different aspects that need to be taken into consideration when being graded. Some, but not necessarily all, of these include:
-creativity
-spirit
-content
-appropriateness
There are obviously many different ways to grade a blog, but I feel a combination of the above should be taken into account when you are finalizing your grades.
Good blog posts for this class should contain some analysis. The analysis of the topic at hand is the important part, not the style of writing. I think everyone might have a different idea of what they want their blog to look like, ranging from the informal to the academic. We might all have different opinions on how to write a blog, but they should always include insightful analysis or run the risk of being useless.
Of the categories of blogs offered by this website, I think the "educational blog" is the closest to our purposes. It's a way for us to share our personal responses, insights, and learning as we work our way through this Technical Communication course.
To be good, useful, and make use of the medium, I think a good blog will link to and respond to other conversations. It might offer links to words, images, or videos that are relevant.
A grading rubric would be very helpful for us. Since we are new to the blogging scene, it is sometimes hard for us to determine exactly what you are looking for. I had never even read a blog before this class, so I really had no idea what to model mine after.
I think it is really helpful that you found a blog that specifically defines the different types of blogs that one can make. I read a lot of different blogs and I hadn't really noticed the different dynamics of each one.
I think that blogging when used in the right way can help people solve problems and get a better understanding of what ever topic they are interested in. I would more than likely not blog to try and find work I just do not feel comfortable doing it just yet.
Grades should be determined by quality and how well it answers the prompt.
The purpose of this class focuses on a particular topic. Because the class is focusing on technical writing, it seems that a topical blog is best suited for our work. Blog posts typically follow a prompt that is on topic with tasks or reading completed in class.
The quality of these subsequent posts relies on the subject matter. If the blog details and gets the reader thinking about their particular opinion, it is doing a good job. The blog entry should address questions given with relevant information. Personal ideas should be blended with specific evidence on the topic.
A good blog for this class would have two distinct qualities. One it would pertain the the subjects of the class. Most likely it would merely be a response to a prompt. Secondly, and probably more important, a blog for this class would be a blog which the readers can learn something from. Even if their is a disagreement about what is said, the reader can take something from the blog and perhaps may be able to contribute more to the topic.
I had no idea that there were so many types of blogs. I've never written a blog before this class. I think the grading sheet for the blogs is fair for the most part. Our blogs should be about the prompt; however, it should be loosely interpreted because it is a blog, not an essay.
I have written a blog entry before, for English 15. The blogs then, were similar to the ones that we have done so far in this class, in that they were primarily for students to share their thoughts and feelings about a subject posted by the professor. The grading that my professor employed was basically based on whether we posted a blog or not.
The blog grading for this course however, seems as if it should be evaluated differently than how blogging was graded in English 15. I would say that one criteria be that the blog is complete and of appropriate length. Another part of the grading might be that the blog raises some ideas about the topic, not just restate what the topic is,
I think that with these course blogs we need to find a balance between professional and comfortable. As students. we should be allowed to be somewhat informal and write in our own styles, but we have to answer the required question or address the required topic. We need to have room to write freely, let the posted topic drive us to a personal story or related example of some kind. I think grading a blog is a very difficult task; almost by definition, you can't assign a score to a blog. I think our blogs fall in the topical blog category; we're given a prompt and talk about it. Obviously it is educational as well, but if this wasn't for a course it would be grouped as a topical blog.
None of the 'kinds of blogs' really matched our blogs. I feel ours should be graded on how well they cover the requested material and how professional they look.
I think the blogs should be graded by how well we respond to the prompt as well as putting our responses in a professional format. I think it is important to keep a professional demeanor even in the blog format. Everyone can see the internet and therefore we should be careful about what we write. We also should have a little bit of freedom to express our opinions when responding to the prompts. Blogs are a way to discuss and express opinions and by giving us a guideline to respond to as well as the creativity to go beyond the prompt would make for a good grading guideline. Also, linking to other sites allows us to see what other people are doing and gives us insight as to what is going on in our fields.
I think that a good blog post includes your personal opinion about something, but then also supports it--whether it be through personal experience or by linking to another website with relevant information. I don't think you can really judge a blog on length. It should be based on quality. The determination of the quality of the response should be looked at based on how in depth the prompt it. If it is a simple question, then expect a simple response. If you are looking for a detailed response, then request that in the prompt. The reader can't be expected to anticipate what you are looking for without being told explicitly.
After looking at the link provided, I feel that the main category our class blogs falls under is educational. It's mostly used to make us aware of the endless opportunities we have in presenting ourselves and how to improve our technical writing. That being said, I think it's pretty hard to grade blogs. I feel that you can only really grade us on whether or not we answered the prompts, and on format. It shouldn't be just a simple answer, but try to go a little into depth when answering the questions.
A good blog should reflect that a student can coherently analyze a piece of work. It should be more than merely free writing. Furthermore, the quality of analysis should not be overt or too obvious. The student should really dissect what they are trying to say and open up interesting topics for discussion.
A good blog should be one that addresses the prompt correctly and creatively. The writer should maximize the ability to use links, graphics, videos and documents, since a blog is meant to be interactive. Additionally, it should be written in a way that is clearly thought out and free of punctuation/grammar errors.
Although there is no specific format to follow, no guidelines to adhere to, the blog itself, especially in an academic setting, should show some insight.
Blogging itself should not be a rigorous format, because each individuals personality and individual style will be apparent in each entry. As long as there is an effort, and insight, it should make for a good blog.
There are a few guidelines I believe that should be used to grade our educational blogs. The following guidelines are:
-spelling/grammar (to some extent)
-professional (to some extent)
-pertinent to the matter at hand
-analytical/insightful
-opinionated
I feel a combination of guidelines would be a fair way to grade our blogs.
Blogs can be hard to grade, because someone can blog about anything in any form, and it is still a blog. There is no right or wrong when it comes to blogging. I think that a blog should be graded on the thoughts and feelings that it provokes.
For a blog to be interesting, it has to engage the audience. Since the blogs that we are writing a mostly based on class assignments, an interesting blog is one that creatively combines information and opinions.
Part of what makes a good blog is relevance to it's topic. A topical blog about guitar pickups would be an unusual place to put highly opinionated political entries. Entry placement is important.
Also, correctness of data is a must. The internet is full of information, and if one blogs about something that turns out to be incorrect, then the blogger might face a large amount of insults. Basic research on a topic before blogging about it should be conducted.
A good blog is one that not only informs by educates people that may be looking for information in that specific category. In the educational field a good blog should be very detailed and give examples in addition to other places where other information can be found.
First and foremost, a good blog for English 202C must be pertinent to the purpose of the class and appropriate. That being said, blog entries should focus on class assignments while utilizing the tools available online: pictures, links, and other digital media.
A good educational blog should contain a thorough analysis of the point at hand. However, like all other good blogs, the writer should be able to add their own flair that keeps the reader coming back for more.
What makes a good blog?
A good blog entry requires the audience to think or is at least informative. A bad blog has no substance and just rambles on aimlessly.
A useful comment adds substance to the topic at hand, which will allow others to gain further insight and perhaps take on a new understanding of the topic.
I have never really written a blog before and Im not really sure that there are any rules. After all the process or idea is constantly evolving. Good blogs are interesting and opinionated with a personal element.
A good blog may include statements that provoke thought. If a discussion can be generated from you're blog then it will be more useful to everyone who will be reading it. Interesting topics, use of good graphs and links, and adding personality to a blog also adds to its success.
Our blog is definitely an educational style blog. I think a grading rubric would be nice to have. Obviously one aspect would be content, make sure that the blog entry discusses the topic that was assigned. The use of technology also plays an aspect in web assignments. I think a minimum length would be a good start. It is probably hard to grade these on content, i think the grade should be on quality. If the blog is interesting and informational then i think it should receive a good grade.
In this class I think a good blog is one that answers the prompt in a creative and informative way. They should use links and reflect personal ideas. Since we are writing educational blogs they should convey ideas we have learned and discussed in class.
For the purposes of our class, a good blog would primarily have to address all assignments in a coherent, thought provoking manner. As a medium, blogs are meant to read. Thus, despite posting our blogs for a grade, we should try to make them as interesting as possible to keep the reader's attention.
Furthermore, since we are now using the internet as a medium, blogs have far more freedom for incorporating design, pictures and references (links). A good blog will also incorporate these qualities.
I have never written a blog before I was in this class. I feel that the grading of our educational blogs should be based on how well we covered the desired material. Also, I believe the length of the blog should not matter - as long as it's content is reasonable.
A good blog entry is one that gathers your attention by the analysis of the topic and how the writer organizes it. It is also one that is easy to navigate through it, makes you think on the topic, leads to other links that give you a view of what the writer is wanting to express... A good comment is one that adds more useful information to the entry or brings out that doubts of the reader. And a better comment would be when the writer replies the reader with the answer or an alternative solution to its question.
I believe that a good blog entry is both informative and entertaining. Even though the class is working on educational blogs, they can still be fun. I'm not downplaying the importance being professional and insightful. I just think that the writer's personality should be included in the blog.
What makes a good blog you ask? I don't know! The world is getting more and more electric, we simply don't have as much human interaction. I believe this produces a yearning for human interaction giving power to the blogs that are more personal. This can still be the case for an educational blog such as those we are creating in this course. Some blogs may be very informational but the ones that will keep a person coming back will be those that almost seem like its a friend talking to you.