Collaboration+Through+Blogging

 (Pirillo 2009) =Collaborating Through Blogging - Responsive Essay Assignment = To be included as part of the Structured External Assignment (SEA), the collaborating through blogging assignment requires using social interactive web 2.0 tools to engage students in a lesson. The assignment began with setting up an account in blogspot.com. After creating an introduction blog, all students were required to share and setup the accounts to follow the bloggs with the students in the rest of the class. Finally, all participants were required to respond to at least to blogs, one being Dr. Williamson's blog (This response was used for example only, not all students were setup to create their blog in class.), and the second response following the directions of a classmates blog.

Creating the Responsive Essay Assignment
The best examples in education happen when students can learn something new from an example of their own work. The best way to get a response from a student is to threaten something meaningful in their lives. This assignment accomplishes both. In order for a student to learn from an example of their own writing, you first need a good example of their writing. The essay topic was intentionally inflamatory and condesending because everyone writes with more emotion when they are angry. I don't care what side they take in this assignment, because the purpose of the assignment involves exploring the structure and not the content of the writing. Part two of the assignment will involve peer review of the paragraphs written. Part three will involve rewriting to improve the structure and hopefully the effectiveness of their initial arguement.

Reflection
I do not care for blogging. Blogging has somehow become the Opinion/Editorial page of the 21st century. although I rarely agree with any colomnist all the time, there is a body of work which I could judge them against. The mere fact that they signed their own name and work for a publication which has a mailing adress in the real world offers some accountability. Personally, If I have an opinion on a subject, I put my name to it if I make it public. Annonymous bloggers do not offer us the same consideration. They hide behind their cloak and spew out libelous statements without reguard to whoever they choose to attack and without fear of legal recrimination.

While I don't like blogging, the web based application does offer features which can be helpful in a virtual English class. As the teacher, it offers me a forum for explaining the requirements of a writing assignment. It offers students a place they are comfortable working in to write multiple drafts. In addition, Each draft is time and date stamped so the teacher can take note of when the work is being completed. Last, the software allows classmates to read and comment publically on the work of their classmates.

Responsive Essay Assignment

 Pirillo, Fitz C. (2009). //Top 25 funniest comic strips about blogging//. Blog Perfume. Retrieved from []