Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Saturday, May 31, 2008
To Blog Or Not To Blog......
Looking back to the very first day of this LIB 200 class, I can remember feeling very anxious because it was going to be a writing intensive class. Then Dr. X passed out the syllabus and I read that we were required to write 12 blogs, 1 every week for 12 weeks. My initial thought to myself was; I am going to fail this class.
What in the world is blogging anyway? I've heard the term here and there, and knew it had something to do with the internet and people posting comments and stuff, but never really knew exactly what it was.
As the class went over the syllabus, Dr. X explained what blogging was and what we were going to do with the blog assignments. I must say, I was hyperventilating at the thought. We were required to write about the environmental issues our world is facing today. Additionally, we were expected to write at least 250 words per blog assignment and comment on other classmate blogs. Geez, I don't even like writing short emails for God's sake and now Dr. X has me thinking and writing all this stuff. At the time, I had no clue how I was going to accomplish all that writing.
Once I created the profile for the blog and began writing my very first blog, I was pleasantly surprised. The writing just seemed to flow with some ease. I just sat at home in front of the computer and began writing stuff that was in my head. I did not panic like I normally would. I just relaxed and allowed my thoughts to take over. The end result was usually more than 250 words.
Blogging is definitely much easier than writing any college papers. For me, there seems to be less pressure. I'm not sure why. I just feel more comfortable writing on a blog versus writing a research paper, essay, etc. It's much more fun too. You get to add color, pictures, and videos to get your message across. As a result, the context becomes more interesting to read and also to write.
Writing the blogs by Sunday at 4am was not a problem for me at all. I tried to complete most of the blogs by the Friday before so that I can have my weekends free. It sometimes became a "cat and mouse chase" because many of my fellow classmates did not complete their blogs until very late on Sunday mornings. This made it difficult to complete the assignment of commenting to the other blogs.
Most students do not want to think about school work when the weekend comes and so, leave homework until the very last minute. In the future, it might be a better idea to have the deadline set for Friday by midnight. This will force students to complete assignments before the weekend starts.
The deadline is necessary because it allows the professor to read, comment, and grade them before the beginning of the next school week.
Reading the blogs was really interesting. Interesting because you can learn what a person feels on a particular subject or topic. It was funny, I could almost hear the blogger's voice in my head as I read their weekly blogs. Because we were in the same class, it was easy to connect the blog, voice, and their thoughts just by reading their blog. Many were very passionate on certain things and others we not so passionate. There were funny blogs, sad blogs, angry blogs, perssuasive blogs, etc. No matter what the topic was or what the emotion was, the blogs were always very interesting to read. Mostly because they were written by people you were getting to know every week for 12 weeks.
I enjoyed the experience of blogging very much. It's almost like having your own virtual platform for putting your thoughts out there. You can expose issues that concern you, and it allows you to expand on them and present them to the world. Blogging is also a great tool to communicate with others. There are really no restrictive rules as far as what you can say.
When I have a little, I plan on creating a family blog. A blog were members of my family can communicate with each other on anything and everything. I have a really big family and everyone is always sending emails with stories and pictures, recipes, rants and ravs, and everything in between. So I think it would be great if they all can just post stuff on a family blog and reduce so many emails. Plus, it's alot of fun.
Thanks to Dr. X for making this blogging stuff fun and for conducting an interesting class.
What in the world is blogging anyway? I've heard the term here and there, and knew it had something to do with the internet and people posting comments and stuff, but never really knew exactly what it was.
As the class went over the syllabus, Dr. X explained what blogging was and what we were going to do with the blog assignments. I must say, I was hyperventilating at the thought. We were required to write about the environmental issues our world is facing today. Additionally, we were expected to write at least 250 words per blog assignment and comment on other classmate blogs. Geez, I don't even like writing short emails for God's sake and now Dr. X has me thinking and writing all this stuff. At the time, I had no clue how I was going to accomplish all that writing.
Once I created the profile for the blog and began writing my very first blog, I was pleasantly surprised. The writing just seemed to flow with some ease. I just sat at home in front of the computer and began writing stuff that was in my head. I did not panic like I normally would. I just relaxed and allowed my thoughts to take over. The end result was usually more than 250 words.
Blogging is definitely much easier than writing any college papers. For me, there seems to be less pressure. I'm not sure why. I just feel more comfortable writing on a blog versus writing a research paper, essay, etc. It's much more fun too. You get to add color, pictures, and videos to get your message across. As a result, the context becomes more interesting to read and also to write.
Writing the blogs by Sunday at 4am was not a problem for me at all. I tried to complete most of the blogs by the Friday before so that I can have my weekends free. It sometimes became a "cat and mouse chase" because many of my fellow classmates did not complete their blogs until very late on Sunday mornings. This made it difficult to complete the assignment of commenting to the other blogs.
Most students do not want to think about school work when the weekend comes and so, leave homework until the very last minute. In the future, it might be a better idea to have the deadline set for Friday by midnight. This will force students to complete assignments before the weekend starts.
The deadline is necessary because it allows the professor to read, comment, and grade them before the beginning of the next school week.
Reading the blogs was really interesting. Interesting because you can learn what a person feels on a particular subject or topic. It was funny, I could almost hear the blogger's voice in my head as I read their weekly blogs. Because we were in the same class, it was easy to connect the blog, voice, and their thoughts just by reading their blog. Many were very passionate on certain things and others we not so passionate. There were funny blogs, sad blogs, angry blogs, perssuasive blogs, etc. No matter what the topic was or what the emotion was, the blogs were always very interesting to read. Mostly because they were written by people you were getting to know every week for 12 weeks.
I enjoyed the experience of blogging very much. It's almost like having your own virtual platform for putting your thoughts out there. You can expose issues that concern you, and it allows you to expand on them and present them to the world. Blogging is also a great tool to communicate with others. There are really no restrictive rules as far as what you can say.
When I have a little, I plan on creating a family blog. A blog were members of my family can communicate with each other on anything and everything. I have a really big family and everyone is always sending emails with stories and pictures, recipes, rants and ravs, and everything in between. So I think it would be great if they all can just post stuff on a family blog and reduce so many emails. Plus, it's alot of fun.
Thanks to Dr. X for making this blogging stuff fun and for conducting an interesting class.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
I Think I Can, I Think I Can
Ranking little things I can do to help the planet. Highest being the easiest, lowest being the most difficult.
#5 Water
The absolute easiest thing for me to do, is to not let the water run when I shave or brush my teeth. I have become extremely aware of this and have been able to shut the water off when I am really not using it. What I do is brush first, then turn on the water and rinse. No more letting it just run while I am brushing.
When I shave, I try and fill the sink with enough water to rinse out the razor, instead of letting the water run as I am shaving. Not too difficult.
#4 Pet Beds and Pet Toys
These two are new to my “going green” knowledge but I see no reason why I could not comply with these two simple ways of saving the planet. My dogs are forever chewing up their toys, so,
needless to say, I am forever buying new ones. Now I know I can buy toys made from recycled materials.
As far as the beds are concerned, I will purchase ones that are made from recycled materials when it's time for Nino and Destiny to get a new one. This one is a "no brainer."
#3 Paint
Just this weekend, I decided to purchase the better quality Aura paint by Benjamin Moore. Although more expensive, it is certainly eco-friendly in comparison to other paints on the market. By purchasing the Aura paint, I can rest knowing that my home is bit safer and I am doing a little something to help the planet.
# 2 Paper Towels
This is going to be a more difficult challenge to conquer. I absolutely can and will not live without my Bounty paper towels. They are great for just about everything. They work for cleaning up messes, drying things up, wiping after a meals, etc.
I will say this……I will consider using recycled paper towels. My only beef with recycled paper towels is that they are twice as much in price as regular paper towels. If not, I will most definitely cut-down on my daily usage of Bounty.
# 1 Light Bulbs
No way, not now. The “environmentally safe” light bulbs that are on the market totally do not work for me. I have spent much money on them and I just cannot get used to the way they make me or my home look. The lighting color needs to change. The fluorescent look is not “the look," as far as I'm concerned.” Sorry world, that kind of lighting in a home (at least mine) does nothing for one’s mood.
I hope companies like General Electric or Sylvania will come up with an energy-efficient light bulb that mimics the lighting I have in my home today.
#5 Water
The absolute easiest thing for me to do, is to not let the water run when I shave or brush my teeth. I have become extremely aware of this and have been able to shut the water off when I am really not using it. What I do is brush first, then turn on the water and rinse. No more letting it just run while I am brushing.
When I shave, I try and fill the sink with enough water to rinse out the razor, instead of letting the water run as I am shaving. Not too difficult.
#4 Pet Beds and Pet Toys
These two are new to my “going green” knowledge but I see no reason why I could not comply with these two simple ways of saving the planet. My dogs are forever chewing up their toys, so,
needless to say, I am forever buying new ones. Now I know I can buy toys made from recycled materials.
As far as the beds are concerned, I will purchase ones that are made from recycled materials when it's time for Nino and Destiny to get a new one. This one is a "no brainer."
#3 Paint
Just this weekend, I decided to purchase the better quality Aura paint by Benjamin Moore. Although more expensive, it is certainly eco-friendly in comparison to other paints on the market. By purchasing the Aura paint, I can rest knowing that my home is bit safer and I am doing a little something to help the planet.
# 2 Paper Towels
This is going to be a more difficult challenge to conquer. I absolutely can and will not live without my Bounty paper towels. They are great for just about everything. They work for cleaning up messes, drying things up, wiping after a meals, etc.
I will say this……I will consider using recycled paper towels. My only beef with recycled paper towels is that they are twice as much in price as regular paper towels. If not, I will most definitely cut-down on my daily usage of Bounty.
# 1 Light Bulbs
No way, not now. The “environmentally safe” light bulbs that are on the market totally do not work for me. I have spent much money on them and I just cannot get used to the way they make me or my home look. The lighting color needs to change. The fluorescent look is not “the look," as far as I'm concerned.” Sorry world, that kind of lighting in a home (at least mine) does nothing for one’s mood.
I hope companies like General Electric or Sylvania will come up with an energy-efficient light bulb that mimics the lighting I have in my home today.
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