Blogging on Blogging

I didn't get to cover as much ground in class as I would have liked today but WOW! I thought it was a great class!

Today was the first day I really felt as though people were talking to me. There was a chorus of people answering questions and students "taking risks" by offering answers even when they weren't sure they were right. I have a lot of respect for people who take risks; try new things and generally experiment with the boundaries of their comfort zone. To all of you who took a risk today, as they say in french, chapeau. ;-)

We were talking about exactly what sort of post you're supposed to make to get that mark on your test and I tried to give you an answer in class. The kind of post I'd like you to make should have one or more of these characteristics:

• A reflection on a particular class (like the first two paragraphs above).
• A reflective comment on your progress in the course.
• A comment on something that you've learned that you thought was "cool".
• A comment about something that you found very hard to understand but now you get it! Describe what sparked that "moment of clarity" and what it felt like.
• Have you come across something we discussed in class out there in the "real world" or another class? Describe the connection you made.
• Respond to a Blogging Prompt I posted. (see below)

Your posts do not have to be long. I'm far more interested in the quality of what you write rather than the quantity.

Blogging Prompt
To help us along our blogging journey I've decided that I will also occasionally post a Blogging Prompt. It will be easy to find because I'll always put it under a heading like the one above this paragraph. Feel free to create your own Blogging Prompt for the rest of us if you like. If it's a really good one (i.e. has rich possibilities for blogging) we'll count it as your post. ;-) Here's my first one:

We've learned how to measure angles using both radians and degrees. Blog a brief paragraph identifing ways in which these two types of measurement are similar. Blog a second paragraph outlining the ways in which they are different.

This sort of compare and contrast exercise can be made easier to do using Venn Diagrams. Draw two large overlapping circles. List the similarities in the overlapping section and the differences in the appropriate non-overlapping sections. If you like, you can use this web tool to do it online. If you do blog about this prompt and want to post your diagram we'll talk about how to post pictures sometime in class. ;-)

Happy Blogging!

Post Script or Bonus Info For Late Night Bloggers!
I had meant to hand out this assignment in class today but I forgot. I'll hand it out in tomorrow's class. You late night bloggers can get a jump on it if you wish by downloading it now.

G'night!