Blog Prompt #1: Welcome to Blogging ENC 1101 & 1102

Note: If you have taken a course with me in the past you will notice that this prompt sounds very familiar. Skim through it and go to the bottom that refers to those who have had a blog in the past.

It's the beginning of a new semester and with that comes the stress of delegating classes, studying, tests, maybe work, family, friends, personal time and fun time and trying to be successful in all areas. Have you ever really thought about how you manage everything in your life? Really thought about it; broken it down sort of thing? Maybe you don't have time to really think about how you manage your everyday life, and maybe it isn't that important to you to think about it. But if you're not thinking about how you manage your life and just going with the flow, chances are you probably don't really think about other issues.

And it's more than just thinking about issues, it's challenging, questioning, analyzing and exploring issues. Breaking them down into pieces and examining them. Just like a business person or accountant would do with numbers, or how a biologist/chemist would do with cells/atoms and elements.

If this is your first time writing in a blog I challenge you to examine, question and analyze this idea of writing your thoughts, opinions on an internet blog as a journal. How does this make you feel? Consider the fact that you have security settings that you can manipulate and that you are being required to do this for a class rather than a decision you have made on your own. Consider its purpose and your audience. The style of writing you should adhere to.

If you have had a blog in the past, your own, for my class or for another class, then I challenge you to examine, question and analyze your experience with having a blog. Consider why you had one, how it made you feel, and how you manipulated the security settings for your own sense of security. Consider changes you may make. Consider how writing a blog may have helped or hindered your writing ability. Will you continue writing in the same style and tone and voice or are you going to change? Who will be your audience?

So this is your very first blog prompt/journal entry for the semester!! Are you excited? LOL! Probably not, but that's ok. Maybe, hopefully, eventually, you will begin to actually enjoy this process. Just remember: Always think outside the box!

Last Blog Prompt for the semester

Ladies & Gentlemen:

This is our last entry for the semester and fortunately for you it won't require much thinking.

It seems like it was just yesterday we began the semester, it has gone by so quickly. I still have a difficult time teaching in the summer as it never feels like it is fair to teach so much content in such a short amount of time. However, as always, I have enjoyed my time with you, and it has been my pleasure to have met you all and had the opportunity to teach you and load you with the tools that you will need for the rest of your college years.

To my 1102 students; remember to always have conviction, believe in what you say or atleast convince your audience that you believe in what you are saying. I'm proud of all of you for sticking around for the challenge and not getting scared off on the first day. It says a lot about your character, or there were no other classes you could take...lol. Whatever the reason was, I'm glad you stuck around.

To my 1930 students; you are just beginning on the road to learning how to argue and analyze and how to compose an analysis or argument. Some of you I will see again next semester and perhaps again in the spring, and I look forward to having the opportunity to preparing you all the way through myself. For those of you who decided to choose another instructor for 1101, well, you'll regret it.....it's ok though, no hard feelings......lol, just kidding. Know however, if you need help, you can still look for me.

For your last entry, please feel free to write on anything you want. Recap the semester, complain, kiss my butt in hopes for a better grade, lol, express your concerns about college, what you did or didn't learn, etc.

That's it folks. Perhaps I will see you around on campus, don't ignore me either or pretend you don't know me! Good luck to all of you!