A blog about blogs

 Upon starting this course I had not previously kept any kind of blog, so the concept was definitely a bit overwhelming at first. Not because of the writing required, as that is usually the easy part, and most blogs are on topics of our choosing and the others are on topics that are relevant to what we are doing in class; but the trouble, I find, is writing something that you feel confident on placing on the Internet for any and everyone to see, read, and judge. Coming in as a fairly confident writer, I did not expect that the blog entries would give me any problems, but I could not have been more wrong..  The first blog was to be on a topic of our choice, a challenge unto itself, what topic should I chose? What will be an interesting topic that I know enough about to write about and that my peers will also find interesting and worthy of reading? So I thought, I read some other blogs to get an idea of what other people were writing about and that is when I discovered that I was spending too much time thinking about what I wanted to write instead of just writing it. I felt that the point of the blog was being missed by the attempt to write something that was going to satisfy the reader(s). The proper way to go about it would be to sit down, read the prompt, if any, and then just write, not for the people who may or may not eventually read the post, but for yourself. That is what I found to be the most important thing to remember throughout this process. I have found this in other students writings as well, as the topics that seem to draw the most attention are those on topics that may seem, at first, only relevant or important to those involved. 

My View of Peer Review

       The peer review process is not a new concept to me, as I have been required to do so throughout my education. However, the method we have been asked to use is unlike anything I have ever been exposed to. For me, peer reviews were always a chance to read over another classmates paper, as he or she read over mine, and try to find more grammatical and spelling errors in theirs than he or she could find in mine. I remember at one point we were asked to make what was called a compliment sandwich, this would consist of a compliment, followed by an area that could use some work, and then finished up with another compliment. Lame, I agree, which is probably why no one took it seriously and the comments were usually vague and generic: "I like your story. Use more detail. I like the ending."         The peer review technique that Straub recommends and we have been using in class, on the other hand, is one that is designed to effectively better the writers paper by focusing more on the story and how it is told, than how it has translated onto paper. This technique stresses that the reader/reviewer should not try to fix everything in the paper, but focus on two or three main aspects of the writing. Also, the technique suggests leaving as many compliments as comments. Allow the writer to know which areas you like as well as those that need work, and to be specific with the reasoning behind the comments. Straub reminds us that we are only readers, and in the end the paper will have the writer's name on it; with this in mind, be polite with suggestions as they are only that, a suggestion to the writer.          I feel that this method of peer review will be more helpful than those I have used in the past from the readers standpoint, but I feel it is almost just as helpful from the writers perspective as well as when writing your own paper. The comments I have received on my paper were all very helpful when looking back at my own paper because it gives me a specific area that needs work and goes into detail on why the reviewer thought so, in fact, I even had a few comments which contained examples on how it could be written. I feel like after only one session of peer review I am beginning to understand the benefits of peer review as it should be, and why it is such an important part of he writing process.

Taylor's Take on Tech

     Over the weekend I got the chance to babysit my 20 month old niece Makayla Rayne, as I do once every month or so. I could go on for days about the cute things she does and says and how funny it is to watch her, but I am certain everyone has the same or similar stories, so instead I would like to take a different approach and discuss the thing that I witnessed that really got me thinking. I saw her pick up my iPad at one point, with the cover on and closed, I did not think twice that she would so much as begin to open it to get to the touchscreen. Little did I know my niece is the most technologically advanced twenty month old around, not only had she managed to open the iPad, she somehow knew how to turn the screen on and then proceeded to unlock it, navigate to the home screen, and begin to check the weather. Now I am not sure why someone less than two years old would need to know the forecast, and the conclusion I came to is that it was the most colorful 'app' on the homescreen, but nevertheless I was blown away by her ability to use and seemingly comprehend such an advanced piece of technology with relative ease.         With technology like the smartphones and tablets and the rise of social networking that is so abundant today, the generation that is being born now will be exposed to more technological advances and more influence from the global community than ever before. The ability of the internet to connect a vast audience of people, and the capability of technology to keep us constantly connected to the internet have truly changed society today. For example, cell phones twenty years ago were only that, a phone, and today you can surf the internet, send emails, use GPS, or take HD video and post it to the Internet within seconds. Obviously these things are necessary to some people, but at some point there is no denying that a majority of people are becoming unnecessarily dependent on their mobile devices and technology for the wrong reasons. (Your text or game of Angry Birds is not worth getting in a car accident over)          I will admit I have even seen a change in how technology has changed my life as a student. As a matter of fact, at the moment, I am using my iPad to type my homework, which I will submit to my professor and class via blog. This in itself is somewhat of a new concept for me, as I was used to doing most of my writing on paper, and submitting drafts to receive corrections from the teacher. I am fully aware that written language will not just drop off completely, but I do not think it is outrageous to assume that a decline in written language, as it should be, is inevitable. Another facet of the 'modern classroom' that is new to me is the idea of putting my writing, and therefore my thoughts and opinions, on the Internet for everyone to see. I am an outgoing person, but I still have a bit of an issue with displaying my opinions for others to read and critique, especially a large audience such as, I don't know, the Internet... Only time will tell if the balance, or lack thereof, of technology in young peoples lives will be for the better or not, but I am skeptic. As I feel society has passed the days when writing was an art and reading was compelling, to the days where reading is a hassle and writing is only for authors, and those in college writing courses.