Blogging Around

I picked Margot's blog to comment on. Using the metacognition prompt, she wrote about her experience with blogging this past year. She discussed what she enjoyed and what she would have improved.

Margot,
Nice post! I also think that it would be a good idea to blog about anything we wanted regarding English. Blogging when I can't think of anything to write for a certain prompt is really arduous. If we could write a blog of our choice I think it would not only be easier but more beneficial to our creative thinking. I think the fact that you were occasionally surpised by your own thoughts while blogging shows its power. So, all in all, I agree blogging was a great experience and provided a great outlet for our thoughts and opinions in English class.

I also chose to comment on Alli Sontag's metacognition on blogging. She talked about her experience with the blogging process and what she liked and disliked about it.

Hey Alli,
I thoroughly enjoyed your post about our blogging experience this year. As I was reading through everone's (well, a lot of peoples), I think that we're almost all on the same page in terms of our attitudes towards blogging this year. The blogging around prompt was also one of my favorites because it let me see how other people were thinking. It's really interesting to see what other people are saying using the same prompt, because for the most part, we all have something different, yet valuable, to say. I also enjoy looking back at my past blogs. You're right about it being a great way to hear your voice when you write.

Metacognition: Blogging '08-'09

This year in academy, we've blogged regularly for english class. I have really enjoyed writing them, because it helps me remember important ideas, especially in the Best of the Week blogs. I also like the best of the week blogs because they forced me to review the week and helped me retain many of the important themes or concepts we discussed in class. I also enjoyed the metacognition blogs (this one included) because they gave me a clearer view of the writing process and the components of a great story, poem, essay, etc. Some ideas we've blogged about go beyond the english classroom and now that the year is almost over, I'm glad that I can go back and look at my, or my classmates', blogs about them.

The only part of my blogging experience that I did not like was when I was forced to use a blogging prompt that I had nothing to say about. This happened with the Captured Thought prompt as well as the Dialectic prompt. I think it would be a good idea to offer more blogging assigments where we get to use a prompt of our choice. That way, we won't be forced to reach for an "I get it moment" when it isn't there. I think that the Dialectic prompt could work with a little more practice or instruction or both, because I was pretty clueless when writing that one.

However, all in all, I really enjoyed blogging this year in Academy. I really got a lot out of it and I even had fun when writing (and reading my classmates' blogs), especially on the iMedia and What If? prompts.

Blogging Around

Alli blogged about our spanish project. She talked about the coordination obstacles were facing and working around using our collaboration skills we've been learning.

Sontag,
I completely agree with your post. It definitely is going to be difficult. But I think we'll be able to get a great result if we're able to collaborate efficiently even when some of us have a conflict. In my opinion, we're definitley heading down the right track be creating our google doc and communicating on the facebook thread as well. Also, I think that we got a lot done at yesterday's session and if we keep our effeciency up like that we'll finish with time to spare. I can't wait until we film again. It was both fun and productive to the maximum.

Jenna wrote about the WHAP test we took on Thursday. She discussed the impact on our futures it and other major tests have as well as the anxiety and stress it caused her.

J Sto,
I feel pretty much the exact same way about the "big" tests. It's terrifying to think of the implications of a bad ACT score. I feel that it's pretty much going to determine my future. I'm usually a decent test taker but my PLAN test predicted a score that didn't really do it for me and whenever I think about the ACT I start worrying. The AP exam I think went okay for me (I don't know how you thought you did but since we always get the same grades on things you probably did alright too). I think I at least got a 3. But, the stress before the AP was definitely there for me too and I think it'll be there before the numerous "big" tests next year too. I guess we'll just have to endure it, but I'm sure we'll do fine because that's how we do.

Best of the Week: Water In Michael

In class throughout this week, we have looked closely at the text in The Life and Times of Michael K. We discussed a lot of different ideas and themes that appear in the book but one thing that I found very interesting that we just touched on was the reoccurance of the theme of water in the story and its significance. We have often talked about some of the characters in Michael K being alive but not living. Water is the essence of life (cliche I know). In the book, it signifies life as well. Not merely the physical life, but the existential and spiritual life located atop Maslow's hierarchy. A great example of this is the fact that Michael K is a gardener. Water is the source of life for him and his plants who give him purpose. Alli Sontag pointed out a great instance of this in class. At the beginning of the book, when Anna K was still living, she was sick in the hospital and Michael tried to have her drink some water, but she couldn't swallow it. Soon after this passage, she dies. I thought that this was a really cool way of conveying an important part of the character of Michael K. in the novel.