A Good Teaching Tool?

I've been considering blogs and blogging. Then, I was asked what I thought about them as a teaching tool for an English class; what are the pros and cons of blogs being used in teaching. Should they be used? Would they be used the way the teacher thinks they should be?

My last blog was about how I sometimes found myself slacking off doing the blog assignments or just being lazy in my writing. I have talked to a few of my classmates and they have slacked off on their blogging as well. For the most part, the worst part is remembering that you needed to do it. Tese are probably the only drawbacks to having blogs as an assignment.

I really like to blog. It's a good release to just spout off about my opinions about a variety of subjects. Blogging has also made me think on a different level of writing because it is a different media to write in. I think that, when you look through my blogs, you can see that I've grown as a writer. Not that I growing by leaps and bounds but there is an improvement. Blogging has helped me, personally, as a writer.

I never really received any feedback on my blogs. There was one against a movie that I had recently seen, but I do not consider the response as feedback because all it did was bash the movie and praising an anime that I've never heard of. Maybe if I had more responses to my writing, I'd improve quicker.

Overall, I think that blogging is a good teaching aid for an English class because this is part of our medial world and we all need to communicate on the various levels that are available to writers. I would like my English teacher to not only keep this as part of the curriculum, but suggest it to other English teachers. Blogs are a good tool for different writing skills.

Blog About Blogs

So, I have totally and completely skipped the last couple of blog assignments and can't even explain why. Ya, pneumonia bounced into my house for a bit but now we are all through it, there is not excuse for slacking off with the writing.



I have my math semester exam coming up, and I'm working on my writing class portfolio. Yes, these both take time, but think about it... blogging is one of the easier things that has been asked of me. I actually enjoy this type of writing. To me, it feels a bit like a journal, where I can ramble. It also let's me see that I'm getting better at expessing myself in this media.



I have found a few times that I'm just being lazy and it shows in the writing I do in the blogs. Most of the time, I'm really interested in the topics that I've written about. I enjoy 'talking' about things that I like or that I'm interested in. Some of the subjects have made me think because I hadn't thought about my personal stance on these points. Others have given me pause because I had never given myself the opportunity to think about them before.

The majority of the time, I think that I am just trying to 'get through' so that I can move on to the 'next thing' that is going on in my life. Sometimes it's schoolwork or housework. Reguardless, I do not always prioritize things in my life with my available time. I'll get caught up in the drama and the trama that is life.

I truly believe that I will do better with blogging next semester, if indeed Amy has us doing this. I really like my classes and I think I'm doing well in them. Blogging is actually fun and it was probaly the getting ill that threw me off of my stride.

Here's to life and to blogging!!!

Love to Read!!!

I am an avid reader. I've never found a genre that I haven't read. There are types that I enjoy more than others, and I'll go through phases of only reading specific genres, such as fantasy or sci-fi. At this moment I am reading FOUR separate books that span four genres. This does not include the reading I do for school.

Last week, I finished reading the book "Wicked", Gregory Maguire's take on the back story of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz). I am quite impressed that he was able to change the perspective, and still tie the story-lines together as well as he did.

The 'tone of the times' in Oz would remind many of the end of Europe's Middle Ages. He has it that Elphaba, later known as the Witch of the West, was born with a horrible skin disorder that includes a severe allergic reaction to water. The political situations throughout the land of Oz dictates how she is raised. When sent to school to further her education, she meets Galinda, who is from a northern district of Oz, and they, along with Elphaba's sister are recruited to be part of the political intrigue that is rampant in the whole of the country. This is where we get the Witches of North, West, and East from the original story.

There is some very intense moments, funny antidotes, and sarcastic humor that keeps the story moving. I am not usually one to get obsessed with a story, but I finished it in two days, then reread it, so that I could completely 'get' it. I'll be starting Maguire's second book of this storyline, "Son of a Witch" next week, when I can get it from my sister. I think that it will be just as well written and enjoyable as this one and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Brainstorming an argument essay

The assignment is for us to do an argumentative essay. The moment I laid eyes on the syllabus paper for it, I said "YES" because I know exactly what I want to write about.



My subject is what are considered "fighting" dogs, focusing mostly on Pitbulls and Rottweilers, not just because those are the breeds that many people think of as vicious fighters, but also because of my own experiences with these particular breeds. I will bring up other breeds, but not as extensively.



I own an American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. I lived for ten years next to a family that always had Rotties. I know several people who have Boxers and American Bulldogs that have been mistaken for a vicious breed.



I'll present what I've experienced with these dogs and also what I've experienced with other, supposedly non-vicious, breeds. I'll acknowledge the the invalid arguments against each, justifying my stance. I will acknowledge the valid points, at this point not knowing if I can or should refute those points.



My biggest argument point will probably be my belief that it is the way any dog is raised, trained, and treated that makes it vicious or likely to attack. My own experiences of being the owner of several different types of breeds will back this up. Statistics and various media coverage and the "spins" that are out there will be addressed as well.



As an all around animal lover, this subject is very near to my heart. My kids and I have even discussed making a "Dog-umentary" on Pitbulls. This essay might be a good start and basis for any future documentary we may come up with.

Music

When you think about people's taste in music, they usually 'fit' one or two categories or genres. For instance, a 'Metal-head" mostly listens to Metal Rock, but can be found listening to Rock that is not so hard, or even Classic Rock. The same is usually true for 'Country-lovers' liking Rock or Blues. I, on the other hand, do not fit into related categories; I love almost all genres of music.

Although I most often listen to Alternative Rock, two types of music that I really enjoy is Ancient Middle Eastern and Polynesian Tribal. I first was exposed to Polynesian Tribal as a child because my mother, having once lived in Hawaii, was a big fan of the native music. I came to appreciate Ancient Middle Eastern about ten years ago when I was doing a Bible Study on the culture that Jesus was raised in.

I found that the two genres actually have a lot in common with each other. Composition, story-telling, religious inspiration, the fact that much of both have and had dancing in mind, even to the point of being composed precisely for a dance, and the basic rhythmic drum-beat give these two a familiarity to each other. Most of both are story-telling of the culture/religion/history. The biggest reason for the dance element is that almost all of the music does not have lyrics, and so the dancing must tell the story.

My children and I have actually been a part of The Hula Dance and Praise team at our church and have performed in several venues. My daughters and I also Belly Dance, but that is actually more for the fun of it. All of us really enjoy the music for the sake of the music, but I personally enjoy the movement of the music and its history.

Thoughts about "Seeing" Love

On the website for "This I Believe", I found the blog written by Stephanie Clark titled Seeing with the Heart. It tells of other peoples reactions to her daughter, who is adopted and not of the same racial background as herself. Her main idea is that people don't always see family the way she and her daughter do, which is with their hearts.


She tells of specific instances that have angered her, frustrated her, or just made her roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of the questions ask of her and the relationship she has with her daughter. She used to react with smart-aleky responses, but she realized that, as a mom, she needed to be a good example for her child. Now, she answers people with "This is my daughter."

She has found that the questions are because people see their love and want to know where this love comes from. She and her daughter both respond the same direction; this is someone I love and who loves me in return. They are just as, if not more so, demonstative of their love for each other as any other mother and daughter. They show each other love and others see it.

To Stephanie and her child, their love for each other is all that truly matters.

A Good Movie

Recently, I rented the movie Iron Man. I have always enjoyed movies that are based on comic books. I also have been a fairly big fan of the comic book character, Tony Stark/Iron Man.

I feel that the movie did the comic book justice. They kept with the theme of Tony being a spoiled, intelligent, rich man. When he is captured by militant extremists, he discovers that what he and his armament company have stood for may not be what he considers to be right.

The special effects were, in my opinion, very well done. They were not over-the-top, other than what was needed for the telling of the story. The way the each of the 'Iron' suits were put together and showing the technological improvement of each impressed me, as the tech crew payed attention to those particular details. That the story shows how Tony must learn how to control this powerful 'weapon', and suffers through the learning makes the story both funny and more believable.

I truly enjoyed this movie. The only part that I had a problem with is that at one point, he wrecks his Shelby-GT (which happens to be my favorite car ever). All in all, it is a good adventure/techno thriller that holds to its beginnings.