Ciao, Poetry!!!

Ah, poetry.
Two posts,
you have to complete two posts for today:
1.) Post the 'news story' poem then read and comment on your classmates.

AND

2.) Go to the following link and find a new 'favorite' poet,
and create a post about her/him and his/her poetry:
poets.org

Have fun... please... have fun!

This is the New Year

Today, reflect for a moment on the past year, and look forward
to the new year. Create a post that discuss the past and the future.
Did 2006 meet your expectations?
What about yourself would you like to change in 2007?
What resolutions have you made?
Do you make resolutions (or think they are useful, etc).
How will this year be different from the last?
What are your hopes, fears, etc?

The Luxury of Giving

Please read the following post from G-town Talks,
and respond.
Pass It On
"One must be poor to know the luxury of giving."
-George Eliot

The blind see

Please read the following article. Write a post in response to the story. To add depth to your post, please use the various search engines at your disposal to investigate similar cases.
Buffalo News
Once you have read and responded to the article, please read and respond to your classmates posts.
Be sure to:
-directly refer to the Buffalo News article
-capture your reaction to the story
-investigate other cases
-answer the question "Would you donate your organs?"

Community of Learners

Today, I would like you to read through your classmates' blogs until you find something that makes you think, something that is thought provoking and inspires you to write (i.e. until you find something you feel passionate about). Then, cut and paste an excerpt (block quote) from your classmate’s blog into your blog and write your own thoughts regarding that excerpt.

WWII vs. Vietnam

Compare and contrast World War II and the war in Vietnam. Take into account the roll each war plays in Slaughterhouse-five. And discuss Kurt Vonnegut's possible opinions of each war, and how they relate to your opinions (tell whether you agree or disagree).
Some points to ponder:
- what was the roll of the U.S.
- how does history remember the conflicts
- how does popular culture remember the conflicts
- how does Kurt Vonnegut compare the conflicts
- discuss page 135 from the text

IMPORTANT! Today is the last to for you to make sure I have the link to your blog. Please check that the link from the mother blog to your blog works. If it does not please see me!

The Time Draws Near

By this Thursday you are expected to have completed a minimum of six well written posts, each several paragraphs in length. For today's assignment, I would like you to either work on past posts that need to be completed, or complete an on-line assignment that you were never able to start.

Make sure your blog:
-is well written
-is easy to use
-is insightful
-is interesting (reflects you as a individual)
-contains posts that make you proud

After, go to the blogs of your classmates and read and comment.

The Secret Letter

Today, go the the following link and read the article titled, "The Secret Letter from Iraq." It is three pages long. Please read each and every word.

Then in your own blog, create a post (with a link to the article) that discusses your thoughts on the article and also how it relates to Slaughterhouse-Five.

Consider the following points as you write your post:

How does the soldier's experiences in, "The Secret Letter", compare to Billy Pilgrim's experiences in Slaughterhouse-Five?

In chapter one, Vonnegut writes about the difficulties of writing a true war story. Is the author of "The Secret Letter" successful in his attempt to capture the truth? In which ways is he successful? And in which ways is he not successful? Does he encounter similar hurtles as Vonnegut?

What is the author's purpose for writing the, "Secret Letter"? Is the author pro or anti war, or neither?

Again, please include a link to the article and remember that your post need to be well written and at the very least 2-3 paragraphs in length.

Getting yourself out 'there'

Today, Set up an account on Technorati.com.
Technorati.com is a site designed for bloggers as a way to get their blogs out there on the web. Basically, by setting up an account, more people will have access to your blog.

Once this is complete, write a post on a topic of your choice (as requested by many of you). Feel free to write about Slaughterhouse-Five, but if you would like, write about a subject that is important to you, a subject that your readers will find interesting. Remember, the post needs to be well written and school appropriate.

If you need ideas go to the following sites (remember to credit sources and utilize links for your readers):

Quotations Page
Blogger Gone Wild
CNN Student News

IMPORTANT: Next Friday (NOV. 3rd), I will be checking your blogs. Make sure that you have a minimum of 6 posts, that your blog is connected to the mother blog, that you use links in your posts, that you are writing to a vast audience, you have set up a freestats.com account, and that your blog is easy to use and read.

Tracking Stats

One of the nice thing about keeping a blog is that you can check how many people are reading or visiting your blog each day, week, month and year. To keep track of these numbers go to freestats.com and create an account. Be sure to write down your user name and password. Once you have created an account you will be given html code. Paste that code into the bottom of your blog template.

Follow these directions, to keep track of statistics:

1. Sign into Blogger.com
2. Select your blog
3. Click, the "Template" tag
4. You will see a text field with HTML, scroll to the bottom of this field
and paste the HTML code from your freestats.com account.