Textbook Chosen! Hints for your Blogs. Greetings!

Happy Tuesday!

A group of WRIT2 students agreed today that the textbook should be At A Glance: Paragraphs 3rd Edition, by Lee Brandon; I believe that Chris (your classmate, not your teacher) is ordering a copy for each of you and it should arrive soon. The book is pretty inexpensive: $275, minus a 15% discount (I think that's the right amount!).

ALSO, please remember--and tell your other LIT1 classmates, please!--that for the Google Group, to use your "nickname", such as "WRIT2_Chris_806," and not just a name or email address. I want to know immediately who you are.

ALSO, please also note that your blogs should be set up so I can comment on your English journal entries without registering or anything. I think you should set it up so anyone can comment.

If you don't want me to grade every entry in your blog, set up a label with the name "Chris" or "WRIT2" or "English" for the class journal entries so I can find the right ones easily. For instance, I will send this post with the labels "Instructions" and "News."

Thanks, and it's good to get to know you. Don't forget to send me your information, with your "nickname" in the last text box. . .and, please send me your photos. . .So far only 1 student has done so. I got it fine.

Take care and let me know if you run into trouble.

Chris O'Brien

Welcome to the Paperhood!

This is the first post on the Paperhood, the neighborhood of Writing students who live online on this Writer's Block (or should that be "Writer's Blog"??).

WRIT2 students, thank you for coming; please come here again every week this semester.
I want every student in our class to set up a weblog (blog) online. (You might want to go here and get a free one; there are other free blog services as well, and I don't have any preferences, as long as your blog is in English!) You will use these blogs as your online journals. I need to be able to leave comments on your writing there. Of course, I don't mind if you put your own Chinese blog messages etc. there, but I will naturally only count the English ones. For your online journals, you must post in English at least three times every week for a total of 12 posts per month. (Small variations, such as two posts one week followed by 4 the following week, are acceptable, but the total must be at least 12 per four weeks.)
This week (beginning Feb. 26th) you should set yours up and give me the address by putting it as a comment on this post here.

Don't forget to give me your "Nickname" also. That is, first the name of this class (WRIT2), then an underscore (_), then your English name, then another underscore, then the last 3 digits of your student number. Like this:

WRIT2_Chris_806

You also should visit your pages here and here every week (sign up at the top of this page, please, and let me know if you have trouble--it's new and I don't understand it very well yet). Thank you for your cooperation.
I think we will use this blog as our main headquarters, with the Yuntech page for schedules and the "google group" page for turning in assignments. We'll see how it goes.

Let me tell you about your homework for this coming week (March 5th):
1. Leave a comment to THIS VERY posting on this very blog, telling me your own blog's address and your "nickname" (see above).
2. On your own blog, leave a post or more than one post, answering the following questions:

• What did you learn in writing class last semester, and what was new to you?
• What do you feel are your strong and weak points in your writing ability in English? Is it grammar, spelling, formatting, or expressing yourself smoothly, or is it something else? Please try to be specific.
• Also, give me your thoughts on how this first week of school is going for you.

I'm sure you can figure it out yourself, but I'll just mention that with a blog, you can't get away with what other students in the past have done with paper journals: wait till the last moment, and then write twelve journal entries in one evening--switching pens sometimes to fool me. Also, it is easy for me to tell and check if you are cheating by copying other people's writing from the 'Net. Don't try! If you have trouble following the instructions, tell me about that in your blog, but do not be a bad person just to get a good grade in school. It's not worth it!!

Also, like other students, you should go here and submit your basic information for me, and furthermore, please join my student group.
Thank you very much. Sincerely,
Chris O'Brien