Here is a map of the ideas we've got so far that branch from our study. Open this in a new window/tab to zoom in and get a broader view. You can move it around on your screen with a click–n-drag.

Today, as we close Unit 1 by handing in our Synthesis Essays, we will begin to prepare for Unit 2.  As you know, Unit 2 will span the rest of the semester. You'll be working on a large research project, going through an extensive research process, and reporting what you're learning on your blog.  To that end, your blog is going to become a little more formal.  Some of you are currently using your blog only as a space to post homework assignments.  But from now on, it's going to become a space that is more geared toward the public. Your blog is going to be a place to share your research process/project, as it unfolds, with the world.  

Many bloggers use blog spaces to share a project they are working on, with whomever would like to follow it.  Cooking blogs, for example, are often trying to find new or healthy ways of making food. Their project is to find new ingredients, methods, etc., and they share the process of their experimentation with the world. They have loyal followers who love to witness this process. These food-bloggers tend to explain their process in great detail. Take a look at Deb Perlman's famous blog, Smitten Kitchen.  Another type of blog is the scholarly blog. Many scholars are starting to use blogs to share their research with the world.  They post their reflections on issues related to their studies, their responses to things they read, and their reflections on their teaching. They network with other, like-minded scholars; likewise, scholars follow each other to learn more about particular research going on in their fields. A good example is my husband's blog, Taxomania.

Your blog is going to be similar; you are a student-scholar, and you will be sharing your research project and process with the world.  To that end, you will want to re-vamp your blog. You might want to re-think the theme you've chosen (is it sleek, simple, clear, or well-matched to your research work in WRT 205?).  You might want to rename your blog (should you give it a new name that reflects your research, and a tagline identifying your name/credentials?). You will create a feature called "About Me" that will identify the purpose of the blog, and the creator (see About Me assignment details).  And, finally, you will start to tell the story of your research, starting with your Synthesis Essay Blog Translation Assignment.  As we move through the rest of the semester, you will always keep your purpose and your public in mind when you post to your blog.  Each time you post, you won't be posting as much to me as to the world; you'll be telling everyone about each new step in your research process. Your blog can still be a space for you to record notes, links, reflections, and questions–but as you redesign it, it will be clearer to the public *why* this is happening on your blog. As you work, it will be helpful to imagine that you have some followers who are interested in watching you move through this research. 

We will spend the next week or so tailoring and polishing our blogs. But it should be noted that your blog may evolve over the next seven weeks. You may decide to move things, edit things, even change the layout down the road, as your research project takes shape. My hope is that you will realize how the blog can be a dynamic tool for you: a public representation of your scholarship, an organizing space for you as a student, a "real" space with a "real" audience, and a flexible, malleable interface to share knowledge that goes far, far beyond the capabilites of a printed page.