25: Relationship Between Academic and Blog Writing

Blogs? 

Term papers? 

Whats more effective for students? 

In my opinion, blog writing gives students the ability to write much more freely. Students are able to write posts without over thinking every word that gets written on the page. From my personal experience, when writing a blog I feel like I am able to express myself much more creatively and freely. When writing an academic paper there are so many more components that I am worried about as the words are hitting the paper. I feel as if every single thing I put down has to be looked at multiple times before I can feel confident about it. Blogs are just more of a way for students to be able to express themselves about many different things. Also blogs can be written in many shapes and forms and with many different voices. Where as academic writing is a very specific way of writing and teachers are looking for an specific thing. As mentioned in the New York Times Article “Blogs vs Term Papers” students “feel as if they’re actually producing something personally rewarding and valuable, where as when they write a term paper, they feel as if they do so only to produce a grade.” I believe that both of these types of writing should be given to students because they are so different and teach very different ways of thinking. Sometimes, I would agree that I feel like I am writing papers only to receive a grade, but other times when I feel strong about my argument and am passionate about my topic I don’t necessarily feel like its only for the grade. In that case, I truly do want to write the paper to prove that my point is correct. The more and more students blog, the more confident they can become as writers and may feel better when sitting down to write an academic paper.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/education/edlife/muscling-in-on-the-term-paper-tradition.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&sq=term%20paper%20or%20blog&st=cse&scp=1

24: Pumpkin Fever

 Pumpkin 

is one of my favorite flavors, thus why I absolutely love this time of year. I will eat literally anything that has to do with pumpkin whether it be pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread, etc. If there is an option for something pumpkin flavored, I, without a doubt, always opt for that. Not only do I adore the flavor, but also pumpkin just reminds me of this time of year. Thanksgiving is always held at my house and I have all my family and friends come up for this holiday. It’s the one time of year that it is confirmed I am going to see many of my family members on my dads side that I don’t get to see that often. I am always the last to wake up on thanksgiving morning, but I get to come downstairs to all my family that has arrived and the smells of the food cooking throughout my house. Although I never help my mom with any of the main dishes, I always contribute to the desserts. My two favorite pies to bake are, of course, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Although I must admit I make a great Pumpkin pie, I always insist that we also get another one from Urth Caffe. Every year, even before thanksgiving I go to Urth Caffe to get a slice of pie. Of course this is the first time I haven’t been home to go yet this month, but there will of course be one at my Thanksgiving dinner!



urth caffe made it on this list:

Best Of LA: Pumpkin Pie 

!!!!!

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2010/11/19/best-of-la-pumpkin-pie/

23

Assessing Blogs

As stated in my earlier posts, layout is something I think is very important in a blog post. If words are nicely put on the page and they align well with the images it is going to make the reader eager and excited to read the post. Another eye catcher for a blog post is the title. As we talked about in class titles are very important, but especially important for a blog post. When scrolling through my classmates blogs, I find myself using the titles as one of the main ways to decide whether or not I want to fully engage myself in that particular post. Also, when the post goes back and fourth between words and photographs I think it makes it more interesting as a reader. 

That way we don’t only have to visualize what the writer is talking about in our heads, but it is right there on the page for us. Again, for me the look of the blog plays a big role, but the context must be interesting as well to create an outstanding or excellent blog post.  The blogs that stand out to me the most are the ones with strong voices, but voices that are able to express themselves in many styles. It is nice to read one blog that writes in different ways. Long posts, short posts, poetry and prose. 

What do you see?

external: I see a man who is wearing a striped sweater with different tones of grey, and a light colored collared shirt peeking through. He pairs the cashmere sweater with dark jeans and a black pair of adidas sneakers. This man gestures with his whole body as he speaks, specifically uses many hand gestures. He is talking with a very calming voice. His voice carries a very chill, relaxed tone and he seems very open to the ideas of others. 

internal: This mans name is Jamie. He is 35 years old and from a small town in Connecticut. Jamie has had a tough upbringing as a child. His mother suffered from breast Cancer, and his dad, although very successful in the film industry, has been dealing with an unknown sickness for many years. Jamie has an older brother and an older sister. He went to college at NYU and has always been interested in music. Currently, he is a music producer and is doing very well at such a young age. Jamie has a very laid back manner about him due to the way he was brought up. He feels so fortunate for what he has and fears his health. Although he may be slightly insecure about his looks, he is overall a confident guy.

 

Exploring Lit Blogs

·         When reading other peoples blogs I tend to get easily drawn in or out by the first second I look at it. As they say “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but for some reason with blogs I am much more excited to read them when they are aesthetically pleasing. 

     The first blog that caught my attention was Reluctant Habits. The layout of this blog immediately caught my eye. The large photos and fonts seemed very engaging and easy to read. Also the tabs at the top seemed to make this blog very easy to navigate. 

     The Blog has one contributing editor, Sarah Weinman, and one managing editor, Edward Chamion. Weinman has had her works appear in many places such as the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Macleans. Furthermore, Chamion is a writer in Brooklyn and also has had his work appear in many places such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, and The Philly Inquier. Also, he is a fiction writer and a playwright and director. After reading about these editors, it was clear that this was a well-written, reputable blog. Since this blog also has multiple writers, It would be more interesting to read and not as easy to get bored of the same voice, with the same style of writing. 

     Also, on the home page there is a very short description of each post and that way you can decide what you actually want to spend the time reading. Clearly, formatting for me is a big deal and I feel the same way about magazines and newspapers when reading articles. It really does help to bring someone in with the appearance of the page.






h   Http://www.edrants.com/

21: free

Keeping on the topic of change, one major change in my life recently has been food. I am by no means a health freak, but I do enjoy eating healthy, fresh food. This, surprisingly or not, has been so difficult to do while in college. I really wish the dining hall had more healthy options, or at least changed up the salad bar once in a while. Another thing I miss is fresh fruit. I loveee fruit, and yes the dining hall has cantaloupe everyday…my least favorite :/. They also occasionally have strawberries and frozen blueberries. Recently, I have been eating out a lot because I really don’t enjoy the way I feel after I eat in the dining hall. As most, this cannot be something I can continue to do because I am on a budget and eating out everyday is quickly eating away at that. I understand why it must be hard to bring fresh food in because they must get this food in mass amounts, but there must be a way to fix this. Sometimes my friend lets me borrow his car and I always choose to go to whole foods with it. Sadly, when I walk into whole foods I get a rush of happiness and a feeling of being at home. Not that I ever buy thaaaat much while I am there, but every time I walk up and down every aisle just admiring everything. Of course, I always buy fruit while I am there and usually make a nice salad and get some food from the hot food bar for dinner. Another great place that I would recommend to anyone who wants to do a small, healthy marketing is Babo. Although it can be a little bit pricey, I think it is worth it. It is a block down from state street and has great, fresh options!

 
While my time in college I believe looking into more options for dining halls might be something I might look into, so kids in the future do have better options to choose from. I cant wait to go home for thanksgiving and have some home cooked meals!