Assignment 1: Blogging
Overview
This is one of your two major assignments and is worth 30% of your final mark. Each of the Chapters 2-9 in the course text, A Gift of Fire, cover areas ranging from privacy to professional conduct. In this assignment, you will create a blog and regularly post to it throughout the semester (6 are required). Your blog topics must be related to the chapter of the text being studied in the week the blog has handed in and to the profession of software engineering. This gives you a huge range of topics to write upon.
You will need to set up a WordPress account. If you are already a blogger, and happen to use Wordpress or anther blogging tool and want to continue with that blog, please let me know. To help you in the process, WordPress has some excellent resources:
1) Getting started
2) An important distinction between Posts and Pages
3) Visual appearance
4) Support for WordPress (for any problems or questions you may have related to WorkPress)
I strongly recommend reading CBC's Nora Young's post on setting up and creating a blog. If you want some insight into how to blog, Merlin Mann has an excellent series on the process. In preparation, I suggest you find and read as many blogs as you can. Of the blogs you like, what makes them special? If you can understand this, try emulating some of their characteristics, e.g., a blog may be on a subject you are passionate about; another may make you laugh, or the blogger may be an expert on something you are trying to learn.
To find good blogs try searching on a topic and add the word blog to your search terms. In addition, there are other sources of good blogs, Technorati, Blogged, and Google's Blog Search. Here are an example blog from another course I recently taught:
Here are some blog-focused writing resources:
Submitting Blogs
Each of your six blog posts must be created on its own page. This will provide a unique URL for each of your 6 posts. When submitting your post, you must email me a PDF of your blog and the URL. All blogs are due Tuesdays at midnight. Please see the Schedule for due dates.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. To that end, blogs will be checked for plagiarism using a tool from turnitin.com. Please note that your work will not become part of turnitin's database.
Marks
Each of 6 blog posts is worth 5% of your final mark for a total of 30% of your final mark
Rubric
- Personal /8
Blogger's personality and opinion comes through. You can see where they are coming from and are drawn into their world.
- Interesting & Revealing /8
Shows an obvious interest in the topic and it has been well researched. It is obvious that the topic is interesting to the blogger. It educates and makes you think about your conceptions.
- Inspiring /8
Empowering: makes you want to write your own blog; makes you want to leave a comment.
- Well structured /8
There is a good storyline running through the post. It keeps you reading.
- Spelling and Grammar /8
- Linking /8
Appropriate supporting materials provided; links are in appropriate locations; etc.
- Visual Appeal /8
Text well subdivided (not a block). Graphics & videos are appropriately placed and used to enhance visual appeal.
- Relevant to the Chapter /8
Final Grade X/ 64
0 = missing
2 = superficial
4 = needs work
6 = solid effort
8 = exceptional
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