HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BLOG

Participating in the course blog

Approximately every ten to 14 days a new version of the blog is available--this means that the exercises and activities are updated. The date of the next blog is given in the Welcome section on the blog, and your tutor will also send you an e-mail to let you know when the new version is available.

You can participate by posting answers to the exercises and activities and by becoming a “follower”--click on “follow this blog” in the sidebar and add your information--as much or as little as you feel comfortable giving.

This is a public blog; don’t provide any more information than you are comfortable sharing.

Earning bonus points

You can earn bonus points towards your next assignment--up to 5 bonus points per assignment--by posting answers to the exercises and activities that are on the blog. These exercises are designed to help you master some of the mechanical and sentence level skills needed for success in the course and in the final exam. Each blog period, your bonus points are calculated and sent to your tutor.

How to post comments to the course blog

There are 5 steps in the process:

1. Click on "comments"--it's a line at the bottom of each posting on the blog.
2. Type your answer in the "Leave Your Comment" box.
3. Complete the word verification process (please see the detailed information below).
4. Choose an identity. Generally, unless you already have a Blogger ID, select "Name/URL" and then type your first name into the box that appears.
NB: Students in Engl 140, 143, 146, 149, 177, and 189 should also add the course number to the name: e.g. Sarah140
Students in Engl 155 should add the initial of their last name.
5. Click on "publish your comment".

Word Verification

People leaving comments on the blog need to complete a word verification step similar to the one presented below:


This prevents automated systems from adding comments to the blog since it takes a human being to read the word and pass this step of the process. It reduces comment spam. A lot of this is done automatically by software which can't pass the word verification.

Follow the Blog

You can become a “follower” by clicking on the appropriate link in the blog sidebar.