What's a blog?

A blog is where you truly Learn Out Loud. One of my favourite quotes is:

If you're overthinking, write.

If you're underthinking, read.

Purpose

A blog is very different from an online article, educational material, or academic essay. Its purpose is to share the author's point of view on a topic or problem that's important to them.

Must Haves

The e-portfolio website must have either an online article webpage or a blog webpage.  

If the blog option is chosen, the blog webpage must:

1. Orient the audience to the webpage – tell them what’s below;

The blog post itself must:

1. Share the author/creator ’s more personal “take” on a course topic in a credible, trustworthy, personal and more informal manner (different from an online article which has more of a formal and impersonal tone);

2. Be based on and cite at least two of our course learning materials;

3. Include a headline – an descriptive, attention-grabbing title that clearly indicates what the blog is about

4. Include a brief, “punchy” introduction that’s engaging – also called a hook (e.g., a question, a personal anecdote, or teaser about what’s to come). 

5. Include a digital artifact (e.g., graphic, table, video, audio) that is

• • directly related to the topic of the online article

  • is first introduced and explained, and

  • fully cited with author/creator clearly indicated

What to keep in mind

• Use the "voice" that matches your purpose and identity. For example, if your purpose for the e-portfolio is to find a job, use a semi-formal but friendly tone. 

• Don't overuse jargon, for example, especially without explaining it in plain English. 

• Make an effort to keep your audience in mind. This is not an academic paper. (Again, that means plain English, no jargon - unless you define it.)

• If you like, head to these two short and informative sources from Masterclass.com for further details about these "must haves":

• Blog Post Outline: 5 Tips for Creating a Blog Post Outline (2022)

• How to write a blog post in 10 steps (2021)

• For all content - images, text, video, etc. follow these tips to design your information with the audience in mind!