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.

How can you create a blog as part of your learning in our course? The best starting point is to think of a topic that you really care about. Go back to your discussion forum "conversations" or annotations you made in Perusall and collect all of the great points you made.

Then edit and shape that content into a blog! Be sure to remove reference to course activities like "post", "last week", etc. Your blog audience is public - they won't know what you mean.

Writing a blog gives you a chance synthesize course materials and concepts, of course. If you like, you can incorporate an infographic too.

How do I write a blog?

Give your audience a reason to read your blog (or watch your vlog). Use a meaningful and interesting title, for example. Start with a spark, a question, an interesting statistic - something to attract them. Our brains also thrive on curiosity. Make us curious!

Here's a great article to get you started: How to write a blog post in 10 steps, from Masterclass.com.

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. 

• Mix in evidence and be sure to give credit to the source (in-text citation or hyperlinking). Be sure to provide the references at the bottom. 

• Make an effort to keep your audience in mind. This is not an academic paper. That means plain English, no jargon - unless you define it, and if possible visuals. Images, graphs, diagrams, and other word-diagrams are powerful tools for you to connect directly with your audience and make your point clear.

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