Alex Clark: Choice Topic 4: blogs

I wanted to take this opportunity to write a little bit about this blogging idea. I have never blogged before, let alone for a class, and I wanted to reflect on the experience. For this class specifically, I was a little confused about the purpose of the blogs. Originally I thought they were meant to help us answer questions that arose in class or continue discussion on an interesting topic. However, it seemed like the blogs were only mentioned at the beginning of the semester and at the very end, and nobody really worked on them throughout the semester. Once it got nearer to the end of the semester, I guessed that the blogs were just another opportunity to write on wilderness and sacred place topics. I put the blame entirely on our class and myself for not completing the assignment better or asking any clarifying questions. Anyhow, with the writing done, I am actually sort of supportive of the concept. The blogs allowed us to search through our texts and the scholarly world around us for information related to the class. It forced us to find things that interested us and write about them in an informal way. I still may not completely understand the purpose or format of the blogs, but I actually somewhat enjoyed exploring the topics and could survive discussing them.