How did knowing you’d have to write a Review on the blog change the way you read our books? How did it change the way you prepared for class?
Knowing that I had to write a review certainly meant that I had to read the books with a thought of what I would be saying in mind. It made me a more careful conscientious reader, because I was mindful of the materials that I was reading. By that I mean that I had to look for the elements of the stories that were important to the class. I was more aware of the climate change elements, and in particular in making sure that they exist in the novel. This was particularly important to me because reading is something I really enjoy, and it was an interesting challenge to read for things in a story rather than just enjoy it.
How did writing in this format affect your writing process and writing style? I’m really interested to hear how writing in a blog format was different from writing you’ve done in other classes, whether English classes with more traditional papers, other courses with online writing (blog, discussion board, etc.) or otherwise. Did the possibility of a wider audience – your classmates, or anyone who stumbled upon our blog – change the way you wrote?
I would say that I did not really enjoy writing reviews as much as it may have somewhat appeared. I enjoyed the process of discussing the books, and that there was certainly less pressure to write formally and academically, two things I greatly despise. I did enjoy the possibility of a wider audience, as I would hope to publish a book one day, but as of yet, I have been unsuccessful. So hopefully my experience with this blog could help me towards this goal.
How often did you read the Reviews posted by your classmates? Did you gravitate towards reading particular writers?
I did not read them very often. I did enjoy reading them when I did, but I didn’t do it very often. I enjoy the input of my classmates; this is an interesting take, because I don’t usually have access to what my classmates are saying. Knowing how they feel about their classes and the books we are reading is a newly fascinating experience for me. And no, there were no particular writers to whom I gravitated.
Did knowing that you had to post on the blog affect the way you read (and watched) stuff unrelated to the course readings?
Yes, definitely. I found myself more aware of things to do with climate in movies and shows that were not class material. There is a lot more out there than you would think. IT is interesting how different your perceptions of the world are when you’re looking for particular things versus when you’re not looking.
I’d be excited to hear you reflect on whether and/or how your experience with and attitude towards the blog changed over the course of the semester. Did it live up to its promise? Was the blog element of the course better or worse than you hoped or feared?
My attitude towards the blog definitely changed over the semester in quite a few ways. Firstly, I hated the idea of a blog to begin with because despite being of the Internet era, I am not very Internet savvy. So, I did not like the idea of a blog. But, I do like it now. I have learned it, I have become comfortable with it, and it makes sense to me now. I do know how to write traditional papers, and I do really like them, but now I do not quite know if I would ever want to write a normal paper again. I like blogging, and review writing, it makes me feel like a critic, who I was already, but now I can be a professional one.
