Rats. I had a lovely new post --- then I decided to check to see if I spelled "deterrent" correctly (which I hadn't -- I used an "a" instead of the final "e") and went to ms word and some prompt asked me if I wanted to save my posting, which of course I did, but the posting didn't get saved. This is not an interesting story. OK, so lemme try to recreate my post.

I'm realizing that I've probably confused students because I'm still not entirely used to the new Blogger interface. Blogger used to simply use your user name followed by blogspot.com for your blog's URL. The new Blogger allows users to input anything for the variable before "blogspot.com," as long as the name is not already in use. I suspect that the bad links I've gotten from some students may be because they've given me user name or blog title instead of what they input for the URL.

Dunno how blogging will work in this class. Several students have mentioned internet being down in library lab, in dorm labs. Some students talk about going home for weekend and getting their blogs set up there, since they're sure of internet access. I'm blogging right now in my office on a windows box and I blog at home on my Mac. No laptop or wireless connection, no audio/videoblog. But I've got easy and consistent access. I'm thinking that sporadic and problematic access constitutes a major deterrent to blogging. And here we are back to that word that invited me to quit the blog and access Word's spellcheck and then lose my posting. Not to fear. My mind actually retained what I had written.

Peace out. (Does anyone ever say that anymore? And what does "peace out" really mean? And why am I blathering here instead of getting some work done? Interesting that I'm blogging for a class I'm teaching, which technically means I'm working, but I don't consider writing on a blog work....

I think if I don't post right after class, I probably won't post at all. At least, right after class seems to be the best time for me to post because everything's fresh. [some time passes] OK, so Langston came in to set up his blog. Then we talked about his project. He's not sure he wants to do something on urban planning. Maybe something on pursuing love. Not sure how that will work. Reminded me that some of the most powerful experiences in college revolve around relationships -- intimate ones and friendships.

I think the semester-long topic will work for this class. What's also interesting is that several people wanted to do something outside their major or chosen profession. I forgot that some folks are just tired of studying. Some people want to work on significant issues in their personal lives. For instance, one student wants to deal with the effect of a manic depressive family member on the rest of the family. Another student wants to deal with pregnancy and having twins. So far, all these personal concerns can be of significance for others. Maybe I need to underscore purpose and audience. Wow, all of a sudden I'm really tired. Maybe it's time to eat lunch and then do some more work.

What would I work on for a semester-long project? I wasn't going to do the project also, but maybe I could use it to work on blogging. I've got a couple conference papers to write. OK. I'm outta here. Gotta put up links to the student blogs.

Back again -- two of the student links don't work (Shannon's and Damon's) so I need to email them and make sure they've got a working blog address. And I just got my first confirmed outside reader!!! Yeah! Mr. Jarrod Patterson has agreed to be an outside reader for my blog and he'll post his responses on the blog. I'm really grateful for that and also excited to read his thoughts, since he's a great teacher in the department and teaches 100 and 101 (and I'm not just saying that he's a great teacher because he will be reading these words but because I know from other students and colleagues who have said he's a great teacher, and I saw a great powerpoint presentation on fragments he did last spring, and he was also the fifth runner-up (I think) for best teacher in the university, so I have lots of support for my assertion! OK, once again, I'm outta here.