05-04-03 'movement'

05-04-03goingforaride
Originally uploaded by skawt_p.

Please read my "Sample Entry" below. We will then have a short discussion about this image and the assignment. If you did not load your photo, please DO NOT do so in class. I want you to participate in conversations and the writing in class. Your blog is already late, do it on your own time, outside of class. If you are loading photos in class, I will count you as absent, since you are not working on the assignment.

Sample Entry: We don't have a car, and this strikes some people as a very strange way to live, but actually, it isn't all that bad. Yesterday, I had to pick Naomi up from daycare in the rain, and that wasn't a great amount of fun, but noone suffered, and although we both got wet, I am dry now, the sun is out and we are ready for another bikeride! Riding bikes is for me a great form of transportation. It is decent exercise and it is actually quicker for short trips. One of the comlaints friends have about a bike as your main transport is that you have a hard time going shopping. I agree, biking does make it hard to go shopping but is that a bad thing? We live in an age of too much over-consumption, where people are overly concerned with the 'stuff' they own and what they will get next. Heck, cars are often considered as status symbols rather than an object to get from here to there and back. Wondering what comments you might have on this.

Class Discussion on "Sample Entry"
we will talk briefly on how to generate writing topics from the images we place on our blogs. There is no set way to generate ideas, but if you are having troubles, I would like to suggest you try this method. You may alter your process as you need for future assignments

• start by making a brief mental description of what you see in the photo, be as detailed as possible. based on your description we will try to create a list of things to write about. look for things:
  
• you are curious about in your photo. sometimes lookin at your own photo, you notice things that make you wonder about how/what is different/unique/the same about other people in similar situations.
  
• stuff that looks strange, interesting, or surprising, or that you think other people might find strange or interesting. you have to try and 'guess' what others might wonder about in your photo.
• that you know are uniquely Japanese, or show some aspect of your own personal taste, or lifestyle. People are often interested in these
• if all esle fails and you can find nothing to write about, you could do a very detailed description of your image: what it is, what is the function, where you find it, when you took it, why you took it.
  

Group discussion/bloggin assignment.

1. open a second window (cntrl+n and then go to blogger.com/start.
   
2. sign into your blog and go to the dashboard.
3. change the language on your blog to English (third button down on the right under your profile).
4. back to the dashboard, click your blog's name then choose edit post and open the post with your photo assignment. press 'preview' so we can see them and discuss them.
5. form a group of 3-4 students, of which at least half MUST have a photo on their blog.
   
6. in groups, take turns discussing your group's photos brainstorming ideas for possible writing topics
7. discuss photos for larger class (30minutes)
8. write about your photo. (remaining class minutes) if you do not finish writing about your photo, the assignment is still due by the end of the week (this is your blog entry for the week).
9. review the new image assignment for next thursday 'favorite place to eat'

we will discuss the possible writing prompts and should have time to finish all of these assignments in class. If you finish in class, you will have no more posts due for the week. If you did not upload your photo before class, you missed the assignment for class, but you can still do the in-class work. If you are working on uploading photos during class, I will count you as absent, since you are not participating in discussing and working on the in-class assignment. Do your work in class, help your group. Then, at the end of class, while they are typing their assignments, you may finish your homework. Try to do the work on time for next class.