Bloging about Iraqi Bloging

Directions

1. Browse through several blog entries from Iraq.
2. Choose two entries that catch your attention.
3. Read each entry carefully before completing the directions below:
   1. Provide a brief summary of the blog (3-5 sentences)
   2. Rank how reliable you think the blog entry is using the following scale: reliable, somewhat reliable, or unreliable. Reliability refers to the extent to which the author is stating the truth as he or she understands it. When assessing the reliability of a source consider these questions: who wrote it? Why did they write it? Understanding the motives and context of the piece can help assess the reliability.
   3. Justify your ranking above
   4. What biases or viewpoints are present in the blog entry? Even if a source is reliable, it still likely contains bias or a specific viewpoint. Bias is often embedded the (1) specific language that is chosen and (2) through the selective omission of facts.
   5. What evidence supports your answer above? Find language that colors the message. Try to articulate what is being left out.
4. Post your responses on your blog site by:

Choose your sources from the blogs below or find your own.

· http://healingiraq.blogspot.com

· http://baghdad-connect.blogspot.com/2006/11/hails-of-wrath.html

· http://nabisblog.blogspot.com

· http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com

· http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com

Genocide Response Questions

Please respond thoughtfully to each of these questions (150-300 words each).  Post these responses and bring a printed version to class on Tuesday.

1. What are common causes of Genocide? Support your response with historical examples.

1. To what extent do you think these causes will be present in the future? Why?

1. What are common patterns in international responses to genocide? Support your response with historical examples.

1. To what extent do you think the international community will continue to follow these patterns? What would need to change in order for the international community to respond more effectively to genocide?

Genocide

A couple of questions and responses interested me from today’s discussion. I’d like for you to consider one more closely. Please ponder the following statement:

Genocides will continue to happen–it is inevitable–it’s the way humans are.

Respond with a blog post articulating your thoughts (min. 100 words) by WEDNESDAY midnight. Then, sometime THURDSAY, read and comment on at least three postings written by your peers (one MUST be the person following you alphabetically–see the list of students on the right column of this blog–find your name and respond to the person below you (whether or not s/he is in your section)–if there is no posting by that person move to the next name–the other two you may choose.

New/s Investigation

1. Take a couple of minutes to read the newspaper online.  Find a story that interests you.
2. As you read the article carefully, considering the following questions:  What background information would help me understand this better?  What questions do I have after reading it?   What issues related to the news story interests me?
3. Spend 45 minutes researching the topic and looking for answers to your questions.  Be sure to keep track of where you’ve gone to find these answers and what you’ve found.
4. Write up your research as an academic journal entry.  The entry, a minimum 300 words in length, should communicate the process you went though and what you learned along the way.  Start by briefly recapping the article.  Then share the questions that guided your research.  Explain what you found and what new questions arose.  Please do not make this an impersonal report on the topic.  It should be written in first person and should demonstrate the process of learning.
5. Post this on your blog by Friday.
6. Visit at least two students’ blogs and comment (min. 50 words)

Hello world! (history students)

Welcome BFIS 10th graders to PastImperfect. This will be the official class blog and will be helpful to you in a couple of ways. All 10th graders will have a link off of this site to their blog site. You can find Mr. Hershbergers link under the blogroll. The list of links in the column to the right include helpful sites for news, news analysis and advertising.

Once your blogsites are created, we will give you assignments every couple of weeks. You will find the assignment descriptions here.

Your first assignment: Create a blogsite using WordPress. Do this by:

1. Going to WordPress
2. Set up an account
3. Choose a look.
4. Add two extra pages, 1 for 20th c. World History and 1 for 10th grade Literature.
5. Add  a link on your site to this and Mr. Hershberger’s site
6. Create a welcome post.
7. Email me with the link to your site by Friday, Feb. 8.