Words and/about Music

When we get around to posting our first reviews, I was thinking that we could link to reviews on Amazon.com or BN.com. But at best, I think we can link to the CD or book or DVD, and tell others to scroll down to find our reviews.

For example, I wanted to point everyone to a review of a book that I use in my Visual Culture and Language class. There are a handful of reviews for a book called The Medium is the Massageby Marshall McLuhan, but the review by elljay is a great example of review that uses voice to get in synch with the subject matter. Look for the review that starts like this:

"Hey, man, this McLuhan cat tells it like it is, you know... this book is what he calls a "collide-oscope"... I thought that was a funny word... it's got all these cool pictures of stuff and every so often there's, like, these words you gotta read... but it's still fun, you know... it's kinda like channel-surfing where you go from C-Span to MTV and back to C-Span and back to MTV... I read it in under an hour..."


So, what I am saying here is that when all of you get around to posting reviews online, you will have to make a link to the CD or other item you are reviewing, and then give the class a sample of your review so they can find it online. Make sense?

I've invited everyone into the blog, but if you, or someone you know, is having trouble figuring out how to use the class blog, please contact me asap.

If you are wondering what this blogging thing is all about, I can try to give you a bit more insight in to why I like it.

I am not what I would call a web surfer, but I am definitely a web searcher. I have gotten into the habit of going to the web for quick answers about a variety of topics, and as a teacher, I hardly plan a lesson without asking myself "I wonder what is on the web that can help my class." As I have been prepared for top 10 lists, I have been trying a variety of queries, and while I don't always find what I am looking for, I sometimes find what I think are really interesting sites. A weblog is a genre that really encourages and supports web surfers and web searchers to simply leave a trail of notes about where they have been, so that friends, family, students, can check out some of the same, cool sites.

For example, Steph Mineart maintains a site called Commonplacebook.com. Steph has been working on the site since 1994, and it is a beautifully constructed, highly eclectic set of links to news stories she follows, music she likes, humor she shares. I only spent about 10 minutes looking around, but I will likely come back if I am looking for some song lyrics, or if I want to use the really funny tips she has for "How to Write Good."

I just read that many of the students in the class are nervous about public speaking, getting up in front the class, sharing ideas, and sharing writing. While public speaking is a little different than sharing one's writing, anybody who is nervous might benefit from reading this report on "How to Conquer Public Speaking Fears."

If you don't have time to read the report, here is the top 10 list!



#1---Speaking in Public is NOT Inherently Stressful
#2---You Don't Have to be Brilliant or Perfect to Succeed
#3---All You Need is Two or Three Main Points
#4---You also Need a Purpose That is Right for the Task
#5---The Best Way to Succeed is NOT to Consider Yourself a Public Speaker!
#6---Humility and Humor Can Go a Long Way
#7---When You Speak in Public, Nothing "Bad" Can Ever Happen!
#8---You Don't Have to Control the Behavior of Your Audience
#9---In General, the More You Prepare, the Worse You Will Do
#10--Your Audience Truly Wants You to Succeed

The first post is always the hardest. How do you start a conversation when no one is listening? Hhhmmm, I guess that is one of the fundamental questions about weblogging, isn't it?

Welcome to English 110, NDSU, Writing about Music, Writing with Music. I hope you enjoy sharing ideas and links on this blog, and get to know each other a little better by using this electronic conversation pit.