Cat Picture of the Day

Image credit: Barnyard on Wordpress

Although this cat isn't actually up for adoption, his saucy demeanor and downright cuteness remind us why looking after our feline friends is so important.

What about this makes it a weak choice for an "abstract" picture to forward an argument for a blog about adopting pets?

*Once you've thought about it, find the answer in the comments.

Why Writing for the Web?

Image Credit: Zerys.com

   

I've always had a love of new technology, and probably am less skeptical than many others in my field of English literature. When I was a kid, I remember being one of the first in my class to have a home computer, an Atari ST, where I spent countless hours playing Joust, Mousetrap, Major Motion, and my favorite--King's Quest. Check out the cutting-edge gameplay in this retro video. 

Occasionally, I also used the Atari for school, especially essays. I couldn't believe the excitement at seeing my words show up on the screen, and then (many minutes later on my dot matrix printer) permanently appear in print like a real book. All of a sudden, my writing felt more significant and powerful.

Later, I gained the ability to do so much else online: run spellcheck and use a thesaurus, research, and be able to share and edit my work quickly (not to mention add images, links, video, interactivity). 

Technology was, and is, a game changer. 

The fundamentals can--and maybe should--be learned off-line, but technological advances allow us the freedom to have more time to think, and if used effectively, give us the opportunity to think more deeply and differently, as we access more ways to find, connect, and share information and disparate voices.

With this Writing for the Web blog, I hope to create a community for students learning about adapting their writing for this medium.  I've designed this space to facilitate conversation, disseminate information and assignments, and answer questions as needed. 

Just for fun, I thought I'd start with a nerdy English topic prompt to get everyone talking. 

Image Credit: Jason Gade via me.me

First topic: I always say there's never enough time travelling English professors on TV. Who's with me? Any other TV show or gaming ideas (preferably English grammar based)? Discuss.

What Do You See?

Image Credit: Perficient

What emotions or ideas spring to mind when you look at this image? Why does/doesn't it appeal to you? How could you use this picture to to help make an argument/point about your blog topic?

Why does this make a strong option for an abstract picture?

*After thinking about it, see some possible answers in the comments, or comment yourself.

What is it?

Image Credit: TerraCycle

What emotions or ideas spring to mind when you look at this image? Why does/doesn't it appeal to you? How could you use this picture to to help make an argument/point about your blog topic?

Why does this make a strong option for an abstract picture?

*After thinking about it, see some possible answers in the comments, or comment yourself.