GEOG/EME 432
Energy Policy

Course Blog

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Using the Energy Policy Course Blog

For this course, we'll be utilizing a PSU blog for our discussion forum.  Here, you'll respond to participation prompts from throughout the lessons and connect with your classmates to discuss issues.  Let's make sure that everyone is able to easily access the Course Blog.  Follow the instructions below to access the blog and post your introduction to your classmates.  Contact the instructor via e-mail if you have any problems. 

To register with the Blogs at Penn State system:

  1. Go to: http://blogs.psu.edu/
  2. Log into the system using the green "Log in" button
  3. You will get one of two scenarios:
    • If you have not yet activated your personal webspace you will be redirected to do so. Note that your space will be available shortly after you complete the five-question quiz. Attempt to log in using the green "Log in" button again once activated.
    • If you have already activated your personal webspace you will land on the blog dashboard page. Once you see this page it means you have been added to the blog system and can continue.

NOTE: You will not be able to post to your course blog until you are added as a user by the instructor. You will not be able to be added by your instructor until you have logged successfully into your dashboard.

  1. Go to: http://www.psu.edu/dept/e-education/blogs/energy_policy/. 
  2. You will need to sign in to be able to create posts.  The 'Sign In' button is in the top right hand corner.  Once you are signed in, you should see your name appear in that corner. 
  3. On the home page of the blog, there's a brief introduction about what we'll be using the blog space for, take a minute to read over that.  You'll also notice that recent posts appear in the righthand column.  For those of you who created blogs as part of EM SC 302, this will all look very familiar to you!
  4. On the top navigation bar, click 'Blog' and this will take you directly to the postings of the instructor and your classmates.  Here you can also subscribe to the blog via RSS and access monthly archives of postings.  Most importantly, you can create your own entries here!
  5. Just click "Add an Entry" Under Manage this Blog. 
  6. Give your introduction a good descriptive title, preferably with your name in it.  Then follow the activity prompt here in the orientation to complete the introduction blog post assignment. 
  7. One thing that might look different to you than other blogs@psu you've encountered before is the threaded commenting feature.  I'm very excited to have this enabled this semester!  Now, you can comment on comments and have spinoff discussions in a way that's much easier to follow. 
  8. Take some time to go through your classmates' intros - maybe you'll find someone you have a lot in common with!  Or, someone who's worked in a field you're interested in pursuing.  This is but one of many opportunities to network and further develop yourselves as a cohesive cohort in the ESP program.  Leave a comment or two on your classmates' posts. 
  9. You'll want to subscribe to the blog - both postings and comments.  When you're on the actual blog tab of the site, you'll see a section that says 'Subscribe' and has the small RSS feed icon.  Subscribe to both comments and postings so you can stay up to date with what's happening!

 

A note about your blog postings....

A blog is a great asynchronous way for us to have a discussion as a class.  As such, it is somewhat less formal than a written paper or other type of written assessment.  However, this informality has boundaries that are important for you to understand and follow.    Your blog postings in this course are part of a series of assessments on which you will be graded, and in order to ensure you're getting the most points possible, you should consider the following:

  • A blog posting is not a text message.  Your blog posting should be well-written, edited, and punctuated.  While it's common for us to write blog postings as they come to us off the tops of our heads, that doesn't mean that you should just type it out, hit submit, and walk away.  You need to edit a post, just like you would a paper, before you submit it.
  • Your posts are a reflection of you.  Most, if not all of what you post to the Course Blog will challenge you to support your opinion on an issue with facts, making the postings somewhat subjective in nature.  Your postings and comments on classmates' postings are an opportunity for you to illustrate professionalism in academic discussion.  Take pride in the work you do for this class (and all your classes!). 
  • Keep it professional.  The subject matter of our course is, in some ways, controversial and may spark lively discussions and debates.  That's fine - in fact, that's good!  But, it is important to do so in a way that is professional and appropriate.  Arguments are more compelling when they're made with facts than emotion, anyway, so back up what you're saying!