Howdy, English 99 Students.

This will be the home blog, from which I will link to all the blogs you create in pairs. For this to work the smoothest, it would be best if all of you created a Blogger account (Blogger is a Google product, so if you have a Gmail account, you can just use that to log in to your blog); that way, you won't have to re-login every time you go to comment on someone else's blog. If you don't have a Google account, you can still easily start a new blog.

One thing to keep in mind: Since you will be doing this in pairs, two of you will be sharing one blog. One of you will create the blog and then add the other as an author. The person creating the blog will need her/his partner's e-mail address to send an invitation. Here is a site that explains how to do this. Be sure you are both administrators so you can both interact fully with the blog.

This should be a fun experience, but also one that strengthens your academic writing skills. You can add your own personality to your team blog by choosing the colors, layout, etc. Remember that you are publishing this to the world. Be cautious about what details you reveal about where you live and those sorts of things. Chances are, very few people outside this course will read your blog (there are millions of blogs out there), but it is still good to be cautious. Also, be sure to revise your writing; your paragraphs should be well-written and well-organized. They should demonstrate insight into what is happening with your plant and with your learning. You are publishing your words to the world; give them your best words.

Since I didn't plant a vegetable in class, I decided to take a photo of some bleeding heart flowers near my house. These flowers began opening a week or so ago, bursting out of their buds to hang like bats from the outstretched branches that bear them. They opened along with the daffodils, but the bleeding hearts seem to last longer than the daffodil flowers, some of which are already withering. Next up will be the tulips, which have their flowers up, poised like hands clasped in prayer, ready to open at any minute.

Remember to post at least one photo of your plant each week, describe in a paragraph or two what happened with it that week, and also post a paragraph or two about your growth as a student during this same week. Be sure your paragraphs demonstrate what we have been learning in class.

I'll be seeing you around the blogosphere!