Ning blogging tips. Many of you will be posting at the Ning tonight, Thursday. If you need reminders about images and links in blogs, just check in the Ning FAQs and Tips section on the main page of the Ning, left-hand column, and you should be able to find the information you need. In particular, you might want to review the different options for Adding an Image to Your Post. It's important that the image be the right size - if you have a giant-sized image, use this Technology Tip to Resize Images (and get extra credit for it!).
Week 2 blog comment assignment. The Week 2 blog commenting assignment is not available yet; it will be available starting on Friday, January 30. The blog commenting assignment is the only assignment you cannot complete early, because people will still be adding posts to their blog today, Thursday. Then, right after midnight on Thursday, the list of blog assignments will become available and you will have Friday-Saturday-Sunday to complete that Week 2 assignment.
Week 2 Internet Assignment: Webpages. This week, your Internet assignment will be to publish your first webpages. I am available during the day on Thursday and on Friday to help you with this if you run into any technical difficulties. So, if this is your first time to publish webpages in your OU webspace, please make sure you get to work on this assignment now, and do not put it off until the weekend. I check my email less frequently over the weekend, so in order to make sure you are able to ask questions and get help if needed, please get started on publishing your first webpages now.
Storybook Stack. There are just a few Week 2 and Week 3 assignments in the Storybook stack (you can check the contents of the stack here), and I hope to get the stack cleared out by the end of the day on Thursday. If you want comments back on a Storybook assignment BEFORE the weekend, make sure you get that turned in by Friday at noon. I'll do my best to read and reply to anything turned in on Friday morning before the end of the day on Friday.
Neil Gaiman wins Newberry. I know I am not the only fan of the fantasy writer Neil Gaiman (author of the genius novel American Gods, among much other great work), so I thought I would share the good news here that Gaiman was just awarded the Newbery Medal for Children's Literature for his Graveyard Book! You can read the news in the Washington Post, and Gaiman also maintains a marvelous website - NeilGaiman.com - where you can find out more. Congratulations, Neil Gaiman!
