Ning FAQs and Tips. I want to call your attention to the list of Ning FAQs and Tips at the class wiki. You will find information there about managing your Ning blog and also about your profile page. If there is something you want to find out which is not answered there already, please let me know and I'll add to the list of tips!
Grace period. Some of you are getting in the habit of treating the Grace period as if it were the "real" due date for your assignments. Here's the problem: if you treat the Grace period as the deadline, then you won't have any Grace period left for an emergency. The Grace period is there for real emergencies, totally random things that happen which unexpectedly prevent you from finishing your work on the day that it is due. If something is due on Thursday, it really is due ON THURSDAY - which means you should finish that assignment on Thursday. Or, even better, finish the assignments several days before they are due, so you are not having to stress about the deadline at all!
2 classes = 1 Ning. As you have noticed, both of the online courses I teach are combined into one Ning. There are a couple reasons why I did that. One reason is very practical: I am paying out of my pocket to have the Ning be ad-free, so I prefer to pay just once, instead of having to pay for multiple Nings. The other reason is that later on in the semester you will be looking at the Storybooks for the students in the other class, so you need a shared space where you can interact. Starting tomorrow, Friday, you'll be able to do the Read & Respond assignment, reading and responding to the blog posts of people in your class (more about that in tomorrow's announcements) - in the meantime, feel free to leave comments on anything at the Ning that happens to get your attention!
Thursday Events on Campus. There will be an "iRock" concert as part of Winter Welcome Week in the Union, 8PM-10:30PM (time/location/details). Find out more about this event and other events happening on Thursday at the Campus Calendar online.
January 19: Edgar Allan Poe. Today, January 19, marks the anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe in the year 1809, just over 200 years ago. You can read more about Poe's remarkable and tragic life in this detailed Wikipedia article. Below is an image of the cover designed by the famous illustrator Gustave Dore for Poe's famous poem, The Raven:
