Throughout the semester, students will keep a blog that addresses the following issues:

1) How do various communication technologies change the way we communicate? For example, how does the way you communicate via social media differ from how you communicate face to face? Or how does the way you communicate via email differ from handwriting a letter? These are only examples, you are not limited to them!

2) What is going on in your own personal communication experiences with relation to communication technologies? How are these technologies influencing your daily life? Reflect on the day to day impact communication technologies have on your life. For example, when you want to communicate with a friend out of state, do you call them on the phone? Email them? Write a letter? Why do you make the communication technology choices you do? How does this change you (or your relationships)?

3) What evidence do you see of the impact of communication technologies on our society? This can come from personal experiences, articles you come across in the newspaper, stories from TV etc. - anything that demonstrates changes in society due in part to communication technologies.

4) Critical reflection on what the Bible has to say about how we use communication technologies. For example, does the Bible have anything to say about maintaining relationships via mediated communication as opposed to face-to-face interaction? Or, do new communication technologies make it easier or harder to fulfill the Great Commission, or mature in our own relationship with God?

5) Go on a one day media fast. You may select any day over the semester. Refrain from digital/electronic com tech usage. If you break the fast, begin again (emergencies are an exception). Blog about what it was like to go one day without com tech.

6) Talk with someone who is from an earlier generation. Compare their com tech experiences with your own.

Each individual blog entry should NOT address every issue. Focus on only one for an entry and go into depth. However, over the course of the semester, all six issues should be addressed in depth and in breadth at least once. In addition, each entry should consider the implications of the technology theories raised in class where applicable. (Hint: theories are always applicable!) That's what I'm looking for - how well you can apply theory to your reflections. Each student is required to write 10 blog entries. Each entry should be no less than two paragraphs and no more than a "page" in length. You are not required to write your blogs on any specific day (though each entry should be titled by number and by issue - Ex. Blog 2, Issue 4). You are strongly encouraged to write entries on a regular basis instead of waiting until the last minute to do the required number. Falling behind will likely lead to entries that aren't very reflective and won't earn as good a grade. Be aware that these blogs will be made available to the instructor and the rest of the class.

Entry #1 will follow a different set of criteria. In entry #1 tell the class and I something about yourself so that we can get to know a little bit about you. Then, tell us something about your media habits - what com techs you prefer or how much time you spend with com tech or how you use com tech.

Blogs will be graded based upon the quality of the reflections and their ability to address the required issues. Thus, basic criteria such as clarity of thought are important. I am more than happy to analyze a blog entry before the first set of entries are due if you would like feedback.

The blogs (and forums) assess course objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and K-tag objectives 1, 3.

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