In regard to my statement in class that we don't use the blog correctly, I issue a challenge to my classmates: Read all of the blog posts. Every single one.
My compelling argument:
1. Reading every blog post would make us better readers.
I admit that when it is my week to comment, I scan every post until I find one that works. Our professor has impressed me by her comprehension our writing that, to be fair, is sometimes as rough (inexperienced maybe) as the Edgar Allan Poe of Arthur Gordon Pym. It is a stretch of our attention to force ourselves to read something difficult, but a skill worth developing - especially when confronting something as daunting as The Education of Henry Adams
2. It would make us better writers.
When we approach blog posting as something that is going to be read instead of something that we must do to get a grade, it assumes that what we say must be worth reading. Our posts might experience a tightening of focus and clarity of delivery if we are more conscious of audience (instead of writing into an internet abyss).
3. It would give us a better education.
Henry Adams insists that education is lifelong and constant, and that the most vital component is the individual who seeks it out. I cannot blame a school or a class for a bad education, but I can rebuke myself for wasting my time by not using a resource to be educated when I have it.
We have a tool to utilize the knowledge of our peers. We are compelled to capitalize on it.