benchmark projects

A benchmark is a standard by which something can be measured or judged.  It's been three weeks since we started our Masterpieces, and your progress is as individual as you are.  Readers of your blogs may have a difficult time following the thread of your posts unless they are in your class or in your lives; this assignment is designed to help you clearly assess where you are so that your audience can clearly assess where you are.

Last week when you ranked the Top 10 blogs, I analyzed them in terms of posts and aesthetics.  To keep things simple, I decided to set a curve based on the maximum number of 2014 posts (33).  If you have a minimum of 23 posts in 2014 (i.e., 70% of 33), you can choose to tell your story in whatever format or remix makes sense to you (please consult the Remix Resources and/or Roman if you need ideas about how to get started).  If you don't have a minimum of 23 posts in 2014, you will need to account for your performance in a traditional, straightforward research paper as follows. (Please Note: several people asked if they could do both.  YES.  And, if you do the paper, you may either turn in a hard copy in class March 10 or embed it on your blog.  In the past I have used docstoc or scribd to do this, but this year both of those services have changed and made documents more difficult to download.  It looks like there is a better way here (and if you find an even better way, please comment to this post and let us know).

CONTENT
I. Revisit the questions that began the process:

1. Passion.  What have you committed yourself to studying and why is it important to you?
2. Prior Learning.  How are you using the tools/processes from Fall semester for the purpose?
3. Envisioned Future.  What will you need to do in order to ensure that June brings a sense of triumphant fulfillment and not regret?
4. Audience.  What will impress and convince others that you are a thinker who shows critical thinking skills and creativity in finding, analyzing, evaluating, organizing, and communicating valuable information?
5. Implementation.  What steps can you take to move beyond 'what if' and bring your idea/s into reality?
6. Network.  Who are the peers, publics, and experts you need in my personal learning network and/or audience?

FORMATTING/SUBMISSION
Your paper must be:

• 5-7 pages in length, excluding title and Bibliography or Work Cited* pages (*Please Note: a Bibliography includes all the sources that inform your thinking, and Work Cited means exactly that, i.e., the sources you quote/reference directly.)
• Typed in Times New Roman 12-point font and printed on 8.5" x 11" white stock
• Bound with one staple in the upper left-hand corner at a 45 degree angle (no folders or plastic slip covers)
• Well-researched, as evidenced by a Bibliography or Work Cited page that includes a minimum of 15 highly credible references (*Please Note: Five [5] of these references must be academic books, chapters, or peer-reviewed studies/articles.)
• Presented in Modern Language Association (MLA) style