Welcome to "Mind Meld"

Welcome to my new blog, especially implemented to describe my unfolding thoughts about the "mutligenre" research project that I'm using to replace the traditional research paper next semester in my four online W131 English Composition classes. The word "meld" comes from Tom Romano's description of this type of project, which he writes is meant to "meld...fact, interpretation, and imagination."

In these postings, which I expect to unfold over many semesters, I will describe the project and my students' reactions to it. I will also provide student examples where appropriate.

In that I ask my students to think about and describe their own audience, I should do the same thing here: the blog is meant for three audiences:

1. me, as I think through these issues
2. students, to help explain to them the nuances of the project (as well as some of the specifics, although most specifics will be contained in Blackboard)
3. interested educators who would like to see how and if this experiment at updating and making more relevant the research paper works!

PHOTO CREDIT - the picture that accompanies the title of the blog is a deliberately out of focus view of a stained glass window in Chartres Cathedral - I took it when I was a soldier with the US Army Europe, in 1970.