Teen Ink Blog Opportunity!

Please read below and visit the link to see if you might be interested. If you already have a separate book review or poetry blog, or just want to start up one, they have many options for people wanting to blog once a week. ***You will need to use a separate blog for this, not your school blog. :) Good Luck! (Extra credit given to participants.)

FROM TEEN INK:
We wanted to let you know about a new Teen Ink Blog web initiative we are about to launch. At this time we are looking for students who are passionate about a particular subject and love to write on a regular basis.
If you, or someone you know, is interested in doing a weekly blog for TeenInk.com, please email john@teenink.com and let us know.
Here are the guidelines:
On our website there will be a link to our blogs. When one goes to that page, there will be a list of the various blogs by subject - such as books, movies, poetry, photography, college, fiction, etc. In short, all the sections of the magazine. There could also be nonfiction blogs on subjects such as dating, fashion, dealing with illness, politics, etc. In short, any subject that you feel passionate about.
We plan to have one primary writer for each blog (you can do more than one subject if you have the time). This will be a very special hand-picked group of teens who are good writers and love to write often. Others will be able to either "post" or "comment" on YOUR blog. However, if you are the main person running the blog for your section, you will be responsible for reviewing the posts and comments and deleting inappropriate entries. Also, we expect that you will do at least one good post or column per week.
We expect that the blog or column will be ABOUT your subject and not just samples of your own fiction or poetry. Of course you can include your work from time to time, but this should be a blog about your thoughts, concerns, ideas, creativity, etc. relating to your area of interest. If you do a blog about movies, music, books, etc., you can include reviews of current and past work.
We ask that you don't request to be the primary blogger unless you plan to do it for at least 4-6 months or longer. Also, you should only consider doing a blog for a subject you really care about and one that you would have no trouble writing about every week. This should definitely be fun and fulfilling, and not a chore or work.
We are really excited about this and look forward to hearing from you soon. I suggest if you are really interested, you email john@teenink.com with 4 - 6 sample blogs on your area of interest. Each blog should be about 300-600 words. When we receive your samples, we will review them and notify you if you have been officially selected as the primary blogger and assign a username and password. Once the site gets set up you will be able to post your own blogs without sending them to us for review.
For now, when you email your blog samples, please put your last name and the blog category in the subject field. For example, it should read: Meyer Blog - Fiction
If you have any suggestions or questions, I would be more than happy to speak with you about your blog and/or the specific topic, so feel free to call any time to discuss at 800-363-1986, weekdays from 9-5 EST. Of course, you can email any time.
Thanks again to you all and I think this is going to be very exciting for you and our millions of website visitors. Yes, we do get over 5 million unique visitors to the site each year and, since this is not a paid position, we hope you will enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that your weekly blog will be seen by a wide audience.
Look forward to hearing from you soon.
John Meyer, Publisher john@teenink.com

POL REMINDERS

Hello, Pretties in Pink. Here are a few reminders for your POL:

1. Please remember to dress professionally.
2. Please make sure have all materials ready to start your POL by your panel 's start time (see list below). NOTE: You will not have time for any last minute preparations once the panel has started.
3. All students are expected to remain in the classroom during their scheduled panel time. Students may bring water bottles and have them out. You will likely receive one or two short breaks for restroom and snacks, but no eating during POL's.
4. Make sure to bring the following to your POL:

• Your parent/guardian(s)/other supportive adult(s)
• Your POL portfolio in a folder or binder
• Your rubric. It should be ready to be handed to the teacher with your name on it, so don't attach it in the portfolio.
• The Questions Packet. You'll need this in front of you when serving as a panelist.
• All your visual aids. They should be ready to go and brought in the room at the start of the panel. You will be given time to set them up and to log on a laptop if needed.
• PLEASE NOTE: Being unprepared will result in loss of points on your POL. All of the above documents are available on the "Projects Page."

POL Panel Schedules

POL PORTFOLIOS DUE, PRINTED AND IN FOLDER, BY 9:05 FRIDAY MORNING!

AB Student POL Panel Schedule:
http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/POL2008/AB_finalpolschedule.doc

CD Student POL Panel Schedule:
http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/POL2008/CD_finalpolschedule.doc

Ms. Deanna's POL Schedule
http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/POL2008/Pol%20stuff/Deannaschedule.doc

EMAIL MATH/SCIENCE SECTION TO MS. K!!

Students, please email your math/science section to Ms. K by Thursday afternoon. She wants to check over your content! If you already emailed me, I have forwarded it. Follow the same directions as you would for me. Thank you! Here is her address:
kkomatsubara@hightechhigh.org

Helpful Documents and Links

Here are a few requested and/or helpful docs and links.

Link to learn how to access documents (or group accounts) from home:
http://web.hightechhigh.org/wiki/index.php/My_Documents_Access_From_Personal_Computers

Reading Groups Blank Schedule Form:
http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/LITERATURE%20CIRCLE%20READING%20SCHEDULE.doc

Website Project Calendar of Due Dates:
http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/MCwebsite%20project/MC%20WEBSITE%20PROJECT%20CALENDAR.doc

POL Handouts

Here are the links to helpful POL documents:
(can also be found on the "Projects" page)



Calendar of Due Dates:

http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/POL2008/Pol%20stuff/POLcalendar.doc



POL Portfolio Guidelines:

http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/POL2008/Pol%20stuff/POL%20Portfolio%20(2).doc

7th Grade Rubric:
http://staff.hightechhigh.org/~cinterlandi/POL2008/Pol%20stuff/7thgrade_rubric.doc


*Look for the POL Panel Group Schedule to be posted by Weds. Jan. 16th for both students and parents!