• Academic Advisor Laura Pittman offers her advice, as well as some fun thoughts, to help freshmen have a successful year. Blog link: www.bsuadvisor.blogspot.com
  
  
• Chanel Richards blogged about her freshman experiences with the Cardinal Communications, a student public relations group. Blog link: carichards2.livejournal.com

Immersive Learning

• Since sping 2009 a group of eight students and one professor have been involved in an immersive learning project with the Miller College of Business about academic and business ethics. Blog link: http://bsuethics.blogspot.com 
  
• This blog is from a group of students who were involved in a fall 2007 immersive learning experience at Ball State's Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry. The students involved in this project were engaged in the brave worlds of ethnographic study, documentary filmmaking, and high school girls' volleyball. Blog link: bloggingtheowls.blogspot.com

Alumni Connections

• Ball State's StA.R.T. students discuss campus and alumni events of interest to Ball State's more than 146,000 alumni across the nation and globe. Blog link: ballstateaa.wordpress.com

Career Center

• This blog features current students starting, building, and developing their careers. Blog link: http://ballstatecareercenter.wordpress.com/ 

Communication and Media

• A blog from the Center for Media Design allows Ball State students to share their perspectives in front of an audience who makes decisions in the media world and who, in turn, is eager to hear from a diverse group of young, next-gen media consumers. Blog link: blogs.mediapost.com/digital_frontier
  
• Students write new material regularlyy during the academic year on this blog produced by members of SomethingElseTV.com. Something Else is a sketch comedy organization broadcasting viral shorts online and on TV, plus it produces a radio show.  Blog link: www.SomethingElseTV.com.

Dining

• A blog for the Ball State community to interact and stay up-to-date with Ball State Dining Services. Blog link: www.ballstatedining.com
  
  

English

• The Writers' Community of Ball State shares its own poems, essays, stories, and information about the work of members' favorite authors. Blog link: http://bsuwriters.wordpress.com/

For Faculty

• Faculty Development Coordinator Greg Siering shares information about faculty development programs, points to useful resources about teaching, highlights local examples of excellent teaching, and provides commentary about teaching and learning on the Ball State campus. Blog link: bsuteaching.blogspot.com

Languages

• Test your Spanish skills! Members of the Spanish Club blog about the community experiences and other activities they are involved in throughout the year. Blog link: spanishclubbsu.blogspot.com

Music

• The cast of University Singers take turns blogging--and sometimes it is not all about music. Blog link: castblog.wordpress.com
  
  
• The Art of the Bow with François Rabbath blog follows the developments of the award-winning DVD by offering user selectable camera angles, biomechanics motion animation, extensive interviews, live performance footage, lecture, and teaching demonstrations.  The site also features reviews, articles, video segments, and updates on the projects. Blog link: ArtoftheBow.com
  
  
• Teaching Music is the teaching blog of Associate Music Professor Keith Kothman. "It is my way of organizing course materials for the music theory and computer music classes," says Kothman. "The focus varies with the courses I teach, with the emphasis on lecture notes and assignment postings. It's intended primarily for my students, but it is building up a repository of information that more people outside of Ball State are starting to use." Blog link: teachingmusic.wordpress.com

Science

• Staff from the Science-Health Science Library (SHSL) blog about science, health science, medical news, and current events, as well as information about the SHSL's collections and services. Blog link: shsl.blogspot.com
  
  
• The Indoor Environmental Notebook, one of Ball State's longest running blogs, details "everything you want to know about indoor air pollution and more." The site is maintained by Thad Godish, a natural resources and environmental management  professor and a nationally known expert on indoor air pollution. Blog link: www.bsu.edu/web/IEN
  
  
• Get updates about services, geographical resources, and information about the Geospatial Resources & Map Collections (GRMC). Blog link: www.bsumaps.blogspot.com

Study Abroad

• Terri Manring, a senior sociology major, traveled to Negril Jamaica with students involved in the anthrology department's Theodora Project during the summer of 2009. Blog link: http://fieldstudyjamaica.blogspot.com/
  
• Riley Agnes-Cynthia Steinmetz, a senior pre-med student, detailed her study abroad experience in France during summer 2008. Blog link: www.labelleviederiley.blogspot.com
  
• Find out how the "Art in Italy" students enjoyed their six-week immersion experience writing, painting, and traveling through Italy during the summer of 2007. Blog link: artinitaly.iweb.bsu.edu/
  

University Libraries
University Libraries maintains several blogs featuring various topics:

• Architecture Library
  Quick summaries of new materials, library news; offers another avenue of communication to faculty with the benefit of providing the author with a chance to reach a wider audience of library users. Blog link: bsuarchlibnews.blogspot.com
  
  
• Archives and Special Collections
  Informs students and faculty about current exhibits, new collections for research use, visiting scholars engaging with our materials, useful to new staff, informs patrons of new Web pages and services. Blog link: bsuarchives.blogspot.com
  
  
• Ball State University Libraries' News
  Provides current news, announcements, and brief information about the University Libraries. Blog link: bsulibrariesnews.blogspot.com
  
  
• Ball State University Libraries' Newsletter, The Library Insider
  Provides an online reading of newsletter articles and photographs from the University Libraries' monthly e-newsletter. Blog link: ballstatelibrarynews.blogspot.com
  
  

• Digital Media Repository
  Provides the latest updates on the Digital Media Repository, a project of University Libraries. Includes new collections, customizations, workflows, and other news.  Blog link: http://bsudmrnews.blogspot.com
  
  

• Distance Learning Library Services
  Highlights features and services of the University Libraries with major emphasis on services that can be used without physically visiting the campus. Spreading the message to distance education faculty and students that they "don't have to be in the University Libraries to use them," and provides instant message access to information services librarians, as well as an RSS feed so that visitors can subscribe to updates. Blog link: distancelibrarian.blogspot.com
  
  
• Geospatial Resources and Maps Collection (GRMC)
  Provides updates about services, materials, and educational information available in the GRMC. Blog link: www.bsumaps.blogspot.com
  
  
• Librarian Liaison to Department of Journalism
  Alerts faculty, staff, and students to relevant library and information resources and services relevant to their research and classroom activities. Blog link: journalismbsu.blogspot.com
  
  
• Science-Health Science Library (SHSL)
  Includes science and health science/medical news, current events, and information about the SHSL's collections and services, targeted to science faculty. Blog link: shsl.blogspot.com
  
  

___________________________________________

Know of any other Ball State blogs highlighting academic programs or projects, student organizations, or other aspects of student and campus life? Send them to Julie Tuttle.