Students ask: What should I put in here?

Many of you have asked for an example of what to put in your blog. Here are some guidelines. Remember the goal is to show understanding of your subject, not just describe what you did.

What should I put in my blog?

The purpose of your blog is to show understanding of the subject. You need to demonstrate how much you know. Write it as if you are teaching yourself, or reminding yourself about this subject.

So you need specifics and details. And critical thinking, or "reflecting" about your subject.

For example, maybe you want to show a picture of measuring your coolant sensor voltage. (Pictures are good!)

• Just the picture, without any explanation, doesn't show you understand very much.
• But a picture, with explanation and comments, can show you know a lot more.

Don't just say "we did this..." and "We got this reading..."
Do add:

• Why this measurement is important! (An engine needs more fuel in colder temperatures)
  
• What does the reading tell us about the condition or wear of the part. (This is a good reading and shows the engine is at normal temperature.)
  
• Discuss what they should understand about this reading. (A normal reading starts with a higher voltage, maybe 3.5 volts, and goes down to 0.5 volts as the engine warms up. If the reading is higher than it should be, the engine will run richer than it should. So a rusty connection at the PCM earth could cause voltage drop that makes the PCM see a higher voltage, and makes the PCM think the engine is colder and therefore use more fuel and run poorly.)
  

If you don't show us what you understand, how do we know you understand it? You think we are mind-readers?

For Example: The picture above is of an earth circuit voltage drop test: Meter reads 4.9 mv, or 0.005 v.

• Without explanation, what does the picture show I understand? (very little)

• But if I explain that the low voltage on the earth side of the TPS sensor circuit shows the circuit has a good earth, with no abnormal resistance. A poor earth connection would usually show up as higher voltage. Then I can deduce that this sensor reading is not inaccurate because of a poor earth circuit. This shows more understanding.