February 2010
2 posts
2 tags
Finished your draft?
Post it below as a publicly viewable Google Document…
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Scholarly Articles.
Reading through your research plans this week, I’ve noticed that several people have listed newspapers or magazines for their sources. While it is not inappropriate to use some information derived from periodicals for your papers, please note that newspapers, magazines and general-interest web sites do no qualify as “indisputably academic” sources.
If you haven’t yet...
January 2010
1 post
4 tags
Week 2.
Reading
Tumblr FAQ.
Wikipedia to Limit Changes to Articles on People.
Informal Writing
Class Introductions. (Blog Post)
Wikipedia’s role in academic research. (Blog Post)
Other tasks
As you may have noticed, there is no book required for this class. A microphone, however, is required, and you will need to get one by Week 3. If you have a laptop that is less than 2-3 years old, chances...
November 2009
15 posts
2 tags
Week 16.
Congrats. You’ve reached the final week. This week, there will be no new assignments, but below is a summary on what you should be working on to wrap things up this semester:
Your Final Draft for Project 3 is due Tuesday. Please use the same naming conventions as you have for the first two projects.
Your revisions for Project 2 are due the following Tuesday (Dec. 8)
I will be working on...
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Week 15.
Note: I have updated grades on BlackBoard to reflect your Final Grades for Project One as well as your completion grades for Project 2 and 3 Drafts. I will also be calculating your final Informal Writing grades in the coming week or so. Please review the grades I uploaded, and let me know if you notice any discrepancies.
Formal Writing
Peer Review — Instructions below. Due Wednesday
Final...
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Where is the Internet? →
Your responses to Michael Wesch reminded me of this great article from The New York Times Magazine a few months ago. It’s about the infrastructure of the Internet. It’s not required reading or an assignment. I am only sharing it because I thought you might find it interesting.
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The Machine Is Using Us?
You might say we’ve moved from pencils to pixels ;)
nadeen820:
This video actually made a lot of sense. Initially, I didn’t realize how much of a hassle it can be to write thoughts and rough drafts down-using a pencil. But as the video progressed, it dawned on me that so much of the use of computer technology is second-nature to us. What I mean by that is we generally don’t realize how...
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Week 14.
Formal Writing Draft 1 + Peer Review Let’s follow the same process we used for Project 2. Your draft for Project 3 is due Saturday night. Please submit the public link from Google Docs here so that I know it is complete. On Sunday night next week, I will send out the Peer Review list so that all documents can be reviewed.
Informal Writing The Machine Is Us/ing Us by Michael Wesch...
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Link Collection Part 2.
As I wrap up the latest update of your grades to Blackboard, I am once again looking to double check my paper gradebook against what you have submitted online.
In one blog post tagged “englsh link collection”, please provide links to the following assignments:
Research Plan/Abstract for Project 1 Research Plan/Abstract for Project 2 Research Plan/Abstract for Project 3 Draft for...
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This is a good example of sound academic analysis....
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Kristen’s podcast stands out primarily...
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Week 13.
Reading
Carefully read the assignment parameters for Project 3
Formal Writing
Research Plan/Abstract for Project 3
Your research plan should include the name of the company you are going to analyze. Your abstract should be no more than 150 words, and it should explain the point of view you plan on taking for your paper. Due Sunday
Informal Writing Podcast Assignment #3 — Rhetoric and Music...
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“If you are having trouble locating ads online, grab your digital camera and...”
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Drive-in movie ads. →
Archive.org is another great resource that is probably worth exploring for this project. Here is one example of what you can find there.
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LOC list of outside resources. →
This Library of Congress page contains links to other spaces on the web were advertisements can be found.
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The Library of Congress' 'American Memory' series. →
There is a section on advertising you might consider exploring.
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Week 11.
Project 1
I have sent back your graded Project 1 papers this evening. Please note the revision instructions beneath your grade should you choose to revise. I will grade your revision as if it were a whole new paper and average to the two grades together for a final total grade for the project. So even if you scored low on the first paper, you still have an opportunity to improve your grade...
October 2009
16 posts
4 tags
How to infuse quotes into your own writing. →
The misuse of quotes is a recurring issue I am finding as I grade your Project 1 papers. The resource above (click the arrow in the title of the post) explains with examples how to properly insert the quotes and ideas of other authors into your own work. (Source: Central European University)
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Week 10.
Reading As I have been reading through your papers, there are a few common issues that need to be addressed. Please read through the following Writing Tips, and be careful not to repeat these common mistakes as you construct your First Draft for Project 2 this week.
Writing Tip #1 Point of View Switch
Writing Tip #2 Logical Absolutes
Formal Writing Draft 1 Do not think of your First...
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Week 9.
Reading
Carefully read the assignment parameters for Project 2.
A note on Peer Review. (link)
From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology by Dennis Baron (link) Please read through the section called “The Telephone.”
Formal Writing
1. Submit your Final Draft for Project 1 by Monday night. Please review submission guidelines from last week’s announcement here.
...
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“Peer review didn’t work out as planned. Connecting to Google Docs through...”
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Oops.
Sorry guys. Here’s the link to Project 1 Drafts. I’ll give you an extra day on account of my error. Get these back to your peers by Friday. Turn in the Final Draft by Monday night.
Thanks. Sorry.
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Week 8.
Note: I have uploaded grades to BlackBoard. These include your Informal Writing through the first 5 weeks of class, and your work so far on Project 1 (Abstract and Draft). Please review, and let me know if you’ve spotted any discrepancies.
Reading
Writing Tip #1 — Point of View Shift
Formal Writing
Final Draft of Project 1 Due Sunday (Be sure to review the two resources I posted to...
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Your first page should look like this. →
More formatting help from The OWL. Here is the whole guide to formatting your paper in MLA Style.
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Your Works Cited page should look like this. →
Don’t lose silly points. Following MLA Style is not difficult giving the wealth of resources available on the web. The OWL has a sample of what a Works Cited page should look like (Just click the title of this post). Make yours look like this, and you’ll be in good shape.
If you are finding formatting the page difficult, check out http://www.easybib.com. Think of EasyBib as a friendly...
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Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
Happy Columbus Day. Your weekly assignments will be posted by Monday night.
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First Monday.
They say that when you teach, you wind up learning quite a bit as you go. I had not heard of the journal First Monday until I read your abstracts/research plans for Project 1. Several of you utilized it to meet the requirement for two sources that had to be “indisputably academic.”
Great resource. Thanks.
First Monday is one of the first openly accessible, peer–reviewed journals...
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Week 7
Reading
1. “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology” by Dennis Baron. Read through the section entitled “The Pencil as Technology.” (link)
Formal Writing
1. Draft 1 Do not think of your First Draft as a Rough Draft. Think of your First Draft as something you’d be comfortable turning in to me for a grade. Your draft can be completed on your home...
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Submit your draft for Project 1.
Please submit your draft using this form. Due Friday.
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If you'd like credit for your work...
…you will need to tag your assignments *exactly* as instructed. So far, only 10 of 22 students have correctly tagged their submissions for last week’s link collection task. This means only 10 of 22 students have currently received credit for the first 6 weeks of work.
If you’d like credit for your work, please edit your post, choose “Advanced Options” in the top...
September 2009
36 posts
2 tags
How can you tell if a source is peer reviewed or...
This question has come up a few times this week in response to the requirement on Project 1 that you include “two indisputably academic sources.” It’s a good question to ask.
First, I invite you to look at this page from the University of Texas, which succinctly defines what “peer reviewed” means.
Next, for more specific guidance, you can check the standing of the...
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Hoot.
The OWL is your friend.
“The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.”
Link
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Week 6.
Reading
Carefully read the assignment parameters for Project 1.
Formal Writing Research Plan/Abstract for Project 1 Your research plan should include MLA-style citations of the two indisputably academic sources you plan on drawing from to write your paper. Your abstract should be no more than 150 words, and it should summarize your argument. Tag this post “englsh abstract 1”. Due...
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“Indisputably academic means that the source is derived from a peer-reviewed...”
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Collect your links.
Periodically this semester, I will ask you to collect permalinks to your past assignments into one blog post so I can cross-check your work against what I have recorded in my gradebook thus far.
This week, please collect in one post permalinks to the following assignments:
Week 2 Blog Introduction Week 2 Wikipedia and Academic Sources Week 3 Logos/Ethos/Pathos Examples Week...
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“For them, participation isn’t optional. If you don’t dive in, other people will...”
– Clive Thompson. A Bave New World of Digital Intimacy. New York Times Magazine (via jmjames3)
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Week 5.
Reading
Brave New World of Digital Intimacy by Clive Thompson in New York Times Magazine (See Informal Writing Assignment #3 before you read)
“Trendspotting” by Demetri Martin on The Daily Show
Informal Writing
Podcast Assignment 1 (link) Due Friday
Using last week’s post on “The Rhetoric That Surrounds You,” pick three different examples from three different...
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Look at your own face(book) in the mirror.
Length: 2-3 minutes Specifications: Must contain your recorded voice AND another piece of music or sound effect. Submission Instructions: Upload as an audio post on Tumblr. Tag this submission “podcast 1.” Prompt: Having seen Demetri Martin’s humorous take on social networking, it’s time to turn the lens inward. Consider one of your own online profiles (Facebook, MySpace,...
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WatchAn oldie but goodie.
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Shady used car salesmen.
Stephen’s revelation is an important one. Rhetoric doesn’t only exist in the domain of car salesmen.
sjshamp:
George Kennedy made an interesting point when he said, “Speech would not have evolved among human beings unless rhetoric already existed. In fact, rhetoric is manifest in all animal life and existed long before the evolution of human beings.” Before this class, to me, the...
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This cycle will continue to repeat itself.
lovespb:
It takes logos to determine that the man has used one of the deer to provide shelter for him to survive in the unpleasant conditions.
I am glad someone chose this piece — and solved the riddle!
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If you haven't already... →
Do not fill it out if you’ve already done it. But if you haven’t added your blog and twitter address to the class info form, please do it now. I want to make sure we all able to see each other’s posts. Some new students have entered the course over the past few weeks.
“Are you having fun yet?”
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Week 4.
Reading
PART 1 “Some Thoughts on Thinking Rhetorically” by the Boise State University Writing Center — read THROUGH the section entitled “Rhetoric is more than ‘mere’ persuasion, but always persuasive.”
Reblogs from this week.
Informal Writing
“The artwork of Dan McCarthy” — Review Dan McCarthy’s art prints here. Choose one that resonates...