You are here: Home / 2015 / Archives for March 2015

Archives for March 2015

by on March 31, 2015

Project 3 Reflection

This is the post for the Friday, March 27, 2015 class meeting.

Time for ReflectionToday we finish the presentations for Project 3 and work on the reflection memo for the project. Project 3 is due by 11:55 PM today, Wednesday, 4/1. The grace period for Project 3 ends at 11:55 PM on Wednesday, 4/8.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Write Your Project Reflection Memo and Submit Your Web Essay

Whether you turn in your project today or after the grace period, you still need to write this reflection memo to tell me about your project.

  1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
  2. Choose P3: Interrogate the Interface.
  3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your reflection memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor and copy/paste your text into this box.)
  4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your reflection memo, you’ll use the following:
    • Address your memo to me (Traci) and from you (use your name).
    • Add a subject line that indicates this is your reflection memo and which project it is for.
    • Add the current date.
  5. Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below: Insert Horizontal Line button in Scholar
  6. Introduce your project and tell me the following information:
    1. What is the link to first page of your web essay?
    2. What is the link to your presentation? (Use the embedding instructions to add the presentation to your site.)
    3. Talk about your goals for the web essay and the presentation. You can talk about the content, the layout and design, and any screenshots you included.
    4. Tell me anything else you want me to know about your project that you want me to know before I grade it.
    5. Add a concluding section that sums things up and tells me how well you think you met your goals.
  7. Review and proofread the information in your memo.
  8. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox (and it’s easy to miss).
  9. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.
  10. You’ve finished the third project!

Schedule for the Week

On Friday, we will begin Project 4, which will focus on remixing an existing story (fiction or nonfiction). We will look at several examples in class and think about how we might use some of the tools from Project 3 to remix a story.

Filed Under: Class Notes Tagged With: , , , ,
by on March 29, 2015

Day 3 of Project 3 Presentations

This is the post for the Monday, March 30, 2015 class meeting.

This-presentation-will-69941fToday we continue the presentations for Project 3. Your job during this session is to pay attention, since you may want to use these tools yourself in Project 3.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Today’s Blog Post

After the presentations, choose the tool you saw today that you are most interested in trying out (other than your own if you presented). State what tool it was, why you found it interesting, and how you might use it.

Homework

  • For Wednesday, 4/1:
    • If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 31 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.
    • We will work on the reflection memo in class.
  • For Friday, 4/3:
    • We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes Tagged With: , , ,
by on March 26, 2015

Day 2 of Project 3 Presentations

This is the post for the Friday, March 27, 2015 class meeting.

this-presentation-is-amazingToday we continue the presentations for Project 3. Your job during this session is to pay attention, since you may want to use these tools yourself in Project 3.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Today’s Blog Post

After the presentations, choose the tool you saw today that you are most interested in trying out (other than your own if you presented). State what tool it was, why you found it interesting, and how you might use it.

Homework

  • For Monday, 3/30:
    • If you are presenting Monday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Sunday, March 26 so that I can set up Monday’s post.
    • Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
  • For Wednesday, 4/1:
    • If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 31 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.
    • Project 3 due by 11:55 PM. We will work on the reflection memo in class. Grace period ends at 11:55 PM on April 8.
  • For Friday, 4/3:
    • We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes Tagged With: , , ,
by on March 24, 2015

Even More Work on Project 3

This is the post for the Wednesday, March 25, 2015 class meeting.

Spongebob: I need waterBecause of the Shanks water maintenance hijinks, we will be working online today. Thanks for being flexible about the changes in the schedule.

Date Changes

  • 3/27, 3/30, and 4/1: Project 3 presentations
  • 4/1: Project 3 due
  • 4/8: End of grace period. Project 3 must be submitted by 11:55 PM.

Working on Your Projects

Spend at least 50 minutes working on Project 3, your Interrogate the Interface project, by completing these activities:

  1. Begin by working through the Project 3 Web Essay Checklist. Use the checklist to determine what you have done and what you still need to do.
  2. Work on whatever you still need to do.
  3. Write a blog post with 3 parts by 11:55 PM on Thursday, March 26:
    • Use the heading “Checklist Observations” and summarize what you learned by comparing the checklist to your draft. Tell me what is in good shape or finished, and tell me what you still need to do.
    • Use the heading “What I Did” and tell me what you worked on in addition to working through the checklist.
    • Use the heading “Why I Did It” and tell me why you worked on whatever you did or why you made the decisions that you did.
  4. If you have any questions you need immediate help with, send me an email message, I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Homework

  • For Friday, 3/27:
    • If you are presenting Friday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Thursday, March 26 so that I can set up Friday’s post.
    • Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
  • For Monday, 3/30:
    • If you are presenting Monday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Sunday, March 26 so that I can set up Monday’s post.
    • Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
  • For Wednesday, 4/1:
    • If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 31 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.
    • We will work on the reflection memo in class.
  • For Friday, 4/3:
    • We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes
by on March 23, 2015

Day 1 of Project 3 Presentations

chucknorrisThis is the post for the Monday, March 23, 2015 class meeting.

Today we begin the five-minute presentations for Project 3. Your job during this session is to pay attention, since you may want to use these tools yourself in Project 3.

Presentations for Today

These are the people and tools scheduled for today’s presentations.

10:10 Class

11:15 Class

Today’s Blog Post

After the presentations, choose the tool you saw today that you are most interested in trying out (other than your own if you presented). State what tool it was, why you found it interesting, and how you might use it.

Homework

  • For Wednesday, 3/25:
    • Check your email by 10 AM on Tuesday, 3/24 to see the status of the water line maintenance for Shanks.

      If class will meet:

      • If you are presenting Wednesday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Tuesday, March 24 so that I can set up Wednesday’s post.
      • Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.

      If class will not meet:

      • You will work on your web essays independently and write a blog post.
      • I will post alternative instructions for the day on the class website by 7 PM on Tuesday.
    • For Friday, 3/27:
      • If you are presenting Friday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Thursday, March 26 so that I can set up Friday’s post.
      • Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
    • For Monday, 3/30 and Wednesday, 4/1:
      • The schedule may change based on the maintenace in Shanks Hall. Details will be posted by 10 AM on 3/24. Currently the schedule is as follows:
        • Monday, 3/30: Project 3 due. We will work on the reflection memo in class.
        • Wednesday, 4/1: We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes Tagged With: , , ,
by on March 22, 2015

Possible Schedule Change

No water. No coffee. No class.Yesterday I got an email message from the English Department Chair letting us know that there will be no running water in Shanks on Wednesday from 6 AM to 3 PM.

I hate to upset the class schedule, but I am not willing to have class under those conditions, especially on a day that we are supposed to do presentations. Sigh…

I would like to ask you to be flexible at this point. If the water outage does occur as planned, here's what we will do:

  • Wed, 3/25 will turn into a independent work day, and I will post details on what you need to do. Office hours will be cancelled that day.
  • Presentations scheduled for Wed, 3/25 will shift to Mon, 3/30. Mon, 3/23 and Fri, 3/27 presentations are not effected.
  • Project 3 due date will shift to Wed, 4/1 (no fooling, on April Fool's Day). You'll work on your reflection memo in class that day.

It is possible that the maintenance will change and we can keep our original schedule. If you are scheduled to present on Wednesday, keep working as if you will do so for now. I will confirm what we will do by 10 AM on Tuesday.  

So, as I mention above, for now, please be flexible. We can talk about the situation in class Monday; but with 8 presentations scheduled, we will need to keep discussion brief. I apologize for the uncertainty in the schedule, but I thought you would all rather have advanced notice of the potential problem (rather than last minute notice).

If any of these potential changes will mess up your world, let me know. We'll figure out how to fix it.

Filed Under: Class Notes
by on March 20, 2015

Project 3 Peer Review

This is the post for the Friday, March 20, 2015 class meeting.

Writer kitteh from http://hoerthstcfall2012.blogspot.com/2012/11/argumentative-essay-peer-review.htmlToday is peer review day for Project 3. You can share whatever drafts you have—your web essay, your presentation, or both.

Presentation Sign-Up

If you have not done so, sign up for a presentation slot for sharing your tool with the class, using the Sign-Up Tool in Scholar. If you fail to sign-up, you will receive a zero for your presentation. Likewise, if you don’t give a presentation, you will receive a zero.

Peer Review Activity

For today’s peer review, you will look at one another’s web portals and use an online form to guide your feedback. You will also provide each other verbal feedback. Please complete these steps:

  • Pair up with someone else in class. You may have to work in threes if there is an odd number of people in class.
  • Share your projects with one another, using whatever method is easiest. You can probably read one another’s screens.
  • AUTHOR: Tell your partner what you have written so far and what your biggest concerns are about the project. Explain what you most want feedback on.
  • PARTNER: Provide feedback on the following:
    • Address the concerns that the author has raised.
    • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, point them out, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
    • Determine whether the project includes all the required elements:
      • Rhetorical situation
      • Design choices
      • Modes of communication
      • Affordances and constraints
    • Point out the positive features and aspects of the project. Tell the author what should not be changed and why it is good.
    • Make any suggestions you can to improve the project.
    • Be sure you end your conversation with a bit of encouragement.
  • Switch places and repeat the process.

Today’s Blog Post

In today’s blog post, talk about what happened in your peer review conversation. Write a post that uses these two headings:

  1. What I Heard in Peer Review
  2. What I Need to Do

Your goal in this post is to summarize what you heard from your partner in class, and then to detail the things that you still need to do before you present and turn in the project. You can use a list for the second part of your post if you would like.

Homework

  • For Monday, 3/23 through Friday, 3/27:
    • If you are presenting Monday, be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM on Sunday, March 22 so that I can set up Monday’s post.
    • Be prepared to listen to each presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. You will write a blog posts for each class day.
  • For Monday, 3/30:
    • Project 3 due. We will work on the reflection memo in class.
  • For Wednesday, 4/1:
    • We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes
by on March 18, 2015

More Work on Project 3

This is the post for the Wednesday, March 18, 2015 class meeting.

Work? I iz on top of it.Today, first you will sign up for your presentation time slot. After that, I’ll talk about how to embed your presentations in WordPress.com, and then you can continue your work in class.

Presentation Sign-Up

Sign-up for a presentation slot for sharing your tool with the class, using the Sign-Up Tool in Scholar. The slots open at 10:15 AM for the 10:10 class; they open at 11:20 AM for the 11:15 class. Go ahead and log into Scholar and be ready to click sign-up when the form opens.

Embedding Your Presentation

Most of you are using PowerPoint:

slideshowuse

You need to embed your presentation slides on your WordPress site. Essentially, there are three options to consider, which I think will cover all the possible scenarios:

Burning Questions

Do we need to continue posting screenshots of our progress to our WordPress blog, or was that only necessary for the independent work last Friday?
No. That was just for the independent work. That said, if you want your posts to show more of the effort you are putting in or illustrate something special, you can add images, screenshots, links to your notes, and so forth.
On Friday, when you say have a draft ready to share would you like to have both the essay and presentation drafted?
Share whatever you have. Focus on what you most need to know. For instance, if you have spent all your time on the essay and want to make sure it’s set before you pull out pieces for your presentation, that’s fine. It’s also fine for you to show just your slideshow or to show both. You decide what you most need help on.
How many points will be deducted for using more than 5 words on 1-2 slides?
It doesn’t work that way. Remember that there are three levels for your work: 

Unsatisfactory The web essay, slideshow, and oral presentation are incomplete, have errors, were submitted after the deadline, or were not submitted/presented at all. There may be significant errors in content, design, style, and/or organization. The work shows that the writer didn’t put in much effort and wasn’t doing her best work.
Satisfactory The web essay, slideshow, and oral presentation are complete and generally error free. They meet the requirement of the assignment fully, and it shows strong effort on the writer’s part.
Exemplary The web essay, slideshow, and oral presentation meet and go beyond the requirements of satisfactory work. It is strong, amazing work that dazzles. Exemplary presentations use the 1/1/5 organizational strategy (using no more than 15 slides) to present the information to the class. The web essay integrates screenshots and examples well, and the navigation and design of the web essay are effective, user-friendly, and well-chosen.

 
There is one grade for the whole project, so doing exceptionally on one part can help balance out problems on the other part.

Working on Your Projects

You will have the rest of the class session to work on Project 3. I will meet with each one of you briefly and ask you to show me what you have done on the project. If you have a question you need immediate help with, let me know and I will come help you first.

Today’s Blog Post

Write a blog post with the usual headings: (1) What I Did, and (2) Why I Did It. Include whatever work you have done since your last post.

Homework

  • For Friday, 3/20:
    • Have a draft of your work ready to share in class for peer review.
  • For Monday, 3/23 through Friday, 3/27:
    • Presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. There will be blog posts to write for each class day. Be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM the day before you present so that I can set up the post for the day
  • For Monday, 3/30:
    • Project 3 due. We will work on the reflection memo in class.
  • For Wednesday, 4/1:
    • We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes Tagged With:
by on March 15, 2015

Working on Project 3

This is the post for the Monday, March 16, 2015 class meeting.

Interrogation cat wants answersThis week we will spend time in class working on Project 3. Today I will talk about navigation options. On Wednesday, I’ll talk about how to embed your presentations in WordPress.com.

Presentation Tools

I need to know what software you will use for your presentation so that I can be sure to cover everything on Wednesday. Please complete the two-question survey for me before you leave class today.

Additional Navigation Techniques

Remember that breaking up your web essay into several pages makes it easier for readers to find the information they are looking for. It also avoids the tl;dr effect by chunking out the information.

See the Project 3 Navigation Options for details on how to add navigation to your project.

Working on Your Projects

You will have the rest of the class session to work on Project 3. I will meet with each one of you briefly and ask you to show me what you have done on the project. If you have a question you need immediate help with, let me know and I will come help you first.

Today’s Blog Post

Write a blog post with the usual headings: (1) What I Did, and (2) Why I Did It. Include whatever work you have done since your last post.

Homework

  • For Wednesday, 3/18:
    • Presentation time sign-up will take place in class on Wednesday, 3/18, starting about five minutes after class begins.
    • Be prepared to work on your project in class. I’ll share some additional resources on embedding your presentations, and have a quick conference with each of you to answer any questions.
  • For Friday, 3/20:
    • Have a draft of your work ready to share in class for peer review.
  • For Monday, 3/23 through Friday, 3/27:
    • Presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. There will be blog posts to write for each class day. Be sure that you send the URL to your presentation by 9 PM the day before you present so that I can set up the post for the day
  • For Monday, 3/30:
    • Project 3 due. We will work on the reflection memo in class.
  • For Wednesday, 4/1:
    • We’ll go over Project 4, the remix a story project.
Filed Under: Class Notes
by on March 6, 2015

Project 3 Online Work Day

This is the post for the Friday, March 6, 2015 class meeting.

GET-BACK-TO-WORKWork for March 6

Today you will spend at least 50 minutes working on Project 3, your Interrogate the Interface project. Publish a blog post about your work by 11:55 PM on Sunday, March 15. See the Wednesday, March 4 class post for more details on the requirements for your work.

Homework

  • For Monday, 3/9 through Friday, 3/13:
    • Celebrate. You will be on Spring Break!
  • For Monday, 3/16 and Wednesday, 3/18:
    • Be prepared to work on your third project in class. I’ll share some additional resources, and have a quick conference with each of you to answer any questions.
    • Presentation time slow sign-up will take place in class on Wednesday, 3/18.
    • Please be sure to check email before class on Sunday evening just in case there are additional instructions.
  • For Friday, 3/20:
    • Have a draft of your work ready to share in class for peer review.
  • For Monday, 3/23 through Friday, 3/27:
    • Presentations in class; attendance is required even if you are not presenting. There will be blog posts to write for each class day.
  • For Monday, 3/30:
    • Project 3 due. We will work on the reflection memo in class.
Filed Under: Class Notes