Numbered red lines are specific uses of computer technology. Material in black font provides examples of the uses.
1. Use of web syllabus for posting homework assignments that include special tips, helpful procedures, student examples, resources: http://pirate.shu.edu/~jonesedm/0150Spring2000/0150Spring2000Main.htm
2.a. Use of Blackboard for students:
- to learn from each other
- to comment on each others’ work
b. Use of Blackboard for teacher:
- to review students’ comments
- to instruct students in how to write comments
3. Students e-mailing instructor with questions or first attempts.
Freewrite on fantasy art Definition essay
Ok terrific I’m stuck. This is harder than I thought it would be. I think I lost my position on this topic. I wanted to write about Fantasy Art: When is it art and when is it porn. I found some really great sites with some amazing artwork. Sure, some of it was smutty, but I still thought of them as very beautiful and artistic. Yes, some of the women where in very erratic poses, but it was still very beautiful artwork. I’m not sure of what to write about now. We have to define porn and take a position on our topic. How I would define porn most of the fantasy paintings are then in fact pornography. I don’t know. I love fantasy art. So, if I say most of it is in pornography, then am I excepting playboy? I don’t think we should get rid of porn it is very much apart of us. Playboy does have some artistic qualities, but the photographer’s intention is to arouse his audience. Most fantasy artists are painting – well – there fantasies. Their intention might be to arouse, but then I’m not sure. An artist like Olivia De Berardinis her intention is very clear it is to definitely arouse her audience. I find some of her artwork extremely raunchy but even some of the work she has done that is smutty is in fact very beautiful.
4. Presenting lecture notes or outline of class in a highly readable way, eliminating the need to copy materials on the board (without the need to master PowerPoint).
Brainstorming for Ideas on Orientation
Look at generalizations from Profile project.
Look at what you wrote last week about getting oriented (you may share with each other).
Do a cluster exercise (see Ede p. 118-119) as a class to arrive at an engaging idea. Then spend some time creating your own cluster, or freewrite on your own idea of the class�s idea.
Approaching Two Distinct Rhetorical Situations
Define logos, pathos, and ethos. Go over homework in Ede, pp. 60-63. (Or see e.g., pp. 54-55.)
logos=logic and evidence, pathos=appeal to reader�s values/needs/emotions, ethos=the image of yourself created by your words
Apply them to the two different situations: communicating your idea about orientation to your classmates and to the president of SHU (or whatever we decide). (Volunteer needed.)
Talk about what your next steps are in writing these two one-page presentations. Then begin writing. I�ll work with individuals in class.
Going Meta
As an e-mail to me and your classmates: What do you want to remember from today�s class? What are you confused about or unsure how to do?
5. Reading e-mailed drafts, discovering key student problems, excerpting from one or two essays, and preparing in-class exercises–all without Xeroxing, all potentially prepared from that day’s homework assignment.
5a. Pointing out what students are doing well.
Use of anecdote to pose question
This is disgusting! I want these magazines off the racks right now! I can not bring my grandchildren through these lines when there are half naked women looking at them and corrupting their minds!” My friends and I snickered after the older women left the supermarket where we worked. How could she get so upset over some beauty magazines? I could understand if they were playboys or another pornography magazine, but they were magazines that you could buy anywhere. My friends and I and even our manager laughed about the woman�s behavior, but could she be right, could those magazines really be considered porn?
Extended analogies to prove a point
[student example]
Use of description to engage reader with your topic and provide necessary background
[student example]
Using an example to develop an argument
[student example]
5b. Sharing some student writing that has problems, especially connected to the objectives for the current essay, and showing one way to solve the problem, using highlighting to focus on the solution:
Create Transitions into Source Material
In English class we had to do a project on the community life at Seton Hall. So a couple of other commuters and I decided to tackle the parking situation. We all knew that something had to be done about it, because it just gets too hectic sometimes. [transition needed] “When all was said and done, I sat in my car for well over an hour, and was quite salty by the time I got out of my car, which ended up being parked as far away from my first class as possible. In order for me to have been farther away, I would have had to park in the middle of Ivy Hill Park.” That was a statement taken from a fellow student out of the archives of the Setonian.
In English class we had to do a project on the community life at Seton Hall. So a couple of other commuters and I decided to tackle the parking situation. We all knew that something had to be done about it, because it just gets too hectic sometimes. Also, the problem has been around for quite a while, long enough to appear in the Setonian on several occasions. For instance, in 1996, Mike Giampetro wrote about an experience that he had that sounded all too familiar to us: “When all was said and done, I sat in my car for well over an hour, and was quite salty by the time I got out of my car, which ended up being parked as far away from my first class as possible. In order for me to have been farther away, I would have had to park in the middle of Ivy Hill Park.”
5c. Presenting a problem to be solved by the class:
In this case, the student had written a lot but hadn’t found his main idea.
“History as a Writer”
When I think about me as a writer, I always recall my young writing years in High School. Though I had been brought up in the French language and educational system, it was the first time I had been in an American school. I entered in 9th grade, and knew nothing about writing well in English, I had also been brought up in 3 other languages, so imagine how hard it was. Through my early years in the French system, I had a tutor who came home every day and taught me what has now become my strongest forte. I enjoy this language, its easier, and used more commonly. I really enjoy languages as they will help me further myself I my career as a diplomat. Having once the power of speaking 4 (French, Spanish, English, Portuguese), as time passes one loses touch, I lost my ability to speak Portuguese but I can understand someone speaking it. Something drew me in the English language, I was more interested in it than any of the other ones. Consequently, I became good at it, and I also started writing poetry as I was influenced by singers and poets such as “The Great American Poet” (Jim Morrison) and the amazing Otis Redding, with his songs of love and sadness. My English teachers changed throughout the years, but I always managed to switch writing styles to accommodate each teacher. One would like some humorous tidbits here and there, of which I provided as I was known as the funny writer in my class. One year, I had one of those serious teachers, so I had to change again, because I was going nowhere telling jokes in my reports. Nevertheless, through the 4 years, I was good in English, wrote “A” papers, and I get to Seton Hall and they put me in ESL. The irony consists of me being real bad in Math and good in English, but somehow they put me in Statistics (last math class I will ever have to take) and ESL. So imagine the predicament I was in when I arrived to my math class with no pre-knowledge of the subject. What were all these symbols? The first week of class, I was always dumbfounded!
When I write, I think of the first thing that comes to mind and then put it down in paper, and go on with it. Once a brand new idea comes in, I usually stop, press “enter” twice and just start writing away. Then near the end, I finish the paragraph I had stopped on, and put the entire essay together. Like I did just now, the word “inspiration” juts had popped out, and the next paragraph is what I wrote when I stopped with this one. This effect as a negative outcome has the essay becomes more developed, it also turns out very unorganized in the sense of ideas. This causes the ideas to be scattered all over the paper, sometimes it helps, most times it doesn?t. For the past 3 months, my inspirations came from various sources, from family, friends, and even tragedies. But the person I turn to for my most deepest feelings and thoughts, would be my true love, my soul-mate, and the one who fills in my entity: my Amy. She gives me strength, hope, and love. She gives meaning to my writing, as I will always love her now and forever.
I have problems with the way I write, not how, in example, I always write it at the last minute? so it never comes across well, there’s always something that is left unclear and only hurts my chances of falling on the reader’s good side. I think that sometimes I need to write something funny or clever, to get the reader’s attention, this often results by blowing up in my face (see?). It seems that I have the worst timing of all time, just when the time is inappropriate for something funny, I mention something funny. When the essay is aimed at to a serious topic like world hunger or aids, there is no need for anything humorous. I think that by writing down a funny comment helps in relaxing the reader. After all, isn’t laughter the best medicine?
I remember writing once about Mp3’s, which are songs that can played from your computer, they take up a small amount of space, sound just like the CD’s, and best of all, they’re free, you can download them anywhere on the net. Well, I wrote a whole paper about “mp3’s” and how the record industry is trying to ban these (since they’re already illegal if you don’t own the CD from which the song came from, and most people don’t) because it could damage the whole music industry. But so far, nothing has happened of the like, the point is when I wrote that essay, I had assumed the audience knew about it since it’s a relatively popular concept among internet goers and free music lovers. When I got the paper back, the professor told me I had done a good job but that he didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. How stupid I felt at that moment, well you can see why. Apparently that’s something that I have problems with, the right essay for the wrong people. I often mistake the target audience for the essay causing them to have problems while reading it. I also feel like when I write a simple essay, the audience should know what I’m talking about, and that is a costly mistake I seem to make profusely.
Students were asked to identify the student author’s main points
His points about writing
- Knows several languages, with English coming last, but he’s interested through song lyrics
- He jumps around
- He’s inspired by Amy
- Doesn’t always know when to be funny
- Doesn’t always know what his audience needs
Then students were asked to come up with a main idea statement that took into account all the points listed above.
Student suggestion for main idea
Coming from such a diverse lifestyle, he carries his emotions and ability to relate to others as a guide for when he is writing. It shows how he can be confident as a writer, but also allows others to understand what he feels.
6. Broadcasting student e-mail addresses so students can “call” on each other for help and manage class projects outside of class–especially useful for coordinating activities when students are commuters.
7. Copying e-mails to particular students that are of relevance to everyone.
I. Goals: These two goals are praiseworthy, and I’m delighted that you’re trying to do something about this issue. But your goals are also very general. Effective community change work usually comes about with specific goals. (Remember the bus boycott in Birmingham, Alabama, where the goal was very “simple”: to integrate the bus system.) can you come up with specific things–or a specific thing–you’d like to see happen.
A. To further investigate and solve the problem of racism on campus.
B. To help the university become better united.II. Duties
A. Ryan-Interview one the victims of racism on campus.
B. Matt-Interview Father Spera
C. Vanessa-Interview Dean
D. Adrian-Interview another victim of racism on campus and coordinate.
8. Pitfalls
a. Computer crashes (or stolen computers or forgotten essential cords)
b. Coordination of procedures to give all students in a class access to Blackboard in a timely fashion.
c. Installation of all the proper software, ID�s, and configurations on student laptops.
d. Wildly variable student knowledge of computers (though potential for teaching each other is a real plus)
e. Servers can go down at unpredictable moments.
f. Wildly variable teacher interest in and knowledge of computers can lead to students leaving classes with little or much computer experience.