Blog Prompt: RA Reflection

Hello class,

Just a reminder:  Rhetorical Analysis due on TUESDAY, hard copy, stapled, with rubric from Supplemental Guide attached.  Also, feel free to go to the writing center anytime between now and when it is due for some extra help on your paper AND 10 points of extra credit (redeemable once only for the RA, of course).

Also:  Blog post due tomorrow at NOON.  This should be a reflection on the RA process.  How did it go? Good/bad?  What worked well, what didn't?  More or less difficult than the OpEd?  What could you have done better?  What could I have done better, or the department, or whatever?  What would you change about it?  And so forth.

Word.  Keep it real this weekend and I'll see you all on Tuesday!

-cbh

Peer Review for RA

Hello class,

As you know, we'll be conducting a peer review class on Thursday.  Your presence is REQUIRED--it is absolutely essential that you attend class on peer review day.  You should all have received an email from me outlining the instructions, but just to reiterate, here they are again:

1)  Read the rubric for the RA before you start to read your classmates' essays.  This will be helpful in looking for the more GLOBAL issues, which are all illuminated in the rubric. (However, please do NOT give your classmates a "grade" of any sort.)

2)  You will be giving a marked-up version of each of your classmates' RAs back to them--you can either print this out, write on it, and give it back to them by hand, or use the "track changes" and "comments" features of Microsoft Word and email it back to them.  Either way, all of you should receive a marked-up copy of your manuscript back from each one of your classmates in your group.  Ergo, be sure to take notes of what you think of you classmates' RAs as you read them.

2)  When looking at your classmates' RAs, first look for things they do WELL.  Come up with a list of them.  Be sure to write them down so you can remember to mention them during the workshop.

3)  Answer the question of "If this were your paper, what changes would you make?"  Be as specific as possible.

4)  Point out any other global issues that you think the author might want to be aware of (again, if you are wondering what issues to look for, refer to the RA rubric).

5)  You want to be helpful to your classmates, but you want to be kind as well.  Hopefully they will do the same for you.

6)  If you have any questions about the review process, or if any of the attachments don't work, please email me.  I'll be glad to clarify anything!  I know this will probably take a lot of you out of your comfort zone, but that's okay, guys--it can definitely be worth it!  (And, like punctuation, it builds character!)

Happy Peer Reviewing, and I'll see you all on Thursday.

-cbh

Blog Prompt: Diction, Tone, and Figurative Language

Hello class,

Your blog prompt for this week, due this Saturday (tomorrow) at noon, is to look through the article you are analyzing for your rhetorical analysis and find ways the author uses diction, tone, and figurative language (and, of course, how those decisions affect the reader).  You may list a number of examples or focus on one or two.

Also, we will be peer-reviewing this coming Thursday.  We will be doing this in groups, probably of 4-5.  I will send out an email this weekend letting each of you know whose papers you will be reviewing, and with specific instructions as to how the peer review will be run.

Have a great three-day weekend!

-cbh

RA Conference Times

Hello class,

As you know, you should have turned in a first draft of your RA (Rhetorical Analysis) to me by midnight on Friday, and I'll be conferencing with you about said drafts over the next two days (and, consequently, there will be no class tomorrow).  Here are the conference times I have scheduled so far:

Tuesday 15 Feb:

10:00  Madi
10:10  Molly
10:20  Abby
10:30  Andrew
10:40  Meghan S.
10:50  Nick

12:00  Kendall
12:10
12:20
12:30
12:40
12:50
1:00  Connor
1:10  Natalie
1:20  Candace

Wednesday 16 Feb:


9:30
9:40  Taylor
9:50  Michelle
10:00
10:10
10:20
10:30
10:40
10:50  Sara
11:00  Ashlyn
11:10  Sidney
11:20  Megan B.
11:30  Kimberly
11:40  Liz
11:50

So, there you have it.  Same drill as before:  if you haven't signed up for a time, yet, or if none of the scheduled or remaining times work for you, send me an email or reply to this post and we'll work something out.  I also should have your OpEds for you to pick up at your conference (and I should be getting your scores up on Blackboard either later tonight or sometime tomorrow).

Enjoy your (partial) day off!  I'll see you at conferences...

-cbh

P.S.  HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Schedule Changes

Hey alls,

As requested, here are the schedule changes for the following week or so:

F 11 Feb - RA Grading (Bring SG)

T 15 Feb - Conferences with me (no regular class)

Th 17 Feb - Rhetorical Fallacies (review WR ch. 4)

F 18 Feb - The Power of the Word (read WR 85-103; RA Polished Draft due)

Also, there is no official blog post for this week.  As always, you can post one about anything whenever you want, but there is no prompt on which you will be graded for this week.  Good luck with your RA first drafts!

-cbh

OpEd Blog Post

Hello class,

Sorry this is late in the posting--I know some of you have already posted and that is fine, but here is the official prompt in case you were wondering:

Write a blog post reflecting on the OpEd process.  How did it go?  What went well?  What didn't go well?  How do you think it could have gone better?  What could you/I have done differently to make it easier?  How did this compare to other papers you've written?  And so forth . . .

And remember, this post is due at NOON tomorrow (Saturday).  Good luck!

-cbh

Blog Prompt for Tonight!

Hello alls,

Great peer review today--I think it went well enough, at least!  Now, for your blog post tonight:

What are your first impressions of the peer review process?  Was it useful to you?  If so, how?  In what ways do you think it could be better?

That's it!  Don't forget your reading for Thursday, (from all three books!).

-cbh

Punctuation Groups

Those of you that were in class on Friday will remember that we spoke about the "mini-presentations" that we will be doing this Thursday (20 January) in class.  Here is a run-down of the assignment, the groups, and so forth.

The Assignment
Your group is to create a 5-minute presentation on your assigned grammar section from the Supplemental Guide, teaching the rest of the class the grammar and/or punctuation principles outlined in said section.  You may teach these principles in whatever way you want, using whatever materials/tools you want (that are within reason and appropriate, of course).  In addition, come up with 2-3 examples (per group, not per person) for the class to complete/fill in the blank/whatever that demonstrate your assigned principles.  Also, everyone in your group must participate in the actual presentation, so assign the work accordingly.

The Groups
The following are the assigned groups for the presentations:

LINKING MARKS (p. 65-66):
Molly, Abby, Sara, Connor

SEPARATING MARKS (p. 67):
Ashlyn, Sydny, Megan, Madi

ENCLOSING MARKS (p. 68):
Liz, Andrew, Kim, Natalie

OMISSION MARKS (p. 69):
Nick, Candace, Taylor, Michelle

COMMA SPLICE, RUN-ON, AND FRAGMENT (p. 70):
Kendall, Claire, Meghan

So Forth
As you may intuit, you will probably have to meet outside of class once or twice to organize your presentations with your group.  Please do so!  And, if possible, have fun with this.  I know its grammar, and lets be honest, who REALLY enjoys grammar?  (Okay, so some people definitely do...)

Hope you are all having a great LONG weekend and I'll see you in the next few days!

OpEd Conference Times

Hello class,

Here are the scheduled conferences I have so far.  If you haven't signed up for one of these times (I know a few of you weren't here on Friday), respond to this post with the time you would like--you'll notice there are a number of spots open; you can sign up for any of those.  And, if none of these times work for you, just email me and we can figure something out!

But, before I give you the schedule, a few things regarding your OpEd conferences (and conferences in general):  1) don't be intimidated (not that you would be, but in the off chance you are...)--its just a discussion on how to make your paper better.  2) come witha  few questions and/or concerns that you have about your paper that we can discuss--I'll read your paper before hand and will probably have some comments, but I want to know what you are thinking and what your concerns are as well.

Okay, so only two things.  But there you go.  Now, the schedule:

Tuesday 18 Jan:

10:00 - Candace
10:10 - Megan
10:20 - Abby
10:30 -
10:40 - Nick
10:50 - Taylor

12:00 - Ashlyn
12:10 -
12:20 -
12:30 - Andrew
12:40 -
12:50 -
1:00 - Connor
1:10 - Molly
1:20 - Natalie

Wednesday 19 Jan:
10:30 -
10:40 -
10:50 -
11:00 - Kimberly
11:10 - Sara
11:20 - Michelle
11:30 - LIz
11:40 -
11:50 - Madi

And remember, ALL CONFERENCES ARE IN 3004 JKB.  Looking forward to meeting with all of you!

Blog Post # 3

Hello class,

I know this is late, but I'm assuming you all got the message in class today.  You have a blogpost due by midnight tonight; once again, the post revolves around your OpEd.  Write a brief purpose statement/paragraph (or two) that outlines what you plan to do in your Opinion Editorial assignment.  Helpful things to include:  the rhetorical situation behind your OpEd (issue, writer, reader, purpose, etc.), where in the rhetorical lifecycle your issue is, why you think it is kairotic, potential counterarguments that you may need to address, specific examples of how you're going to prove your point/convince your audience, and so forth.

Also, remember that from now on each post of yours should include at least one form of rhetoric OTHER than writing (which may include, but is certainly not limited to, links, videos, and pictures).  Remember the copyright basics we discussed in class last week when determining what multimedia forms to use in your blog.

Finally, I've embedded a YouTube video on how to embed YouTube videos on your blog (whoa . . . trippy).  Its not the most high quality or informative video I've seen, but it should get you going.  Here it is:



Also, when embedding videos you may find that the video is too large for your blog when you publish the post (i.e. it extends beyond the blog post panel into other panels and areas of your blog).  There's an easy fix to this:  when in the "Edit HTML" version of your post, there are two areas that say "height:" and "width:"  Mess around with these numbers to get the size that fits your blogpost panel.


And, just for fun, and because the previous video reminds me of it, here is "Shane singing five octaves on the piano" (a YouTube classic!).  Enjoy!

Easy way to add blogs to blogroll...

Hey alls,

Molly brought to my attention an easy way to add blogs to the blogroll.  First of all, make sure you are following everyone in the class (including this blog)--I'm sending out the email with everyone's URL shortly--and then when you edit your blogroll there should be an option on the pop-up to simply add everyone you are following to your blogroll.

See you all tomorrow!

-cbh

Assignment and Prompt # 2

Hello class,

Remember your reading assignment for tomorrow:  find three blogs that interest you (Google search is the best way to go--you can search specifically for blogs, or search for sites that have lists of blogs e.g. "top ten nursing blogs," "top 100 creative writing blogs," "best Starcraft 2 blogs," etc.), read the past 5 posts or so on each of the blogs, and come to class tomorrow prepared to discuss

1. what each of the blogs is about (purpose)
2. who each blog is written for (audience)
3. what you like/don't like about how the bloggers present their ideas (good/bad format, boring prose, good multimedia and links, etc.)

Also, the remaining three OpEd groups from today will present their OpEds at the beginning of class tomorrow.

BLOG PROMPT # 2

Your next blog post is due by tomorrow (Friday 7th) at midnight.  It will be a brainstorm post on the topic(s) you are considering for your Opinion Editorial.  Review the SG 1-15 for guidelines on the OpEd.  For this class, we'll say that each of you are writing your OpEd as if you were writing it for the Daily Universe, meaning that your "audience" will be BYU students, faculty, professors, and so forth.  Your topic, given that parameter, may be whatever you wish (preferably something you feel strongly about).

So:  1-3 paragraphs of brainstorming, due tomorrow at midnight!

And, of course, don't forget to comment on each others' blogs!

Blog Prompt # 1

Hello fearless bloggers,

In case you missed the assignment this morning, or somehow forgot, your duty for tonight is to 1) create your blog and email me the URL and 2) send your first blogpost out into the blogosphere!

Your first post should be a brief intro to yourself now and where you see yourself in the future (occupationally, physically, geneologically, ecumenically, grammatically, whatever.  Give us some insights into who you are and what you want to do with your life (or, perhaps, what you don't know you want to do with your life).

And, of course, don't forget to comment!*  Happy blogging and I'll see you all on Thursday--with syllabus contracts signed and ready for me, right? :-)**

-cbh

*  Which, speaking of commenting, please leave a signature for each comment you post so I know who is commenting on what.  You should be commenting through your Blogger account, but just in case just put your first name, initials, or some identifiable characteristic of you at the end of each comment (e.g. like what I've done at the end of the body of this post with "cbh" [my initials]).


**  Check it...I just used an emoticon.