I love spring. For me it’s a season of rebirth, creation, and growth, and it presents an opportunity to explore and embrace ideas and approaches that will strengthen and uplift our nation and the communities we share. I was having a conversation with a member of my community – one of my old teachers – and he mentioned to me that 2011 is the UN year for people of African Descent. I was intrigued, so I went online and read all UN statements about this. I discovered a grand call for reflection, acknowledgment, responsibility, and positive action.
QUOTE THE Statement.
Reading these statements makes me think about how as a nation, we have created many categories and identities for ourselves (minority, majority, disenfranchised, privileged, etc.), but no matter what box we put our selves in or have been historically placed in , we all have the ability as holistic individuals to reflect upon our past and the experience of the African in the Americas.
We can acknowledge what we know through remembrance ,learn new truths, and act responsibly and positively to create a truthful, respectful, and honorable existence.
As we examine the U.N. and its agendas, It would be beneficial for people of African Descent and others to identify if this is something that we understand and welcome fully or partially and what it means for the present and future of our society and others.
In all areas, does this bring about Cooperative efforts that are based in respect, truth, and honor?
what things would we like to see implemented that are not included? what existing parts would we like to see implemented?What aspects of it do we/you not agree with and how can we address it?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Priya's writer's chair 4/26/11
HIGH SCHOOL CLICHES IN MOVIES; how unrealistic!
I was watching a movie with my little sister the other day called “Bratz.” DESCRIBE MOVIE.
This movie got me thinking, high school isn't really like that. I went to James Logan High School in Union City. First, there were too many students to have the popular football team and cheerleader group we see in movies. We did have the occasional over achievers and some popular kids, but my high school was nothing like the schools depicted in movies like Mean Girls, Clueless, Mean Girls 2, Fast Times at Richmond High, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Love Don't Cost a Thing and the upcoming new movie like Disney's PROM. In these movies, DESCRIBE CLICHES. But in reality, school doesn't function that way. For example, in Mean Girls a new girl comes to town she meets two kids who are nice to her then she falls into the "clique," of the Mean Girls who call themselves the Plastics. The leader of the Plastics takes the new girl under her wings and makes her into one of them. Shortly after the new girl falls in love with the Plastic's leader's ex boyfriend. Well you get the picture, same with all these movies. Now in Disney's PROM based on the trailer I've seen, my senior prom was quite lame, because the limo was late and we got there with two hours to spare, in Disney's version they hype it up with the prom king and queen dancing to the slow song, come on! In reality everyone joins in! And what's up with the nerdy girl falling for a jock and the popular girl not getting the right guy? That's not real life! After high school most of us go to college and try to start anew and not think about the high school "drama," of breaking up and going out. Most high school relationships don't last and many like to find their significant others in college. Anyway, to wrap it up and not drone on, high school cliches work for movies but the story line gets old unless you add murder, scandal, and maybe something exciting, PROM may be worth watching.
I was watching a movie with my little sister the other day called “Bratz.” DESCRIBE MOVIE.
This movie got me thinking, high school isn't really like that. I went to James Logan High School in Union City. First, there were too many students to have the popular football team and cheerleader group we see in movies. We did have the occasional over achievers and some popular kids, but my high school was nothing like the schools depicted in movies like Mean Girls, Clueless, Mean Girls 2, Fast Times at Richmond High, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Love Don't Cost a Thing and the upcoming new movie like Disney's PROM. In these movies, DESCRIBE CLICHES. But in reality, school doesn't function that way. For example, in Mean Girls a new girl comes to town she meets two kids who are nice to her then she falls into the "clique," of the Mean Girls who call themselves the Plastics. The leader of the Plastics takes the new girl under her wings and makes her into one of them. Shortly after the new girl falls in love with the Plastic's leader's ex boyfriend. Well you get the picture, same with all these movies. Now in Disney's PROM based on the trailer I've seen, my senior prom was quite lame, because the limo was late and we got there with two hours to spare, in Disney's version they hype it up with the prom king and queen dancing to the slow song, come on! In reality everyone joins in! And what's up with the nerdy girl falling for a jock and the popular girl not getting the right guy? That's not real life! After high school most of us go to college and try to start anew and not think about the high school "drama," of breaking up and going out. Most high school relationships don't last and many like to find their significant others in college. Anyway, to wrap it up and not drone on, high school cliches work for movies but the story line gets old unless you add murder, scandal, and maybe something exciting, PROM may be worth watching.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Getting Ready for Final Grades!! Important Information -- Please Read!
1.When is it due?
Due Date: The Last Day of Finals -- May 20th. If you finish it early, you can turn it in early. I encourage you do this!
2. What am I turning in?
An electronic portfolio. A set of links to your work, that you can email to me.
1.Link #1 -- your finished blog
2. An attachment (OR a print screen OR a website) where you put your homework, comments on other blogs, email consultations with me, and your cover memo to me (see #3 below). Organize this somehow -- use headings to tell me what's what; label things!
#3 A cover memo to me, telling me what to notice in your blog, what you feel your strengths as a blogger are, any posts you want me to read in particular, what you learned from this class and/or experience of blogging.
3. What does my blog need to get an A?
* Engagement -- You need a solid number of posts, a variety of posts, posts that show your engagement with the topic and the blog itself.
* A sense that as a blogger you are participating in a larger conversations with other writers on the internet. (blog roll if you're using blogger; if tumbler, use followers). A post or two responding to others' writing.
* A sense that you are intellectually engaging in your topic -- looking at some of the deeper issues or controversies or history of your topic.
* Visual experimenation and creativity.
Due Date: The Last Day of Finals -- May 20th. If you finish it early, you can turn it in early. I encourage you do this!
2. What am I turning in?
An electronic portfolio. A set of links to your work, that you can email to me.
1.Link #1 -- your finished blog
2. An attachment (OR a print screen OR a website) where you put your homework, comments on other blogs, email consultations with me, and your cover memo to me (see #3 below). Organize this somehow -- use headings to tell me what's what; label things!
#3 A cover memo to me, telling me what to notice in your blog, what you feel your strengths as a blogger are, any posts you want me to read in particular, what you learned from this class and/or experience of blogging.
3. What does my blog need to get an A?
* Engagement -- You need a solid number of posts, a variety of posts, posts that show your engagement with the topic and the blog itself.
* A sense that as a blogger you are participating in a larger conversations with other writers on the internet. (blog roll if you're using blogger; if tumbler, use followers). A post or two responding to others' writing.
* A sense that you are intellectually engaging in your topic -- looking at some of the deeper issues or controversies or history of your topic.
* Visual experimenation and creativity.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The End of Composition Studies?
Can we teach writing?
Smit argues that:
1. There is no evidence or very little evidence that the writing skills we teach actually transfer to other contexts
2. The only real way to learn writing is to be part of a discourse community; we learn writing by being immersed. If we could bring an immersion model to the writing classroom, then we could teach people how to write within at lesat one discourse community.
3. Writing is acquired. To the extent you can teach it, you have to teach the similarities between discourse communities ("strong skills"). And similarities across genres.
4. We need an acquisition-rich learning environment.
5. Connections to Heath and to Gee -- some communities immerse children in discourse communities that are already similar to the discourses they'll need in professional contexts, and some communities are shut out of professional communities and so can't immerse their chidlren in them. Built-in inequality.
Smit argues that:
1. There is no evidence or very little evidence that the writing skills we teach actually transfer to other contexts
2. The only real way to learn writing is to be part of a discourse community; we learn writing by being immersed. If we could bring an immersion model to the writing classroom, then we could teach people how to write within at lesat one discourse community.
3. Writing is acquired. To the extent you can teach it, you have to teach the similarities between discourse communities ("strong skills"). And similarities across genres.
4. We need an acquisition-rich learning environment.
5. Connections to Heath and to Gee -- some communities immerse children in discourse communities that are already similar to the discourses they'll need in professional contexts, and some communities are shut out of professional communities and so can't immerse their chidlren in them. Built-in inequality.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Shay's cover letter
Dear xxx,
I am writing to express my interest in becoming a teaching artist in your organization. During the past four years, I have studied theater at British American Dramatic Academy at Oxford and at San Francisco State University, where I focused on Shakespearean theatre, movement-oriented theatre, mustical theatre, and devised work. I have also worked with children as a camp counselor and as a dance instructor. I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Drama and hope to work in the fields of education and performance.
My diverse educational experience along with my leadership qualities would be a valuable asset to San Francisco XXX. Currently, I am president of our theatre organization at San Francisco State, where we host events and shows for our fellow student body. As president, I work with people everyday in business and group settings, and as a result I have developed strong management and communication skills.
I am very interested in working with San Francisco xxx and I look forward to the opportunity to meeting with you in person. Thank you for your time and consideration.
I am writing to express my interest in becoming a teaching artist in your organization. During the past four years, I have studied theater at British American Dramatic Academy at Oxford and at San Francisco State University, where I focused on Shakespearean theatre, movement-oriented theatre, mustical theatre, and devised work. I have also worked with children as a camp counselor and as a dance instructor. I will be graduating in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Drama and hope to work in the fields of education and performance.
My diverse educational experience along with my leadership qualities would be a valuable asset to San Francisco XXX. Currently, I am president of our theatre organization at San Francisco State, where we host events and shows for our fellow student body. As president, I work with people everyday in business and group settings, and as a result I have developed strong management and communication skills.
I am very interested in working with San Francisco xxx and I look forward to the opportunity to meeting with you in person. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Dean's cover letter
Dear Human Resource Manager,
Within the next couple of semesters, I plan to graduate from San Francisco State University with a major in Sociology. My previous work experience has provided me with a strong background in sales, marketing, customer service and training. One of the greatest qualities I have learned is how to multi-task. While in school I have supported myself and still continued forward with my education. I am proud to say that next semester I will be graduating to San Francisco State University.
I began my sales career at Best Buy as a seasonal cashier. While I was there I received multiple promotions and department recognitions as Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Month. On many occasions, as a part-time employee, my total sales were higher than that of my fellow full-time colleagues. While working at Best Buy I had the opportunity to meet and sale a variety of product to professional athletes, such as Berry Zito, Eric Chavez, and Joe Morgan. After starting my college career I was hired as a regional sales representative. I sold electronics like Panasonic and TomTom through third party stores. While I was working in Costco in Santa Maria, CA, Panasonic cameras quickly became the best selling camera for the store. My sales can be attributed to my communication and customer relation skills. I am able to quickly assess a customer and relate the product to their lifestyle wants and needs. Additionally, my job duties included conducting customer demonstrations for both individuals and groups, training full-time employees on the latest products, and setting-up displays.
Additionally, I have been attending Giants games for as long as I can remember. I have a vast knowledge of not only the San Francisco Giants, but of the MLB. I not only understand the history of baseball, but I stay current on player transactions and news. When the pitchers and catchers report to camp, the New Year starts for me.
I am excited to hear about the sales and marketing internship opportunity, as I would be a great fit for the position. My vast knowledge of the San Francisco Giants and the MLB combine with my understanding and experience in sales would make me a valuable asset to the Giants Family.
Sincerely,
Within the next couple of semesters, I plan to graduate from San Francisco State University with a major in Sociology. My previous work experience has provided me with a strong background in sales, marketing, customer service and training. One of the greatest qualities I have learned is how to multi-task. While in school I have supported myself and still continued forward with my education. I am proud to say that next semester I will be graduating to San Francisco State University.
I began my sales career at Best Buy as a seasonal cashier. While I was there I received multiple promotions and department recognitions as Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Month. On many occasions, as a part-time employee, my total sales were higher than that of my fellow full-time colleagues. While working at Best Buy I had the opportunity to meet and sale a variety of product to professional athletes, such as Berry Zito, Eric Chavez, and Joe Morgan. After starting my college career I was hired as a regional sales representative. I sold electronics like Panasonic and TomTom through third party stores. While I was working in Costco in Santa Maria, CA, Panasonic cameras quickly became the best selling camera for the store. My sales can be attributed to my communication and customer relation skills. I am able to quickly assess a customer and relate the product to their lifestyle wants and needs. Additionally, my job duties included conducting customer demonstrations for both individuals and groups, training full-time employees on the latest products, and setting-up displays.
Additionally, I have been attending Giants games for as long as I can remember. I have a vast knowledge of not only the San Francisco Giants, but of the MLB. I not only understand the history of baseball, but I stay current on player transactions and news. When the pitchers and catchers report to camp, the New Year starts for me.
I am excited to hear about the sales and marketing internship opportunity, as I would be a great fit for the position. My vast knowledge of the San Francisco Giants and the MLB combine with my understanding and experience in sales would make me a valuable asset to the Giants Family.
Sincerely,
Tiarra's cover letter
March 20, 2011
Dear Hiring Manager:
This letter is to express my interest in a possible entry-level position or internship with xxx in San Francisco. I believe my previous experience of in customer service and management, as well as my creative abilities and educational background in marketing, make me a good fit for your company. I am innovative and charismatic -- willing to express my ideas and to collaborate with clients. I believe I would be a great addition to xxx’s interactive marketing strategies. Following are five significant qualifications I have to offer:
• Four years of retail experience (including efforts to establish customer relationships on a daily basis -- finding solutions to problems, and fulfilling customer needs)
• Excellent communication and team building skills (including taking on a leadership role for more three years in retail and finding new and innovative ways to lead a team to increase revenue, improve performance in sales and customer service)
• Two years of assisting management in developing and managing shift schedules for a retail store (including accommodating a direct manager in agendas, tasks, and special projects, and communicating to managers about every day budget performance of my department and store as a whole)
• Experience with managing the holiday/event display in a retail store: constructing a creative display of products and décor relative to a specific holiday or theme for grab-n-go items and gift ideas for customers
• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office: creating Excel spreadsheets to help analyze budget performance and goals, preparing Word documents and worksheets to help management organize tasks and administrative functions, communicating to a large staff and management team using Outlook on a daily basis, creating PowerPoint presentations for school and work projects
I look forward to hearing from you to discuss the positive contributions I can offer xxx. Thank you for your time and consideration
Dear Hiring Manager:
This letter is to express my interest in a possible entry-level position or internship with xxx in San Francisco. I believe my previous experience of in customer service and management, as well as my creative abilities and educational background in marketing, make me a good fit for your company. I am innovative and charismatic -- willing to express my ideas and to collaborate with clients. I believe I would be a great addition to xxx’s interactive marketing strategies. Following are five significant qualifications I have to offer:
• Four years of retail experience (including efforts to establish customer relationships on a daily basis -- finding solutions to problems, and fulfilling customer needs)
• Excellent communication and team building skills (including taking on a leadership role for more three years in retail and finding new and innovative ways to lead a team to increase revenue, improve performance in sales and customer service)
• Two years of assisting management in developing and managing shift schedules for a retail store (including accommodating a direct manager in agendas, tasks, and special projects, and communicating to managers about every day budget performance of my department and store as a whole)
• Experience with managing the holiday/event display in a retail store: constructing a creative display of products and décor relative to a specific holiday or theme for grab-n-go items and gift ideas for customers
• Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office: creating Excel spreadsheets to help analyze budget performance and goals, preparing Word documents and worksheets to help management organize tasks and administrative functions, communicating to a large staff and management team using Outlook on a daily basis, creating PowerPoint presentations for school and work projects
I look forward to hearing from you to discuss the positive contributions I can offer xxx. Thank you for your time and consideration
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Akwoung's Writers Chair
I failed a very important test recently and so I just want to devote this post to a free write of my feelings about blogging and any other thoughts I have compiled in the past few days. So failing this test has put me in a very despairing state. I’ve been ignoring all my friends that want to go play Tennis and do other fun things; the strange thing is that Tennis or any activity that takes me outdoors is very therapeutic for me but right now I don't even feel like opening the door to my apartment. I have been doing nothing but sit in front of the computer and eat loads and loads of junk food, particularly Twinkies. I’m really mad at myself for caving in under pressure during the test and whenever I’m mad at myself and feel unworthy, to the point where I don’t want to do anything, I distant myself from the world and the people I know for a good amount of time. For me, during these times, I'd rather be alone so I can re-evaluate my life.
I guess this is why I haven't posted about biology lately. I haven't felt like doing anything. I think it’s important to just take a breather when you need it and do some self-reflection.
Anyways one thing I have been doing a lot the past few days, besides indulging in s***** food is reading on the net; random subjects from articles on Yahoo and posts from other Blogs and I don’t really know why this is the only thing I feel like doing. I've been able to read because I actually deactivated my Facebook and other social network accounts. Staying off social networks and spending the extra time reading, I realized that there is really not a lot of time spent on writing these days and expressing oneself or analyzing problems thoughtfully. Instead, we spend our time on one sentence or one word statuses, watching videos on Youtube only to leave a f*** *** or other 4 letter curse words on comments of videos you don’t like, which I must admit I’m guilty of from time to time. I even came across a Blog that discussed about how Blogs are becoming extinct now since it’s only older folks that are doing it and once they are gone so will Blogs. MORE HERE
I started this blog, not necessarily out of passion for biology, but because it was required for an English class I didn't want to take but was forced to for graduation. The teacher assigned blogs, and at first this seemed like another boring and pointless activity -- another essay on a topic I care nothing about, another test on material I will forget as soon as the course is over. Initially, I was just going to post about biology issues, sound like a textbook with bare minimum lengths and be done with it because I thought Blogging was stupid. WHY. After reading other people’s Blogs, from classmates and other strangers on the internet, I really feel like Blogging is a form of an open diary where you post issues about your topic while also incorporating a bit of your own thoughts. Besides expression, I realized that blogs can be a form of self-discovery -- through writing, you can xxx -- and blogs can be quite calming at times -- when I write, I find that .xxx. ,Self-discovery and a calm approach to life are not common with people these days. We rush from xxxx We check our blackberries, facebook accts, email... But what about self-expression? I bring up expression, because if we would have done essays in my English class, instead of this blog, I don't think we as students would have been able to really say what we think, really express our ideas and feelings, due to confines of grading, due to not being able to incorporate videos and pictures and due to having to write about something we don't like.
Of course, at this point, I haven’t produced a lot of posts… well at least the amount required. However; I do spend a lot of time thinking about what my next topic should be. I also go back to my previous posts occasionally to read and work on the flow and correct any errors. Most importantly, I really try my best to research on my topic, refresh my memory so that I can make it easy to for people to comprehend and also thought provoking; try to avoid any fancy or complicated scientific terms so that it’s more relatable and less confusing, and steer away from many of the complicated processes or at least break it down straight to the point.
As I hinted on before, I was going to explain everything with my current knowledge and write without much thought; but after the class evaluations and everything it wasn’t going to happen anymore, which I’m kind of glad. By doing research on things I think I know about, I discover more interesting things and I feel like I want to explain it more with care as opposed to just randomly talking about it like nothing. In a way it made me ponder upon certain issues deeper instead of just recalling the scientific facts I’ve memorized about them.
I don’t know how long this interest will allow me to Blog, if any, after this class but at this moment I think I’m getting the hang of Blogs. I realize that perhaps writing does have some benefits besides for school work. Anyways, I'm a bit glad I took some time out to do some self-reflection and evaluation.
I guess this is why I haven't posted about biology lately. I haven't felt like doing anything. I think it’s important to just take a breather when you need it and do some self-reflection.
Anyways one thing I have been doing a lot the past few days, besides indulging in s***** food is reading on the net; random subjects from articles on Yahoo and posts from other Blogs and I don’t really know why this is the only thing I feel like doing. I've been able to read because I actually deactivated my Facebook and other social network accounts. Staying off social networks and spending the extra time reading, I realized that there is really not a lot of time spent on writing these days and expressing oneself or analyzing problems thoughtfully. Instead, we spend our time on one sentence or one word statuses, watching videos on Youtube only to leave a f*** *** or other 4 letter curse words on comments of videos you don’t like, which I must admit I’m guilty of from time to time. I even came across a Blog that discussed about how Blogs are becoming extinct now since it’s only older folks that are doing it and once they are gone so will Blogs. MORE HERE
I started this blog, not necessarily out of passion for biology, but because it was required for an English class I didn't want to take but was forced to for graduation. The teacher assigned blogs, and at first this seemed like another boring and pointless activity -- another essay on a topic I care nothing about, another test on material I will forget as soon as the course is over. Initially, I was just going to post about biology issues, sound like a textbook with bare minimum lengths and be done with it because I thought Blogging was stupid. WHY. After reading other people’s Blogs, from classmates and other strangers on the internet, I really feel like Blogging is a form of an open diary where you post issues about your topic while also incorporating a bit of your own thoughts. Besides expression, I realized that blogs can be a form of self-discovery -- through writing, you can xxx -- and blogs can be quite calming at times -- when I write, I find that .xxx. ,Self-discovery and a calm approach to life are not common with people these days. We rush from xxxx We check our blackberries, facebook accts, email... But what about self-expression? I bring up expression, because if we would have done essays in my English class, instead of this blog, I don't think we as students would have been able to really say what we think, really express our ideas and feelings, due to confines of grading, due to not being able to incorporate videos and pictures and due to having to write about something we don't like.
Of course, at this point, I haven’t produced a lot of posts… well at least the amount required. However; I do spend a lot of time thinking about what my next topic should be. I also go back to my previous posts occasionally to read and work on the flow and correct any errors. Most importantly, I really try my best to research on my topic, refresh my memory so that I can make it easy to for people to comprehend and also thought provoking; try to avoid any fancy or complicated scientific terms so that it’s more relatable and less confusing, and steer away from many of the complicated processes or at least break it down straight to the point.
As I hinted on before, I was going to explain everything with my current knowledge and write without much thought; but after the class evaluations and everything it wasn’t going to happen anymore, which I’m kind of glad. By doing research on things I think I know about, I discover more interesting things and I feel like I want to explain it more with care as opposed to just randomly talking about it like nothing. In a way it made me ponder upon certain issues deeper instead of just recalling the scientific facts I’ve memorized about them.
I don’t know how long this interest will allow me to Blog, if any, after this class but at this moment I think I’m getting the hang of Blogs. I realize that perhaps writing does have some benefits besides for school work. Anyways, I'm a bit glad I took some time out to do some self-reflection and evaluation.
Susan's Writers Chair
Ah, its Valentines Day! For me this confection-filled heart-shaped day is no different from any other. But for those of you in romantic relationships, temptations abound. By that I mean of course food -- chocolate, pasta at cozy Italian restaurants, rich desserts at romantic get-aways, boxes of Godiva candy. A few tips on navigating your Valentine's Day if you're on a strict diet, like me:
1. invite your significant other to join you in a 30min cardio-work out sometime in the morning. You'll be burning calories throughout the day;
2. eat Dark Chocolate if you must -- it's healthier than milk chocolate and good for your heart [insert picture of valentine heart here? ]
3. try to have dinner as early as possible, even if its 5pm. This not only gives you time for romance later but also gives your body time to burn the calories you consumed;
4. order Seafood and Vegetables -- grilled,steamed,or smoked -- and avoid carbs as much as possible. Or, choose a salad as an entre. Save the calories for heart-shaped desserts later.
5. for dessert, choose fresh strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. If you must devour that tirmuirsu or red velvet cake then SHARE IT with only 1 order. It's more romantic, and less caloric.
A huge misconception about dieting is that we must be super strict and never cheat. We assume that a diet means.... We assume that dieting will never work unless.... We assume ... Well giving our bodies a "cheat" day, with an exception of making smart cheat choices is completely fine! Studies have shown that... OR AS SO AND SO WRITES IN HIS / HER ARTICLE... Of course, eating a cheeseburger or pizza is obviously not a smart cheat choice. The real reason that we can make small tweaks and exceptions in our diets, is to throw your body off. Afterbeing on an extensive diet, sometimes your body needs that resistance and reminder of the fatty foods it once craved, which in turn will have no affect on you and only make your discipline stronger. So I hope you learn from this blog that allowing your body to eat bad, for 1 MEAL (not an entire day) is okay. Of course this treat should only be awarded once a month with a good work out regime.
Until next time!
1. invite your significant other to join you in a 30min cardio-work out sometime in the morning. You'll be burning calories throughout the day;
2. eat Dark Chocolate if you must -- it's healthier than milk chocolate and good for your heart [insert picture of valentine heart here? ]
3. try to have dinner as early as possible, even if its 5pm. This not only gives you time for romance later but also gives your body time to burn the calories you consumed;
4. order Seafood and Vegetables -- grilled,steamed,or smoked -- and avoid carbs as much as possible. Or, choose a salad as an entre. Save the calories for heart-shaped desserts later.
5. for dessert, choose fresh strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. If you must devour that tirmuirsu or red velvet cake then SHARE IT with only 1 order. It's more romantic, and less caloric.
A huge misconception about dieting is that we must be super strict and never cheat. We assume that a diet means.... We assume that dieting will never work unless.... We assume ... Well giving our bodies a "cheat" day, with an exception of making smart cheat choices is completely fine! Studies have shown that... OR AS SO AND SO WRITES IN HIS / HER ARTICLE... Of course, eating a cheeseburger or pizza is obviously not a smart cheat choice. The real reason that we can make small tweaks and exceptions in our diets, is to throw your body off. Afterbeing on an extensive diet, sometimes your body needs that resistance and reminder of the fatty foods it once craved, which in turn will have no affect on you and only make your discipline stronger. So I hope you learn from this blog that allowing your body to eat bad, for 1 MEAL (not an entire day) is okay. Of course this treat should only be awarded once a month with a good work out regime.
Until next time!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Mid-Term Questions and Reflections
1. How is your blogging going? What challenges have you faced? What do you like best about blogging?
What we like best:
The audience is different and that's key. When you're writing for a teacher, they know more than you,a nd they're evaluating you. When you're a real writer, you know more than your audience (otherwise why would youb e writing) and the audience is trying to learn from you, connect to you, enjoy your perspective, possibly disagree or write back, challenge you.
Freedom from writing on topics we don't like and structures we don't like.
We can express ourselves better -- because we get to write about what we like -- in the voice we decide on, the length we decide on, structure we decide on, etc. We get to make the decisions about what the writing looks like and sounds like.
No pressure.
It's connected to our daily life -- it's like FB and its a way of staying connected nad reaching an audience. Media is second-nature to us -- it doesn't feel like homework. It's convenient -- it's self-paced, flexible. Blogging fits with our generation -- we're used to being online. We enjoy it because it's like FBing -- it's connected, it's wired, and our generation likes that and is used to it. It's enjoyable so it feels easier. It doesn't feel like we're doing it for a grade. We like writing about our own topic.
What we like best:
There's no pressure.
There's lots of pressure.
Different kind of pressure: the audience is public. It's hard to write it for both class and the larger public. Hard to get the right voice (formal or informal).The whole net can read it, so that make more pressure. But -- there's less pressure because the deadlines are flexible. We go at our own pace which helps a lot.
We like that there's no length requirement. We don't have to write things we don't want to, or say things we don't want to just to fill up the length requirement.
There's no pressure to write in a certain way. It's up to us to figure out the tone, the voice, the organization, the level of detail, etc.
We like that it makes us think outside the box. e.g., for Lisa's baking blog, I try to tie the recipe into a theme -- this is making me think outside the box. I'm always trying to think about how to interest the readers, instead of just one teacher.
There's pressure to make it good, esp because we like the topic, so we don't want to give it short-shrift -- we want everyone to like our topic and be interested in it.
We like customizing it -- create a design. It feels like FB -- kind of trendy, and personal but still public. It's creating a whole experience for the reader
We like exploring unusual topics -- e.g. Christian's on hackers. Normally you'd be expected to have expertise, but the web allows anyone to become an expert -- the audience decides whether you know what you're talking about and they also participate and help you learn about your topic.
We get to be experts.
Keeping it interesting, keeping the reader interested.
The topic is too broad, and it's hard to decide how to shape it. It's hard to figure out how to make all the decisions.
It's hard to be responsible for all that freedom! Requires creativity and contant thinking.
Making sure I don't offend anyone, making sure my opinion doesn't offend. Trying to make sure we don't say something that is misunderstood.
Temptation to procrastinate, because there is no pressure.
Making sure you don't offend anyone -- not turning the reader off.
Comparing our writing to everyone else in the class -- this can make us intimidated and shut down our creative juices. We start to critique our writing.
It's hard to make it interesting. Keep the audience interested.
The good thing about blogging is that it makes the audience come alive for us as writers and it makes us care about the audience. School writing has too limited an audience.
2. How would you evaluate your blog? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
3. What have you learned about yourself as a writer, or about writing, from the experience of blogging? How is blogging similar to and different from other writing that you've done?
4. Do you think a class like this would help students become better writers? Be truthful!! Explain.
5. What do students need to do in order to improve their writing? What do teachers need to do to help students be better writers? Bonus question: what do we mean by "better"? More grammatically correct? More fluent? More voice and ownership? More persuasive? ???
6. What new ideas or questions about writing and/or about school have you gained this semester?
1. Is school ever going to change? Will teachers ever realize that what they're doing isn't helping us?
2. If teachers communicate to students that they care and are on the students' side, the students learn more, regardless of the subject or how the class is set up. Is this true? What really needs to change to improve students' experiences in school?
Teachers / advisors seem like they really don't want to help us.
3. Is writing a skill that can be directly taught or does it have to be nurtured?
7. What kinds of learning experiences would most benefit you in this
class, going forward? What do you want to learn and do in the
next seven weeks? What would most nurture your writing?
1. Work on resumes and cover letters
2. Work on personal statements for grad school
3. We agree with 11:00 class
Writer's Chair: Akwoung and Shanae
1. Spend time in class looking at resumes and cover letters.
2. More feedback on our blogs. Direct feedback.
Possible homework: find the blog with the best sentence-level writing. Find the blog that most needs help with sentence-level writing.
3. More commenting on each other's blogs.
4. More tips for writing from Prof Trainor. Debunking myths about writing. Myth-busters about writing.
5. In-class work on blogs (bring laptops, do focused activities on your blogs).
6. Assign writer's chair so that the writer spends time getting ready for it.
More detailed writer's chair -- more detailed feedback.
Hannah, Susan
What we like best:
The audience is different and that's key. When you're writing for a teacher, they know more than you,a nd they're evaluating you. When you're a real writer, you know more than your audience (otherwise why would youb e writing) and the audience is trying to learn from you, connect to you, enjoy your perspective, possibly disagree or write back, challenge you.
Freedom from writing on topics we don't like and structures we don't like.
We can express ourselves better -- because we get to write about what we like -- in the voice we decide on, the length we decide on, structure we decide on, etc. We get to make the decisions about what the writing looks like and sounds like.
No pressure.
It's connected to our daily life -- it's like FB and its a way of staying connected nad reaching an audience. Media is second-nature to us -- it doesn't feel like homework. It's convenient -- it's self-paced, flexible. Blogging fits with our generation -- we're used to being online. We enjoy it because it's like FBing -- it's connected, it's wired, and our generation likes that and is used to it. It's enjoyable so it feels easier. It doesn't feel like we're doing it for a grade. We like writing about our own topic.
What we like best:
There's no pressure.
There's lots of pressure.
Different kind of pressure: the audience is public. It's hard to write it for both class and the larger public. Hard to get the right voice (formal or informal).The whole net can read it, so that make more pressure. But -- there's less pressure because the deadlines are flexible. We go at our own pace which helps a lot.
We like that there's no length requirement. We don't have to write things we don't want to, or say things we don't want to just to fill up the length requirement.
There's no pressure to write in a certain way. It's up to us to figure out the tone, the voice, the organization, the level of detail, etc.
We like that it makes us think outside the box. e.g., for Lisa's baking blog, I try to tie the recipe into a theme -- this is making me think outside the box. I'm always trying to think about how to interest the readers, instead of just one teacher.
There's pressure to make it good, esp because we like the topic, so we don't want to give it short-shrift -- we want everyone to like our topic and be interested in it.
We like customizing it -- create a design. It feels like FB -- kind of trendy, and personal but still public. It's creating a whole experience for the reader
We like exploring unusual topics -- e.g. Christian's on hackers. Normally you'd be expected to have expertise, but the web allows anyone to become an expert -- the audience decides whether you know what you're talking about and they also participate and help you learn about your topic.
We get to be experts.
Keeping it interesting, keeping the reader interested.
The topic is too broad, and it's hard to decide how to shape it. It's hard to figure out how to make all the decisions.
It's hard to be responsible for all that freedom! Requires creativity and contant thinking.
Making sure I don't offend anyone, making sure my opinion doesn't offend. Trying to make sure we don't say something that is misunderstood.
Temptation to procrastinate, because there is no pressure.
Making sure you don't offend anyone -- not turning the reader off.
Comparing our writing to everyone else in the class -- this can make us intimidated and shut down our creative juices. We start to critique our writing.
It's hard to make it interesting. Keep the audience interested.
The good thing about blogging is that it makes the audience come alive for us as writers and it makes us care about the audience. School writing has too limited an audience.
2. How would you evaluate your blog? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
3. What have you learned about yourself as a writer, or about writing, from the experience of blogging? How is blogging similar to and different from other writing that you've done?
4. Do you think a class like this would help students become better writers? Be truthful!! Explain.
5. What do students need to do in order to improve their writing? What do teachers need to do to help students be better writers? Bonus question: what do we mean by "better"? More grammatically correct? More fluent? More voice and ownership? More persuasive? ???
6. What new ideas or questions about writing and/or about school have you gained this semester?
1. Is school ever going to change? Will teachers ever realize that what they're doing isn't helping us?
2. If teachers communicate to students that they care and are on the students' side, the students learn more, regardless of the subject or how the class is set up. Is this true? What really needs to change to improve students' experiences in school?
Teachers / advisors seem like they really don't want to help us.
3. Is writing a skill that can be directly taught or does it have to be nurtured?
7. What kinds of learning experiences would most benefit you in this
class, going forward? What do you want to learn and do in the
next seven weeks? What would most nurture your writing?
1. Work on resumes and cover letters
2. Work on personal statements for grad school
3. We agree with 11:00 class
Writer's Chair: Akwoung and Shanae
1. Spend time in class looking at resumes and cover letters.
2. More feedback on our blogs. Direct feedback.
Possible homework: find the blog with the best sentence-level writing. Find the blog that most needs help with sentence-level writing.
3. More commenting on each other's blogs.
4. More tips for writing from Prof Trainor. Debunking myths about writing. Myth-busters about writing.
5. In-class work on blogs (bring laptops, do focused activities on your blogs).
6. Assign writer's chair so that the writer spends time getting ready for it.
More detailed writer's chair -- more detailed feedback.
Hannah, Susan
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Lucia's writer's chair
What we liked:
1. The links are interesting and the commenting on the links is effective. Lucia provides good commentary on links.
2. The topic is serious, but Lucia does a good job of breaking up the seriousness with humorous videos on the topic.
3. She does a good job of stating her opinion.
4. The design is eye-catching and makes you want to read more.
5. The topic is interesting.
6. Lucia's ethos is strong -- she appears to be concerned with justice, open-minded (considering all points of view), curious and passionate about the topic.
For Revision or Next Steps:
1. Do a piece on the politics of what gets covered by the media and what gets ignored. Why certain crimes get ignored, why others get tons of attention.
2. A post on how the media covers crime, what they focus on and why?
3. Put the links in a difference color so they stand out.
4. Make the color in the backgound extend to the whole blog
5. Have confidence in your choice of posts -- no need to apologize or explain why you're choosing to post on something.
6. Follow-up on police officer story (what happened??).
7. Connect police officer story to other police brutality stories and statistics.
8. Write a post on police officer who was dealing drugs.
BEFORE:
I am completely against children and teenagers doing life in prison. I know the crimes committed by them that led to this type of sentencing is uncalled for but these are still children. If a juvenile is behaving this kind of way then their is something going on with them and in their environment. Instead of sentencing them life in prison they need to find them psychological help. I do agree that they need to be punished for their actions but they do not have the full comprehension of life yet because their brain is not fully developed or mature. They cannot even take care of themselves. On the other hand, how did this kid get a hold of a kids size shot gun? Obviously, his parents need to be analyzed as well if the child was able to get a hold of a shot gun. Parents need to start having limits on how much freedom their children are getting. That brings curiosity which leads to unwanted behavior. I have previously taken Legal Psychology and I learned that these children have suffered some sort of trauma when they were younger and led to unwanted and illegal behavior. In this class, we watched a video on children who were serving life in prison and you saw an inmate as a child and the producer followed them years later as adults. When the interviews were conducted when they have become adults, you can see that they do not completely comprehend why they did what they did. They demonstrated a great remorse and told their traumatic stories that built anger, sadness, and pain inside of them which led to behavior and actions that got them in trouble.
ANALYSIS
I am completely against children and teenagers doing life in prison. I know the crimes committed by them that FOCUS IS LOST HERE led to this type of sentencing is uncalled for but these are still children. If a juvenile FOCUS IS LOST HERE is behaving this kind of way then their is something going on with them and in their environment. Instead of sentencing them life in prison they need to find them psychological help. NEXT SENTENCE SEEMS TO CHANGE DIRECTIONS I do agree that they need to be punished for their actions but they do not have the full comprehension of life yet because their brain is not fully developed or mature. They cannot even take care of themselves. NEXT SENTENCE CHANGES DIRECTION On the other hand, how did this kid get a hold of a kids size shot gun? Obviously, his parents need to be analyzed as well if the child was able to get a hold of a shot gun. Parents need to start having limits on how much freedom their children are getting. FOCUS GETS LOST IN NEXT SENTENCE That brings curiosity which leads to unwanted behavior. NEXT SENTENCE SEEMS TO INTRODUCE NEW TOPIC I have previously taken Legal Psychology and I learned that these children have suffered some sort of trauma when they were younger and led to unwanted and illegal behavior. EXAMPLE DOES NOT MATCH CLAIM In this class, we watched a video on children who were serving life in prison and you saw an inmate as a child and the producer followed them years later as adults. When the interviews were conducted when they have become adults, you can see that they do not completely comprehend why they did what they did. NEXT SENTENCE SEEMS TO CONTRADICT PREVIOUS SENTENCE They demonstrated a great remorse and told their traumatic stories that built anger, sadness, and pain inside of them which led to behavior and actions that got them in trouble.
AFTER
I am completely against children and teenagers doing life in prison. I am against it because children's brains are not yet fully developed and so we cannot hold them fully accountable for their actions. I am against it because children are too young to even take care of themselves and so they are obviously too young to handle the adult experience of incarceration.... I am against it because.
I know the crimes committed by them that led to this type of sentencing is uncalled for but these are still children. If a child committs a crime, we should assume that something is going on with them and in their environment. Instead of sentencing them life in prison we need to find them psychological help. This kind of help, rather than life imprisonment, might actually give the child a chance to develop full comprehension of their crime.
Another question to ask about juevenile crime is how children get access to weapons and opportunities to engage in criminal behavior. Or, to put it another way, how did this kid get a hold of a kids size shot gun? Obviously, his parents need to be analyzed as well if the child was able to get a hold of a shot gun. Parents need to carefully control the storage of guns because children are naturally curious about guns.
I have previously taken Legal Psychology and I learned that children who are imprisoned do not really learn to comprehend their crimes or the consequences of their actions. In this class, we watched a video on children who were serving life in prison and you saw an inmate as a child and the producer followed them years later as adults. When the interviews were conducted when they have become adults, you can see that they do not completely comprehend why they did what they did.
In the video, the children told their traumatic stories that built anger, sadness, and pain inside of them which led to behavior and actions that got them in trouble. Indeed, children who commit crimes have usually suffered some sort of trauma when they were younger. It's often the trauma that leads to unwanted and illegal behavior.
1. The links are interesting and the commenting on the links is effective. Lucia provides good commentary on links.
2. The topic is serious, but Lucia does a good job of breaking up the seriousness with humorous videos on the topic.
3. She does a good job of stating her opinion.
4. The design is eye-catching and makes you want to read more.
5. The topic is interesting.
6. Lucia's ethos is strong -- she appears to be concerned with justice, open-minded (considering all points of view), curious and passionate about the topic.
For Revision or Next Steps:
1. Do a piece on the politics of what gets covered by the media and what gets ignored. Why certain crimes get ignored, why others get tons of attention.
2. A post on how the media covers crime, what they focus on and why?
3. Put the links in a difference color so they stand out.
4. Make the color in the backgound extend to the whole blog
5. Have confidence in your choice of posts -- no need to apologize or explain why you're choosing to post on something.
6. Follow-up on police officer story (what happened??).
7. Connect police officer story to other police brutality stories and statistics.
8. Write a post on police officer who was dealing drugs.
BEFORE:
I am completely against children and teenagers doing life in prison. I know the crimes committed by them that led to this type of sentencing is uncalled for but these are still children. If a juvenile is behaving this kind of way then their is something going on with them and in their environment. Instead of sentencing them life in prison they need to find them psychological help. I do agree that they need to be punished for their actions but they do not have the full comprehension of life yet because their brain is not fully developed or mature. They cannot even take care of themselves. On the other hand, how did this kid get a hold of a kids size shot gun? Obviously, his parents need to be analyzed as well if the child was able to get a hold of a shot gun. Parents need to start having limits on how much freedom their children are getting. That brings curiosity which leads to unwanted behavior. I have previously taken Legal Psychology and I learned that these children have suffered some sort of trauma when they were younger and led to unwanted and illegal behavior. In this class, we watched a video on children who were serving life in prison and you saw an inmate as a child and the producer followed them years later as adults. When the interviews were conducted when they have become adults, you can see that they do not completely comprehend why they did what they did. They demonstrated a great remorse and told their traumatic stories that built anger, sadness, and pain inside of them which led to behavior and actions that got them in trouble.
ANALYSIS
I am completely against children and teenagers doing life in prison. I know the crimes committed by them that FOCUS IS LOST HERE led to this type of sentencing is uncalled for but these are still children. If a juvenile FOCUS IS LOST HERE is behaving this kind of way then their is something going on with them and in their environment. Instead of sentencing them life in prison they need to find them psychological help. NEXT SENTENCE SEEMS TO CHANGE DIRECTIONS I do agree that they need to be punished for their actions but they do not have the full comprehension of life yet because their brain is not fully developed or mature. They cannot even take care of themselves. NEXT SENTENCE CHANGES DIRECTION On the other hand, how did this kid get a hold of a kids size shot gun? Obviously, his parents need to be analyzed as well if the child was able to get a hold of a shot gun. Parents need to start having limits on how much freedom their children are getting. FOCUS GETS LOST IN NEXT SENTENCE That brings curiosity which leads to unwanted behavior. NEXT SENTENCE SEEMS TO INTRODUCE NEW TOPIC I have previously taken Legal Psychology and I learned that these children have suffered some sort of trauma when they were younger and led to unwanted and illegal behavior. EXAMPLE DOES NOT MATCH CLAIM In this class, we watched a video on children who were serving life in prison and you saw an inmate as a child and the producer followed them years later as adults. When the interviews were conducted when they have become adults, you can see that they do not completely comprehend why they did what they did. NEXT SENTENCE SEEMS TO CONTRADICT PREVIOUS SENTENCE They demonstrated a great remorse and told their traumatic stories that built anger, sadness, and pain inside of them which led to behavior and actions that got them in trouble.
AFTER
I am completely against children and teenagers doing life in prison. I am against it because children's brains are not yet fully developed and so we cannot hold them fully accountable for their actions. I am against it because children are too young to even take care of themselves and so they are obviously too young to handle the adult experience of incarceration.... I am against it because.
I know the crimes committed by them that led to this type of sentencing is uncalled for but these are still children. If a child committs a crime, we should assume that something is going on with them and in their environment. Instead of sentencing them life in prison we need to find them psychological help. This kind of help, rather than life imprisonment, might actually give the child a chance to develop full comprehension of their crime.
Another question to ask about juevenile crime is how children get access to weapons and opportunities to engage in criminal behavior. Or, to put it another way, how did this kid get a hold of a kids size shot gun? Obviously, his parents need to be analyzed as well if the child was able to get a hold of a shot gun. Parents need to carefully control the storage of guns because children are naturally curious about guns.
I have previously taken Legal Psychology and I learned that children who are imprisoned do not really learn to comprehend their crimes or the consequences of their actions. In this class, we watched a video on children who were serving life in prison and you saw an inmate as a child and the producer followed them years later as adults. When the interviews were conducted when they have become adults, you can see that they do not completely comprehend why they did what they did.
In the video, the children told their traumatic stories that built anger, sadness, and pain inside of them which led to behavior and actions that got them in trouble. Indeed, children who commit crimes have usually suffered some sort of trauma when they were younger. It's often the trauma that leads to unwanted and illegal behavior.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Alyssa's Writer's Chair -- paragraph flow
I get in the habit of taking it for granted that my dog understands me -- that when I say "sit" he sits; when I say "down" he gets down; when I say "let's go for a walk," he leaps in the air in anticipation. I take these acts of canine comprehension for granted, until I hear someone speaking to their dog in a foreign language. Every time I hear dog commands given in Japanese, Spanish, Tagalog, or even Sign Language it strikes me just how amazing it is that they can understand us at all. We force entirely different structures of communication on them and expect them to pick it up. What’s more, we sometimes expect them to know when we mean “drop it”, but in our haste to correct them, we tell them “no!”
Bridging this language barrier is totally doable. We proved that as soon as we taught them to ‘sit’. But when learning any new language, maintenance is all about practice. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Thus, when it comes to training and command recognition, it seems to be all about consistency. But being consistent is more our problem than our dog’s. If we interchange the term “leave it” when we originally taught them to “drop it”, then they tend to lose any association they built up between command and action.
Bridging this language barrier is totally doable. We proved that as soon as we taught them to ‘sit’. But when learning any new language, maintenance is all about practice. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Thus, when it comes to training and command recognition, it seems to be all about consistency. But being consistent is more our problem than our dog’s. If we interchange the term “leave it” when we originally taught them to “drop it”, then they tend to lose any association they built up between command and action.
Priya's writer's chair - paragraph cohesion
In the end, my picks for Best Picture were: Inception, The Social Network and or Black Swan. Inception should have won because .... The Social Network should have won because ... And Black Swan should have won because... But int he end, the academy picked The King's Speech. It was a good movie, but boring in places. THREE DETAILS EXPLAINING HOW IT"S BOrING< USING REPETITIVE STRUCTURE>
I liked the King's Speech but it was pretty boring in the beginning, the movie picked up about half way through. Inception was getting pretty good wins and so was Social Network. I feel those two movies were neck and neck with each other. Black Swan came in too, for Natalie Portman won best Actress. And where was 127 hours with James Franco the co-host actor? It was nominated but it didn't win even one thing. I figured because how can you make a movie about a dude getting stuck in a cliff and then trying to find his way out, and then he cuts off his arm and great the movie is over. So last night's Oscars were very interesting to watch because they only had a few moments where people were actually interested. Well, on the 84th Oscars I'll be sitting with Jesse Eisenberg as his girlfriend and watching him getting some sort of best actor award. Let us hope.
I liked the King's Speech but it was pretty boring in the beginning, the movie picked up about half way through. Inception was getting pretty good wins and so was Social Network. I feel those two movies were neck and neck with each other. Black Swan came in too, for Natalie Portman won best Actress. And where was 127 hours with James Franco the co-host actor? It was nominated but it didn't win even one thing. I figured because how can you make a movie about a dude getting stuck in a cliff and then trying to find his way out, and then he cuts off his arm and great the movie is over. So last night's Oscars were very interesting to watch because they only had a few moments where people were actually interested. Well, on the 84th Oscars I'll be sitting with Jesse Eisenberg as his girlfriend and watching him getting some sort of best actor award. Let us hope.
Lisa's Writer's Chair -- paragraph cohesion
Wednesday, March 9, 2011Nuts for Peanut Butter!
Ever wondered how this irresistible gooey creamy goodness of peanut butter came to be? It all began where all things basically started (or so it seems in movies) -- the Aztecs.
The Aztecs had originally used pure roasted peanuts to concoct this paste. Whether they ate it or used it for some other purpose is unclear. We don't know what the Aztecs actually did with peanut butter but they are credited with inventing it. However, we can't give the Aztecs all the credit. Their peanut butter was very bitter and very difficult to work with. It wasn't until George Washington Carver (the scientist...not the president) came along and mixed the peanut paste with sugar and sweet molasses that we got the familiar flavor we know today. It wasn't until someone added vegetable oil and made it...wait for it...SPREADABLE! [ooooh! ahhhh!], that we got the modern Jiffy and Skippy brands so popular among school children today.
So what is it about peanut butter that makes kids go crazy when paired with jelly/ chocolate/ nutella? Or that makes dogs smack their tongues relentlessly while we sit back and watch, laughing hysterically? Is it because it's high in protein or antioxidants? Is it because it can prevent cancer? Or is it just because it tastes so damn good? Who knows! But really? WHO CARES!
Ever wondered how this irresistible gooey creamy goodness of peanut butter came to be? It all began where all things basically started (or so it seems in movies) -- the Aztecs.
The Aztecs had originally used pure roasted peanuts to concoct this paste. Whether they ate it or used it for some other purpose is unclear. We don't know what the Aztecs actually did with peanut butter but they are credited with inventing it. However, we can't give the Aztecs all the credit. Their peanut butter was very bitter and very difficult to work with. It wasn't until George Washington Carver (the scientist...not the president) came along and mixed the peanut paste with sugar and sweet molasses that we got the familiar flavor we know today. It wasn't until someone added vegetable oil and made it...wait for it...SPREADABLE! [ooooh! ahhhh!], that we got the modern Jiffy and Skippy brands so popular among school children today.
So what is it about peanut butter that makes kids go crazy when paired with jelly/ chocolate/ nutella? Or that makes dogs smack their tongues relentlessly while we sit back and watch, laughing hysterically? Is it because it's high in protein or antioxidants? Is it because it can prevent cancer? Or is it just because it tastes so damn good? Who knows! But really? WHO CARES!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tips for Making Your Writing Flow
Sentence Structure Repetition
The Wire was brilliant in the way that it depicted scenes of teaching and learning. Almost every sub-plot was constructed around characters in teacher-student relationship to each other, and every conflict was the result of a failure of teachers to teach or of students to learn. When Omar's grandmother is shot, he and several other characters use it as an opportunity to teach other gangsters about old-fashion gang ettiquette and history. "Nobody ever shoots on a Sunday!" xxx lectures the two boys who work for him. When xxx and his runners are waiting for drug deliveries, he uses the time to explain to the runners how to play chess and how chess can work as a metaphor for their own situation in the inner-city. "We the pawns" he tells them, as the camera pans the desolate housing projects where they live. When McNulty discovers an intricate crime conspiracy, the older, more experienced Officer Bunk explains the police procedures they will need to unravel the mystery. "Now you might think the best approach would be to interview a bunch of suspects, but you'd be wrong," Bunk instructs McNulty. In every scene, the viewer watches as more experienced characters mentor newcomers and the young, making every character familiar as the student we once were or the teacher we once had.
All great police dramas revolve around mystery. They keep the viewer wondering about the motives of the crime. They keep the viewer invested in figuring out the method of the crime. They focus the viewer's attention on the difficulty of ever discerning the truth from distracting and ultimately irrelevent clues. In this way, The Wire was a classic police drama, focusing as it did on criminal's motives, their methods, and their truths and lies. But The Wire took this focus on mystery a step further: it asked viewers to consider the mystery at the heart of human relationships. It asked viewers to think about the mystery of how institutions work and how people are positioned within them. And it asked viewers to contemplate the mystery of our own cultural and personal
truths, as it depicted different cultures' very different ways of life.
The wire took this focus a step further. Viewers could think about human relationsips. The Wire was about instutions too. And it was also about cultural and personal truths.
All That is a classic kids' tv show that aired at 6pm...It is closely related to Sat Night Live only for kids. All That was centered around kids simply being kids, having fun and telling jokes. It had well-rounded hosts who coould bring the show alive, bringing the punchline at just the right moment and giving kids a laugh. It offered kids a chance to laugh at adults, giving them opportunities to make fun of stereotpyical adult behavior.
Because All That was aimed at kids, it offered viewers a chance to... Because it was old-fashioned in its humor, it didn't offend kids' parents... Because it was on Nickoledon parents could trust it.
Tennis is one sport I ahve always enjoyed. I see myself playing it for as long as my body permits it. It's one of the few sports that works out your entire body, from your foot to your legs to your torso, arms, and hands. Last time I played, I was sore for a week; every muscle ached. It's one of the few sports that looks simple but actually requires great skill and agility. When I first started playing, I imagined that all I needed to do was hit the ball; it seemed like a big version of ping pong. It's one of the few sports that works out not only your body but also your heart. When I play, I often find myself panting, trying to keep up with the pace! Finally, tennis is one of the few sports that both the young and old can play, proving that anyone who plays the sport can be pyscially fit, no matter how old they are.
Students are much more unmotivated by school than teachers realize. This lack of motivation is caused by several factors. Parents and teachers over-emphasize the importance of grades, giving students the false impression that the purpose of school is winning points, competing with others, and pleasing authority figures. Teachers fail to teach with passion, giving students the false impression that intellectual work is dull and disconnected from real-world concerns. Teachers focus too heavily on narrow definitions of student success, giving students the false impression that memorizing is the same as learning, that grades are the same as achievement, and that performance is more important than understanding and engagement.
One of the best aspects of PLL is the suspense the writers create. The writers switch some details around in the show in order to keep the viewer on edge with the suspense. They add storylines to pique viewers' interest and keep them coming back for more. They play with the endings of each episode to create mysteries that the viewer can solve in the next episode.
Chaining
The Wire got rave reviews from critics but was nearly cancelled several times because of low ratings. This contradiction -- rave reviews coupled wwith viewer apathy -- can be partly explained by the racial make-up of most of the characters: 70% of the stars of the Wire are black. But this explanation misses a deeper point. Surveys show that most viewers were willing to watch a show about African Americans. But they weren't willing to follow a dense, multi-layered, highly intelligent crime drama, most of which was delivered in heavy Baltimore dialalects and accents. It was this difficulty, more than the racial make-up of the stars, that drove viewers away.
The idea that blogging, as opposed to traditional essay writing, will motivate students, is relatively new. But this newness shouldn't keep teachers from experiementing with it. My own experiment with blogging in my 414 class has led to several intersesting results. For example, students tell me they are more motivated to write when they know their audience is broader than the teacher. This kind of audience awareness is central to developing writers. Students also tell me that they like writing in more visual modes. This kind of writing -- where meaning is conveyed by image as well as words -- has liberated students, who are used to reading and writing in the visual world of the web.
Omar Little's and Snoop's characters in The Wire defy many American stereotypes. These stereoptyes include the ideas that violence is the perogative of males, that gay men are not "tough," that gangsters don't have codes of honor, that children are innocent. These ideas have structured many television and film productions, and The Wire plays with them in order to subvert the viewer expectations. This subversion of viewer expectation reaches a pinnacle in the scene where Omar's grandmother is shot. In this scene, Omar is....
The Wire was brilliant in the way that it depicted scenes of teaching and learning. Almost every sub-plot was constructed around characters in teacher-student relationship to each other, and every conflict was the result of a failure of teachers to teach or of students to learn. When Omar's grandmother is shot, he and several other characters use it as an opportunity to teach other gangsters about old-fashion gang ettiquette and history. "Nobody ever shoots on a Sunday!" xxx lectures the two boys who work for him. When xxx and his runners are waiting for drug deliveries, he uses the time to explain to the runners how to play chess and how chess can work as a metaphor for their own situation in the inner-city. "We the pawns" he tells them, as the camera pans the desolate housing projects where they live. When McNulty discovers an intricate crime conspiracy, the older, more experienced Officer Bunk explains the police procedures they will need to unravel the mystery. "Now you might think the best approach would be to interview a bunch of suspects, but you'd be wrong," Bunk instructs McNulty. In every scene, the viewer watches as more experienced characters mentor newcomers and the young, making every character familiar as the student we once were or the teacher we once had.
All great police dramas revolve around mystery. They keep the viewer wondering about the motives of the crime. They keep the viewer invested in figuring out the method of the crime. They focus the viewer's attention on the difficulty of ever discerning the truth from distracting and ultimately irrelevent clues. In this way, The Wire was a classic police drama, focusing as it did on criminal's motives, their methods, and their truths and lies. But The Wire took this focus on mystery a step further: it asked viewers to consider the mystery at the heart of human relationships. It asked viewers to think about the mystery of how institutions work and how people are positioned within them. And it asked viewers to contemplate the mystery of our own cultural and personal
truths, as it depicted different cultures' very different ways of life.
The wire took this focus a step further. Viewers could think about human relationsips. The Wire was about instutions too. And it was also about cultural and personal truths.
All That is a classic kids' tv show that aired at 6pm...It is closely related to Sat Night Live only for kids. All That was centered around kids simply being kids, having fun and telling jokes. It had well-rounded hosts who coould bring the show alive, bringing the punchline at just the right moment and giving kids a laugh. It offered kids a chance to laugh at adults, giving them opportunities to make fun of stereotpyical adult behavior.
Because All That was aimed at kids, it offered viewers a chance to... Because it was old-fashioned in its humor, it didn't offend kids' parents... Because it was on Nickoledon parents could trust it.
Tennis is one sport I ahve always enjoyed. I see myself playing it for as long as my body permits it. It's one of the few sports that works out your entire body, from your foot to your legs to your torso, arms, and hands. Last time I played, I was sore for a week; every muscle ached. It's one of the few sports that looks simple but actually requires great skill and agility. When I first started playing, I imagined that all I needed to do was hit the ball; it seemed like a big version of ping pong. It's one of the few sports that works out not only your body but also your heart. When I play, I often find myself panting, trying to keep up with the pace! Finally, tennis is one of the few sports that both the young and old can play, proving that anyone who plays the sport can be pyscially fit, no matter how old they are.
Students are much more unmotivated by school than teachers realize. This lack of motivation is caused by several factors. Parents and teachers over-emphasize the importance of grades, giving students the false impression that the purpose of school is winning points, competing with others, and pleasing authority figures. Teachers fail to teach with passion, giving students the false impression that intellectual work is dull and disconnected from real-world concerns. Teachers focus too heavily on narrow definitions of student success, giving students the false impression that memorizing is the same as learning, that grades are the same as achievement, and that performance is more important than understanding and engagement.
One of the best aspects of PLL is the suspense the writers create. The writers switch some details around in the show in order to keep the viewer on edge with the suspense. They add storylines to pique viewers' interest and keep them coming back for more. They play with the endings of each episode to create mysteries that the viewer can solve in the next episode.
Chaining
The Wire got rave reviews from critics but was nearly cancelled several times because of low ratings. This contradiction -- rave reviews coupled wwith viewer apathy -- can be partly explained by the racial make-up of most of the characters: 70% of the stars of the Wire are black. But this explanation misses a deeper point. Surveys show that most viewers were willing to watch a show about African Americans. But they weren't willing to follow a dense, multi-layered, highly intelligent crime drama, most of which was delivered in heavy Baltimore dialalects and accents. It was this difficulty, more than the racial make-up of the stars, that drove viewers away.
The idea that blogging, as opposed to traditional essay writing, will motivate students, is relatively new. But this newness shouldn't keep teachers from experiementing with it. My own experiment with blogging in my 414 class has led to several intersesting results. For example, students tell me they are more motivated to write when they know their audience is broader than the teacher. This kind of audience awareness is central to developing writers. Students also tell me that they like writing in more visual modes. This kind of writing -- where meaning is conveyed by image as well as words -- has liberated students, who are used to reading and writing in the visual world of the web.
Omar Little's and Snoop's characters in The Wire defy many American stereotypes. These stereoptyes include the ideas that violence is the perogative of males, that gay men are not "tough," that gangsters don't have codes of honor, that children are innocent. These ideas have structured many television and film productions, and The Wire plays with them in order to subvert the viewer expectations. This subversion of viewer expectation reaches a pinnacle in the scene where Omar's grandmother is shot. In this scene, Omar is....
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Blog Award Winners
Most Provocative
Christian on hackers, flamers and trols
Lucia on unpublished crime
Layloni on education and the African American community
Best Use of Emotional Appeal
Priya on film
Sabrina on animals and pets
Isa on relationships
Best Topic
Lisa on baking
Tommy on happiness
Tiarra on music and venues
Best Design
Lila on the environment
Matthew on advertising
Tiarra on music and venues
Best Writer
Christian on hackers, flamers and trolls
Daniel on technology
Topher on "anything and everything"
Most Creative
Nichelle on fashion
Isa on relationships
Jonathan on managing your money
Most Informative
Ian on skateboarding
Akwaung on biology
Amanda on psychology
Best Links
Priya on film
Jennifer on marketing
Lisa on baking
Best Writer
Christian on hackers, flamers, and trolls
Sabrina
Isa on relationships
Best Humor
Christian on hackers, flamers, and trolls
Steve on technology
Sabrina
Most Prolific
Christian on hackers, flamers, and trolls
Nichelle
Ian on skateboarding
Best Bio
Isa on relationships
Lisa on baking
Jonathon on managing yoru money
Most Provocative
Lucia
Christian
Best Writer
Priya
Shay
Lucia
Best Visual
Nichelle
Ian
Akwaung
Best Overall
Yin
Tiarra
Whitnee
Best Details
Akwoung
Most Creative
Isa
Best Attenion-Grabber
Topher
Best Design
Jennifer
Whitness
Prescilla
Best Links
Jonathan
lucia
Rosanna
Best Use of Personal Writing
Michelle
Shay
Raenika
Christian on hackers, flamers and trols
Lucia on unpublished crime
Layloni on education and the African American community
Best Use of Emotional Appeal
Priya on film
Sabrina on animals and pets
Isa on relationships
Best Topic
Lisa on baking
Tommy on happiness
Tiarra on music and venues
Best Design
Lila on the environment
Matthew on advertising
Tiarra on music and venues
Best Writer
Christian on hackers, flamers and trolls
Daniel on technology
Topher on "anything and everything"
Most Creative
Nichelle on fashion
Isa on relationships
Jonathan on managing your money
Most Informative
Ian on skateboarding
Akwaung on biology
Amanda on psychology
Best Links
Priya on film
Jennifer on marketing
Lisa on baking
Best Writer
Christian on hackers, flamers, and trolls
Sabrina
Isa on relationships
Best Humor
Christian on hackers, flamers, and trolls
Steve on technology
Sabrina
Most Prolific
Christian on hackers, flamers, and trolls
Nichelle
Ian on skateboarding
Best Bio
Isa on relationships
Lisa on baking
Jonathon on managing yoru money
Most Provocative
Lucia
Christian
Best Writer
Priya
Shay
Lucia
Best Visual
Nichelle
Ian
Akwaung
Best Overall
Yin
Tiarra
Whitnee
Best Details
Akwoung
Most Creative
Isa
Best Attenion-Grabber
Topher
Best Design
Jennifer
Whitness
Prescilla
Best Links
Jonathan
lucia
Rosanna
Best Use of Personal Writing
Michelle
Shay
Raenika
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Erick's writer's chair
The Avengers -- the biggest superhero group from Marvel Comics -- are about to film in a couple of months, but because they are still working on the script, no one knows what the story line is. Not even the Actors. This is crazy because the writers can do so much with this group of heroes. There are three big story lines -- all developed in Marvel comics, television shows, cartoons, and recent movies -- that I believe that can help begin the saga.
One big one was the battle between the Krees and the Skrulls -- a battle that MORE INFO HERE. Two Alien species that have been in war for a very long time and they used Earth as a battle field. Thats how the The Avengers -- the Hulk, The xxx, Thor, Ironman and ... -- get involved.
A second Storyline is With Loki, the step Brother of Thor, who uses his evil magic to control The Hulk, so that he can destroy Thor. The heroes then team up to help Thor, which later they become The Avengers.
The Thrid Story line that I would go with is Kang the Conqueror you travels from the future to the past during the Timeline of the Avengers and trys to conquer earth and become king. However, Kang must go through the avenger.
These are my Top three Story Lines for The Avengers. What do you think?
One big one was the battle between the Krees and the Skrulls -- a battle that MORE INFO HERE. Two Alien species that have been in war for a very long time and they used Earth as a battle field. Thats how the The Avengers -- the Hulk, The xxx, Thor, Ironman and ... -- get involved.
A second Storyline is With Loki, the step Brother of Thor, who uses his evil magic to control The Hulk, so that he can destroy Thor. The heroes then team up to help Thor, which later they become The Avengers.
The Thrid Story line that I would go with is Kang the Conqueror you travels from the future to the past during the Timeline of the Avengers and trys to conquer earth and become king. However, Kang must go through the avenger.
These are my Top three Story Lines for The Avengers. What do you think?
Blog Award Categories
Most Thought-Provoking Content
Best Voice
Best Use of Humor
Most Creative Design
Best Research
Most Informative
Priya / Christian / Nichelle / Tiara
Best Provocative Content (challenges the reader)
Pushes the boundaries in order to make the reader think;
Uses explicit material to make a point;
Pushes the reader beyond her/his comfort zone in order to make the reader think or make you want to act or to provoke a reaction in the reader
Best Use of Emotional Appeal (makes you feel)
Most Unique Topic
Ian / Eric
Best Humor
Most Prolific Writer
Best Writer's Bio (creates an appropriate ethos for the purpose of the blog)
Flor / Simon / Rich / Rebecca
Most Informative
Best Design
Most Thought-provoking (makes you think)
Topher / Lisa / Isa
Most Entertaining
Most Creative
Best Voice
Yin / Tommy / Sabrina
Best Design
Most Creative
Best Writer
Lela / Lisette / Susan / Prescilla
Most Informative
Best Writer
Best Use of Links
Shay / Greg / Robert / Keaney
Best Connection to the Reader (uses personal stories, writes in a way the reader can relate to)
Most Thorough Coverage of the Topic
Best Use of a Variety of Types of Posts
Rosanna / Daniel / Stephen / Natasha
Most Visually Appealing
Best use of Emotional Appeal
Best Use of Humor
Whitnee / Layloni / Alyssa / Jay
Best Writer
Best Visual Design
Best Overall
AK / Andrey / Shinsui
Best Visual Design (how well photos and pictures add to content)
Best Use of Links (how well links add to content)
Best use of Personal Writing
Most Provocative (challenges the readers' assumptions, pushes them past their comfort zone)
Vanessa / Amanda / Raenika / Michelle
Most Informative
Most Persuasive
Best Use of Humor
Most Inspirational
DeBorah / Lucy / Fikre
Most Detailed Writing
Most Creative
Most Attention-Grabbing
Best Use of Emotional Appeals to the Reader
Best Voice
Best Use of Humor
Most Creative Design
Best Research
Most Informative
Priya / Christian / Nichelle / Tiara
Best Provocative Content (challenges the reader)
Pushes the boundaries in order to make the reader think;
Uses explicit material to make a point;
Pushes the reader beyond her/his comfort zone in order to make the reader think or make you want to act or to provoke a reaction in the reader
Best Use of Emotional Appeal (makes you feel)
Most Unique Topic
Ian / Eric
Best Humor
Most Prolific Writer
Best Writer's Bio (creates an appropriate ethos for the purpose of the blog)
Flor / Simon / Rich / Rebecca
Most Informative
Best Design
Most Thought-provoking (makes you think)
Topher / Lisa / Isa
Most Entertaining
Most Creative
Best Voice
Yin / Tommy / Sabrina
Best Design
Most Creative
Best Writer
Lela / Lisette / Susan / Prescilla
Most Informative
Best Writer
Best Use of Links
Shay / Greg / Robert / Keaney
Best Connection to the Reader (uses personal stories, writes in a way the reader can relate to)
Most Thorough Coverage of the Topic
Best Use of a Variety of Types of Posts
Rosanna / Daniel / Stephen / Natasha
Most Visually Appealing
Best use of Emotional Appeal
Best Use of Humor
Whitnee / Layloni / Alyssa / Jay
Best Writer
Best Visual Design
Best Overall
AK / Andrey / Shinsui
Best Visual Design (how well photos and pictures add to content)
Best Use of Links (how well links add to content)
Best use of Personal Writing
Most Provocative (challenges the readers' assumptions, pushes them past their comfort zone)
Vanessa / Amanda / Raenika / Michelle
Most Informative
Most Persuasive
Best Use of Humor
Most Inspirational
DeBorah / Lucy / Fikre
Most Detailed Writing
Most Creative
Most Attention-Grabbing
Best Use of Emotional Appeals to the Reader
Blog Awards Assignment
Part One
Prepare your blog for entry into the English 414 Blog Awards. Think about which categories you might compete for, and work to make your blog the best!
Part Two
Work with your group to:
A. Choose and/or create 3 - 5 categories for the awards.
Most Thought-Provoking Content
Best Voice
Best Use of Humor
Most Creative Design
Best Research
Most Informative
Other...?
B. Read through the 414 blogs, looking for contestants for each category.
C. With your group, choose a winner, a second place, and a third place for each category.
D. Write a few sentencesfor each winner explaining why they won.
TIMELINE:
Thurs Feb 22 --
1. Organize your group (exchange contact info)
2. Pick categories that you want to work with (best content, etc).
3. Work on your blog!
Over the weekend:
Work on your blog. Aim for categories you think you could win.
Tuesday:
In your group, nominate possible winners (at least six in each category).
Homework: work with your group to winnow down the list to three and pick a first, second and third place winner in each category.
Assign group members paragraph duty.
Thursday: Present the winners!!
Prepare your blog for entry into the English 414 Blog Awards. Think about which categories you might compete for, and work to make your blog the best!
Part Two
Work with your group to:
A. Choose and/or create 3 - 5 categories for the awards.
Most Thought-Provoking Content
Best Voice
Best Use of Humor
Most Creative Design
Best Research
Most Informative
Other...?
B. Read through the 414 blogs, looking for contestants for each category.
C. With your group, choose a winner, a second place, and a third place for each category.
D. Write a few sentencesfor each winner explaining why they won.
TIMELINE:
Thurs Feb 22 --
1. Organize your group (exchange contact info)
2. Pick categories that you want to work with (best content, etc).
3. Work on your blog!
Over the weekend:
Work on your blog. Aim for categories you think you could win.
Tuesday:
In your group, nominate possible winners (at least six in each category).
Homework: work with your group to winnow down the list to three and pick a first, second and third place winner in each category.
Assign group members paragraph duty.
Thursday: Present the winners!!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Creating Labels for Posts -- How-to Article
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=44498
A good blog will...
A successful blog will:
1. Inspire the reader -- write in an authentic voice, ground what you say in your own experiences, and in your own reading. Be open, be honest, be open-minded. Be curious, raise questions, raise awareness about new angles on the topic, new ways of thinking about the topic; take on contraversy -- be occasionally provocative, don't be afraid to challenge common assumptions (your own and the reader's). Frame your topic in a way that meets the reader's emotions or experiences, in a way that the reader can relate to or go, "oh yeah, I've always wondered about that, or I've never thought of it like that but that's totally true."
2. Continues a conversation on the topic. The opposite of a good blog in this regard is a textbook -- it's a monolog, not a dialogue. Monologues are boring. They are written in one tone, by one person, speaking to him/herself or to an audience that's so general as to be meaningless. So a blog should participate in a conversation by offering opinions on what others are writing and saying about your topic. Link to others who are talking about your topic. Create an interesting blogroll. Respond to others' posts, share others' posts with your readers, go deeper on a something another has written about, extend someone's ideas. Share new ideas and angles with your readers.
3. Will be visual creativity -- the visuals should explain a concept or reninforce the purpose or tone of the blogs.
4. Be interesting and entertain the reader; try to keep the reader's interest. Be up-to-date and relevant; be current on the topic (read what other's are saying). Share something that yoru readers' may not know. Use humor.
7. Establish credibility by showing that you read a lot ont he topic (blogroll, posts on what you've read, etc).
8. Defend opinions and ideas, show that the author knows what they're talking about by linking to other credible sources, and by admitting what you don't know, and always highlighting the limits of your knowledge.
9. Has breadth or depth.
10. The writing is effective -- organized (doesn't go off topic without a reason that is explained, uses a variety of posts toward a single or set of goals) not choppy (flows).
1. Inspire the reader -- write in an authentic voice, ground what you say in your own experiences, and in your own reading. Be open, be honest, be open-minded. Be curious, raise questions, raise awareness about new angles on the topic, new ways of thinking about the topic; take on contraversy -- be occasionally provocative, don't be afraid to challenge common assumptions (your own and the reader's). Frame your topic in a way that meets the reader's emotions or experiences, in a way that the reader can relate to or go, "oh yeah, I've always wondered about that, or I've never thought of it like that but that's totally true."
2. Continues a conversation on the topic. The opposite of a good blog in this regard is a textbook -- it's a monolog, not a dialogue. Monologues are boring. They are written in one tone, by one person, speaking to him/herself or to an audience that's so general as to be meaningless. So a blog should participate in a conversation by offering opinions on what others are writing and saying about your topic. Link to others who are talking about your topic. Create an interesting blogroll. Respond to others' posts, share others' posts with your readers, go deeper on a something another has written about, extend someone's ideas. Share new ideas and angles with your readers.
3. Will be visual creativity -- the visuals should explain a concept or reninforce the purpose or tone of the blogs.
4. Be interesting and entertain the reader; try to keep the reader's interest. Be up-to-date and relevant; be current on the topic (read what other's are saying). Share something that yoru readers' may not know. Use humor.
7. Establish credibility by showing that you read a lot ont he topic (blogroll, posts on what you've read, etc).
8. Defend opinions and ideas, show that the author knows what they're talking about by linking to other credible sources, and by admitting what you don't know, and always highlighting the limits of your knowledge.
9. Has breadth or depth.
10. The writing is effective -- organized (doesn't go off topic without a reason that is explained, uses a variety of posts toward a single or set of goals) not choppy (flows).
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Thoughts about Writing -- 11:00 class
1. The hardest thing about writing is...
Finding inspiration
Getting started
Conveying what you mean
Finding a plot
Not being interested in the topic
Having confidence
Not repeating yourself
Being specific
Using grammar correctly
You can't use body language or tone or inflection to convey meaning
2. The difference between writing for school and writing my blog is...
Blog writing is free, liberating, it's about what we're interested in, it's writing for yourself and not just for the teacher. It's not evaluated.
School writing is tedious. It has to be structured, and it's on a topic that you don't like. It's what you have to do, not what you want to do.
Blogs are in our own voice. School writing, the voice is formal, no vulgarity, no slang.
You can't combine blog writing with school writing because the tone will be wrong. You can't be creative when making an argument. If school tone is used on blog, the blog will be boring. Not fun. Not juicy.
If you a blog voice in school writing, it would be seen as inappropriate. Depending on the topic, the teacher would say it's okay to be more informal at the beginning but for the main paragraphs, you can't do that. You ahve to cite your sources in a certain way.
School writing isn't for everyone. Blog writing can be your own, so everyone can find a way to like it. Blog writing is more personal.
School writing is based on criteria and standards. It's more rigid, less room for exploration, tangents, questions.
School writing is graded; blog writing is not.
School writing is consistent -- it all looks the same. Blog writing is varied and unpredictable.
Reasons we don't like school writing:
A. Don't know the topic or don't care about the topic
B. Don't like analyzing and summarizing things in books
C. Not interested enough in the topic to write a certain number of pages
WAIT: We ARE interested in topics. We don't like the restrictions, the evaluations, the guidelines, the stifling. School writing makes things boring. School assignments require that we leave ourselves at the door.
3. The most important features of good writing are...
4. My biggest strengths as a writer are...
5. My biggest challenges as a writer are...
6. My top five questions about writing in school are...
A. How do you elaborate on topics? How do you know which facts to put in and which to leave out?
B. How do you come across as someone who knows what they're talking about?
C. What do professors (me) think about student writing? What does Prof Trainor think students' biggest flaws are?"
D. Who grades the JEPET ?
E. What does it take to pass the JEPET?
F. Why is the student's sense of good writing so different from teachers'?
G. Why is MLA and APA format so important?
H. Writing is subjective so how can it be graded?
I. Does learning school writing help on the job?
J. Wouldn't it be better if we had a wider audience, not just the teacher? Does writing for the teacher make our writing worse?
What's teh difference between creative writing (novels, etc) and school writing?
Do teachers really read all the writing assigned?
What are students doing wrong???
Do teachers care?
7. My top five questions about writing in general are...
Finding inspiration
Getting started
Conveying what you mean
Finding a plot
Not being interested in the topic
Having confidence
Not repeating yourself
Being specific
Using grammar correctly
You can't use body language or tone or inflection to convey meaning
2. The difference between writing for school and writing my blog is...
Blog writing is free, liberating, it's about what we're interested in, it's writing for yourself and not just for the teacher. It's not evaluated.
School writing is tedious. It has to be structured, and it's on a topic that you don't like. It's what you have to do, not what you want to do.
Blogs are in our own voice. School writing, the voice is formal, no vulgarity, no slang.
You can't combine blog writing with school writing because the tone will be wrong. You can't be creative when making an argument. If school tone is used on blog, the blog will be boring. Not fun. Not juicy.
If you a blog voice in school writing, it would be seen as inappropriate. Depending on the topic, the teacher would say it's okay to be more informal at the beginning but for the main paragraphs, you can't do that. You ahve to cite your sources in a certain way.
School writing isn't for everyone. Blog writing can be your own, so everyone can find a way to like it. Blog writing is more personal.
School writing is based on criteria and standards. It's more rigid, less room for exploration, tangents, questions.
School writing is graded; blog writing is not.
School writing is consistent -- it all looks the same. Blog writing is varied and unpredictable.
Reasons we don't like school writing:
A. Don't know the topic or don't care about the topic
B. Don't like analyzing and summarizing things in books
C. Not interested enough in the topic to write a certain number of pages
WAIT: We ARE interested in topics. We don't like the restrictions, the evaluations, the guidelines, the stifling. School writing makes things boring. School assignments require that we leave ourselves at the door.
3. The most important features of good writing are...
4. My biggest strengths as a writer are...
5. My biggest challenges as a writer are...
6. My top five questions about writing in school are...
A. How do you elaborate on topics? How do you know which facts to put in and which to leave out?
B. How do you come across as someone who knows what they're talking about?
C. What do professors (me) think about student writing? What does Prof Trainor think students' biggest flaws are?"
D. Who grades the JEPET ?
E. What does it take to pass the JEPET?
F. Why is the student's sense of good writing so different from teachers'?
G. Why is MLA and APA format so important?
H. Writing is subjective so how can it be graded?
I. Does learning school writing help on the job?
J. Wouldn't it be better if we had a wider audience, not just the teacher? Does writing for the teacher make our writing worse?
What's teh difference between creative writing (novels, etc) and school writing?
Do teachers really read all the writing assigned?
What are students doing wrong???
Do teachers care?
7. My top five questions about writing in general are...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thoughts on Writing -- 12:30 Class
1. The hardest thing about writing is...
Coming up with ideas
Getting started - writing first sentences
organizing it
staying focused
selecting audience (understanding audience)
getting your thoughts into words
fulfilling the length requirement (LOTS of agreement with this one!)
brainstorming
writing for a professor, meeting a professor's standards (every teacher is different, you have to adjust yourself to their expectations, some are casual some are formal; they all focus on different things and care about different things)
Being interested in the topic
Getting over boredom
Making it flow
Starting to tell a story, how to tell a story
Having confidence in what I'm doing -- always feel like it should be better
2. The difference between writing for school and writing my blog is...
School is structured -- there's a "type" (analysis, argument) but blogging is varied -- there's lots of different types of posts
blogs are on topics that we enjoy. For school, I have to go to the library, whereas I can just have fun Bwiht my blog. It's mine. I'm not turning it in.
With the blog, i don't fear research. We're interested in the topic.
For school, we're graded. With our blogs, we aren't graded, we just have readers who either like it or don't. For school, there's only one reader who plays an evaluative role.
Blogging feels less like an assignment and more like a hobby.
Blogging is more informal; if you're writing for a professor, it has to be proper Engish.
The blog opens it up so we're bringing our topic to the readers. With blogging you can be more creative. You can bring your point across, but you have multiple ways of doing so.
School writing is not supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be work. Learning is not fun, as we've experienced it.
Learning is not fun because: it's too competitive and it wears us down. Teachers are joyless (possibly burned out themselves). Evaluation (which requires regurgitation) drains fun from learning. Too much evaluation. Too much busywork. Too many requirements, outcomes, too much pressure from the economy, morale is low right now.
3. The most important features of good writing are...
4. My biggest strengths as a writer are...
5. My biggest challenges as a writer are...
6. My top five questions about writing in school are...
What really constitutes an A essay? Who decides and how?
Why do we have to read books, but our writing is totally separate from that? We don't get to write like "real" writers -- like what we read?
In the real world, do we need to know how to write a "school" essay? If not, why is this the only writing we do?
Who reads JEPET? How do they score it? Does JEPET help (NO)?
Are teachers required to stay up to date on research in education?
7. My top five questions about writing in general are...
Coming up with ideas
Getting started - writing first sentences
organizing it
staying focused
selecting audience (understanding audience)
getting your thoughts into words
fulfilling the length requirement (LOTS of agreement with this one!)
brainstorming
writing for a professor, meeting a professor's standards (every teacher is different, you have to adjust yourself to their expectations, some are casual some are formal; they all focus on different things and care about different things)
Being interested in the topic
Getting over boredom
Making it flow
Starting to tell a story, how to tell a story
Having confidence in what I'm doing -- always feel like it should be better
2. The difference between writing for school and writing my blog is...
School is structured -- there's a "type" (analysis, argument) but blogging is varied -- there's lots of different types of posts
blogs are on topics that we enjoy. For school, I have to go to the library, whereas I can just have fun Bwiht my blog. It's mine. I'm not turning it in.
With the blog, i don't fear research. We're interested in the topic.
For school, we're graded. With our blogs, we aren't graded, we just have readers who either like it or don't. For school, there's only one reader who plays an evaluative role.
Blogging feels less like an assignment and more like a hobby.
Blogging is more informal; if you're writing for a professor, it has to be proper Engish.
The blog opens it up so we're bringing our topic to the readers. With blogging you can be more creative. You can bring your point across, but you have multiple ways of doing so.
School writing is not supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be work. Learning is not fun, as we've experienced it.
Learning is not fun because: it's too competitive and it wears us down. Teachers are joyless (possibly burned out themselves). Evaluation (which requires regurgitation) drains fun from learning. Too much evaluation. Too much busywork. Too many requirements, outcomes, too much pressure from the economy, morale is low right now.
3. The most important features of good writing are...
4. My biggest strengths as a writer are...
5. My biggest challenges as a writer are...
6. My top five questions about writing in school are...
What really constitutes an A essay? Who decides and how?
Why do we have to read books, but our writing is totally separate from that? We don't get to write like "real" writers -- like what we read?
In the real world, do we need to know how to write a "school" essay? If not, why is this the only writing we do?
Who reads JEPET? How do they score it? Does JEPET help (NO)?
Are teachers required to stay up to date on research in education?
7. My top five questions about writing in general are...
Thoughts About Writing
1. The hardest thing about writing is...
2. The difference between writing for school and writing my blog is...
3. The most important features of good writing are...
4. My biggest strengths as a writer are...
5. My biggest challenges as a writer are...
6. My top five questions about writing in school are...
7. My top five questions about writing in general are...
2. The difference between writing for school and writing my blog is...
3. The most important features of good writing are...
4. My biggest strengths as a writer are...
5. My biggest challenges as a writer are...
6. My top five questions about writing in school are...
7. My top five questions about writing in general are...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Greg's Writer's Chair
1. Items to avoid (they don’t break down, they can’t be recycled, they’re really bad for the environment, etc)
2. Is trash big business?
3. Information about landfills – nwhere are they? What are the repurcussions? Are there alternatives?
4. Better ways to do packaging, -- items to avoid for packaging
5. News article – current events re: recycling and trash issues
6. Individuals who collect recycling – how much do they make?
7.
2. Is trash big business?
3. Information about landfills – nwhere are they? What are the repurcussions? Are there alternatives?
4. Better ways to do packaging, -- items to avoid for packaging
5. News article – current events re: recycling and trash issues
6. Individuals who collect recycling – how much do they make?
7.
Writer's Chair -- Whitnee's blog
Blog post ideas for Whitnee’s Fashion Corner:
1. Critique of “expert” fashion advice or statements about what’s in or best dressed
2. Fashion cycles – things that were in, then out, and are back in again. Why does happen? 80’s ?
3. Posting photos of everyday fashion do’s and don’ts (anonymous of course!)
4. Trends to watch for
5. Men’s fashion -- ?
6. Who decides what’s in – research on fashion industry, history…? How trends get started?
7. Psychology of fashion
As I stand at work waiting for customers to come in and shop, I am contemplating what I should share with you all. WHAT MIGHT YOU SHARE OR ARE YOU THINKING OF SHARING? I check what is new in the fashion world on the New York times website, visit Glamour magazine's page, and then Lucky magazine's. Each spot leaves me uninspired, -- QUICKLY SAY WHY -- but then I remember to check the Vogue website. As I navigate my way through the webpage, I notice a new feature, The Social Shopper. I click on the words, curious about what The Social Shopper could be. The page loads, and in front of me is a picture of actress Hallie Steinfeld from True Grit, she is wearing a colorful dress, and next to her picture is a sketch of a woman wearing a similar striped number. As I scroll down I come across some writing that talks about how Vogue does not just acquire their fashion information from the typical places, but from fashion bloggers such as myself! QUOTE VOGUE? I find it somewhat thrilling to know that Vogue listens to what everyday people have to say about fashion. As I continue to scroll down further I find ten items that Vogue suggests on how to wear stripes in everyday styles. The whole point of The Social Shopper is to help women translate fashion that they see on the runway, television, or other places into ways that they can wear them without seeming too far out there. I love this idea, because so many times I will see something, but think I could never get away with that. PUT SOME PICTURES HERE! However, Vogue has saved one of my many fashion problems, and hopefully one of yours too
It is hard to say when fashion began, a thousand years ago, two thousand, probably even further. Either way fashion is here, and here to stay, but who says what is fashionable? I can not say what is fashionable, but I can say what I think is fashionable. At a young age I began to take notice of what was in style, even if I was forced to wear my sisters hammy downs. As a college student on the San Francisco State campus I am introduced to many forms of fashion. On Whitnee's Fashion Corner blog I am going to attempt to break down fashion, and help you better understand that fashion is not limited to the big city.
Each season "someone" claims what the new "in" item or items are, for example I just heard that light denim is now in for the spring season, I find light denim gross, but that is just me. Vogue magazine has posted on their website the top ten best dressed for the week, and it got me thinking who picks these top ten style winners? Obviously, the people at Vogue make the final decision of the top ten, but who says that they know what style is? On the list, no where is there a reason as to why the ladies or gentlemen made it to the top ten. So style is a personal opinion, some people may love light denim tops, as said above I think it they are hideous, so hopefully this blog will help give you an insight to fashion, and into my personal fashion opinion. Please comment and let me know what you think, I am open to change!
1. Critique of “expert” fashion advice or statements about what’s in or best dressed
2. Fashion cycles – things that were in, then out, and are back in again. Why does happen? 80’s ?
3. Posting photos of everyday fashion do’s and don’ts (anonymous of course!)
4. Trends to watch for
5. Men’s fashion -- ?
6. Who decides what’s in – research on fashion industry, history…? How trends get started?
7. Psychology of fashion
As I stand at work waiting for customers to come in and shop, I am contemplating what I should share with you all. WHAT MIGHT YOU SHARE OR ARE YOU THINKING OF SHARING? I check what is new in the fashion world on the New York times website, visit Glamour magazine's page, and then Lucky magazine's. Each spot leaves me uninspired, -- QUICKLY SAY WHY -- but then I remember to check the Vogue website. As I navigate my way through the webpage, I notice a new feature, The Social Shopper. I click on the words, curious about what The Social Shopper could be. The page loads, and in front of me is a picture of actress Hallie Steinfeld from True Grit, she is wearing a colorful dress, and next to her picture is a sketch of a woman wearing a similar striped number. As I scroll down I come across some writing that talks about how Vogue does not just acquire their fashion information from the typical places, but from fashion bloggers such as myself! QUOTE VOGUE? I find it somewhat thrilling to know that Vogue listens to what everyday people have to say about fashion. As I continue to scroll down further I find ten items that Vogue suggests on how to wear stripes in everyday styles. The whole point of The Social Shopper is to help women translate fashion that they see on the runway, television, or other places into ways that they can wear them without seeming too far out there. I love this idea, because so many times I will see something, but think I could never get away with that. PUT SOME PICTURES HERE! However, Vogue has saved one of my many fashion problems, and hopefully one of yours too
It is hard to say when fashion began, a thousand years ago, two thousand, probably even further. Either way fashion is here, and here to stay, but who says what is fashionable? I can not say what is fashionable, but I can say what I think is fashionable. At a young age I began to take notice of what was in style, even if I was forced to wear my sisters hammy downs. As a college student on the San Francisco State campus I am introduced to many forms of fashion. On Whitnee's Fashion Corner blog I am going to attempt to break down fashion, and help you better understand that fashion is not limited to the big city.
Each season "someone" claims what the new "in" item or items are, for example I just heard that light denim is now in for the spring season, I find light denim gross, but that is just me. Vogue magazine has posted on their website the top ten best dressed for the week, and it got me thinking who picks these top ten style winners? Obviously, the people at Vogue make the final decision of the top ten, but who says that they know what style is? On the list, no where is there a reason as to why the ladies or gentlemen made it to the top ten. So style is a personal opinion, some people may love light denim tops, as said above I think it they are hideous, so hopefully this blog will help give you an insight to fashion, and into my personal fashion opinion. Please comment and let me know what you think, I am open to change!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Priya's blog -- writer's chair notes
IDEAS FOR PRIYA:
1. Use more visuals. For example, put an image of the blurriness, etc.
2. Link to trailers or official movie sites.
3. List some statistics on profits from 3D movies, # of 3D movies
4. Add some complexity to the argument about 3D -- some movies are enhanced by 3D (POTC4) and some don't really need it
5. Naybe put description of what the blog is about in general
6. Add a blogroll somehow??
7. Move the profile up
When I go to the movies now adays, I see the newest trailers for the coolest upcoming films -- NAME MOVIES HERE AND PROVIDE LINK? -- and I enjoy them immensly. I LOVE THE XXX and the XXX... But now they are all coming out in 3D. SINCE 2009? THE NUMBER OF 3D MOVIES HAS INCREASED BY ?? PERCENT. MOST MOVIE REVIEWERS HAVE TAKEN NOTE. AS XXX WRITES IN..(PUT A QUOTE THAT IS EXCITED ABOUT 3D).
Now as a movie goer I have seen a couple of 3D movies and I do not see what the big hype about it all is because watching a movie in 2D is less expensive and has better quailty in my opinion. MORE ON WHY YOU THINK THIS.
The one mmovie the article WHICH ARTICLE --NAME THE AUTHOR -- mentions is Avatar which I happened to see in 3D, during the movie I would take my glasses off and could see the movie with the main character's faces just the background was blurry.
A couple of times during the film I would get a slight headache from watching wearing glasses. SOME MOVIE GOERS ARE STARTING TO NOTICE THAT 3D MAY ACTUALLY BE BAD FOR YOUR EYES This article mentions if 3D is bad for your eyesight especially if you aren't used to wearing glasses. http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2009/05/17/news/19local_05-17-09.txt
3D movies are becoming a growing phenomenon and will continue to be around for the next several years, but the question remains, is 3D really worth the hype and money? Stay tuned for that answer in my next blog.
1. Use more visuals. For example, put an image of the blurriness, etc.
2. Link to trailers or official movie sites.
3. List some statistics on profits from 3D movies, # of 3D movies
4. Add some complexity to the argument about 3D -- some movies are enhanced by 3D (POTC4) and some don't really need it
5. Naybe put description of what the blog is about in general
6. Add a blogroll somehow??
7. Move the profile up
When I go to the movies now adays, I see the newest trailers for the coolest upcoming films -- NAME MOVIES HERE AND PROVIDE LINK? -- and I enjoy them immensly. I LOVE THE XXX and the XXX... But now they are all coming out in 3D. SINCE 2009? THE NUMBER OF 3D MOVIES HAS INCREASED BY ?? PERCENT. MOST MOVIE REVIEWERS HAVE TAKEN NOTE. AS XXX WRITES IN..(PUT A QUOTE THAT IS EXCITED ABOUT 3D).
Now as a movie goer I have seen a couple of 3D movies and I do not see what the big hype about it all is because watching a movie in 2D is less expensive and has better quailty in my opinion. MORE ON WHY YOU THINK THIS.
The one mmovie the article WHICH ARTICLE --NAME THE AUTHOR -- mentions is Avatar which I happened to see in 3D, during the movie I would take my glasses off and could see the movie with the main character's faces just the background was blurry.
A couple of times during the film I would get a slight headache from watching wearing glasses. SOME MOVIE GOERS ARE STARTING TO NOTICE THAT 3D MAY ACTUALLY BE BAD FOR YOUR EYES This article mentions if 3D is bad for your eyesight especially if you aren't used to wearing glasses. http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2009/05/17/news/19local_05-17-09.txt
3D movies are becoming a growing phenomenon and will continue to be around for the next several years, but the question remains, is 3D really worth the hype and money? Stay tuned for that answer in my next blog.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
How to search for online sources on your topic
1. Ne York Times. Find the section on your topic, and put that page in your blog roll. Also, search NY Times for articles
www.nytimes.com
2. Use Technorati.com
3. Look at online magazines on your topic
www.nytimes.com
2. Use Technorati.com
3. Look at online magazines on your topic
Monday, January 24, 2011
Homework for January 27
Read:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-09/st_thompson
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/01/18/when-teaching-restrains-discovery/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NotRocketScience+%28Not+Exactly+Rocket+Science%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Be ready to discuss:
1. How would you characterize your experiences with writing in and out of school? What most frustrates you about writing?
2. What kinds of writing do you imagine you'll do once you leave school? How is digital literacy different from and similar to the kinds of literacy practices you've learned in school?
3. Do you agree or disagree with the following: "Writing can be learned, but it can't be taught"? Explain.
4. Many of my recent former students describe being very passive and unengaged in school. How would you characterize your level of engagement in school? How honest are you with your teachers about what you know, what you don't understand, what you're interested in, what you find boring? What do you think causes students' lack of engagement?
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-09/st_thompson
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/01/18/when-teaching-restrains-discovery/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NotRocketScience+%28Not+Exactly+Rocket+Science%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Be ready to discuss:
1. How would you characterize your experiences with writing in and out of school? What most frustrates you about writing?
2. What kinds of writing do you imagine you'll do once you leave school? How is digital literacy different from and similar to the kinds of literacy practices you've learned in school?
3. Do you agree or disagree with the following: "Writing can be learned, but it can't be taught"? Explain.
4. Many of my recent former students describe being very passive and unengaged in school. How would you characterize your level of engagement in school? How honest are you with your teachers about what you know, what you don't understand, what you're interested in, what you find boring? What do you think causes students' lack of engagement?
Syllabus
Spring 2011
English 414
Professor Jennifer Trainor
Hum 541
jtrainor@sfsu.edu
Office hours: Tues and Thurs 10:00 - 11:00; Tuesday 8:00pm - 10:00 pm via email; by appointment
This course is designed to help you become more accomplished writers. Toward this goal, we will read research drawn from the fields of literacy and writing studies, and we will address questions such as: What does it mean to write well in college and in professional contexts beyond college? How is college writing different from professional writing? What do audiences expect from writers? How do writing conventions differ in different contexts? At the same time, we’ll be reflecting on these questions in a more personal way, asking: How have you become the kind of writer you are? What strategies, habits and beliefs about writing have you learned and how well do these serve your goals as a writer? How might you write more effectively – with more joy, and more satisfying results?
But learning about writing could be arguably meaningless unless you have something you want to say. To
that end, you will spend much of this semester researching and reading extensively about a topic of your
own choosing, and related to your chosen field of study or professional goals. You will write about that topic in a relatively recent format: an online blog. Unlike much
of the writing you’ve probably done for school in the past, this writing will be published on the web for
everyone to see and respond to, which has its own challenges, but should help you develop a sharper
sense of audience. Moreover, writing blog posts and commenting on others’ blogs will develop your skills
with the kind of connective writing that is essential in today’s digital environments and in today's workplaces.
But this course isn’t just about blogging; it’s about communicating effectively. The skills you develop in
this course should serve you well for the remainder of your academic career and beyond.
Unlike many writing classes, this class will not ask you to write multiple drafts of weekly or bi-weekly essays, and it will not evaluate your writing per se. You will be evaluated based on how thoroughly you engaged with the activies of the class (more on this below). It may seem strange to be in a writing class that does not assign or evaluate writing for its own sake. However, recent research suggests that assigning and evaluating writing per se are not as effective as we might like when it comes to helping students become effective writers. Because the writing situations that students, like all writers, face are so varied, there is no one set of guidelines, rules, practices, or habits that will “teach” you to write once and for all. There are no rules that apply across all contexts and situations. Instead, in this class, we will work to develop in each of you:
*the habit of self reflection about writing and self-awareness about yourselves as writers, and the ability to monitor your own thinking processes about writing;
*the habit of mindfulness – a state of alertness to the writing activities you are engaged in, in contrast with a passive or reactive mode where tasks are accomplished by rote or routine (rather than following “what the teacher wants” in a mechanical or disengaged way, we will work to develop the rhetorical skills necessary to use writing to reflect, inquire, communicate, and engage with academic material);
*the understanding that writing is conventional and context-specific rather than governed by universal rules;
*the ability to pay close attention to the context of each writing situation in order to discover what counts as appropriate for that discourse community;
*the recognition that writing is a process of drafting, revising, and editing, and to discover your own method for accomplishing these various parts of the work of writing;
*the ability to reflect upon and think critically about your own writing and the writing of your classmates.
To earn a C in this course, you need to fulfill all of the requirements below:
Attendance:
You will come to class, on time and ready to work. It is acceptable to miss one or two classes. It is not acceptable to miss more than a week.
BLOGS:
You will create an online blog focused on a topic of
your choosing. You will then write at least 12 posts that are coherent, relatively error-free, and relevant to your blog’s topic. You will post regularly throughout the semester (to earn a C, your blog must emerge over the course of the term, rather than appear, at the last minute, during finals week). Each of your posts should be between 200-750 words in
length (longer is fine, but not necessarily better), and each post should link to (or
reference) at least one external source. This means that, in order to write posts, you
will need to read, on a continual basis, what others are saying about your topic. You
may blog under a pseudonym, if you like, but the blog must be publicly accessible. At least two blog posts should be substantive, in-depth explorations of an issue or question that others are writing about in your field. At least half of your posts must be revised, with feedback from me, for considerations of audience, purpose, clarity, organization, and correctness.
RESUME AND COVER LETTER
You may, as a substitute for one blog post, create or revise a cover letter and resume aimed at a job in your field. This is optional.
VIRTUAL PORTFOLIO
At the end of the semester, you will collect all of your materials into an virtual portfolio
of your work. This collection will contain all the writing you did for the course, or link to
places your writing resides online. You will also need to include a narrative (300-500
words) that describes and reflects on your work over the semester.
To earn a B in the course, you need, in addition to the above, to fulfill the reqiruements below:
5 - 10 COMMENTS ON OTHER BLOGS OR ONLINE FORUMS
These are comments you write on the blogs of other students in the class or on blogs,
discussion boards, or forums related to your own topic. What you comment on, and
when, is entirely up to you.
4 - 8 ONLINE CONSULTATIONS
You are invited to seek specific writing feedback from me or from our TA via email. Please keep a record of these consultations; you will include them in your final portfolio.
VOLUNTEER 1 - 4 TIMES FOR WRITER'S CHAIR
Each day during class, one or two of you will volunteer your blog for class discussion. This is an invaluable to get feedback on your writing.
6 -10 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE CLASS BLOG THAT ARE ABOUT WRITING / BLOGGING / SCHOOL
Once a week or so, I will post a discussion question based on our conversations in class; you are encouraged to post a reply on our class blog.
VISUAL AND MULTI-MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION
You are encouraged to consider the rhetorical effect of the visual design of your blog, and to use images and design elements to enhance your readers' experiences of your blog.
To earn an A in the course, you must fulfill all of the above requirements, AND your blogging must be of exceptional quality: it must be thought-provoking; It should address the complexities inherent in your topic; it should be written in an engaged and engaging voice; it should cohere visually and rhetorically; it should be visually appealing; it should be in constant conversation with other writers who are working on your topic; it should be written in a mature style, and relatively free from proofreading errors.
English 414
Professor Jennifer Trainor
Hum 541
jtrainor@sfsu.edu
Office hours: Tues and Thurs 10:00 - 11:00; Tuesday 8:00pm - 10:00 pm via email; by appointment
This course is designed to help you become more accomplished writers. Toward this goal, we will read research drawn from the fields of literacy and writing studies, and we will address questions such as: What does it mean to write well in college and in professional contexts beyond college? How is college writing different from professional writing? What do audiences expect from writers? How do writing conventions differ in different contexts? At the same time, we’ll be reflecting on these questions in a more personal way, asking: How have you become the kind of writer you are? What strategies, habits and beliefs about writing have you learned and how well do these serve your goals as a writer? How might you write more effectively – with more joy, and more satisfying results?
But learning about writing could be arguably meaningless unless you have something you want to say. To
that end, you will spend much of this semester researching and reading extensively about a topic of your
own choosing, and related to your chosen field of study or professional goals. You will write about that topic in a relatively recent format: an online blog. Unlike much
of the writing you’ve probably done for school in the past, this writing will be published on the web for
everyone to see and respond to, which has its own challenges, but should help you develop a sharper
sense of audience. Moreover, writing blog posts and commenting on others’ blogs will develop your skills
with the kind of connective writing that is essential in today’s digital environments and in today's workplaces.
But this course isn’t just about blogging; it’s about communicating effectively. The skills you develop in
this course should serve you well for the remainder of your academic career and beyond.
Unlike many writing classes, this class will not ask you to write multiple drafts of weekly or bi-weekly essays, and it will not evaluate your writing per se. You will be evaluated based on how thoroughly you engaged with the activies of the class (more on this below). It may seem strange to be in a writing class that does not assign or evaluate writing for its own sake. However, recent research suggests that assigning and evaluating writing per se are not as effective as we might like when it comes to helping students become effective writers. Because the writing situations that students, like all writers, face are so varied, there is no one set of guidelines, rules, practices, or habits that will “teach” you to write once and for all. There are no rules that apply across all contexts and situations. Instead, in this class, we will work to develop in each of you:
*the habit of self reflection about writing and self-awareness about yourselves as writers, and the ability to monitor your own thinking processes about writing;
*the habit of mindfulness – a state of alertness to the writing activities you are engaged in, in contrast with a passive or reactive mode where tasks are accomplished by rote or routine (rather than following “what the teacher wants” in a mechanical or disengaged way, we will work to develop the rhetorical skills necessary to use writing to reflect, inquire, communicate, and engage with academic material);
*the understanding that writing is conventional and context-specific rather than governed by universal rules;
*the ability to pay close attention to the context of each writing situation in order to discover what counts as appropriate for that discourse community;
*the recognition that writing is a process of drafting, revising, and editing, and to discover your own method for accomplishing these various parts of the work of writing;
*the ability to reflect upon and think critically about your own writing and the writing of your classmates.
To earn a C in this course, you need to fulfill all of the requirements below:
Attendance:
You will come to class, on time and ready to work. It is acceptable to miss one or two classes. It is not acceptable to miss more than a week.
BLOGS:
You will create an online blog focused on a topic of
your choosing. You will then write at least 12 posts that are coherent, relatively error-free, and relevant to your blog’s topic. You will post regularly throughout the semester (to earn a C, your blog must emerge over the course of the term, rather than appear, at the last minute, during finals week). Each of your posts should be between 200-750 words in
length (longer is fine, but not necessarily better), and each post should link to (or
reference) at least one external source. This means that, in order to write posts, you
will need to read, on a continual basis, what others are saying about your topic. You
may blog under a pseudonym, if you like, but the blog must be publicly accessible. At least two blog posts should be substantive, in-depth explorations of an issue or question that others are writing about in your field. At least half of your posts must be revised, with feedback from me, for considerations of audience, purpose, clarity, organization, and correctness.
RESUME AND COVER LETTER
You may, as a substitute for one blog post, create or revise a cover letter and resume aimed at a job in your field. This is optional.
VIRTUAL PORTFOLIO
At the end of the semester, you will collect all of your materials into an virtual portfolio
of your work. This collection will contain all the writing you did for the course, or link to
places your writing resides online. You will also need to include a narrative (300-500
words) that describes and reflects on your work over the semester.
To earn a B in the course, you need, in addition to the above, to fulfill the reqiruements below:
5 - 10 COMMENTS ON OTHER BLOGS OR ONLINE FORUMS
These are comments you write on the blogs of other students in the class or on blogs,
discussion boards, or forums related to your own topic. What you comment on, and
when, is entirely up to you.
4 - 8 ONLINE CONSULTATIONS
You are invited to seek specific writing feedback from me or from our TA via email. Please keep a record of these consultations; you will include them in your final portfolio.
VOLUNTEER 1 - 4 TIMES FOR WRITER'S CHAIR
Each day during class, one or two of you will volunteer your blog for class discussion. This is an invaluable to get feedback on your writing.
6 -10 ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE CLASS BLOG THAT ARE ABOUT WRITING / BLOGGING / SCHOOL
Once a week or so, I will post a discussion question based on our conversations in class; you are encouraged to post a reply on our class blog.
VISUAL AND MULTI-MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION
You are encouraged to consider the rhetorical effect of the visual design of your blog, and to use images and design elements to enhance your readers' experiences of your blog.
To earn an A in the course, you must fulfill all of the above requirements, AND your blogging must be of exceptional quality: it must be thought-provoking; It should address the complexities inherent in your topic; it should be written in an engaged and engaging voice; it should cohere visually and rhetorically; it should be visually appealing; it should be in constant conversation with other writers who are working on your topic; it should be written in a mature style, and relatively free from proofreading errors.
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