Hello all...for Tuesday November 3

Hello all,

Today we spent some time in the forest eating houses made of candy or trail mix; whatever you prefer?

Then we spend some time discussing metaphor.

Our discussion established a definition of metaphor:
1. It describes: pathos
2. It explains: logos
3. It establishes a cultural context: ethos
4. It adds vim and vigor to our language: aesthetics

We spent some more time discussing how metaphors operate.

We focused on:
1. vehicle: the word/thing that meaning is borrowed from.
2. tenor: the word/thing that meaning is ascribed to.

We used the example--Joe is a pig. Pig is the vehicle and joe is the tenor. Pig describes and contributes the meaning for Joe.

Using the knowledge of metaphors, we looked to our images to think about how the image communicates metaphorically. For the most part, everyone located a vehicle and tenor for their image. We listed these on a page.

We then went to http://wire.rutgers.edu/p_reading_rhetoric.html. We explored the site to find information about how to read an image.

We then started thinking about how these vehicles and tenors expose a subject of exploration or a topic of inquiry for Portfolio 2. Remember, you will need to think about what and how the image communicates.

I asked everyone to make sure that their decision of topic of inquiry met the following questions"
1. is it focused?
2. do I have the resources to research it?
3. Am i interested enough in it to spend 8 weeks?
4. Can I take a strong position on it?

You will need to have a good topic in your head and you will need to start researching for class on the 3rd.

For Tuesday Nov. 3
No Class on Tuesday-Fall Break
No Class on Friday-Spend time in the library (Professor Kat is taking her exams)

Read for Nov. 3


AND



Post a summary to the reading on your blog (pay attention to visual imagery and research strategies)
Collect and post six sources about your topic on your blog (MLA format i.e. knightcite.com)
Complete Library handout on moodle (under Oct. 30) and emailed.

Thanks so much and have a great Fall Break,

Kat

For Friday

Hello all,

Today, we started the day with a metaphoric cup of coffee, and then we launched into discussing Mike Rose.

We shared our observations about Rose's work. Breena suggested that we like the work because it does a good job of telling a story, while Mimi contributed that her observation that the personal elements in the story make us connect with the piece. Bret remarked that the reading was engaging because of the like-ability of the teacher i.e. Rose. Blaze asserted that we like Rose because of his focus on making writing important. Dean suggested that there was a bit of reaching in the work in relation to the emphasis on writing, especially in the sciences. Allison connected Rose with Elbow's methods and persona.

I then read a brief piece about one of Rose's students, Laura. We thought about the advice we would give her. Blaze suggested that she chill out and just freewrite. Allison agreed, and she also supported the just write philosophy (i.e. fix it later). Breena encouraged Laura to read more. Bret suggested that she relax and not be too critical.

We then moved to a discussion of research and personal writing. We wrote a bit in class on the juncture between these two. We then discussed what makes research writing important and valid. Breena asserted that good research writing is objective and unbiased. Dean contributed the view that research writing is flawless and presents well-researched information. Bret asserted that good research writing used facts, examples, and opinions well.

The discussion then shifted to an exploration of ethos, pathos, and logos. We explored how these elements worked in communication. We discussed the various methods used to deploy these appeals.

With all of this information swirling in our heads, we moved to discussing Project Two: Portfolio 2 Researching Visual arguments.

Project two involves the reading of a visual image, researching of ideas from the visual image, and the construction of a research-based text.

The first step was locating three images that we feel strongly about and posting them on the blogs.

For Friday:
Post your three images on your blog
Think about what messages these images convey.

Thanks and take care,

Kat

For Tuesday

Hello all,

Today, we spent some time being spiders and seeing what we could catch and what we could release.

We spent some time talking about the student evaluations. As I mentioned in class, the evaluation survey will be open until everyone has the chance to complete it. We reviewed some of the comments: I hear what you are saying about the readings, and I have changed some of the readings to accommodate your comments. I also reviewed some of the various other issues related to postings, classroom discussions, and other elements of the course. Keep me posted if you have any other feedback to give in relation to the course.

Next, we discussed the evaluation and assessment of the student portfolios. I handed out the common rubric, and we applied it to a student sample annotation and summary. We all agreed that the text was average (some of you saw it as close to passing and some of you saw it as close to failing). However, we all "normed" ourselves with the paper. Remember as we move forward with the evaluations that you need to make sure that you are remember our discussion today.

Lastly, we did some roundtable discussion of grading practices in general. We mentioned the need for grades, but the need for grades to be evaluated and assessed fairly and individually--for each students' growth. Sounds like a lot of work, but work that is wothwhile.

For Tuesday:
Read Mike Rose's two readings located on the moodle. These readings are also attached to the email.

Post a summary and reaction on your blog for the readings.
Evaluate the portfolio that you were given. (if you were not given a portfolio, please let me know asap).

Thanks and take care,

Kat

For Friday Oct 16-Portfolios are Due!

Hello all,

Today we spent some time learning about body language. This type of information serves us well when we are trying to "read" someone.

We then discussed the Kathleen Yancey article. Most of you found it to be a tad bit reaching in light of our previous conversations; however, I do think that it served as a vital component for our in-class reading of Suzan Harrison's portfolio piece. Most of you commented on the applicability of reading Harrison's piece in relation to the examples and the perspectives offered.

We then shifted to exploring the Portfolio which is due on Friday. The portfolio should contain:
1. Global Annotation
2. Summary Annotation
3. One summary from the readings (you select it)
4. Narrative Annotation
5. Revised Narrative on your writing process.

We explored how we would evaluate the texts:





I will print out the assessment tool for Friday.

For Friday:

Bring in two copies of your portfolio (paper-copies)

Take care, and thanks,

Kat

Hello....

As we enter the midway of the semester, I would like to get an idea about how you feel about the course, so if I need to make changes, I can.

The survey is anonymous, so please feel free to speak as freely as you need to.

Thanks so much and take care,

Kat

Here is the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=pVRI6DYDkgVK4nVwbrEETQ_3d_3d

or

Click Here to take survey

Class for Friday

Here is the video for your Friday class.

Take care,

Kat

For Friday No Traditional Class

Hello all,

Today, we started the day by having Alex tell a fib, and then we thought about how the fib operated.

Next, we dove into exploring the reading, which was actually a chart for James Kinneavey. I was very excited to hear and to listen to your observations about encoder, decoder, style, and referential positions of discourse. We went slowly through the reading and explored what discourse was and how Kinneavey sees it operating.

Remember encoder driven discourse is focused on the writer's expression, decoder driven discourse is focused on the persuasion of the reader, style driven discourse is focused on the literary or the actual structure of the discourse, and refereintial discourse is driven by the need to reference and to research i.e. to demonstrate knowledge.

This discussion lead us to examining how our annotations function in our peer review groups. As we reviewed our peer's annotations, we used ? marks and MORE statements to think about how to help our peer revise their annotations.

For class on Friday, we will not be having a traditional class. Instead you will be prompted to go to a place on moodle and watch a podcast. You will then need to follow the directions to receive credit.

For Friday:
Submit revised drafts of your annotations to me via email.
Go to podcast and follow exercises

For Tuesday:
Read Yancey piece on moodle
Post a response on your blog.

Thanks and take care,

Kat

--
Kat Robinson

For Tuesday Oct 5

Hello all,

Today, we tried to blow some bubbles but all we got back was disappointing news about your outlooks and goals.

We then moved to discussing the next stage of Project One: the Portfolio. The Portfolio is due Oct. 13.

Portfolio should contain:
Overall annotation
Short annotation for reading to week 5
Readings from Week 5
Short annotation for essay (narrative on your writing)
Revised essay

In class, we discussed some reasons how we decide if we have a passing or failing portfolio. Hunter suggested that the portfolio is successful if it showcases a degree of completion in the texts, and A.J. suggests that the portfolio is good if it achieves clarity. Brenna contributed a focus on comprehension in the portfolio, while Blaze carefully highlighted the need to demonstrate an application of thought in the texts. Dean asserted that the portfolio must be comprised of many components, and Baalika contributed a focus on grammar, style and conventions. Nice work.

The nine characteristics of portfolios are:

collection: "collection, then, is the source of the portfolio's greater face validity, of its ability to represent the writer more fully than earlier forms of assessment allowed" (33). That is, the portfolio judges more than a single performance range: the writer is able to use different genres that show off different areas of expertise

context richness: "portfolio assessment ... assumes that writers bring their experiences, in the form of their writings, with them into the assessment.... This characteristic means that instruction and assessment are intertwined, that the context within which the learning took place determines the contents of the portfolio" (34).

delayed evaluation: students can go back and revise their work, they are building a portfolio not in a day but over the course of a semester or a year

selection: "The act of making the selection leads writers to implicit--and often explicit--decisions about quality" (35)
student-centered control: the learner is responsible for his/her success

reflection and self-assessment: this is especially related to the letter that some portfolios require, it is the act of returning to a corpus of texts and reflecting upon those works

growth along specific parameters: the portfolio allows evaluators to ask specific questions such as "Has the writer developed a stronger ability to write unified essays?" or "Has a writer become a better speller?" (36)
development over Time: "Readers can trace the development of each piece" (37).

(According the Hamp-Lyons and Condon)


We then spent some time discussing how to construct the annotations for the portfolio. Remember the impulse is to 1. reflect 2. apply and 3 evaluate in each of the annotations.

For the Global Annotation (1-2 paragraphs)
-Reflect on what you have learning in the class (readings, discussions, postings, drafting, prewriting, revising, peer reviewing, etc)
-Apply how you have learned. Discuss the various tools that you have used and augmented for your writing.
-Evaluate how and what you have learned (the value of it).

For the Summary Response Annotation (1 paragraph)
-Reflect on what you have learned (readings and class discussions)
-Apply how you have learned.
-Evaluate how and what you have learned.

For the Narrative Annotation (1 paragraph)
-Reflect on what you have learned (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and revising)
-Apply how you have learned.
-Evaluate how and what you have learned.

Following this discussion, we shifted to the drafts. I explained some of my comments on your drafts.

1. this, that, thing, it, there-Remember, these words are unclear, and you will want to be specific with your reader. Dean made an amazing comment that he thinks he uses these because he is writing in 1st person. Nice observation!!
Try and replace anything that is not specific with more targeted words.

2. Comma time: Oh Boy did we have fun with commas. We learned:
1. 1,2, and 3 or 1,2 and 3 rule.
2. ,FANBOYS= can separate sentences.
3. Comma before an introductory group of words i.e. Transitions, -ing, and -ly (remember find the subject and then comma before it.)

Here are some other helpful hints that may come in handy.

Pronoun Reference/Agreement
Skim your paper, stopping at each pronoun. Look especially at it, this, they, their, and them.
Search for the noun that the pronoun replaces. If you can't find any noun, insert one beforehand or change the pronoun to a noun. If you can find a noun, be sure it agrees in number and person with your pronoun.

Subject/Verb Agreement
Find the main verb in each sentence.
Match the verb to its subject.
Make sure that the subject and verb agree in number.

Parallel Structure
Skim your paper, stopping at key words that signal parallel structures.
Look especially for and, or, not only...but also, either... or, neither...nor, both...and.
Make sure that the items connected by these words (adjectives, nouns, phrases, etc.) are in the same grammatical form.

Spelling and Punctuation
Spelling
Examine each word in the paper individually.
Move from the end of each line back to the beginning. Pointing with a pencil helps you really see each word.
If necessary, check a dictionary to see that each word is spelled correctly.

Compound Sentence Commas
Skim for the conjunctions and, but, for, or, nor, so and yet.
See whether there is a complete sentence on each side of the conjunction.
if so, place a comma before the conjunction.

Introductory Commas
Skim your paper, looking only at the first two or three words of each sentence.
Stop if one of these words is a dependent marker, a transition word, a participle, or a preposition.
Listen for a possible break point before the main clause.
Place a comma at the end of the introductory phrase or clause (which is before the independent clause).

Comma Splices
Skim the paper, stopping at every comma.
See whether there is a complete sentence on each side of the comma. If so, add a coordinating conjunction after the comma or replace the comma with a semicolon.

Fragments
Look at each sentence to see whether it contains an independent clause.
Pay special attention to sentences that begin with dependent marker words (such as because) or phrases such as for example or such as.
See if the sentence might be just a piece of the previous sentence that mistakenly got separated by a period.

Run-On Sentences
Review each sentence to see whether it contains more than one independent clause. Start with the last sentence of your paper, and work your way back to the beginning, sentence by sentence.
Break the sentence into two sentences if necessary.

Apostrophes
Skim your paper, stopping only at those words which end in "s.“
See whether or not each "s" word needs an apostrophe. If an apostrophe is needed, you will be able to invert the word order and say "of" or "of the":
Mary's hat
The hat of Mary

Left-Out Words
Read the paper aloud, pointing to every word as you read. Don't let your eye move ahead until you spot each word.
Also, make sure that you haven't doubled any words.

I hope this helps.

For Tuesday:
Read James Kinneavy “The Basic Aims of Discourse” (scanned on moodle)

Post a summary and reaction to the reading
Draft annotations for Portfolio 1 (Bring copies to class).

Thanks and take care,

Kat