Looking at Kickstarter - Daybooks Due

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”  Mark Twain

Thinkwrite: Consider what Twain is saying. Can you think of a time that your choice of a word got you into trouble? Or perhaps you can think of examples of a situation when the word you might choose to write or say could have big consequences.

Open The Everyday Writer  to Section 23. Read and become familiar with what this section offers you. Skim over the exercises; I'll assign some of them later. For today, read and understand the main points.

Then you are going to spend the rest of class today and time over the weekend using Kickstarter and The Everyday Writer to fill out an assignment in Moodle called "Language Use in Kickstarter." 

At the end of class, turn in your daybook. Shall we check typos? Is your name on it?

NOTE: Here are links to two crowdfunded scams. They were identified by neuroscience writers (in my Twitter feed)-- the things these products claim to do are bogus. On Kickstarter, NeuroOn: World's first sleep mask for polyphasic sleep.  On Indiegogo, No More Woof. Can you spot problems with them?

Homework:

1. Complete the "Language Use in Kickstarter" assignment in Moodle. As you work on it, be choosing two Kickstarter projects you want to write about. See you Tuesday.

2. No word.

3. No typo.

Lego Directions Due and into the Next Genre

Hand in your Legos.

Context is key to communication. What does that mean? How about assumptions? We watch Derek Sievers on assumptions.

Thinkwrite I: How did the Lego project go for you? Did you make any assumptions you were not aware of? How did you handle the nomenclature problem? Was it hard to give feedback AS you were building?

I show you the set of directions that taught me the key elements in this genre of writing (assembly directions with no pictures). I did not require these; I was hoping you would discover them by trial and error. Key elements: ______.

Thinkwrite II: Assess your own directions. Which of the key elements did you come up with on your own? Explain.

To keep you thinking about the relationship between the key elements of a genre and effective writing (rhetoric in action), our next two writing projects involve another genre that none of us has written before.

Here's the information sheet (blue). Read it. Now you pair up.

Look at Kickstarter.com. Some projects I've found....#1 and #2 and #3.

Homework:

1. Go to Kickstarter.com and start reading.

2. TWFTD: crowdsourcing

3. There is a phrase of three words that would be considered a cliché in today's blog. Can you find it? No typo.

Legos Build #2 -- Your Revision

 

Ways of Thinking: How many ways can you think at once?  Look at Bedford page 26 and Bloom's Taxonomy. We copy into the daybook.

Bloom's Taxonomy is a way of classifying or naming the ways we think.

Again,  I pass out a green scoring sheet, and you build, give feedback,  and score/comment. 

After you have built two, your project and all papers should come back to you.

Homework:

1.  Read the input from your builders.  If there we're still problems, make further revisions, and discuss further revisions on the green "Revision Brainstorming" sheet given out yesterday.

2.  Print out a single final version of your directions to hand in tomorrow.  Bring ALL former versions to hand in, with ALL green score sheets, and the legos. [1:00 class because of the late start you will hand Lego papers in on Friday.]

3.  TWFTD: taxonomy

4. One typo today. Not visible to spellcheck.

Legos Build #1

"Time given to thought is the greatest time saver of all." -

                                                               Norman Cousins

 

You get out the green comment sheets. You put your parts (taken apart) and the answer picture (well-folded) in your bag, to pass around with the directions (both copies) and green comment sheet.

1. As a builder,  you put your name on the green comment sheet AND one set of directions. Have a pencil in your hand. You SHOULD write on the directions with comments and questions that you have as you are building.  Be specific about what confuses you; watch for inconsistent orientations or unclear spatial directions. Make positive comments when it is going well.

2. Then when the build is complete, you must score it and write about it on the green scoring sheet. Remember, thorough comments earn you points.

3. Everyone builds two.

When all are done, all the papers come back to you. You can see how others did with your directions. You will have some ideas for ways to improve your own.

I will pass out a green Revision sheet at the end. Even if people easily built your directions, I want you to look for ways to improve what you have;  write ideas down on the green sheet, and make actual changes to you directions. Note: Everyone MUST now include a "General Description." Print TWO COPIES of your REVISED directions.

Homework:

1. Brainstorm ideas for changes to your directions on the green brainstorming sheet. Come up with as many ideas for change -- even "silly" ones -- as possible.

2. Make typed changes to your directions and print the new version before class (2 copies). You do NOT have to make all the changes that you brainstormed, but you MUST now have a "general description" at the beginning. The revision is worth 1/4 of your grade on this project. Show that you are thinking. Have 2 copies of the revised directions tomorrow.

3. TWFTD: superfluous

4. No typo today. (The content is too important: I can't bring myself to mess with your concentration.)

Typing Your Directions

About the writing process?  See what magazine this is? That's right, The Atlantic.

Thinkwrite: Coates says that "Writing is an act of courage..." and "I always consider the entire process [to be] about failure." Based on what he says and what we've talked about so far, what do YOU think makes writing hard work?

NOTE: What's the difference between spoken English and written English? So, what' one way to practice writing? It starts with an "R".

Aundience, purpose and genre for the Lego project?

I hand out a guide for setting up your paper MLA style. You have time to type and create you're directions for tomorrow.


To get in the mood:
 Printer.   Legoswelove .  V-8.  Indeed. And professional builder #1. Professional builder #2. Lego artist #3.

Homework:

1. Have TWO copies of your directions printed, a copy of the answer key picture, and your pieces in their bag for class tomorrow.

2. Go to our class in Moodle in the first section, "Project with Feedback #1" to read about Lego nomenclature. Click on the link there titled "Lego Nomenclature with Pictures."

There are questions at the end of the article that should be answered in your daybook.

3. Read the green scoring sheet that I am handing out today. You will use it tomorrow. See what you will be thinking about as you build.

4. TWFTD: nomenclature.

5. TWO intentional typos today NOT visible to spellcheck. (Hmm --  this site has crummy spellcheck!)