An Example Paper

First of all, I show you how to hand in your e-file in the forum in Moodle.

Those of you with paper copies, keep them in your daybook to hand in at the end of class.

Now, we go to Moodle to download the Example Analysis paper there.

1. I want you to rename your copy of the example paper. Type your LAST NAME in front of its name when you do "save as".
2. You are going to use the highlight tool to colorize your copy.
3. Make the title red.
4. Make the introduction and conclusion pink.
5. When the paper discusses example #1, make it yellow. This includes parts of sentences.
6. When the paper discusses example #2, make it pale blue, also including parts of sentences.
7. When the paper discusses BOTH AT ONCE, make it green.
8. Underline the words that refer to the characteristics being compared. {These are the topics of the paragraphs.}
9. Italicize the thesis or main idea of the whole paper.
10. Make the hook and the clincher bold.

There is some nomenclature going on in that list up there -- be sure to ask if you are not sure.

If you finish before the others, use the time to be taking notes about two Kickstarters.

At the end of class, we will upload the colorized document into the same forum in Moodle where you turned in the worksheet today.

Leave your daybooks. Make sure your name is visible on it.

Homework:

1. Read Ch. 21 in The Bedford Guide, pages 420-435. These pages have helpful advice for writing your solo assignment.

2. Decide on two Kickstarters, take notes about them, and begin writing your Solo #1 paper (blue sheet).

Kickstarter Context

Cliches about fools and money?

To start us thinking, here's an article I happened upon over the weekend:

http://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2013/12/05/tip-of-the-iceberg-how-the-illusion-of-products-can-mislead-customers-about-the-realities-of-business/

This caused me to follow the link about the T-shirt. Which brought me back to Kickstarter.

Thinkwrite: How can we tell whether a Kickstarter project has the ability to actually produce its product?


I hand out the assignment sheet for the Solo paper due next Tuesday. We need to discuss criteria...


Homework:

1. Finish the "Language Use in Kickstarter" assignment due tomorrow.

2. Finalize your choice of two Kickstarters to write about, and begin the steps of creating Solo Assignment #1. Start with taking a page of notes in your daybook. This leads to choosing criteria and identifying Key Elements. If you wish to do this over the weekend, you can add the page of notes into your daybook when I return it.

3. Daybooks are due tomorrow, Friday. I will return them Monday.

3. TWFTD: criteria

A Closer Look at Kickstarter

1. I hand out the Kickstarter Projects Newsletter. Read both sides. We discuss.

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

2. 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 week using Kickstarter and The Everyday Writer to fill out an assignment in Moodle called "Language Use in Kickstarter." Go to Moodle and look in the Kickstarter section.

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, due Friday. You can hand it in electronically OR on paper, your choice. As you work on it, confirm your choice of two Kickstarter projects you want to write about.

2. TWFTD: your choice from Section 23 in Everyday Writer.

Legos Due/ Next Genre

Organize your Legos to be ready to hand in. (See white board.)

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 instruct you to do these; I was hoping you would discover them by trial and error. Key elements: ______.

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

When you are done, please hand in your Lego Project. Only leave the parts in the bag if you think I might need to build it.

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.

Look at Kickstarter.com. Here's the information sheet. Read it. 

Some projects I've found....#1 and #2 and #3 and #4.

Homework:

1. Go to Kickstarter.com and look for projects that interest you. Use "Search" or "Discover" to see completed projects. You are looking for two that interest you; one that succeeded and one that failed. In your daybook make a list of at least 5 projects that you looked at. Record enough information about them so that you could find them again (the title, at least).

2. TWFTD: crowdsourcing

Tomorrow you will need The Everyday Writer for class. NOT Bedford.

Lego Build #2

From: http://www.psia-nw.org/newsletter-articles/blooms-taxonomy.

Ways of Thinking: How many ways can you think at once? Draw the above graphic into your daybook with Lego activities added on.

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 were still problems, make further revisions, and discuss further revisions on the green "Revision Brainstorming" sheet given out last week.

2. Print out a single final version of your directions to hand in tomorrow. 

3. Bring ALL former versions to hand in, with ALL green score sheets, and the legos.

4. Be ready to discuss the Lego Nomenclature reading tomorrow. The questions at the end of the reading should be answered in your daybook.

5. TWFTD: taxonomy