More About Kickstarter

Thinkwrite: Can you think of a word that you learned recently? Have you used it? What makes a word useful to you? How big would you say your "useful" vocabulary is (guess a number)? What are some words that you have learned in your program area that you didn't use before you started taking classes?

Let's find out. Please record your results in your daybook.

I hand out the Kickstarter newsletter. Read. Discuss.

Now I hand out the assignment sheet for Solo Paper #1.

Use the rest of class time to look at Kickstarter sites and decide which TWO you'll write about.

Homework:

1. Take at least one FULL page of notes in your daybook, recording information about the two sites. These notes will form the basis of Solo Paper #1.
(See assignment sheet for instructions in Step #2.)

2. Daybook Check #1 happens on Monday, so have your daybook ready to hand in on Monday.

3. TWFTD: your choice from a Kickstarter -- a word you're not sure about.

Legos Due/ New Genre

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

Nomenclature: context is key to communication. What does that mean?

What kinds of thinking did you do yesterday?

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.

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.

2. 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.

3. TWFTD: crowdsourcing

Lego Build #2

Open up The Bedford Guide to page 26. Look at the graphic at the bottom of the page, which is one version of Bloom's Taxonomy.

Thinkwrite (Do this in your daybook at the END of class today):

Bloom's Taxonomy is a way of classifying or naming the ways we think. Copy these down in your daybook:

Reading the directions-
Assembling the parts-
Writing/reacting on the directions-
Filling out the feedback green sheet-

How many ways can you think at once? Next to each activity you copied down, describe how you think as you do it, using the terms listed in Bloom's Taxonomy.

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. Finish the thinkwrite at the top of the blog.

2. 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 yesterday.

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

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

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

6. TWFTD: taxonomy

Lego Build #1

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

Norman Cousins

I give you a green comment sheet. 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, your parts with comment sheets 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" at the beginning.

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 tomorrow (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.  Show that you are thinking. Have 2 copies of the revised directions tomorrow.

3. TWFTD: superfluous

4. No typo today.

Typing Your Directions

Get out the green sheets you were to have read for homework. Compare the front and back of the page with the builder pictured on it. The information content is very similar between the two.

Thinkwrite: 1. What differences in style and content between the two sides do you see? 2. Which is more effective?

How will this work?

Audience, purpose, genre, content and style for the Lego project?

We look at MLA style page layout: pages A-2 and A-3 in Bedford.

You make the heading, insert page number top right with your last name, and the rest is up to you.


To get in the mood:
  Legos  we   love .  Indeed. And professional builder #1. Professional builder #2. Lego artist #3.

Homework:

1. Tomorrow bring:

A. TWO copies of your directions printed

B. An answer key picture (either drawing or photo)

C. Your legos.

2. Go to our class in Moodle. In the highlighted section, click on the Lego nomenclature reading. Read it. There are questions at the end that should be answered in your daybook.

3. TWFTD: nomenclature. Use the reading in Moodle for your quote, please.

4. No typo that I know of.