Although you want to read this page online in order to explore links, consider printing these instructions and then check each step when completed.

 

Online Activities/Writing Exercises for Week 10

(Tip: the page links in the table of contents below is to help jump to a specific task in this assignment.  I suggest you read through the page first and use the table when you need to review a specific section.)

As your Syllabus states, ten percent of your grade is based on the online activities and practice writing that we'll call Online Activities/Writing Exercises.

For week 10, we're going to include

  • Writer's Café
  • Chat

Do note that the order I present these may vary from week to week, depending on what we're doing. 

Step 1: Post a response in the Writer's Café forum.

Note: to earn full credit, complete this step by Thursday midnight.

Choose an article you've bookmarked for essay 4 on an aspect of pop culture. Make sure it is recently published (within the last year). The article can be from the web or library online databases. Do not choose an article you used in a previous paper. And--check Writer's Café before you post--do not present an article another class member has already posted.
  • AND--no Wikipedia or blogs, unless the blog posting is substantial and from someone with expertise in the issue.
Done___

 
  • First: Summarize
    • Your summary should be complete in expressing the supporting points that the author uses in backing up his or her thesis. Therefore, it should be a substantial paragraph.
Done___
  • Second: Evaluate the article, explaining what you found effective, what you found ineffective, and why.
Done___

 
  • Third: Write topic issue questions (questions that could be answered yes or no) from the article that have two or more positions and that are held by thoughtful people (yes, there may be a fringe element who feel that all filmmakers should be lined up and executed for their spread of moral filth upon our nation--avoid extremes such as these).
  • Example: From Sydney Pollack's essay "The Way We Are," you might come up with the following questions:

  • Should filmmakers create movies that will morally improve society?

  • Do movies only reflect the values of the society they are produced in?

(Hint: you can also use the questions you post as part of your prewriting.)
Done___

 
  • Fourth: Post the bibliographic information--MLA works cited style.

Review the virtual lecture, Using MLA Works Cited.

  • And note that you can italicize your book and magazine titles with the toolbar just above the Message box. (Apple users--you'll need to use Firefox to get the html editor toolbar).

(Hint: you can also use this as part of your annotated bibliography for next week.)
Done___

 

Step 2: Read and reply to other class members' Writer's Café responses.

  • You can agree, disagree, question, qualify what your fellow class member says.

  • You also need to explain why you think so, again with support from your own experiences and observations, or from another article or web page.

    • Extra points--if you include support from an article or web page, you will earn some extra points.

You will need to respond at least twice to fulfill attendance requirements. However, you may enjoy responding to more.

  • And you will find yourself earning more points with fuller participation--including participation at more than one sitting.
 

Step 3: Participate in a this week's chat.

(The schedule is at http://web.lcc.edu/personal/holtd/writ121/chatimes.htm and is available under Chat schedule  in the table of contents above.)

Before the chat, prepare some notes on prompts 1-3, and submit through the chat notes drop box for week 10. Obviously, bring the notes to the chat with you.
Done___

 
  1. Brainstorm ideas about essay 4 with each other. 
  • I suggest just tossing around possible topics based on articles you've read, skimmed, or just glanced at in CEL.
Done___

 
  1. Come up with five possible topic questions for essay 4.
  • Example: Do violent movies purge viewers of negative, destructive emotions?
  • And after coming up with these possible topic questions, as a group rank them and share with the rest of us in the Writer's Café forum.
  • Here's the catch, though. If another group has already posted, you can't repeat any of their questions. Nor can you repeat questions from the article summaries you are all posting (step 1).

I hope you will notice by the end of the week that you will have a lot of topic questions in Angel, possible approaches for essay 4, if you haven't already lit on one.

Done___

 
  1. Based on this week's reading, discuss how you decide whether or not a web page is credible.

Then as a group, decide on two tips for deciding web page credibility to share with the whole class in the Writer's Café  forum.

  • Here's the same catch, though. If another group has already posted, you can't repeat any of their tips. I bet you knew that!
Angel Chat will make a transcript of your conversation, which you will be able to access after everyone in the chat room leaves. It's found at "view logs" right under the chat room link in Communication.

And moderator, please post the group topic questions and source credibility tips on the Writer's Café as soon as the chat is complete.
Chat will obviously take place in Angel chat.

However, I again suggest for a back up that you all have at your disposal AOL Instant Messenger. If you don't already have it, you can download it at http://www.aim.com. And if you're on someone else's computer that doesn't have AIM, just click on AIM Express.

You do not need to be a member of AOL to use Instant Messenger and it's free.

  • Email me your user name, and I'll add it to the Scheduled Chat Times page.

If you moderator doesn't show up on time, decide among yourselves who will moderate; whoever does will earn extra points.
See week 5 explanations for attendance and grading, if you need a refresher.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me or e-mail me. My phone number and office hours are right above the Table of Contents on the Syllabus and in my user profile in Angel--Communication>Course Roster. I do have voice mail for my phone if I'm not in. And I'm available on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) during my office hours--user name, profdan1032. (If you want to meet at some other time, contact me and we can arrange such.) I will also be in Second Life on Angel Learning Island. Finally, you can contact me through Twitter (danholt) or Facebook.

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Created by Dan Holt 10/27/1997
Revised 27 Oct 2009 12:35 PM -0500