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 2

(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.)

Introduction

As your Syllabus states, ten percent of your grade is based on the online activities and writing exercises.

For week 2, we're going to include

  • two writing exercise assignments
  • Writer's Café
  • chat

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

Connections between assignments:

busywork: "Activity meant to take up time but not necessarily yield productive results." American Heritage College Dictionary, 3rd ed.

I remember a German course in high school where we spent a week stacking toy canned goods on desks. I didn't learn much in that class!

Everything that you do in our course is connected--all for the purpose of making you a better writer.

  • For example, the reading you do in our texts prepares you for all of the activities--writing exercises, online activities, and letter.
  • And these activities help prepare for the essay assignments you write during the semester, the first beginning next week.
  • And the essay assignments prepare you for the portfolio at the end of the semester.

However, if you look at each individual task separately, you might think of them as busywork.

Therefore, I suggest you keep in mind the connections between the assignments to get more out of this learning experience. So that they can "yield productive results" in your writing.

Step 1: Write exercises 1 and 2 as noted below:

Complete and send through the exercise drop box by Wednesday midnight in order to earn full credit. Send by Saturday midnight to earn any credit.

Do not send me the writing exercises through email.

Instead, use the exercise drop box found at Pages & Workspaces>Week 2>Exercise drop box.

  • Attach your exercises. And make sure you first save the them in rich text format (RTF) before sending.
Done___
Exercise 1: Compare your own writing attitudes and experiences with writing to what Mauk & Metz discuss in chapter 1, pages 4-15.

  • Start by choosing a point that the authors of the Composition of Everyday Life (CEL) make--a sentence or two--and quote it. Don't forget to use "quotation marks" and include the page number where you found the quotation. Place the page number in parenthesis after the quotation.

  • Then explain how your experience either supports or counters the quotation.

  • Be specific with vivid details from your past experience to back up your point concerning writing. Notice that you are using what Mauk and Metz call "riveting detail" in chapter 1 (14).

*From Toby Fulwiler's Working Writer, 4th ed.
Done___
Exercise 2: Review the section in chapter 1, "How to Use The Composition of Everyday Life, pages 16-24.
  • Choose one suggestion or tip given by Mauk & Metz, and quote it, again, using quotation marks, and ending the quotation with the page number in parentheses.
  • Then explain what you find most helpful, intriguing, significant or such about the tip.
  • Be specific with vivid details from recent writing experiences to back up your point concerning the tip.
Done___

 

Step 2: Post a response to the Writer's Café.

Complete step 2 by Thursday midnight.

Please share a point from exercises 1 or 2 in Step 1 above that you think will be interesting for your class members, and explain why you consider the point intriguing.

  • Please do not copy and paste a full writing exercise.
  • Rather choose a point you make that you consider significant, interesting, curious, unique, surprising or unusual.
  • Now some of you might think that nothing in your writing exercises could be described with these adjectives.
  • Then choose something that comes closest.

Also, you might want to click on Advanced options and check off "Send replies to course mail." That way, if someone replies to your posting, you'll be notified in your email.
Done___

Step 3: Reply in the Writer's Café.

Steps 2 and 3 need to be completed by Saturday midnight in order to earn credit.

Read what other class members have posted in the Writer's Café and reply to them when you feel you can add to the asynchronous conversation.

You can

  • point out similarities,
  • identify differences,
  • ask questions, or
  • note insightful points.

You also need to explain why you think so with support from your own experiences and observations, or from Mauk & Metz, the authors of CEL.

Note: you can reply
  • to other class members' initial postings,
  • to replies to your initial posting,
  • to replies to other class members' initial postings,
  • to replies of replies to your initial posting  or other
    class member's initial postings.

To anything any one of us posts.

You will need to reply at least twice to fulfill attendance requirements. Although you may enjoy replying more times.

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

Again, you might want to click on Advanced options and check off "Send replies to course mail." That way, if someone replies to your posting, you'll be notified in your email.
Done___

 

Step 4: Chat with Dan

Some time this week, I want you to chat with me online.  This will give you a chance to ask me questions and try out synchronous electronic communication (it's actually a lot more fun than it sounds!).

Before the chat, do the following:

  1. Watch the video, Shaped by Writing. You can find a link in Angel>Resources, or just click on the link supplied here. I suggest taking notes while viewing it.

  2. Spend 15 minutes writing your response to the video, what you found intriguing, what surprised you, what you relate to, what seems very different from your experiences, and such.

    • Plan to bring and share what you write to the chat. I will be giving you instructions about how to send to me this response during the chat.

We'll use Angel chat. However, have AOL Instant Messenger open in case we need a back up. My user name is profdan1032.

  • If you don't already have it, you can download it at http://www.aim.com Just click on Download Now once you're at the AIM site and follow the instructions. And if you're on a computer where you're not allowed to download software, use AIM Express.

I will be available the following times:

*Wednesday 4-5 p.m.

*Thursday 12 noon-1 pm, *7-7:30 p.m.

*Friday 3-3:30 p.m.

*Saturday 10-10:30 a.m.

*Note that I may be meeting with students in my office during office hour, so I may be a little late. If so, just chat with each other until I get there. Or chat with yourself if you're the only one there!

*Note 2: the evening, Friday and Saturday chats will take place only if someone shows up in the first 15 minutes.  After that, I split, unless we agreed to a later time through email.

Also, I can meet you in chat at other times if you email me with times you can chat, and I will reply which works for me.

  • However, don't email me Friday afternoon, and expect me to be able to meet with you. Email early in the week.
Attendance requirements

As I mention in the attendance requirements for our class, you must participate in online activities each week; otherwise I'll consider you absent.

Grading exercises/discussions

Again, as your syllabus states,

  • Each exercise and online activity is worth up to 10 points.

  • For your writing exercises,

    • a 100-word response for each exercise will earn you a maximum of 7 points per exercise.
    • a more thorough, thoughtful analysis beyond 200 words will earn the 10 points per exercise.

  • For discussions

    • 7 points if you fulfill the minimum requirements.
    • 8-10 points when your responses are fully developed, make effective use of our texts,  present insightful observations, and reply to others well beyond the minimum required.

  • For chat

    • 7 points if you come to the chat familiar with the chat task, you attend most of the chat, and you participate regularly
    • 8-10 points when you are well prepared to discuss fully the chat task, you respond thoughtfully, and you participate frequently.

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.

[Calendar] [Syllabus] [Angel] [What's New]

[Introduction] [Exercise 1] [Exercise 2] [Writer's Café posting] [Writer's Café Replies] [Chat session]

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Created by Dan Holt 9/2/1997
Revised 01 September 2009 11:01 AM -0400