Thursday, January 30, 2014

Critiques Preview (Board Shot)

Here is, very basically, how a critique is structured (from our discussion in class today, 1/30/2014):

Exercise: Getting Deeper with Conversations and Details

Below are some more exercises about dialogue and detail. Let's work on them one-by-one. Start by working on these on your own, then we'll get together and discuss the answers:

"Showing versus Telling" --
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STaTZsc092Y2syaGs/edit

"Analyzing Conversation" --
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STYXc5ODBvcEJjSU0/edit

Exercises: Dialogue and Sensory Detail

Not sure if you've got the handle of dialogue and sensory detail in writing? Let's try some simple exercises. Please open the following handouts and try to answer them on your own, and we'll get together as a class and discuss the answers:

"Reading a Dialogue" --
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STb2FqWkVONXBZX2M/edit

"Sensory Detail" --
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STVW5URHMtNkcyUTQ/edit

Homework for Next Week (and a Heads-Up)

For next week (meaning, before class on Tuesday), please read the next chapter in Better, p. 51-69. Also, please be sure to bring your book to class. Either an e-book version or a hard-copy (paperback or hardback) are fine -- and, in fact, if you can work with the audiobook, and you've got that, then you can hook up with headphones and work with the audiobook, too.

Now, let me give you a heads up about the assignments due after class next Thursday, by 11:59 PM.

First and most important: You have to write critiques for two of your classmates' first drafts of Essay 1. Today, Thursday, 1/30/2014, I'll assign each of you two classmates' to work with; and that's all I'll do today. We'll go over what goes into a critique in class next week. Just be aware that a critique is both casual and structured. So a critique doesn't have to be polished (in fact, a conversational and personal critique is the most appropriate), but it does need to present ideas clearly (and by "ideas" here, I mean criticisms or observations or questions or encouragements for a classmate, regarding his/her draft) and it needs to organize its points into paragraphs effectively.

Second, you will have another blog post to write. If you look at the course schedule, which is found in our syllabus, you'll see what this blog post is about. I won't say more here -- except this: This blog post is directed toward the work that you'll be doing for essays that come after Essay 1.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Advice from Google on Sharing in Google Drive

Here's a link to some official advice from Google about sharing in Google Drive:
https://support.google.com/drive/answer/2494822?hl=en.

Classwork: Better, p. 29-50

Here's the link to today's classwork:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STYk5DeVNaQ2JGWmc/edit.

ACRW Information

Here's a handout from the Academic Center for Reading and Writing detailing their services on campus, the hours they operate during the week, and the different ways to get in touch with them:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STRXh3YnRURzBteGM/edit.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Examples of Personal Narratives

For those of you who like to work from examples when you write your essays, here are some personal narratives by students from previous semesters:

"An Emergency in Croatia" --
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STcjl4UEN2UUlaOTg/edit

"Another Trip to the ER" --
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STUkl4eUtMM1hjRkk/edit

(Note: These essays are intended to get you started, to get you thinking about writing a personal narrative of your own. Writing like these students does not guarantee you an A. Of course, if you want to try to grade these essays on your own, based on the parameters in the Essay 1 rubric, you might start to figure out what these students do effectively and what they don't.)

A Couple of Quick Reminders

Don't forget: Your reading assignment (for this coming Tuesday's class) is the next section in Better, pages 29-50.

Also: Your first draft of Essay 1 is due this coming Thursday, before midnight (11:59 PM, actually). You'll have some time in class to work on your draft, but it might be a good idea to write a few things out and have some materials ready to work with.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Narrative Structure (Board Shot)

Classwork: Analysis of a Narrative Essay

Here's the link for today's classwork, "Analysis of a Narrative Essay":
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STQU1uT2oyM1NpcjQ/edit.

Handout on Narrative Structure

For those of you working on Essay 1 who need a bit more guidance in narrative structure and in kinds of description, here is an excerpt from a short textbook that I sometimes like to use in my writing classes:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STY1lKMmpUSlB3c0k/edit.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Next Reading Assignment: Better, p. 29-50

Just to add to my previous posts about Week 2 Homework: Please keep on reading in Better. Before next Tuesday, 1/28/2014, please read the next section, pages 29-50.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Classwork: Better, Pages 1-28

Here's the link for the classwork I intended for us to work on today:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STV1hNSGZhQko0RDA/edit.
It's a handout that contains a little bit of directions and a short list of questions to answer in groups. For your information: This is what classwork about sections from Better will generally look like.

=-=-=-=-=

And here's the plan for today:

-- You are not required to do this assignment. I will not take points off if you don't do it. (Be aware: On future school cancellations, I might make classwork required and graded.)

-- If you want to try this class work, you should work on your own. (You are not required to work in groups this time.)

-- If you want to do this assignment, choose just one question from the classwork to work on. (It might be wise to see if other classmates already answered certain questions, then choose a different question than they did. But this is not required, either.)

-- Post your response as a new blog post on your group blog.

-- Write a short comment, if you want, in response to one of your classmates' answers. (You're welcome to look on other group blogs to do so.)

=-=-=-=-=

Meanwhile, don't forget that there is homework (graded homework) due this coming Thursday night. There is even homework due today, before 5:30 PM (remember those two blog posts?). For more information, scroll down and look through the previous blog posts below.

College Closed Today, 1/21/2014

Just an update, if you haven't checked www.nvcc.edu yet: The college is closed today.

Please keep checking this site at least once or twice a day. I may post some some handouts or other information to make up for the missed class period.

Monday, January 20, 2014

In Case of a Snow Cancellation on Tuesday, 1/21/2014

I just wanted to let you all know: In case class is canceled on Tuesday, 1/21/2014, I will still expect your blog posts to be done before class starts. I will not give credit to blog posts published later than 5:30 PM. So if you run into problems, please email me sooner rather than later.

Also, be aware that this week's homework will be due by midnight on Thursday, 1/23/2014 -- which means before 11:59 PM. If you're not sure what the homework assignment is, please check our course syllabus. And again, if you're stuck or if you have questions, please email me.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Blog Hints / Group Blogs

I just wanted to give you a few hints about using the blogs for our class. Part of this post is intended just to remind you of what I said in class, and part of it might not be perfectly obvious.

Here's the easy way to start posting on your group blog:
1) Log into your Gmail account, at gmail.com, and keep the account open.
2) In a different browser tab or browser window, open blogger.com.
3) To start a new blog post, click on the pencil or "New Post" button.

Here's the reasonably easy way to return to a blog post you worked on earlier: 
1) If you haven't done so, log into your Gmail account.
2) If you haven't done so, open up Blogger in another tab or window.
3) Click the pages or "Posts" button.
4) Move your mouse pointer over the post you want to go back to.
5) Click on "Edit" when it appears.

Here's a link from Google about how to post to a blog: https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/41378?hl=en.

And, for future reference, here's how you look at your classmates' posts:
-- The link for Group 1: eng111group1.blogspot.com
-- The link for Group 2: eng111group2.blogspot.com
-- The link for Group 3: eng111group3.blogspot.com
-- The link for Group 4: eng111group4.blogspot.com

Now, can you figure out how to write comments on your classmates' blog posts?

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Essay 1

Here's a link to our first major essay assignment, which contains both an overall description of the assignment and a rubric that details the grading breakdown:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STM0lBdnplM2dXZ2c/edit.

(Again, remember: This blog post has a label, "essay 1," which you can always click to come back to this post here, where the assignment sheet and rubric will be available throughout the semester.)

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

First Reading Assignment

Here's your first reading assignment, from the book, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, by Atul Gawande:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B59oU02C12STS2xyeXRFQW5mOTQ/edit.

(Notice that the title of the book, right above the link, is clickable and will lead you directly to where this book can be bought on amazon.com. The book is reasonably priced on Amazon, whether used or new. But of course, if you do a bit more searching, you might find places online where you can find this book for even less.)

Course Syllabus

Here's a link to our course syllabus:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1adg60DrLouYUjToHt2S__xcY6I8G6wpfTKyr1jizdUs/edit.

Please be sure to read through this syllabus carefully. You might also find it useful to refer back to this syllabus on at least a weekly basis, since our week-by-week schedule of course topics and assignments is inside.

(A reminder: Notice the new label, "syllabus," on the list of labels for this blog. By clicking this label, you can easily get back to this post and the link to the syllabus.)

Monday, January 6, 2014

Important First Details

Dear Students of Ishai Barnoy,

If you made it here, that's great.  Welcome to the blog for our class.  This will be our central website for course information -- announcements and assignments most of all -- from the beginning until our last day.  

This here -- what's called a "post" -- will be our very first announcement.

So take a moment to notice the organization of this website, this web-log, or just blog.  Notice that the newest post, which will contain the newest announcement or assignment information, always appears at the top (see the dates?), while the older posts proceed downward.  Notice how this older post will always stay at the very bottom, while all the newer posts will accumulate on top.

Now notice the other elements of this blog.  On the right (going from bottom to top) there's my short and ridiculous introduction, with the picture of a smurf that kinda looks like me.  Right above it is the blog archive.  The blog archive will be your way of getting to older posts quickly.  Just click on the appropriate month (if necessary), then the appropriate date, then you're there.  And right above the blog archive is a clickable list of labels, for quick access to different blog topics.

Makes sense?  That's pretty much all there is to such a simple blog as this!

Oh, I almost forgot!  How do you get in touch with me?  That's important, but also very simple -- just send me an email (I recommend using a Gmail account of your own to do it, so that you can chat with me if you make an appointment).  But please note: I'm going to spell out my email address.  The reason I'm spelling the address out is to avoid spammers.  Spammers are mostly just these automated pieces of software, or "bots," which are programmed to scour websites for people's contact information.  You, however, are much smarter than automated bots, so you'll be able to translate what I give you into a proper email address, right?

So here it is: 

barnoy (no space) english ["at" symbol] gmail [dot] com

Got all that?

Be aware: The next post will contain our course syllabus.  That's important, too!  For now, though, all the stuff here is a great start.

See you soon!

-- ib (which stands for Ishai Barnoy -- but I'll be using "ib" because it's, uh ... cool)