Hello,

You may make up posts that you missed up until Monday, Nov. 26 by simply responding to the appropriate posting from me.

-Cathy

Hello and welcome to the last reading response,

This week’s topic is multimedia writing/using technology in the composition classroom. I would like you to write about your own experience this semester using this blog, as a way to both get your feedback for future semesters and to have you reflect on the use of technology in a writing class. You can use the following questions to guide your response:
1. What was different about writing reading responses on a blog? Imagine that I had given you 10 journal assignments to hand in on paper instead. What would have been different about writing those assignments?
2. Did the blog writing help you digest/understand the reading topics? Or perhaps you feel that our in-class discussions were better at accomplishing this goal. Please explain.
3. Did you read the responses of other students? If so, did they help you to understand the readings? If not, why not?

Please be honest with your comments–I am truly looking for feedback so that I can improve the use of blogging in my classes!!
-Cathy

Hi everyone,

I would like to cover the chapter that you read about style this week on the blog, since we didn’t have time to talk about it in class.

Please choose one (or a combination) of the following questions and respond:
a. p. 208-211 in the St. Martin’s Guide: What do you think about the copying exercises recommended in the book? Would you try them? Why or why not? How might they be useful to ESL students (or not)?
b. Style-shifting: Could the style shifting concept be used for language shifting?
c. What is the danger of letting students use different (non-academic, non-literary styles)? Isn’t it our job to teach them academic writing? (p. 216)

Hi everyone,

As you might have noticed, I never posted anything for this week. I have to excuse myself because I was very sick (and so was the baby) and basically was out of commission from Tuesday morning until Friday. We’ll discuss what to do about this week’s missed blogging session in class today. The good news: I finally graded the book reviews and will return them today!
-Cathy

For this week, please respond to one of the following:

1. What is your favorite invention activity? Share it on the blog and explain how it helped your students to write a better essay. Of the activities mentioned in chapter 6, which was new to you? If none were new, which seem like they would work the best and why?

OR

2. Chapter 7 is full of information about teaching different types of essays. Briefly summarize any NEW information that you learned and explain how you would apply it in your classroom.

This week’s class will be held entirely online. In order for this to work, you will need to post on time. Here’s the plan:

1. Post Response #7 by Tuesday, 10/9 at noon.
2. Check the blog to read the postings of your classmates after Tuesday, 10/9 at noon.
3. Respond to at least one of your classmate’s posts by midnight Thursday, 10/11. Choose a classmate who does NOT yet have feedback.
4. Check the blog to read your feedback by midnight Sunday, 10/14.

Response #7 Assignment:

Instead of asking you to respond to the reading, I am going to ask you to think ahead to the final project, the teaching packet. Please post the following information:
1. Title of the course
2. Audience of the course (include grade/level, ESL/NS, institution, any other relevant information)
3. Course description (One paragraph generally describing the course)
4. Textbook or general information about texts that you will use (course pack? What kind of texts will make up the course pack?)
5. Write a paragraph describing THE LAST of the three writing assignments. Think of this as the end goal for the writing in your course; all other writing assignments will lead up to this one. Be specific enough that your classmates can give you feedback.
6. Briefly describe a lesson plan idea that relates to that assignment. Be specific enough that your classmates can give you feedback.

This week I would like you to write about your experience with either (a) the grading process or (b) the peer review process. If you have not taught composition before, you may write about this experience from your perspective as a student. Here are some questions to get you thinking (you do NOT have to answer all of these questions):
(a)
-What is most difficult for you about grading student essays?
-How much time does it take for you to grade a class set of essays and what have you done that has worked for you in order to reduce the workload/time?
-What type of rubric works best for you? Why?
-How do you explain grading criterea to students?
-What do you do when students contest a grade?
-What advice would you give to novice teachers about grading?
(b)
-What makes a successful peer review session?
-Do students find peer review helpful? Why or why not?
-What can you do to help students give better peer feedback?
-Do you do peer review in groups or pairs? What works the best for you?
-What advice would you give to novice teachers about peer review?

For next week (Oct. 1) please read in SMG: pgs. 66-78 about peer review. (For Oct. 8 read the remainder of chapter 3 in SMG). Please have a look at these peer review materials: author’s cover letter, peer review handout, peer review overheads, feedback modeling. We will talk about them and about assessment on Oct. 1.

Please bring with you the packet of student essaysthat you should have printed for yesterday. Here is the ad analysis assignment sheet that goes with the student essays.

Here are some materials that I would like for you to have related to our theme for Monday, assessment. Please print and bring with you the packet of student essays. You do NOT have to read them ahead of time. We will have time for that in class. Also, here is a packet of sample rubrics for your reference. Please look these over briefly. If you have access to a printer, print out one or two that you like and bring them to class. (Of course, if you have a laptop, you can just bring that to class so that you can look at them electronically.) Finally, here are some ideas about grading that I hope will be useful to you. See you on Monday!

Compare and contrast the advice given in the two readings, “Chapter 4: Successful Writing Assignments” and “Designing and Assessing Effective Classroom Writing Assignments.” How helpful is each? Which one is more user friendly? Which one helps you the most in your particular context? Comment on one or two specific guidelines that you think are particularly useful. Finally, reflect on how something that you learned from the readings might make you rethink a previous assignment that you have given (or, if you have never taught, comment on an assignment that you have been given during your time as a student).