Summing up our peer reviews
13 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
The peer reviews were pretty helpful. However, I found that for many of them it was “garbage in garbage out.” I became fustrated after the second review when it began to seem as though people were just throwing stuff up (a rough outline at best) and then asked for specifiic questions when it seemed like they didn’t even make an effort to do what they asked for the reviewer to do. For instance, no citations at all and then ask “what should I do for references.”
It’s always important to get the perspective of the audience before publishing your work. I do this all of the time at work when I have one of my peers review my newsletters or other types of written communication. As the author, I know what I want to say but my writing does not always come across with my intention. I found this to be true for the class as well.
Low Bridge Technology
12 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
In preparation for making our own YouTube video for the class we read Daniel Anderson’s “The Low Bridge to High Benefits: Entry-Level Multimedia, Literacies, and Motivation” and Alexandra Juhasz, “Why Not (To) Teach On YouTube.” The opposing positions taken by the authors identifies advantages and disadvantages to using videos on YouTube in a classroom setting.
Honestly, I felt that Juhasz’s concerns (lack of privacy, trollers leaving mean comments, willingness to use technology) are probably associated closer with a limited technology skills set. Many of the privacy and comment issues can be controlled by setting user privacy settings. This may be simplifying the issues a bit, as users should always exert caution. However, Juhasz sounds biased and limited in her application of technology.
Juhasz jumped into a “learn on the go experiment” in setting up a classroom on YouTube. She had a specific agenda that she wanted to cover and she wanted certain functions that are not provided by YouTube. Rather than alter her classroom objectives to maximize the capabilities of YouTube, she became frustrated that her needs were not met. To me that just sounds a bit odd. It’s like going to a pizza parlor and getting upset that they do not have tacos just because you want tacos. So let that be Rule #1: Do not use programs or technology for something it was not designed for and then become upset when it does not work to your specifications.
That then brings me to Rule #2: technology is your friends. Aside from crashed hard drives and corrupted files, technology is extremely supportive and fun. Rather than jumping all the way in and using every technology available it is best to warm up to the integration of technology into curriculum. Have students analyze lyrics can be done “words in a row” style or it can be composed into a multimedia production.
The complexity and scale of production is at the discretion of the teacher. Using entry/mass market software with easy user interfaces provides an easy way to introduce multimedia composition. Some critics say that technology provides too many variables that hinder the integrity of the classroom environment. I believe that to be true if you do not know how to effectively manage the technology/software (in which case you should not be teaching it to begin with, but that is a different topic for a different day).
However, if you do know how to effectively apply the software in a fashion that supplements learning then I feel that it is imperative to integrate that technology into the classroom. Accessing various formats of technology helps build stronger electronic and computer literacy skills. I could go on and on about how important these skill sets are, but let’s be honest: it is safe to say that the next generation of adults will have to be as comfortable operating a computer as we are using a telephone.
Gone are the days of only using a computer to check email. Get over it! (just teasing…but really you should)
Looking Back and Looking Forward
08 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
in Assignment
Today’s culture consists of technology that has grown exponentially over the past twenty years. With the invention of the internet, content and information is only as far away as a Google search. On the world wide web writing is encompasses the entire visual experience, rather than relying solely on the construction of words and and the format in which they are written.
Writing itself is the expression of thought. It is used to convey an idea. When that idea is supported with sound and visual images the idea can be conveyed with emphasis. The use of multimedia to augment writing has many uses, some of which include increasing interest, and relevancy, and reaching a larger audience.
Some purists frown on using the computer as a writing technology, given the ability for misuse. However, their argument, that writing can be used to mislead and take advantage of people, is an old one that dates back to the beginning of writing. The attempt to stop the use of writing failed terribly.
Writing has continuously evolved since its inception. Originally used to keep track of business transactions, writing morphed into a way to express ideas and persuade others. The invention and accessibility of mass produced writing supplies enabled people all over the world to communicate with one another. Today, technology allows us to convey the same type of information but to millions of viewers at the click of a button.
Although easily produced, publishing content to the internet must be done while exercising caution. Ong (1986) points out that all verbal expression, whether it be writing, print, or an electronic outlet is bound to sound forever. That is, once it is out there, it is out there. There is no bringing it back because even if we hit delete someone else may have already uploaded or forwarded the content somewhere else. The content then becomes viral and takes a life on its own.
On the internet, words are no longer used as stand alones to convey a meaning. On the internet, writing is interactive. Responses from the audience can be used to supplement the writing so that it becomes more of an avenue for discourse rather than a one-way tool that is used to elicit a reaction.
The evolution of writing into a multimedia production took a few thousand years with the largest advancements taking place in the past 20 years. Technology is now moving at a rate where the technology produced today will be replaced by something different in 6 months. From instant messaging to tweeting, writing evolves right along with the technology used to create the writing.
Standing against the evolution of writing will only limit your effectiveness. Broadening the audience base by inserting a music track may seem as though it waters down the message but this is not true. By using a variety of media the writer is able to engage the reader with supportive content, making the writing more meaningful and relevant as ever.
Scoping them out
02 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
By “them” I mean my fellow group members. I have been lurking around their blogs recently and find it really interesting how all of our blogs are different. We all have the same content (well those of us that are up to date with their assignments), but the look and feel for the blogs are definitely unique.
I have been blogging for a few years and I still love checking out all of the different/new widgets and applications that come out. It is easy to get lost for a few hours checking everything out on the other blogs. Reading other people’s ideas and seeing how their conceptualization of the assignments made me enter a time vortex. Some of them I will definitely go back and check out more thoroughly.
-Heather
Different Interpretations
31 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
To cover the 3rd peer review of this class, I will say that I think my group member’s ideas and my ideas about the requirements of the project differs. I reviewed the instructions and believe that I am in the clear.
I responded to the questions/suggestions with the following comment. All comments can be viewed at the bottom of the original post.
I did send him an email about the idea on July 25 and didn’t hear otherwise. I can easily add it if necessary, but in looking at the rules it says not to mirror the other types of style manuals and to create our own rules regarding style. There is no mention of referencing our readings in the manual. It only mentions to add some type of an intro and use examples. Did I miss something?
Here are the instructions I found. Are there any other ones floating out there that I missed? *fingers crossed*
# Some introduction that contextualizes the manual. Both Strunk and White and Williams include introductions that explain their goals and purposes, as does the less earnest Elements by the Marquis de Sade. Your manual should also include such an introduction.
# At least five “rules” and rules of some variety. In other words, don’t stick with just rules that look like Strunk and White’s section on “Elementary Rules of Usage” or that look just like Williams’ chapter on “Length.”
# You need to have written examples of the rules. Rules in and of themselves are not enough. Be warned! Writing good examples is harder than you might think.
# At least 100o words of content. This includes the introduction, the rules themselves, examples, and any other supporting documents.
# Some “non-text” elements.
My draft is a few hundred words short, but I do not have my examples yet or the result of breaking each example. I wanted to make sure I was on the right track as I hadn’t heard back from Krause.
Strunk versus Williams
24 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
Over the past several weeks our class has been reading to classic books on style: Elements of Style by Strunk and White and Style Toward Clarity and Grace by Joseph Williams. My current mission is to take a previous post of mine regarding my first impressions of Elements of Style and compare it to information found in Style.
Given that I have been reading about keeping things concise with a clear objective, I shall take section of my post and relate it toward the content found in Style.
When I think of grammar, I tend to have flashbacks of Mrs. Eskibele in the 5th grade. She made us use pen so she would know if we mistakenly placed a comma or apostrophe. I thought I could beat the system by using erasable pens. The pens failed and I was shamed.
I firmly believe that if Mrs. Eskibele were more like Strunk and White in the book The Elements of Style, I would have come away from my grammar lessons with a solid foundation for writing rather than a pathological aversion to the term “dangling participle”.
Perhaps Mrs. Eskibele’s maiden name was Williams. The sentence diagrams made me sense the aroma of chalk. I remember countless eternal minutes ticking by into an infinite hours as I slaved away writing sentence diagrams and swearing off the English language. Knowing now what I didn’t know then, was that I really had no understanding of the point behind knowing this information. Note to future self: provide context to content to get understanding and application.
The concise explanations along with the clear examples breaks down all of the “rules”. I really appreciate the chapter on approach to style. The list of 21 do’s and don’ts can make the difference between an average paper to a paper that is more informative and enjoyable.
Just as the tips in Elements of Style provides points to keep into consideration. The reasoning provided in Style, shows how all of those concepts can come together and form a whole for overall structure, meaning, and effectiveness of the writing.
Them versus Me – taking on the university
24 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
My mission: Visit the university’s catalog and edit a few sentences out of it in accordance with our reading of Style Towards Clarity and Grace by Joseph Williams.
Them:
Eastern Michigan University is open to students who have the potential to succeed academically as determined by a review of official high school records and/or college records. Admission to the University is based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, the review of high school or college grade point average, high school or college curriculum and scores on standardized tests.
Me:
All interested students may apply to Eastern Michigan University. Admission to the University is based on a combination of factors. Some of the factors used in the admission process include: high school grade point average, previous course work, and test scores.
Why I did what I did:
The word choice in the original paragraph was very repetitive. The repetition seems to bog the sentences and down and the point becomes lost. The first sentence introduces the cause of the paragraph pretty clearly: there is a process for admission that involves the review of academic records. The lengthy sentence following the introductory sentence shifts the importance away from the main point towards the variety of factors that goes into the process. While important, the focus should be the point that there is a review admissions process.
I also simplified some of the wording. I wasn’t sure what “students who have the potential to succeed academically” meant according to the university. I have an understanding of what that means, but that is more subjective than quantifiable.
As an educator, I found it interesting that the university spent time to purposely mention the high school curriculum. I know how much time teachers spend about their curriculum; I’m sure high schools should concern themselves with the actual content.
I give the star review system – 1 star
21 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
I don’t know why I feel apologetic about how I feel in regards to our last peer editing response. Is it because electronic communication can sometimes add 10lbs of sarcasm or edginess to it? Perhaps. However, I have a requirement to fulfill and fulfill it I shall.
One draft was only 10 sentences long if you took away the transcription of the video. I counted. 10. As a peer editor it is nearly impossible for me to give much in the way of feedback when so little of an attempt has been made to cover the material. As I sat down and looked at the content critically I began to feel that I spent more time on this paper than the author.
In giving my group members suggestions, I tried to give a clear example or direction, for example the “garden” in the Apple commercial representing the acquisition of knowledge as in the garden of Eden. I did get a few suggestions as to areas that were not entirely clear, however most of the comments were vague.
Unfortunately only one of my group members used the star system so I do not have much feedback as to that experiment. The stars I did receive were right about neutral. Without having a rubric to standardize the stars they seemed a bit arbitrary even as I was giving them out. Personally I struggled when rating the “purpose” section as the ones I reviewed did not have strong thesis statements. To me that is a big issue, however the rest of their paper did not seem to warrant only 1 or 2 stars in that category either.
The most important information I received was from my husband. I had him read my paper and he asked “can’t you just say what your trying to get at?” As I look back over my essay I see what he means. Hopefully, his question is rhetorical and that I should not see it as a sign in his weakening faith.
I would also like to remark that the star system was somewhat silly in this situation as well. When asked, my husband told me he would give me all of the stars if he could. I do not imagine he was being literal.
-Heather
Strunk and White – The Elements of Style and first impressions
16 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
When I think of grammar, I tend to have flashbacks of Mrs. Eskibele in the 5th grade. She made us use pen so she would know if we mistakenly placed a comma or apostrophe. I thought I could beat the system by using erasable pens. The pens failed and I was shamed.
I firmly believe that if Mrs. Eskibele were more like Strunk and White in the book The Elements of Style, I would have come away from my grammar lessons with a solid foundation for writing rather than a pathological aversion to the term “dangling participle”.
The concise explanations along with the clear examples breaks down all of the “rules”. I really appreciate the chapter on approach to style. The list of 21 do’s and don’ts can make the difference between an average paper to a paper that is more informative and enjoyable.
Here are the ads!
15 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Assignment
I love how overboard they are with the need to be green. It is so over done that it suggests that even if it is not this extreme it is a serious issue but you can continue to do little things (like buy a car) in order to do your part to save the world.
Watch out for the little guy in this video. The switch of him being in the dominate position has him running things at 5!
There is a lot that is going on in this one, antithesis (strong body destroying itself) and parrhesia. The commercial was so in my face that it made me a bit sick to my stomach.
