Class:Section 68, ENG112/Debrief II

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On DAY 4 (our second wiki day):

Question 1: Should I let comments in this section "stand" or replace them each week? They are in this page's wiki history (tab above), but that isn't so easy to read. Maybe a link to a separate page, where anyone can go and read my on-going commentary and/or find previous comments easilly? For instance, I want to remind you again how terrific your Wall essays are.  :-) Please answer here if you have an opinion.

Question 2: I just posted a link from my weblog to your introductions. Ethically, I should have given you informed consent forms already, but a) I didn't realize the potential this class has to be integral to the rest of my intellectual life and b) I haven't had time to pull it together yet. So, please go check out the context. If you have ANY questions or concerns, post them here or email me. Thanks.

Prep 1: Remember there is a QUIZ on the syllabus Thursday: its main function is to clarify the grading structure and assess your conceptualization of this, our wiki. Questions about the wiki will take one of two contexts: either about how the assignments/grading relate to the wiki, or in what ways our wiki is similar to but - most importantly! - different than the Junior Writing Class wiki.

Optional 1: You may wish to read Andrew's response (below) to our first wiki day. This was an alternative assignment since he had no one to regarding their introduction of him (his interviewee dropped the class, alas!) Reading it is optional but it will come up again, so if you want to get ahead . . . I already have some ideas about how to make our next wiki day more smooth but if you have suggestions, go ahead and edit them in right here.

Optional 2: Elise added one of her favorite essays to her user page. Presumably one she wrote for some other occasion: Welcome To the Poopy Palace

Error: I apparently gave Julian's Wall essay, and the letter to him about it, to someone else. Please bring it back to class so he can have it. Thanks.

Note: Dave, we won't need the audiotape player. Thanks for bringing it. I will try again next week, but in the meantime I'll see about getting one so you don't have to lug it around. (Unless you want the extra credit?)

Exhortation: Happy reading and writing! Notice the details that give you a sense about "who the author is", their identities, type of person, etc. Remember, I'm asking you to do this with the assigned readings (whether from the text, online, or a peer) so you can better think about how your own writing shows who you are. Carry on! steph (COM) 14:56, 20 September 2006 (EDT)

Extra Credit Opportunity

Salmon Rushdie will speak today at 4:30. Plenty of time to go directly there when class ends. His topic may seem obscure (by the title) but my guess is what he says will be directly relevant to the times we live in now. If you attend and post a 1-2 page paper summarizing his argument I'll assign a point per page of extra credit. (Damn, that was obscure stuff... and nothing directly about Islam?) --Dave 19:36, 21 September 2006 (EDT) Sorry...maybe he's tired of hiding from the fatwa? steph (COM) 23:00, 21 September 2006 (EDT)

Addendum: Your essays on The Wall are fantastic! Think about if/how we might be able to use these in the wiki, either now or later... :-) I'm also very impressed with your letters to each other. You are already excellent peer reviewers. steph (COM) 12:28, 16 September 2006 (EDT)

Believe it or not we accomplished everything I thought we could during our first wiki day. Congrats and "Yay, Us!"  :-) The key now is practice. The more you use the wiki the quicker you'll learn it. Remember there is a "help" section (navigation bar to the left). Also, if you know what you want to do (in terms of formatting) but can't recall the coding, find someone else who did it, click "edit" and spy on their code.  :-)

Next quiz on the syllabus will be Thursday, 21st.

The quiz on the syllabus/grading policies next week will ask you to distinguish between the junior writing class and our (your) own freshman writing class. The assignments are different: I do not want anyone to be confused! (You don't have to learn theirs, just be sure you know ours!)

Context?

When you write your letter back to the person who introduced you, you may wish to consider the questions I posted about length of the intro. I've adapted them to fit this situation: Did they write enough or too much? What seems to be missing that you think is vital? What did they include that seems possibly extra? Again: Which factoids matter in this context? [What is "this context"?] steph (COM) 18:08, 14 September 2006 (EDT)