Today’s Plan:
- Attendance
- Next Friday’s Class (Sept 9th)
- Google Drive / Google Docs
- Using Google Scholar and the UNC Library Page
- Bonus Points: Podcasts
- Workshopping
- Homework
Next Friday’s Class
Next Friday we will be meeting in Ross Hall 1240, a computer lab.
Google Drive / Google Docs
On Monday’s class I shared a template with you via Google Docs for the Proposal Project. That share link is set to “can view.” In order to turn in the assignment, you will have to create a new Google Doc, select all/copy/paste/rewrite my template, get a shareable link (make sure that link is set to “can edit,” and submit that shareable link to Canvas.
Here’s a screenshot of the dropdown menu you need to access after hitting the blue “Share” button on the top right of the screen.
In order to do this, you will need to have a Google Account. NOTE: For purposes of this class, I suggest creating an alias and NOT using your real name.
You can create an account by going to Google’s homepage and clicking on any service. Even if you already have an account, it only takes a few clicks to get to the “create account” screen.
Google Scholar and the UNC Library Page
I thought it would be worth covering this even for those of you not working on academic projects. If you conduct a search on Google Scholar, then the search results will be links to academic articles. Almost all of those articles will be behind paywalls. However, as a UNC student, you have free access to academic research articles through the library. In some cases, if you are on a University server, you will be able to get a free copy of your article from the Google Scholar search.
However, especially if you are working at home and are not on the UNC network, you might have to look up the article through the UNC library in order to get a free copy. I have had success just copying the article title and pasting it into the UNC Library’s home search field.
Discourse Community: Podcasts and YouTube channels
Before you finish submitting your proposals, I wanted to throw one more possibility at you. I think locating, subscribing, and responding to podcasts would be a great way to integrate into your community. To find podcasts, you might try searching in iTunes, SoundCloud (iPhone users can use the podcast app on their phone), player.fm, or the allpodcasts.com search engine. And there’s always a good ole fashioned Google Search for best X podcasts. Similarly, you might look for YouTube channels/users dedicated to your community.
Workshopping
We’ll spend a lot of time in class this semester reading each other’s writing and providing feedback. This kind of workshopping not only provides the author with a sense of how people are receiving her writing, but also helps readers develop a better sense of what does and doesn’t work.
Usually, you will have an opportunity to read the works we are workshopping before class. Today, however, we’ll be reading and commenting in class. Our guide today will be the grading rubric for the first project. Remember that I will be grading on:
- Sufficient Research: [51%] while I can’t put an exact number here, I’ll be looking to see that you have done your homework, so to speak, and that your paper reflects reading and research into the topic by explicating the names, sites, terms, activities, etc central to your topic. This should include numerous citations (both quotations and/or paraphrases).
- Arrangement: [13%] Following below, I’ll be looking to see that your proposal reads like a proposal and follows the genre conventions we identify in class
- Edited Prose: [13%] I expect that you will have carefully edited your prose for correctness and clarity. Also, since we are dealing with digital documents, I will be checking that links are properly hyperlinked.
- MLA or APA format: [13%] I will be checking three things here. First, I will be looking to see that your proposal is formatted according to MLA or APA guidelines. Second, I will be paying attention to how you format subject headings. Third, I will be paying particular attention to how you use direct quotes and/or paraphrases (checking the parenthetical, quotation marks, commas, etc).
But, beyond the grading rubric, I want you to highlight sentences that are clear, informative, or engaging. Let the author know what is working. At the same time, I want you to highlight places where you might be a bit confused, where you need one more sentence to explain something, where you encounter a name that isn’t given an identity, where you encounter a claim that isn’t given evidence, where you encounter a term or acronym that is unfamiliar and left unexplained.
I want to make it clear that peer review is more about revision (developing an idea in a logical, coherent way that makes sense to a reader) than it is about editing (grammatical correctness and style). We must build the table before we polish it.
Homework
Please remember that your proposals are due on Monday by 10:00am. I will do my best to have them all graded by Wednesday’s class.
