25 September, Wednesday morning class

2nd row from the back -- please don't leave fragments of your snack mix in the chair.  Were you raised in the woods by messy vegetarians?

For 26 September, Thursday morning class

I will be available for you by nine, as usual, but will race you out of the parking lot (metaphorically) at the end of class in order to catch a flight from Houston.

As a group, your essays are quite good.  I will probably have them for you by Tuesday.

24 September 2013, English 1301, Tuesday Morning Class

Young scholars in the back row, leaving foot-droppings on the floor is not The Bulldog Way.  If you wear shoes with patterned soles, check them before you enter the building.  "I forgot" is inadequate; the nice folks who tidy up around here and in doing so help you advance your professional development should never have to clean up dried mud.

English 1301, Lessons, Week of 23-27 September 2013

Week of 23-27 September 2013

English 1301, both sections

You and Mr. Hall

 

1.    Find a seat and begin writing in your journal, ten syllables per line. There is no down-time in this class.  Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

2.    Open your Orwellian telescreen to angryverbs.blogspot.com for your syllabus and lessons. Begin reading your notes and the assigned pages in Bedford. There is no down-time in this class. Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

3.    Roll call and administrivia

4.    As assigned two weeks ago, the final draft of your descriptive essay is due at roll call in your first class of the week.  If you are absent, submit it at the beginning of the next class.  Absences are not an excuse in college or on the job. 

Tuesday only: return last Thursday’s quiz.

5.    Persuasive writing

A.    I have a stack useful assortment of handouts for you; these handouts are not posted on angryverbs.blogspot.com or BlackBoard, so you must take a physical copy.  If you are absent, I will save these, as with other work, for the next class only.

B.    Your specific reading assignment for persuasive writing is on pp. 104-129, and you should begin reading now.  Don’t wait for class time; passivity is your enemy.

C.   I will babble teach an introductory lesson on persuasive writing.  Pay attention and take notes.

D.   A quiz is always possible, and on any topic discussed this term in class, information posted on angryverbs.blogspot.com and BlackBoard, and handouts. 

A.   11:04 – go away.

 

Nagging…um…Reminders

Avoid using the 2^nd person, that conversational “you,” in essays and on tests.  Employ the 3^rd person.  Write like a young professional.

Please – no whiteout / Liquid Paper on, well, papers.  Save it for art class.  If you must make a correction on a quiz, draw one line through the error, like this, and then go on with your emendation.  Write like a young professional.

Write in complete sentences.  Take your time and work like a craftsman.  Sound the sentence to yourself – does it sound right?  Does it contain a complete subject and a complete predicate?  Does it state a complete thought?  Does it feature standard punctuation, including an end-stop?  Does it answer the question, or have you drifted off-topic to tiptoe through the tulips?  Write like a young professional.

17 September: Update for This Week

Week of 16-20 September 2013

Update to angryverbs.blogspot.com and BlackBoard, Tuesday, 17 September

English 1301

You and Mr. Hall
Monday / Wednesday and Tuesday / Thursday:

Both classes:  remember that the final draft of your descriptive essay is due no later than roll call on your first day of class on the week of 23-27 September.  You are welcome to turn it in earlier.  No late papers will be accepted; this assignment was made two weeks ago.  Absences, broken printers, computers that suffer the vapours – no excuses, please.

You are delightful young people, and I very much appreciate your work, initiative, and good fellowship.  Work together – when I don’t want you to work together (tests come to mind), I’ll tell you.  Remember that professionals work together on the job, and everyone benefits from each other’s strengths.  Think of yourselves as co-workers (except on tests!).

Monday / Wednesday class – on Wednesday, 18 September, I will make a brief introduction to persuasive writing and then give you some in-class time to work on your descriptive essay.

Tuesday / Thursday class – on Thursday, 19 September, we will finish our round-buzzard reading of each other’s essays.  Don’t be shy about giving and receiving assistance.  I will make a brief introduction to persuasive writing, give you some in-class time to work on your descriptive essay, and then you will celebrate learning with the quiz we didn’t have time for…oops…the quiz for which we did not have time on Tuesday.  Some of you have been checking with the earlier class to see if I am going to give you the same quiz.  That is very good thinking on your part; however, I’m giving you a different quiz.  The content will be taken from any of the presentations so far this term, including the block form business letter (hint). 

Lessons, Week of 16-20 September 2013

Week of 16-20 September 2013

 

English 1301

You and Mr. Hall

Monday / Wednesday and Tuesday / Thursday:

 

1.    Find a seat and begin writing in your journal, ten syllables per line. There is no down-time in this class.  Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

2.    Open your Orwellian telescreen to angryverbs.blogspot.com for your syllabus and lessons. Begin reading your notes and the assigned pages in Bedford. There is no down-time in this class. Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

3.    Roll call and administrivia

4.    Monday / Tuesday: Return last week’s quiz.  Debrief.  Do more than look at the grade and sigh (either in joy or in annoyance); listen to the debriefing and learn the right answers.

5.    Monday / Tuesday: Descriptive essay

A.   Pass your complete rough drafts around.  Don’t wait for roll call or a specific instruction to begin reading each other’s work.  Passivity is your enemy.

B.   Everyone in the class reads everyone else’s essay and writes useful comments in it.  “This very good” is not a useful comment; “You develop the topic of this paragraph nicely” is a useful comment.  Don’t neglect to note form; we are learning how to write professionally, and although the content in today’s assignment is meant to be interesting, it is for the purpose of developing your skilled use of a professional format.

C.   Your rough draft will be given a grade mostly on its mere existence, probably a 100 – and how easy can this be?  If your paper is not typed, not in MLA format, not complete, or if it is inadequate in any way, expect a well-earned zero. It should also be messy with your later corrections – those indicate that you are working.

D.   I will read every essay.  I will give you as much one-on-one assistance in class as I can, but there is little time.  I am also available before and after class.  I am not going to proof-read your paper, nor are any comments contractural – I will point out some problems and make suggestions only; you must build your final draft.

E.   Your final draft will be due NLT roll call (you are encouraged to turn it in earlier) on the first day of your class the week of 23 – 27 September.  No late papers will be accepted.  This pace is somewhat leisurely; due-dates will be closer as the term progresses.

6.    Wednesday / Thursday: Introduction to persuasive writing.  There is no preparation for this topic before class; focus on the final draft of your descriptive essay.

7.    Door prize!

8.    11:04 – go away.

 

Lessons, Week of 9-13 September 2013

Week of 9-13 September 2013

 

English 1301

You and Mr. Hall

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday:

 

1.   Find a seat and begin writing in your journal, ten syllables per line. There is no down-time in this class.  Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

2.   Open your Orwellian telescreen to angryverbs.blogspot.com for your syllabus and lessons. Begin reading.  There is no down-time in this class. Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

3.   Roll call

4.   Administrivia

A.   Unfinished business

B.   Know that you are subject to a quiz at any time

5.   Descriptive essay

A.   Finish reading and discussing George Orwell’s “Confessions of a Book Reviewer.”

B.   Consider the five senses and how, in our time, we rely mostly on sight and sound because of our Telescreens.

C.   Discuss template / MLA format for essay writing.

D.  Discuss scoring matrix.

E.   Discuss the descriptive essay you propose to write.

F.   A rough draft of your essay is due at roll call on your first class of next week.  “Rough draft” means that your essay is typed in the MLA format and is complete, and that it also features lots of corrections, emendations, and comments by others whom you ask to look at your work.  I command you to work together and learn together; when I don’t want you to work together, such as on a test, I’ll tell you.

 

Grade – you will earn 100 if your rough draft is both complete and messy (which shows you re-read it and re-worked it).  Your grade will be 0 if your paper reflects inadequate work or if you do the “my printer broke last night” thing.

 

Your final draft will be due the week of 23 – 27 September.  This pace is somewhat leisurely; due-dates will be closer as the term progresses.

 

6.   Questionnaire (handout) – write in complete sentences

7.   Work on questionnaires and / or descriptive essays while the instructor, a poor role model indeed, at lasts reads your journals.

8.   Door prize!

9.   11:14 A.M.  Go away.

 

 

From the Wall Street Journal: Should Students Use a Laptop in Class?

• ESSAY
• September 6, 2013, 8:41 p.m. ET

Should Students Use a Laptop in Class?

Is it OK to use a smartphone in class, email an instructor, record a lecture? A professor offers lessons.

·                  EVAN SELINGER

There's a widely shared image on the Internet of a teacher's note that says: "Dear students, I know when you're texting in class. Seriously, no one just looks down at their ******¹ and smiles."

College students returning to class this month would be wise to heed such warnings. You're not as clever as you think—your professors are on to you. The best way to stay in their good graces is to learn what behavior they expect with technology in and around the classroom.

Too much texting in the classroom could jeopardize your academic future, says R.I.T. Assoc. Professor Evan Selinger. So before you post that status update, keep in mind these tips.

Let's start with the million-dollar question: May computers (laptops, tablets, smartphones) be used in class? Some instructors are as permissive as parents who let you set your own curfew. Others are more controlling and believe that having your phone on means your brain is off and that relying on Google for answers results in a digital lobotomy.

Professors are united, though, in the conviction that the classroom is a communal space and that students share the responsibility for ensuring that nobody abuses it by diminishing opportunities to learn. An instructor who lets you squander your tuition by using class time to fuss with your iPhone is likely to have zero tolerance for distracting activities that make it hard for the rest of the class to pay attention.

One of my colleagues has resorted to a severe policy that he calls the "Facebook rule," which turns the classroom into a wild west of bounty hunters and social media outlaws. Students are encouraged to earn extra credit by busting classmates who use their computers for activities like social networking, shopping or gaming during his lectures.

Other professors prefer imposing the scarlet letters themselves. One colleague became so fed up with a student who played games whenever the class went to a computer lab that he installed speakers on the offender's machine. Halfway through the class, the speakers got turned on and everyone stared as the post-apocalyptic sound track started blaring.

Peter Arkle

Ultimately, rule-breakers are their own worst enemies. Students may be savvy enough to text the occasional query to partners-in-crime during exams. But it is only a matter of time before the mute button isn't pushed and the whole class gets to hear your "I'm sexy and I know it" ringtone.

Emailing professors is another self-sabotaging land mine. Some instructors appreciate students who don't bother with formalities and shoot off quick, direct questions about an assignment or grade. Others, however, expect a formal greeting and sign off, and view the cut-to-the-chase approach as a rude affront that treats educational conversation like an automated customer-service call.

As for that funny personal email address you got because it seemed cool in high school, ditch it. Your note from lovetoparty@____.com is on a collision course with a spam folder. And if it does reach your professors, they may question your judgment and priorities. If you forget to include your name, you can expect a reply like: "Dear alwaysstoned@____.com, I guess we know the real reason you missed class."

To avoid the double whammy of irritating professors and peers at the same time, record classes only if you have explicit permission. Privacy concerns in the digital age extend beyond worries about sharing personal information. Complete transcripts of class discussions will make some peers feel like you're the NSA. And when a digital recording gets posted online, the whole class is at risk of having outside parties receive and misconstrue sensitive remarks. Recordings also make students self-conscious and less spontaneous, which ruins the free exchange of ideas.

As students consider how to use their devices in the classroom, they should remember, above all, that tuition merely gets them into the lecture hall. If they want college to culminate in life-changing courses, mentoring from dedicated teachers and compelling recommendations for the world after graduation, they will earn these things the time-honored way, with courtesy and hard work.

As for professors, we can make things easier for students by including detailed etiquette policies in our syllabi. Too many of us leave our likes and dislikes to be discovered by trial and error.

But even the most detailed code of conduct can't hope to specify or resolve every possible sticking point. Society writ large is constantly struggling to come to grips with technological disruption, and so too are the adults at the front of the college lecture hall and the wired, distracted young adults who are there to learn from them.

— Mr. Selinger is a professor of philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology.

A version of this article appeared September 7, 2013, on page C3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: E-Etiquette in the college classroom.

¹ This unfortunate noun was censored by your instructor.

4 September. Attendance, Journals

From: M. Hall

To: Students
Subject: Attendance, journals
4 September 2013

I apologize for not mentioning this in class:  Both sections are on the same weekly lesson plan.  Thus, if you miss your scheduled class, make it up by attending the other section’s class (one-week expiration).  When you do this, remind me to erase your absence.

In the busy-ness of beginning term I neglected to verify that you wrote in your journals.  Catch ‘em up – at least one page per class day.  This is a good personal discipline to help you make the transition (“transition” is always a noun, never a verb) from class-change to class work.

You do not (yet) have a due-date for your descriptive essay, but do anticipate; passivity is your enemy.  Be sure to read all the assigned pages in Bedford, on angryverbs.blogspot.com, and on your handouts.

In an era of noise and lights, focusing on one’s work is more difficult than in the past.  Try to develop at home a work space that is hands-off to everyone else (good luck with those small children!), and schedule thirty minutes or so daily when you sit at your desk or table with your books, your thoughts, your assignments.  Make this your routine, your discipline, and when others in your household understand your determination to succeed they will come to respect your work-time.  Avoid the temptations of the Orwellian Telescreen; exile that thing all the way across the house for your half hour. 

Lessons, Week of 2-6 September 2013

Week of 2-6 September 2013

 

Monday: Federal holiday

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday:

 

1.   Help yourself to a blank journal and an instruction sheet, find a seat, and begin writing. There is no down-time in this class.  Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

2.   Open your Orwellian telescreen to angryverbs.blogspot.com for your syllabus and lessons. Begin reading.  There is no down-time in this class. Don’t wait to be told to begin; passivity is your enemy.

3.   Roll call

4.   Administrivia

A.   Syllabus (in angryverbs.blogspot.com).  Discussion.  This will take a long while.

B.   Notes on your Bedford Handbook, including reading assignments

C.   Block form business letter format and example

5.   Descriptive essay

A.   Assignment, handout, discuss

B.   Notes re George Orwell’s “Confessions of a Book Reviewer”

C.   Excerpt from “Confessions of a Book Reviewer”

D.  Template / MLA format for essay writing

E.   Scoring matrix

6.   Questionnaire (handout) – write in complete sentences