Instructions for On-line Class Day: Let's Catch our Breath

Ok, guys here are the instructions for the on-line class day. Please make sure you respond properly by Thursday, September 30 BY 8:00 pm, or you will be considered absent and your work late (so it's like two whammies....).

The theme of this on-line class day is "let's catch our breath" and that's exactly what I want you to do--bring together and figure out all that you have learned so far in the last six weeks. You will be creating your own blog post NOT responding back to this post, so this means you can incorporate images, video links, play with fonts, etc, and you should do this in your post. This means you have the opportunity to really let your voice as a composer come through so I should really see this through the use of images, fonts, colors, language, etc. The genre you will be working in is a reflection.


Kathleen Blake Yancey believes that “reflection” allow students to become agents of their own learning. Other theorists view reflection as a means of looking back so that we can understand how to move forward. In this reflection, I want you to think of these definitions as you respond to the questions. I also want you to think about why reflection may or may not be important to your theory of composing.

Here are some questions:


***What are your key terms for rhetoric? For composition? How do you define these terms---you must use theorists to support your definitions. Why did you pick these terms?
***Where do you see overlap between key terms? What do you think this means?
***In terms of knowledge, do you believe that knowledge always exists; do you create knowledge or can knowledge ever really be "new"; do you rely on prior knowledge; what does knowledge mean to you? How does knowledge relate to this class?
***How does reflection fit into composing? What is it's importance?
***Reexamine your theory of composing. How does it read right now? Be specific, as in, "my theory of composing is X, Y and Z, and it includes these because AAAAA...I believe that composing is R, S, T..." Feel free to use any of your assignments to support your definition (like other blog posts, journals, readings, major assignments, reflections, etc).

You are not limited to only answering these questions, but I do expect you to answer at least three of the five questions. You can incorporate other ideas, thoughts, musings into your post.

I look forward to reading your posts--remember you are NOT responding back to this--you are creating your own post. Due by 8:00pm on Thursday, Sept 30.

The goblins will get ya...

You will be creating a digital journal--this means you need to work in a digital medium. The medium is up for grabs: powerpoint, vuvox, globster, photo, etc, etc. As you have done in the past paste the journal into your comment.


What you will be doing---

In light of reading one of the two handouts, and because this week begins October, your subject will be "Halloween," "All Hallows Eve," "Hallowe'en," or however you would like to refer to the holiday that October represents. What you need to do is create something (image, images, whatever) that represents this holiday BUT you must also incorporate something from the reading (this means I will be looking for evidence you have actually read it). This subject is broad, and you should respond to it as such---meaning you don't need to think of it in traditional terms. I want you to be creative so do not be cliche, in other words, think outside the box for this assignment.

You can't use images you find on the web, so you can't simply copy and paste something into a powerpoint slide and call it done. You need to create, design, and work with your own stuff. You can use words, but images should also be a part of this journal. Make sure you can open the image b/c if I can't you won't get credit.

Additionally, I want a 5 sentence (or more) explanation for your creation: how/why does this represent both the reading and Halloween (be specific---use the reading to support this!), how/why is it uncliche, and where does knowledge fit in with this type of assignment (was knowledge created, explored, re-envisioned)?
**Please respond to ALL questions.

This is due by Thursday, September 30 by 9:30 am or it will be considered late.

Have fun with the journal, and I look forward to seeing what you create!

ReMediation

As we conclude our discussion on remediation, I want you to explore the following questions:

1. Define remediation in the 21st century
2. Draw connections between remediation and digital literacies
3. Draw connections between remediation and composing practices
4. Reflect--your concluding thoughts on remediation

**Per normal: 500 words, dialogue with your classmates, be thoughtful, yet engaging

Remediation: Let's Practice

For this journal, you will be remediating journal #1 (which you did on our blog).

You choose what medium to remediate to--it can be as hard or as easy as you would like (BUT a wordle does not count as a remediation). Think of this like a practice run/playing around with remediation before you actually have to do it for a grade. So have some fun with. =)

Depending on the medium you choose, depends on how you will post to the blog. It might be a link, a video, a jpg, etc.

Include with your remediation a quick (like a couple sentence) explanation about why your remediation is, in fact, a remediation (hint: you might want to use what you've been reading as evidence and support).

Journal #5: Remediation

“Remediation as the mediation of mediation”

Bolter and Grusin’s book is their attempt to explain the workings of digital technology through their theory of mediation. They claim “what is new about new media comes from the particular ways in which they refashion older media and the ways in which older media refashion themselves to answer the challenges of new media” (15). The first several chapters set up their theory by situating it within the theorists that came before them and by doing this they also set up a quick history of remediation.

For this journal, you are going to explore what remediation means—to you, to this class, and to the world of popular culture. Start by defining the key terms (feel free to use Bolter and Grusin’s own definitions) before examining why remediation might be important to technology, digitality, and literacy practices. How does remediation influence these concepts? How does remediation change the way we might view popular culture? Why might remediation be an important idea in terms of helping us understanding composing? Continue in your explorations of remediation by thinking about the concept as it might apply to this class or how it might apply to you as a composer/compositionist.

In the second part of this journal you are going to investigate an example of remediation that you find in pop culture today. Explain what the example is, where it comes from and then show how the example has been remediated. Be specific—in both your example and in your explanation of how and why it is an example of remediation.
***I am not going to give you an example to work with…I want to see what you can find on your own.
***Once someone uses an example--it's gone, so you can't reuse examples.

Normal guidelines (500 words, dialogue with peers, etc)

Reflection over Poster Projects

Answer the following questions based on your project. You must answer them in complete sentences and using specific language, thus I don’t want to read something that says “This is the best project I have composed b/c I fulfilled the assignments expectations.” That tells me nothing. Use specifics. This should end up being a full paragraph (7-10 sentences or more). I also want you to be real and honest about your responses (um, don't give me any B.S. =)

1. Believe that this is the best project you have ever composed. Tell me why.
2. Doubt that your project is any good at all. Tell me why.
3. Predict KT's take on your project (i.e. how do you believe I will react to your project).
4. Agree or disagree with your sense of KT's take on your project.

**Overall question: what might you learn about a project and yourself as a composer by reflecting after-the-fact?

This is DUE by class on Thursday, September 16, 2010.

Let's have a moment(s)

"Sometimes, you know, you have a moment."

In the piece you read for homework, Kathleen Yancey discusses what she believes are four moments happening right now in the field of rhetoric and composition. In response to this, I want you to "have a moment" (or actually three). Up to this point you have read about rhetorical situation(s), the history of rhetoric, and key terms in both rhetoric and composition. You have also read what Yancey believes is happening. Some of what she is describing is not far off from your own experiences. For example, she discusses things like literacy practices and how writing/composing changes from print to the screen. She also talks about a new curriculum that "is located in a new vocabulary, a new set of practices,and a new set of outcomes." You, as part of the EWM major, fit into this idea of a new curriculum.

So, I want you to have a moment or in other words develop your own three quartets in which you describe, explain, explore, create your ideas about rhetoric and composition. This should come as a response to what you have experienced both inside this class already and outside the class (in other classes, but also in real life experiences). What does rhetoric and composition mean to you right now--as part of this class and this major and whatever potential job you might seek.

Be specific with your response. I'm not looking for you to say how hard it is to define these three quartets---that only waste part of your 500 words. I want specific and concrete ideas.

Also be creative. Think about what you want to get across in this post and how you want to lay it out.

Your response should be about 500 words.

And per normal: please engage in conversation with your peers.

Good luck! And I look forward to reading your responses.