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Course Guide

This course guide contains all of the materials for this class. To see all of the contents of this guide

on one page, click on the "printer-friendly version" link below.

Course Description

Instructor and Course Information

English 505, "Professional Writing Practicum"

Instructor Name: Dr. David Blakesley

Section: 50500-008-002

Office Hrs: M, 10-11:20 a.m., T 10:30-11:45 a.m., and by appt.

Office: Heavilon 302

Ph: 765.494.3772

Fax: 206.600.5072

E-Mail: [email protected]

Overview

ENGL 505M is designed for new instructors of ENGL 420 and 421. Its aim is to prepare instructors

to teach online versions of English 420, Business Writing, and English 421, Technical Writing, at

Purdue University by introducing relevant theories and teaching strategies through readings, class

discussion, and hands-on workshops. The main objective of this practicum is to encourage your

pedagogical, technical, and professional development.

Course Text

Professional Writing Online

Additional readings will be made available on the course website.

Web Resources

As part of your participation in the mentoring, you will develop and maintain Web resources for

your 420 courses. In many cases, templates and handouts for your course syllabus, schedule,projects, and other activities will be provided. You will be responsible for contextualizing these

templates in relationship to your individual teaching. You will also be encouraged to share drafts of

this material on the 505 course website for discussion and review.

Course Work

Course Guide http://www.digitalparlor.org/fa08/blakesley1/book/export/htm

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Participation and Teaching Portfolio Development

Your participation in the mentoring will include reading assigned materials, developing and sharing

teaching materials, presenting resources to the group in class and on the course and PW website,

presenting at the Professional Writing Pedagogy and Technology Showcase, and discussing issues

on the PW Mentor mailing list or course website. You'll be asked to collect this material in a

teaching portfolio by the end of the semester. Another requirement of the mentoring is your

participation in peer and mentor teaching observations. (20% of course grade)

PW Pedogogy and Technology Showcase

Each instructor should develop, propose, and present at the Professional Writing Pedagogy and

Technology Showcase, scheduled for November, 2008, in Stewart Center. Your presentation may

be a poster exhibit or other form of interactive multimedia, or you may choose to propose a panel

or individual presentation. These projects should focus on some aspect of teaching professional

writing in technology-rich contexts. (30% of course grade)

Group Project

Each person will collaborate with three colleagues to on a group project, involving many of the

same deliverables and activities that we have our students complete in ENGL 420. Topics have yetto be decided but will likely involve the development of a white paper and a brochure on a topic of

interest to PW instructors. (30% of course grade)

Peer Observations

About halfway through the semester, you will be paired with a colleague to arrange peer visits of

each other's class, with guidelines and suggestions for these visits provided at that time. The

purpose of these observations is to provide you with constructive feedback on your teaching. (20%

of course grade)

Grading

Participation: 30%

Pedagogy and Technology Showcase: 20%

Group Project: 30%

Peer Observations: 20%

All major assignments will be graded on the standard plus-minus letter-grade scale: A=100-94,

A-=93-90, B+==89-87, B=86-84, B-=83-80, C+=79-77, C=76-74, C-=73-70, D+=69-67, D=66-64,

D-=63-60, F=59 or below.

Students must participate in all of the major projects and complete a majority of the required peer

review in order to pass this class.

Attendance

Attendance is required at all scheduled electronic and face-to-face (F2F) meetings. Three absences

may result in your final grade being lowered by as much as a letter grade. More than three absences

can result in a failing grade for the course. Excused absences may be granted for religious holidays


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or university-sponsored events, provided you make a written request to me no less than two weeks

in advance and that you complete any required work before the due date. Being excessively or

regularly late for class or team meetings, both electronic and F2F, can also be counted as an

absence.

Academic Integrity

Purdue students and their instructors are expected to adhere to guidelines set forth by the Dean of

Students in "Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students," which students are encouraged to read

here:

http://www.purdue.edu/ODOS/services/gradeappeals.htm

The preamble of this guide states the following: "Purdue University values intellectual integrity and

the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and

role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high

standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and

threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue tosuccess. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education, which is valued because of Purdue's high

academic standards."

Academic dishonesty is defined as follows: "Purdue prohibits "dishonesty in connection with any

University activity. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the

University are examples of dishonesty." [University Regulations, Part V, Section III, B, 2, a]

Furthermore, the University Senate has stipulated that "the commitment of acts of cheating, lying,

and deceit in any of their diverse forms (such as the use of substitutes for taking examinations, the

use of illegal cribs, plagiarism, and copying during examinations) is dishonest and must not be

tolerated. Moreover, knowingly to aid and abet, directly or indirectly, other parties in committing

dishonest acts is in itself dishonest." [University Senate Document 72-18, December 15, 1972]"

If you have any questions about this policy, please ask.

In Case of a Campus Emergency

In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages

are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other

circumstances. You can acquire updated information from the course website, by emailing me, or

by contacting me through the English Department at 765-494-3740.

Late Work

The majority of missed class assignments cannot be made up.If a serious and unavoidable problem

arises, however, you should contact me in writing prior to the deadline to determine whether or not

an extension for the work will or will not be granted.


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Calendar

Follow the links at the bottom of this page for a schedule of assignments and activities for each

week this semester. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all assignments are to be completed before

class on the day listed.

This course calendar may be updated throughout the semester. I'll notify you about any major

changes, but you are still responsible for keeping up with the current schedule.

IMPORTANT: You mustvisit all of the links provided within the course calendar. There are

many links to follow and read. Make sure you visit all of them. Some links provide easy access to

other parts of the class site which will help you in your assignments. Some links are to readings and

resources, all of which you should read and explore so that you're aware of your options as a

teacher (and rhetorician; remember what Aristotle said about "finding the available means of

persuasion in any given case"?).

Week 1

Tuesday, August 26

Group Activities

Introduction to the course.

Review carefully the Course Description, paying particular attention to all requirements. It is

important that you become very familiar with the course policies so you can understand what

is expected of you in this class.

First-week troubleshooting . . .

Individual Activities

Exploring the class website:

Complete Getting Started 1: Registering on the Site, Getting Started 2: Logging in for the

First Time, and Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for the First Time

Read Learning to Navigate the Site. Then explore the class website. Make sure that you

login; some class website features are not available to guests. It'll be easier as we move

forward if you take the time now to explore. Get familiar with where things are located,

which links take you further into the class website and which take you outside to otherresources.

Review How to Post to Your Individual Weblog and then "How to Post Comments and

Replies"

I've created a post on the course home page inviting you to introduce yourself. Post a

comment to that post in which you

describe where you are from


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give your course of study and year

talk about your career goals

tell what you would like to get out of this course

share at least one thing personal about yourself (a hobby, your favorite sport, a favorite

activity, etc.)

Thursday, August 28

Drupal tips and tricks: fine-tuning your course website (Jeremy)

Employment Project Q & A

Week 2

Tuesday, September 2

Read in advance . . .

The Rhetoric of Employment Documents (PW Online)

Read Gareth's Tips on Sucks-Less Writing

Read about "The Rhetoric of the Memo and E-Mail" in PW Online.

"Boss's Angry Email Sends Shares Plunging"

"A Stinging Office Memo Boomerangs" (if you get the free account at theNew York Times)

Write in advance . . .

Post a blog entry (tag: rhetoric) in which you write about rhetoric. What's your definition of

rhetoric? Why is rhetoric relevant in business writing?

Group Activities

Steps 1-4 of the Employment Project discussed in detail (the job search, job application

letter) [Nathaniel, Mark]

Writing Effective Email. See the attachment below. The password to access the PDF file is

505.

Thursday, September 4

Drupal Workshop

Using Advanced Features in Drupal: tagging, views, new content types [Jeremy; all PW

instructors invited]

Attachment Size

TH-writingemail.pdf 1.12 MB


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Week 3



The Complexities of Responding to Student Writing; or, Looking for Shortcuts via the Road

of Excess by Richard Haswell. (Across the Disciplines, 2006)


Post a blog entry (tag: Haswell) in which you write about the most important lessons in

Haswell's article.

Group Activities

Responding Effectively to the Employment Project [Mark, Dave]

Discuss the Haswell article as a group.

Discuss Step 3 of the Employment Project (resumes). Review the principles, guidelines, and

resume samples inPW Online and at the OWL.


New Technologies Workshop

Manage Your Email, Manage (and Simplify!) Your Life: Using Gmail to Make Email Fun

(and Efficient) Again [Dave: All PW and other instructors invited]

Week 4



There's a list of resources on White Papers at the PW "Readings for Courses" node:

http://www.digitalparlor.org/pwenglish/readings . Read them and be prepared to discuss them

in class.


Post a blog entry (tag: white papers) in which you discuss the differences between a white

paper and a document that makes an argument (policy statement or brief) or recommends a

solution (recommendation report).

Group Activities


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Discuss the 420 White Paper Project [Nathaniel and Dave]

Assignment of the 505 White Paper Project



Using Drop.io for project management and file distribution. [Dave: All PW and other


Week 5



What Is Professional Writing? (PW Online)


Post a blog entry (tag: professional writing) in which you discuss the range and scope of

professional writing. What does it entail? How might professional writing differ from other

kinds of writing?

Group Activities

Research and the White Paper Project [Mark, Nathaniel]

Types of Research: Field Research (interview, observation), Rhetorical Analysis ofDocuments, Library and Online Research

Ethical Guidelines for Conducting an Interview with a Client

Meet in Groups for the White Paper Project to discuss the assignment, roles, etc. Discuss

Group Work and Collaborative Writing.



Using iPaper and Scribd for document presentation and sharing. [Dave: All PW and other


Week 6



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The Bioteaming Manifesto. Useful for virtual teamwork

Group Work and Collaborate Writing (UC Davis)


Post a blog entry (tag: collaboration) in which you discuss one thing you learned aboutcollaboration that surprised you.

Group Activities

Managing effective collaboration. [Mark and Dave]

White Paper Project Discussion. [Mark and Dave]

Discuss the 420 Project 3 planning. [Mark and Dave]

Thursday, October 2


Using Google Docs and Buzzword for online collaborative writing and project management.

[Jeremy and Dave; All PW and other instructors invited

Week 7

Assignments and activities for Week 7

Week 8


Week 9


Week 10Assignments and activities for Week 10


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Week 11


Week 12Assignments and activities for Week 12

Week 13


Week 14


Week 15


Week 16


Projects & Activities

Descriptions of major course projects are listed here.

Group Project: Client-Based White Paper

Project

The Drama of Human Relations

For the White Paper Project, the class will work with and for the Tippecanoe County Human


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Relations Commission (TCHRC) on a grant-funded project to develop a white paper on the process

involved in making and adjudicating complaints, with some additional attention to methods

whereby the process may be improved and, more generally, ways that the TCHRC can fulfill its

mission. The white paper is a common report genre in the professional world. White papers are

used in business, industrial, and governmental contexts to sum up the gist of whats known about a

subject. During this project you will learn about

the white paper genre through collaborative creation of a white paper.

new writing and communication technologies that support business writing in college and

industry, with attention to open source and other freely available software or writing spaces

(online networks, blogging, etc.).

collaboration, project management, and strategies for writing and revising.

client research and collaboration

At the beginning of this project, you will be placed by your instructor into a group with fellow

students. Each of the major components of this project will be completed in collaboration with

group members. Individuals must also keep a project log at their course blog following these

guidelines. Everyone will also be asked to email a peer collaborative evaluation form (Wordformat) independently to the instructor when this project is due.

Discussion

Learning about the genre of white papers. You'll spend some time in the early part of the project

reading sample white papers andabout the function of the TCHRC so that you can get comfortable

with the genre and the general topic. The point of the white paper genre is to represent the critically

important information about a specific topic (such as a technology, human relations, etc.), not to

argue, sell, or promote (though those may be ancillary purposes). To see a collection of white

papers produced here at Purdue and describing strategic planning in a number of areas, look here:

http://www.purdue.edu/strategic_plan/2008-2013/whitepapers.html .

Rhetorical Situation: The primary audience for your writing will consist of members of the TCHRC

but also members of County Government and local citizens who may benefit from the services that

the TCHRC can provide. The purpose of your white paper writing should be to provide essential

and accurate background information and sources on a specifci topic for interested readers so that

they are well informed and ready to make up their minds about the function, usability, and

effectiveness of the complaint process in helping citizens address problems of discrimination on the

basis of race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.

As a class, we will be submitting a proposal for the Student Grant Program For Community

Service/Service Learning Projects. See the attachment below for the full description of the

application process. Our partner/client for this project will be the TCHRC, which is chaired by

Mike Piggott.

Project Goals


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This project emphasizes several important goals that all professional writers should bear in mind

and that are consistent with those of the Professional Writing Program at Purdue.

Writing in Context

Analyze professional cultures, social contexts, and audiences to determine how they shape the

various purposes and forms of workplace writing, such as persuasion, organizational

communication, and public discourse, with an emphasis on

writing for a range of defined audiences and stakeholders

negotiating the ethical dimensions of workplace communication

Project Management

Understand, develop and deploy various strategies for planning, researching, drafting,

revising, and editing documents both individually and collaboratively.

Select and use appropriate technologies that effectively and ethically address professional

situations and audiences.

Build professional ethos through documentation and accountability.

Document Design

Make rhetorical design decisions about workplace documents, including

understanding and adapting to genre conventions and audience expectations

understanding and implementing design principles of format and layout

interpreting and arguing with design

drafting, researching, testing, and revising visual designs and information architecture

Teamwork

Learn and apply strategies for successful teamwork and collaboration, such as

working online with colleagues

determining roles and responsibilities

managing team conflicts constructively

responding constructively to peers' work

soliciting and using peer feedback effectively

achieving team goals

Research

Understand and use various research methods to produce professional documents, including

analyzing professional contextslocating, evaluating, and using print and online information selectively for particular

audiences and purposes

triangulating sources of evidence

selecting appropriate primary research methods, such as interviews, observations, focus

groups, and surveys to collect data

working ethically with research participants


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Technology

Use and evaluate the writing technologies frequently used in the workplace, such as emailing,

instant messaging, image editing, video editing, presentation design and delivery, HTML editing,

Web browsing, content management, and desktop publishing technologies.

Deliverables

Client Research. Each group will do preliminary research on the TCHRC, including some

document analysis and client interviews. Be sure to carefully plan your intereviews and

follow these Ethical Guidelines for Conducting an Interview with a Client. You should plan

on interviewing one member of the TCHRC, including the Chair.

1.

Project logs. Each group member will keep a weekly project log on their individual weblog.

See the guidelines for project logs.

2.

Research posts. Each individual group member will, in coordination with the rest of the

group, research the group's topic and post these notes to their individual weblogs on the

course website. For the research posts, everyone in the group should agree to use a common

tag for the category (e.g., "Research on Google Docs"). As a group, agree on the tags you

will use for this aspect of your research so that you can keep track of your work easily.

3.

Annotated bibliography. At the end of the research phase, the group will assemble a short

annotated bibliography (including 6 critical sources) and compile and post the bibliography

to a member's blog, tagged so that it shows up with the group's project documents (e.g., tag =

Group 2 White Paper Project)

4.

White paper drafts and revisions. The group is responsible for the timely creation of two

drafts of the white paper. The first draft of your white paper should be 2,000-3,000 words +

the annotated bibliography. Following the first draft, you will receive further instructions for

a revision assignment for creating the final draft. As you revise your white paper, you will

work from global concerns (e.g., content development and organization) toward local

concerns (proofreading and editing), with peer review focused on the major concerns at eachstage of the revision. The final draft of your white paper should

Demonstrate a good knowledge of the white paper genre.

Be rhetorically sensitive to the needs of the primary and subsidiary audiences.

Be well argued and supported by research.

Be carefully and fully cited and include a references section, in addition to the

annotated bibliography.

Contain a consistent voice and style throughout.

Be free of proofreading and editing problems.

Follow the stylistic conventions for professional writing and writing for the Web as

covered in the course readings and discussion.

Be presented in suitable format and include relevant visual content to teach as well asillustrate concepts and information.

5.

Oral Presentation. At the end of the project, present your White Paper to the TCHRC in

person, at a time and place TBA.

6.

Peer Collaboration Evaluation Form. At the end of the project, each group member will

provide a detailed evaluation of all of the group's members and submit the form to the

instructor.

7.


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All readings in the "Social and Cultural Issues" section: http://tinyurl.com

/socialculturalissues

Field Research: http://tinyurl.com/fieldresearch

Writing Reports (all sections): http://tinyurl.com/writingreports

Constructing Visuals: http://tinyurl.com/constructingvisuals

Oral Presentations: http://tinyurl.com/oralpresentations

Attachment Size

sgpcs_grantapp.doc 104.5 KB

Course Handouts, Guides, and Readings

All course handouts, guides, and readings can be found here.

Getting Started 1: Registering on the SiteTo get started with your course, you'll need to complete a few steps, which include

Registering for the course website (here).

Logging in for the first time.

Editing your account for the first time.

Registering for the course website

Go to the course website.1.

Click on "create new account" under "User Login" in the navigation menu on the left.2.

Create a username that will identify you in the system and that you will use for logging in.

Because this site is public on the Internet, your username should not include your last

name. You are welcome to use any username (e.g., your IM screenname) that would not be

3.


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offensive to others or otherwise inappropriate for a course website. Capitalize your username

as you intend to use it; usernames are case sensitive.

Enter your email address. You may use your Purdue email address. If you have an alternate

one, use the one that you check most regularly.

4.

Provide your real name and home page URL (web address, if you have one). Note that your

real name will not be visible publicly but only to students registered at the site.

5.

Complete the Blog info and and Major and interests boxes, using the suggestions on the

form.

6.

Check whether or not you grant permission for your instructor to send you grades via your

registered email address.

7.


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Click on "Create new account." Registration information will be sent to the email address

you listed, so check your email soon after you register. You will need the password that it

sends you. Your instructor will approve your registration (if new account requests are

moderated), and then you will be able to log in to use site features.

8.

Getting Started 2: Logging in for the FirstTime

To get started with your course, you'll also need to complete this second step:

Logging in for the first time

You should have received an email from the system that includes your new password. With

that email handy, return to the course website.

1.

Enter your username and password in the "User login" box. Your initial password can be

retyped or cut-and-pasted into the password box. If you cut-and-paste it, make sure you don'tinclude any extra spaces before or after the password characters. The password and user

name are case sensitive.

2.

Click on Log in. When you've successfully logged in, you will see a block of links in the left

sidebar with your username above it as a title. This is a navigation menu that provides you

with links to many services and content on the site. If you are unable to log in successfully,

try re-entering your password. Remember that usernames and passwords are case-sensitve, so

make sure you don't have Caps Lock turned on by accident and that (if pasting in your

password) that you don't include extra spaces. You may also click on "Request newpassword" if you ever forget yours.

3.

Getting Started 3: Editing Your Account for

the First Time


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To get started with your course, you'll also need to complete this third step, which will take a bit

more time than the previous two.

Editing your account for the first time

Once you've logged in successfully, you need to edit your account and provide some additional

information about yourself.

Click on my account link in the navigation menu on the left.

1.

On the next screen, click on the edit tab.2.


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On the account settings screen, scroll to the Account information area.3.

Change your password by entering a new one into the password boxes. Choose a password

that you can remember but that is secure. Remember that passwords are case sensitive.

4.

Scroll to the Picture area.5.


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Upload a picture of yourself or avatar (an image that represents you well) that you would use

in a public context. You may have to find one and edit in an image editor, so you just try to

have this step completed by the end of Week 2. If you need help editing an image, send a

copy to your instructor for help. See Creating Avatars and Images for Your Profile for more

information.

6.

Next, scroll to the Theme configuration.7.


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The default selection will be checked. You can select any theme you like and all pages will

show up with that theme. The default theme has been specially designed and will probably

offer the most consistent display of all site content. The instructor uses that theme as the

default and so designs pages with it in mind.

8.

Scroll to Contact settings.9.


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Check the Personal contact form box.10.

When you have made your changes, click on the Submit button at the bottom of the page.11.

The following steps ask you to complete information for your profile. This will enable the

instructor and fellow students to learn a little more about you and help the instructor tailor this class

to your background and goals, as well as arrange collaborative projects.

Click on the edit tab again, then on the Personal Information link at the top of the next

page.

1.


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Enter the required information in the boxes. If you don't have a home page, leave that box

blank.

2.

Click on Submit to save.3.

That's it! You have completed all the steps of the Getting Started process. If you ever need to

change any of the information, you can always edit these pages again.

If you have any trouble along the way, please be sure to let your instructor know.

Creating Avatars and Images for Your Profile

Some of you may be in search of an avatar or image to use in the profile that you created for

yourself when you registered. If so, here are some suggestions:

An avatar is just an image that "stands-in" for your picture and can be an object, artwork, a photo,

or something else that might convey some aspect of your identity, personality, or interests. So, for

example, someone interested in biking might use an image of a bike as an avatar rather than apersonal picture. The image works best if it's in jpg, gif, or png format, and the dimensions should

be (about) 85x85 so that it displays correctly (and doesn't get squished when displayed, for

example).

To find an existing avatar to use for free, you could look at a site like these. If you have a Yahoo!

ID (free to get, if not), you can get some nice ones:

http://avatars.yahoo.com/

or try

http://www.avatarity.com/

You could also take an existing image of yourself and then create a picture by cropping out the part

you don't want. If you haven't used an image editing program before, that can be a bit tricky. But if

you have, just use the crop tool to draw a box around the part of the image you want to use, crop it,

and then resize it so that it's about 85x85 pixels.

If you have a larger photo and would like help to make it into an avatar, send it to your instructor as

an email attachment. Your instructor can help you from there.

Learning to Navigate the SiteFor the first day of class, you'll want to explore some of the features of the site. This document

gives an overview of a few features you might want to take a look at that will help you to navigate

the site.


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Navigation

In the header visible at the top of every page, you'll find one row of links:

The first five take you to important sections of the course guide.The others take you to useful resource sites at Purdue.

Once you've logged in to the site, directly beneath the header on the left, you'll find the main

navigation block, accessible from every page:

The navigation block is your gateway to many areas of the site useful for creating and viewing

content and managing your work. For example,

My workspace

Lists all the blog posts, files, and other content that you have posted to the site.

My inbox

All Private Messages sent to you by your instructor or other students from within the course

site are listed here.

Create content

From here you can post to your individual weblog or the front page (see How to Post to Your

Individual Weblog).

Blogs

Lists all the blogs on the site and includes a direct link to your blog in its submenu.Members

Need to find out a classmate's email address? Use the members list. You can also click on

any username to access the personal account page. Only registered users have access to the

private portion of account pages.

Recent posts

This display allows you to access all of the recent content posted by everyone. Note how it

provides red asterisks to denote pages you have yet to read and notices of new unread


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one.

Choose add new comment to reply directly to the main blog post and start a new thread or

reply to respond to an individual comment.

If you don't see an add new comment link, you are most likely not logged in.

3.

Enter a title for your post in the Subject field. Your title should describe the content of your

post. If you do not enter a title, the system will automatically use the first few words of yourcomment post.

4.

Enter the text of your comment in the Comment field. You may use plain text or some

HTML. Some people may have the "enable rich text" link visible. If you use that feature,

Drupal will give you a set of buttons much like a word processor's to help you input your

message. Be careful to review your input, however, since this feature will do some strange

things with your text on occasion.

5.

Click on "input format" to learn about your formatting options. Drupal will use a filter to

convert line breaks and URLs when you select "Filtered HTML." If you want to format your

posts nicely, include images, or insert more sophisticated HTML, then choose "Full HTML."

Generally speaking, leave the Input format on Filtered HTML unless you have usedHTML tags other than those allowed.

6.

Select Preview comment at the bottom of the page.7.

Always review what you have written in preview mode. You will not be able to edit your

comment once you have posted it.

8.

If you are ready to submit your comment, select Post comment at the bottom of the page.

Don't forget this step! The most common way people lose posts is by forgetting to submit

after previewing their comments or blog entries. If you have made changes to a post, preview

it again.

9.

Verify that your comment has been posted. It should be visible on the page. If something

went wrong, try using your back button to get to the input screen. Review and resubmit if it's

still there.

10.

Note: You can use the Comment viewing options to change the way that comments are displayed

on the page. Experiment with this feature and see which configuration works best for you.

How to Post to Your Individual Weblog

Posting to your individual weblog is a little more complex than posting a comment, but after a

couple of times, you'll find it as easy as email.

You must be logged in to post to your weblog.1.

From any page on the site, choose the create content link in the main navigation block on

the left hand side. That will bring you to the create content page. [You can also click on the

blogs link and then the "my blog" sublink.

2.


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The first time you visit the create content page, read the descriptions under personal blog

entry and story.

3.

To post to your individual weblog, choose blog entry. This will bring you to the Submit

blog entry page.

4.


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[Tip: Users ofThe Thomson Handbookshould review the Project Checklist on "Networking

in Online Forums" (p. 627) to refresh your memory on posting successful weblog messages.

(All of Chapter 28 would be a good review at this stage.)]

5.

Enter a good Title for your post.6.

Choose a Categorytag for your post. You can use a standard one (like "Reading Response"

or create one suggested in the prompt or that suits your content. You may use multiple tags.

7.

Enter the text of your post in the Body field. You may use plain text or some combination ofHTML in creating this post.8.

Leave the Input format on Filtered HTML unless you have used HTML tags other than

those allowed.

9.

Under URL path settings, you can give your post a short and unique URL alias. For

example, you might want to use "team3projectlog" to identify your team's project log. If you

use that URL, the full path would be something like http://digitalparlor.org/up07/420Y

/team3projectlog.

10.

Optional: If you need to attach a file,

Click on the File attachments link.

Use the Browse button to locate the file on your hard drive.

One you have located the file, click the Attach button.A bar will show the progress of the upload . You should then see your attachment

listed.

11.

Choose Preview.12.

Review your post. If you make any changes, preview it again.13.

When ready, select Save to post.14.

Notes:

The system will not offer you a Save button if you do not give your post a title.

If enabled by your instructor, choose story on the create content page to post to the course

home page. The rest of the procedure is the same as for creating a personal blog entry.

Creating Hyperlinks

For this class, you'll have to learn at least one HTML tag, the one for making hyperlinks.

It's easy to learn. Check it out:

Make sure that your rich-text editor is enabled. Click on enable rich-text below the Body

box.

1.

Highlight the text you want to turn into a link.2.

In the buttons below the Body box, click on the chain link button.3.

This box should appear.4.


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In the Link URL box, cut and paste your full URL there. Then click on Insert.5.

Your link will now show up in your text.

Here is how you make links in traditional HTML coding. it's still easy, but it doesn't show up with

our rich-text settings and input format.

is the tag itself without any information in it. Within the quotes, you'll put the url, or web address,

for the site which you want to link to. In between the >

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Notice how this doesn't convey much information. Better to have put the page title (often found

either on the page or in the window bar at the top) or link to part of your text (think of the examples

in this site). At the same time, really long URL's won't word wrap at the end of a line. They may

cause problems with the way that text is displayed on web pages.

Creating PDF FilesPortable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Acrobat and useful for sharing

printer ready versions of documents. Unlike when files are shared between different productivity

applications (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet) or different versions of the same productivity

software, the same layout and typographic styles are maintained regardless of the computer

environment. What the author sees when creating a PDF is exactly what the receiver of the file sees

and can print out on their computer. Consequently, PDFs are particularly useful for sending

resumes, cover letters, and other business documents where layout and presentation is critica.

Writers want all of the effort they put into formatting professional-looking documents to be

maintained.

PDFs are typically viewed using Adobe Reader (which is free to download). However, Adobe

Reader will not produce PDFs. As you will soon be submitting drafts of cover letters, resumes, and

other documents in PDF format, make sure that you can successfully generate a PDF using one of

the following means:

Adobe Acrobat Professional, Standard, or Elements are three versions of Adobe's

productivity program for producing PDF files. These programs are not free and do not

generally come installed when purchasing a computer. However, some public computer labs

(i.e., most of Purdue University's main campus labs) may have Acrobat Professional

installed. When Acrobat Professional is available, from your word processor or browser (or

any screen that can be printed), select File -> Print. On a PC, you will be able to select,under Printer Name, "Adobe PDF" instead of sending your file to a printer. (See the figure

below.) On a Mac, you will see a button "Save as PDF" on the print dialog box. In both

cases, you will be asked where you want the created PDF to be stored.


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Adobe offers a free PDF trial service online. However, you may need to produce PDF's more

than allowed by the free trial.

CutePDF is a free application which you can download and install on your home computer.

Google Docs: You can use these free applications (word processor, spreadsheet, and more)for collaboration and, conveniently, to export a document file to PDF format. (Upload your

Word document, for example, then export it as PDF later.)

OpenOffice is a free, full-featured, open source office productivity suite comparable to

Microsoft Office that has PDF generation built in. From within OpenOffice, choose

File->Export as pdf

Eliciting Good Response

Imagine the following scenario:

You have a great idea for a project for your department at work. Because it will require

significant resources and funding, the senior manager in your department has asked

you to prepare a ten-page proposal.

After working on the proposal for a while, the senior manager sends you an email

requesting to see your draft in progress. The proposal is far from complete, but you fire


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off a reply saying "Here is my working draft," and attach it. The next day, you receive

another email from the senior manager full of feedback which you are obligated to

take. However, the feedback asks you to revise your proposal in new directions, quite

contrary to what you had planned, effectively taking over the direction of the proposal.

You now have to discard many good ideas you had for development. Those sections

where you knew you needed the most help--they were not addressed at all.

This happens all the time in getting response to our writing. We get proofreading corrections when

we need ideas; we get heavy revision suggestions when the draft needs to be proofread to meet a

deadline.

To elicit useful and focused responses from readers (during peer review, for example), we must

solicit good response. In the above scenario, if the writer had explained to the senior manager

where she needed help in the draft and what her plans were for further development, it's quite

possible that the feedback would have been more focused and helpful. So when asking for feedback

on a document, explain to the responder

your concerns about the current state of the draft (i.e., where, specifically, you need help)

where you are in the process of drafting (i.e., ready to polish to meet a deadline, planning to

do more revision)

your target audience

any plans you might have for further development of the text

Once you've defined your needs, your reviewer is more likely to shape their feedback effectively

for you. As a reviewer, it's much easier to address the writer's concerns than to try to guess what

might or might not be useful to the writer.

Five Steps of StoryboardingFind or create a storyboard template that you can use to draft your outline, like the storyboard

template available from the Professional Writing website (PDF format).

1.

Each frame of your storyboard should represent a unique page, a step in a sequence, or some

other individual component of your work (such as a PowerPoint or Keynote slide, a keyframe

in Flash, or a Web page).

2.

In each frame, identify your content. Use shorthand to describe the content (including images

and audio) that you want to include and approximately where it should be placed, as in the

example below.

3.

Add notes to each frame in your storyboard on design, source files, material, and anything

else that will help you remember what each frame should contain and how it should be

presented.

4.

When you have completed a rough draft of your storyboard, read back through it to see

whether it has an order that makes sense and includes the multimedia you want to use. Move

frames around as necessary.

5.


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Principles for Comments and Replies

Posting projects, drafts, reading responses, comments, and replies will be a primary means of class

interaction and discussion. The course description explains the purpose of this coursework

When commenting and replying to blog and other posts on the course website, follow all directions

and guidelines listed in the course description or calendar. It will also be helpful to

Review How to Post Comments and Replies .

Read through all comments and replies in the thread

Strive to be thoughtful and analytical in your comments.

Try to find something new to say instead of repeating what has already been said in the

original post or in other comments already posted.

When relevant, feel free to share the personal experiences that shape your views on the topic.

You should also

Provide links to additional resources on the Web that would better inform the discussion. You

should always link to any other texts on the Web you mention, even those on the course

website.

Contend with and/or support the original blog post. If you are criticizing what the blogger has

said, remember to do so respectfully, which encourages further dialogue. "This sucks" would

not be an appropriate response. Neither would "That's great!" if you don't explain what you

mean.

Direct attention to related and relevant issues. You may find that none of the posts on the

class website about a particular set of readings confront what you feel is an important issueon the assigned texts. As long as it is related to the general topic of the readings or the topic

of this class, feel free to post a comment which turns the conversation in a new direction (use

the subject line to clearly specify this new direction).

Occasionally comment on blog posts not on our front page, which keeps dialogue with your

peers lively and interesting.

Use emoticons and acronyms to convey additional information (such as tone and intonation).


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For those of you wishing to do more than the minimum requirements of the course, you might visit

the class website additional times per week and post new comments and/or replies to any of the

blog posts.

Principles for Posting to Your Weblog

You'll do a lot of the writing for this class in your individual weblog space on the course website.

You can access your weblog via your my account page.

One way to think of a weblog or blog is as a journal. However, unlike a journal that you might keep

at home (as well as most if not all of the writing you have done in school before), your blog space

is public. Your fellow class members will be invited to read your blog. Classmates will respond to

your posts with comments and replies. Group members will review notes you take when doing

research. And, of course, since it's on the Internet, other Web readers may encounter your writing

and take a look at what you have to say.

There are many uses for weblogs, but you'll only use them for a few things here. During this class,you may be asked to use your course weblog to

share drafts of your work-in-progress for peer review

keep a project log

post research notes

In addition to the individual weblog space that everyone has, the home page of the course website

is a community blog space where new content may be posted. While most of your blog writing will

be posted to your individual weblog, the home page may be used as a place to promote discussion

among all class members. For example,

When there is a reading response assignment, your instructors may promote someone's post

to the front page for community discussion.

Groups may be asked to lead discussion by posting their reading responses or blog posts to

the course home page instead of to their individual weblogs.

Groups may be asked to share proposals and progress reports with the entire class.

Good Blogging Practices

Titles for blog posts should reflect the context of what you have written, not merely restate

the name of the title of the assignment or reading. Interesting and informative titles draw

more interesting responses from others.Blogs should demonstrate the principles of writing for the Web as they are covered in this

course.

Bloggers link. Use hyperlinks when referring to another post on the public Internet and

follow good attribution practices. Hyperlinks mean converting text to a link, not merely

cutting and pasting in an URL. To do so, you'll have to know a little HTML for creating

hyperlinks.


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People visiting the course website from the Internet won't know what you mean if you just

mention "the reading assignment for today." At minimum, you should mention the name of

the text and the title of the chapter or section you are referencing.

Good bloggers always keep in mind that they are writing for a public audience.

To Learn More

To receive credit for your work, be sure to follow the course requirements for readingresponses, replies, comments, and other coursework.

Optional: Read Meg Hourihan's What We're Doing When We Blog for a brief description of

weblogs. For further reading on weblogs, take a look at The Weblog Webliography on

Kairosnews.

Principles of Reading Responses

Your instructor may require you to respond to course readings with blog posts. Each reading

response should be specifically focused on the reading and the prompt provided on the calendar,clearly indicate that you have read and thought seriously about the reading, and be sufficiently

developed. Your instructor may set a word-limit minimum for these responses. Post your reading

response as a blog entry and tag it "Reading Response" or use the tag provided in the prompt itself.

You and possibly your group members may be assigned to post your reading response to the course

home page by submitting a story. The posts on the course home page will then be the focus of full

class discussion. Selected reading responses will also be promoted to the front page for more lively

community discussion.

In composing your reading response you should:

Be sure to focus your response on the subject of the prompt.

Link your response to recent class discussions online, your current project work, something

you might have read elsewhere, and/or previous professional, academic, or personal

experience writing and communicating in other contexts.

Discuss how the reading contributes to your understanding of the current project, expands

your understanding of recent discussions, or suggests ideas for your work in the class.

Be sure to properly cite the original reading and any other sources you might mention. Good

citation practice is critical in all writing and especially so on the Web.

You can apply the rhetorical considerations discussed in Principles for Posting to Your

Weblog to your reading responses.

When it is your group's turn to post reading responses to the course home page, consider that

the goal of these blog posts is to share new information and stimulate discussion. If your

group is reponsible for posting about an assignment, check to see if anyone has already

posted a response on the reading. If so, read through it. Shape your blog post to take the

conversation in different directions.


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Project Log Guidelines

During course projects, you may be required to keep a weekly project log and post it to your

weblog on the course site.

Purpose

Because you will have a weekly record at the end of the project, your project log will help you to

complete the Peer Collaboration Evaluation Form or other form of self evaluation due at the end of

each project. Project logs also provide evidence of each group member's contribution to the project.

And detailed project logs lend more credibility to your evaluation of others in your Peer

Collaboration Evaluation Form.

After college, you may find keeping a project log useful in your professional career:

In the busy life of a professional, it can often be difficult to remember all aspects of a project

when compiling monthly or quarterly progress reports.Consultants can use project logs to provide supporting evidence of work done on a project in

preparing invoices or in case a client questions billable hours.

Once a project is completed, a project log can be useful as a record for planning similar,

future projects that will be completed by others.

Requirements

A good project log will usually include a progress report each week. Post a short report to your

weblog covering all of the following:

Use informative titles (e.g., Project Log for Week 5: Project 2 Takes Shape)Tag your post with "Project Log"

Report on the status of the project: Is it in early drafting? Is it production ready? Is your

group conducting research? Etc.

Record your contributions to the project that week.

Record the contributions of others in your group.

Record the time and date of group meetings and communication and describe briefly what

was accomplished. Did the group have a large email discussion? Did you IM with another

group member? Etc.

Report on any scheduled plans for completing specific tasks in the project. What group

members have taken on which specific tasks? What are the prospective deadlines?

Plan out ideas for completing the project, including ways to collaborate and communicate

more effectively with your group.

Reflect on any lessons you have learned about collaboration and electronic communication.

Remember. Your project logs are public and can be read by other group members. Be diplomatic.

Do not write about what other group members failed to do or negatively evaluate their

participation. Simply record what others have agreed to do and the tasks which they have


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completed. You will have ample opportunity to assess the work of others at the end of the project.

You can of course post more than once a week.
