February 26

Today, we wrote into the day about our writing processes for the Visual Analysis.  Then, we got into our blog groups and workshopped our papers using the method we used for the last workshop.  If there were three people in the group, the paper was discussed for 20 minutes.  If there were four people, the paper was discussed for 15 minutes.

Homework:

• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Workshop Reflection for Your Blog" handout before class on Thursday.
• Post your second draft to the blog (copy and paste) and to Blackboard (a Word file) before class on Tuesday.  You will post your paper in Discussions under "Post Your Visual Analysis Draft Here."

February 21

Today, we wrote about and discussed whole and small group discussion.  Our class has been having trouble with whole group discussions because very few people participate.  Also, when we come back from small group discussions, many of the groups continue to have side conversations instead of listening to the whole group discussion.  We discussed some reasons people may not feel comfortable talking in whole group and encouraged everyone to feel more comfortable and confident talking in whole group.  In addition, we talked about how we need to be more aware of listening to each other and not having  side conversations.  We also played two games and talked about how those games imitated effective or ineffective discussions.

Then, we talked about how to proceed with the Exploratory Proposal.  Most people ended up writing an argumentative essay (defending their opinions) instead of explaining what the three authors believed.  The class voted that, instead of rewriting the paper, Megan will graded on completion.  The paper is now worth 50 points (instead of 100) and each person will receive 10 points for each of the following:

• MLA Citation (Works Cited and In line)
• 4 pages minimum
• Used quotes or paraphrases from 3 authors from class
• Asked questions about the readings
• Posted to Blackboard and the blog on time

Then, we chose one of the comics or photos we brought and brainstormed by answering the following questions:

• Label each image in the photograph or comic
• Make notes about the distance between things.
• Make notes about the differences in sizes.
• Makes notes about the background.
• Note any empty or white spaces.
• Make notes about the words (types of words, color and position of words, etc.)
• Mark anything else you see.
• Make notes about the appeal.  Is it directed toward logos, ethos or pathos?
• What does each thing you marked down mean?  Why is it there? W hat does it do to the picture or comic?
• What is the main idea or argument of the photograph or comic?  How do you know?

We also talked about the organization of the visual analysis.  It should be organized in the following way:

1. Comic or Photograph #1
• What do you notice/see (Describe what is in the picture)
• What does each thing mean? (Interpret each images or feature)
• What is the main idea or argument of the photograph or comic?  How do you know?
2. Comic or Photograph #2
• What do you notice/see (Describe what is in the picture)
• What does each thing mean? (Interpret each images or feature)
• What is the main idea or argument of the photograph or comic?  How do you know?

Other notes about the paper:

• Do not feel obligated to include an introduction or conclusion.  If you don't have a reason for the introduction or conclusion (other than because you think it "should" be there), don't write them.
• Stick to third person for this paper.

Homework:

• Post your first draft of the Visual Analysis to your blog.
• Bring 4 hard copies of your first draft to class on Tuesday.

February 14

Today, we responded to a word cloud about visual analysis for writing into the day.  After sharing our responses with partners, we graded ourselves on participation and explained those grades.  Then, we read page 60 in Practical Argument and annotated the first photograph in groups.  The groups noticed:

• The boy is unhappy and frustrated.
• The paper is blank.
• He is wearing a uniform.
• There is an advanced math problem on the board.
• The pencil is new.  It has no eraser.
• He's not facing the board.
• There is no teacher.
• He has clenched hands.
• He has nice clothes.
• He has a mohawk.
• There is a chalkboard.
• He is young.
• The pencil is pointing away from the paper.
• He has scary eye contact.
• He is white.
• There is a lot of emptiness sin the background.
• There is no chalk or eraser at the board.

Then we analyzed the picture:

• He hates school.
• He is not prepared.
• He was defeated from the beginning.  He doesn't want to even attempt the problem.
• The trendiness suggests that the boy could represent you.
• He is in private school.
• The material is too advanced for his age.
• The education system is giving up.
• There are no mistakes a lot.
• He is in time out.
• He is too scared to even write anything.
• He has tried for too long and is just frustrated.

We also answered the questions on page 63 in Practical Argument with our groups.  We discussed whether this photo is effective and whether it would be a good photo to use for the topic of standardized testing.  We talked about the same thing with the second photo.

Finally, in groups, we analyzed the photo about education being the most powerful weapon.

Homework:

Keep up with your blog.

February 12

Today, we responded to a Danielle DeVoss quote for writing into the day.  Then, we discussed the Visual Analysis assignment (Workshop draft due February 26; Second draft due March 5).  We then began discussing visual analysis by reading pages 53-55 of Practical Argument and analyzed the first comic on the "Comics" handout on Blackboard.  We analyzed the comic in the following ways:

What was your first reaction to this comic?

• It's heavily exaggerated.
• It sums up standardized testing well.
• Testing is not fair.
• Testing doesn't play to the strengths of all. 

What do you notice about each of the characters?

• The monkey is smiling.  He is happy about the task.
• The rest of the animals look like they don't think the task is feasible.
• The bird shows that tests are easy for some people.
• He just succeeds in a different way.
• The only one sitting is the monkey.  It isn't worried.
• Is it favoritism?  He is the one most like the human man.
• The man is wearing a suit.  He is "the man".
• He looks like a politician.
• He is white.
• He is bald, which suggests that the test is outdated and out of touch.
• He has a mustache.  It suggests he is evil like some other mustached people like Hitler or Stalin.)
• The different animals could be like the different races and how each race performs on tests.

Why didn't the illustrator include other animals that could climb the tree, like a cat?

• It wouldn't show the difference as well.
• It emphasizes the variety of learning styles

Why use animals instead of people?

• Animals can be manipulated, like students might be manipulated for a test.

Is the background important?

• They are in the middle of nowhere.  There is no escape.  It's isolated.
• The white space suggests what could be there, but isn't.
• The white space is like the testing environment with blank walls.

Is distance important?

• There is a divide between the animals and the man.
• Could suggest the divide between teachers and students or between generations.
• The monkey and bird are separated.  They are the only ones that will succeed.
• The man is sitting, which is a sign of power and respect.

Why did the illustrator draw the tree the way he did?

• There are no branches near the ground.
• It's thick and old like it's not going anywhere.
• It's got big roots.
• It's the only tree.  There is no other option.
• The leaves at the top suggest something to aspire to.
• The limbs are obstacles, but with an illusion of fairness.
• The limbs are opportunities.  There are more paths when you reach the top.

What is important about gestures and shading?

• The monkey has thumbs that are clearly drawn.
• The man is gesturing like testing is no big deal.
• It's "shady" because it's under a tree.
• The shading around the desk emphasizes the divide.
• The mountain and tree are dark; they are what you want to reach.
• There is no gray area with testing.  It is only black and white.

What is important about the words in the comic?

• The word "fair" - it's not fair
• The word "same" - not everyone has the same chance even if it's the same test
• The word "everybody" - specifies all of them
• The word "please" - he is being nice about it
• It's "that" tree, not "a" tree - there is only one option
• The work "selection" - it's a selective test because only some can succeed.  It's also like survival of the fittest.
• The bottom caption is important because it gives context.  If we hadn't been in this class, we might have thought it was about something other than the educational system.

Homework:

1. On your blog, post:
• Your second draft of the Exploratory Proposal
• Answers to the "Self Assessment" handout
2. On Blackboard, post a Word document of your second draft in the Discussion board.

February 7

Today, we wrote into the day about our writing processes for the Exploratory Proposal.  Then, we got into our blog groups and workshopped our papers using the method discussed on Tuesday.  If there were three people in the group, the paper was discussed for 20 minutes.  If there were four people, the paper was discussed for 15 minutes.

Homework:

• On your blog, answer the questions on the "Workshop Reflection for Your Blog" handout before class on Tuesday.
• Post your second draft to the blog (copy and paste) and to Blackboard (a Word file) before class on Thursday.  You will post your paper in Discussions under "Post Your Exploratory Proposal Here."

February 5

Today, for writing into the day, we answered questions about workshopping.  Then, we discussed the handouts about reflections for workshop and instructor comments and the definitions of revision (re-vision) and workshopping.  After that, we got into small groups and made a list of do's and don't's of workshopping using "Responding - Really Responding - to Other Students' Writing" and our past experiences with workshopping.  We made a class list of the Do's and Don't's, which is as follows:

Do

• Write in full sentences
• Be polite
• Give suggestions
• Give as many praises as criticisms
• Ask questions
• Be specific
• Go through a mental checklist
• Make changes
• Take your time
• Speak like you are speaking to a friend
• Be impartial
• Ask the writer what he/she wanted the reader to understand from the paper/what the original message is
• Consider what draft the writer is on

Don't

• Don't be an ass or get too personal
• Don't abbreviate
• Don't use read pen
• Don't act like a teacher
• Don't lie
• Don't be short and sweet
• Don't write over the writer's work
• Don't be general
• Don't just say that you "wouldn't change a thing"
• Don't rush through the paper
• Don't doodle on the paper

We read a newspaper article about a 6-year-old boy who took his mother's car to go see his dad.  We picked a perspective in the article and each person wrote a narrative from that point of view.  Then, we used the following steps to workshop Megan's narrative:

1. The writer address 2-3 concerns about the work
2. The writer reads the paper aloud
3. The writer and readers discuss the paper.  The writer asks questions and pushes readers to explain criticism.

For the last five minutes, we got into partners and workshopped one of the partner's narratives.

Homework

• Finish writing your first draft of the Exploratory Proposal.  (It must be four pages.)
• Post a copy of your draft to your blog before class.
• Bring four hardcopies of your draft with you to class.

January 31

We began today by reading part of an article explaining McCrory's desire to move toward more vocational track education at the university level.  For the writing into the day, we responded to this article.  Then, we watched videos about global competition and 21st century skills.  In small groups, we talked about how schools can prepare students for these 21st century skills and for working globally.  We moved into whole group discussion and talked about the McCrory article and the videos.

Discussion

• You can't dictate what someone wants to learn.  You can't make them interested in the subject, meaning the knowledge won't stick with them.
• Students need to be more focused in what they are interested in
• Schools should be asking students more about the process of finding an answer than just what the answer is.
• Students need to be taught that their opinion matters.
• If you have an opinion about a subject, it shows that you care about the subject.
• What about uniformed opinions?  Do they count?
• You can't argue something unless you know something about it.
• You can stretch statistics and the truth.
• You can't prove an opinion right or wrong.
• You can't teach the 21st century skills.  You learn it from experience, news, friends, etc.
• America is stuck up and waits a really long time to teach second languages.
• We take our education for granted.
• We should take communication classes that focus specifically on the kind of communication we will need in our job.
• Should we have general education classes?
• Should we move to have core classes that focus specifically on our future careers

After this discussion, we talked about the definition of liberal education and watched a video supporting liberal education.  As we watched the video, we noted and discussed the persuasive appeals used in the video.

Finally, we spent the last 15 minutes brainstorming for the Exploratory Proposal.

Homework:

• Read "Responding - Really Responding - to Other Students' Writing" and post a reading response.
• Start drafting your Exploratory Proposal.  The first draft is due next Thursday.