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.  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.  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 mad.
• The paper is blank.
• He is wearing a uniform.
• There is a math problem on the board.
• The pencil is new.  It has no eraser.
• The graph is crossed out.
• He looks perfect.
• He's not facing the board.
• He's alone.
• The background is plain.
• The body language says he is not happy or he is confused.
• He has clenched hands.
• He has nice clothes.
• He has a popped collar.
• He has rolled up sleeves.
• He has spiked hair.

Then we analyzed the picture:

• He goes to a private school.
• He is in trouble for crossing out the problem.
• He is too young for the math problem.
• The fact that he is young makes the viewer feel sympathy.
• Outwardly, he is standard.  Inwardly, he is frustrated.
• The hair gives you a time frame; this is a current photo.
• The desk looks like a teacher's desk.  This could mean that both teacher and student are frustrated.
• Is he in detention?

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 funny.
• It makes a valid point.
• It's unfair; it over dramatizes the issue.  We have more similarities than the animals do.
• No, we all have different abilities so the comic makes sense.
• It's the over dramatization that makes the comic funny.

What do you notice about each of the characters?

• Some of the animals can perform the task.
• The monkey is smiling.  He is happy about the task.
• The rest of the animals are in shock.
• The human stereotypical. He is a man, white and older.  His body language is very formal.
• Is the man hunched over? If so, is he depressed about this job he needs to perform?
• His hands suggest that he doesn't really care.  He thinks they should just do the task because that's the way it is.
• The bird is tiny.  It might suggest that he can't really succeed.
• Or he represents the ones who can get to the top but don't understand what it takes for others to get there.
• Monkey is sitting back like he faces no challenge.

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

• The animals represent the school systems.  The systems are all very different.
• It emphasizes the variety of students

Why use animals instead of people?

• It makes more sense.  It take the argument outside of the realm of people.
• The fish is screwed.

Why is the person behind the desk a person rather than another animal?

• It shows that WE (humans) are the ones doing this to ourselves.
• He is not unique.  He is trying to make everyone else think and be like him.
• His face is pointed upward like he is smiling.
• He isn't modeling.  He is just telling them what to do.
• The suit suggests upper white class.

Who is most important in this comic?

• They are all important because they all set the stage for the argument.
• The elephant and the fish are center and they are the least capable.
• The monkey is important because, without him, all the animals would be equally unlikely to complete the task.
• The animals are more important than the man because you could remove the man and you'd still get the point.

Is the background important?

• They are in the middle of nowhere.  It fabricates a "neutral" ground, like testing does.  No one has the advantage of their natural environment.
• The environment they are in is not like the environment they need to be prepared for (like us with testing).
• The background keeps going.  It has no end, like testing.

Is distance important?

• There is a distance between the man and the animals.  He is impersonal.
• There is a gap between the bird and monkey and the rest of the animals.  They are the two that could complete the task.  They are also closer so they catch your eye first.
• The elephant is the biggest but he is also one of the least capable.
• The monkey looks like he'd be bigger than even the elephant if he stood up.

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

• It's a big tree. It cannot be jumped.  The elephant might not even be able to knock it over.
• The higher you climb the better you succeed on the test.
• The branches are like the different specialities.
• The limbs represent testing complications.
• The limbs represent opportunities, but you only get the opportunities once you reach the top.
• The limbs show there is an opportunity that the animals can see but most of them cannot reach it.
• There is not top to the tree, which suggest the education can take you anywhere.

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 "please" - he is being nice about it
• It's "the" tree, not "a" tree - there is only one option
• It's "our" educational system - human's system, not anyone (anything) else's
• "Fair selection" - like natural selection
• The bottom caption is important because it gives context.  If we hadn't been in this class, we might have thought it was about a job, athletics or some kind of other training.

What appeals do you see?

• Pathos - The animal's faces
• Logos - Same words they use for standardized testing in real life.  The animals suggest a testing statistic (one 2 out of 7 will succeed)
• Ethos - The man in the chair has authority.  He had to get up the tree (pass the test) to get into the position he now has. Or he found another way up, like the bird.

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

• Praise for good work
• Be specific
• Be respectful
• Make suggestions
• Analyze where the writer is (draft stage)
• Make notes at the end and in the margins (underlining and circling are ok as long as they don't block the original work)
• Judge what kind of critique the writer needs/can handle
• Ask the writer if the ideas and tone are supposed to be the way you interpreted them
• Ask questions
• Tell the writer if the writing is confusing
• Explain your criticism

Don't

• Don't write 2-3 words for a comment 
• Don't sound like a teacher
• Don't rewrite the writer's words
• Don't nit pick on grammar
• Don't go off topic
• Don't lie
• Don't try to change the writer's style of writing

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.

McCrory Discussion

• We need all kinds of jobs; the trick is knowing how much of each job we need.
• Why be in college if you don't have the option to be creative and figure out what you want to do?
• We don't know what is coming in the future, so it's unwise to limit the careers for which students can study.
• We will lose revenue in North Carolina because people will be leaving the state in order to have more options in universities.
• We should have a separate vocational track option, but not change the whole school.
• Is it worth spending time studying for a career if there is no job available after school?
• Is it worth having the government tell you what is "best for you"?
• If the government pays for a person's education, they should decide what the person has to take. If the person is paying for it, that person should decide.
• There are certain things that are nice to have, but they don't make money.  Some school majors are like that.  Life is about making a living.
• McCrory said there are open jobs.  Where are these jobs?  Why is the unemployment so high if there are open jobs?

Global Competition/21st Century Skills Discussion

• Global awareness makes people more competitive.  Colleges should require a class about global awareness.
• Communication is important.  Without it, you can't get anything done or have global awareness.
• We should teach foreign langauge at a younger age.
• We should make a study aboard program highly advised.
• But it's very expensive.
• More people can do foreign exchange programs.
• Kids should be taught a second language beginning before they even start school.
• There is no one to practice a language with if you stay in the U.S.

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.