CPR Module

It looks like a number of you are setting up your turnitin.com account. Great. Turnitin.com is where all of your assignments will be turned in. Please be sure to read that statement on Turnitin.com on your syllabus, housed in webct.

CPR Module

This assignment will teach you how to use CPR. The credit for this assignment is all or nothing. If you complete all steps of the assignment, you will receive a 100 for your in-class assignment. If you miss a step, you will not receive credit for the assignment.

CPR or Calibrated Peer Review will teach you about excellent technical writing. You will learn how to critique your peer's papers, sample papers, and your own work. While there are a number of steps to the process (and we will complete 1 CPR for each of your formal assignments (A1-A4)), let's complete the first step. Here's your assignment:

Prompt for CPR Module
You will write a set of instructions to a newly enrolled fellow classmate that will describe how to log in to WebCT. Consider both what your classmate needs to know to succesfully log in to WebCT and how your document design will allow your classmate to easily find the information that he or she needs to know.

I would like you to start writing this very short assignment. Write it, for now, in your word processing program. More information on Monday.

Additional Questions, Turnitin.com

It looks like you have your blogs set up--great job! Keep working on the various postings that you have due this week and next.

Notice that the posts that you and I make are automatically archived in the sidebar (below right). If you aren't keeping up with my blog, you can read the old posts to catch up on missed information.

Aurora asked a question about the two comments that you are to make on classmate's blogs. These comments are up to you, but they should respond to the post in which you comment. So, if you look at Aurora's blog, you will notice she has comments on her Intro--apparently she and Chris have a friend in common.

We are getting ready to start your first formal assignment in the class- the CPR practice module. I would like to walk you through this process step by step so that you understand the pieces. I am pushing back the deadline to February 4 so we can go step by step.

Our first step is to set up Turnitin.com. After you write your assignment you will turn your assignment in to Turnitin.com.

Let's first set up Turnitin.com. Then I will give you the additional information necessary for your assignment, ok?

To set up turnitin.com, you need to go to www.turnitin.com . You first need to set up a user profile. Click on create a user profile (located under the log in button).

1. Select Student for your user profile id

2. Type in this class id: 1239869  and your class enrollment password. Your class enrollment password is posted in the turnitin.com questions discussion section of webct.

3. Follow all following steps to set up your account. You should see ENGL 301: 584

4. Enter the class by clicking on the link. You will see assignment names. If you see CPR Instructions, you have done everything right.

I will give you additional information tomorrow!

Introduction Due Today

Don't forget that your introduction postings on your blog is due today. Take a look at what other classmates' have written by following the blog ring (click on next or previous on each page).

While you are moving through the ring, make sure you comment on at least 2 class members pages. That way you have completed the two comments for this week that you are required to make.

If you are having problems with any of the aspects of this class please let me know. Tomorrow I will give you more information on how to set up your turnitin.com account.

Questions and Answers

I want to commend you for struggling through the technology issues that you have probably already experienced this semester! You have set up a blog and begun to post. You have added (or are attempting to add) a blog ring. Remember that the learning curve at the beginning is steep, but it will level out after a week or two.

I will post grades for blog completion and the small blog comment assignment that I asked you to complete.

Let me answer a couple of questions that I see posted. Jorge asks "What would you like us to write on our chapter posts"? I talk about this issue in detail in this post. Beyond the criteria that I provide in that post (be sure to read each day's blog entry, as it will provide important class information), I would like you to pick the pertinent issue that you find in each chapter. For some of you that might be--hey, I need to redo my resume if I want to get a job. Then, write about what you think are some reasons why you want to redo the resume and what you might do. Or, you might write about why or why not you think the issues related to tech writing are reasonable or not. Ultimately, this is a pretty open assignment.

Note too that you have some other entries to complete this week: You should comment on two classmate's blogs and also post an open topic. The big one is your introduction, due Wed. by midnight.

And what else should you be doing this week other than reading and blog posting? Well, there's the wiki that I referred to yesterday. You should make one written addition or editing change to the wiki each week. Spenser and Rhonda have started to try the program. You can't mess it up--just get in there and start writing around to see what happens.

Spenser wasn't sure how to get started. On each page you will see an Edit Page link. If you click on that link you will go to a textbox. You may add or change anything in that textbox--just delete and type like you were working in Word. If you want to do something fancy, like add a link or change fonts, you can look at the TIps for Editing and Documentation Index. But, it is most important to try to write something or edit someone else's post once a week. Be sure to include your name as the person who made the changes so that I may give you credit, ok?

Tomorrow I will talk about your CPR module. Just what you want--another program to use...

Really it will get better! And, I am happy to help you with any technology related questions--just email, ok?

Reminder

I wanted to remind you that you should set up a blog and post the address in webct by Monday at midnight. If you experience any problems, please let me know. We will find a solution that will work for you.

Once you set up your blog, be sure to post your introduction. It looks like your blog won't appear until you actually post something to it.

And, follow the directions for the class ring. The ring is important to set up properly because it will allow you to easily read your fellow student's pages. You will be able to move through our entire class by clicking on the next/previous button on each page.

What else should you be doing? Well, if you have your blog stuff set up, then you should start the introduction and chapter posts, as well as the additional weekly posts.

I will wait until the deadline passes, then post your grades in the webct gradebook. This will allow you to keep up with the pertinent posts.

Now, just to expode your head this early in the semester, take a look at:

our Class wiki

If all this technology is feeling overwhelming, hang in there. I can help you get situated and so can your classmates. Remember that the learning curve is steep at the beginning, but once your know the program, you will be in good shape.