Week 2, Day 2

Today's agenda:

MLA FORMAT

In class writing assignment. 

Use several examples to explain how technology has impacted your life beneficially OR detrimentally OR both

Give several examples of the various technologies you use every day.

OR

Respond to one of the following quotes:

"It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” ~ Albert Einstein

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”  ~ Arthur C. Clarke

     “The people who resist change will be confronted by the growing number of people who see that better ways...are available thanks to technology.”  ~ Bill Gates

"Once a new technology rolls over you, if you're not part of the steamroller, you're part of the road.”  ~  Stewart Brand

Week 2 - Day 1

Recap:  Week One we examined two different types of questions normally associated with reading selections:

·         Knowledge and comprehension:

o   what is the author saying

o   what are the ideas presented in the essay

·         Style and Structure:

o   HOW does the author present those ideas

o   what strategy does the author use to draw the reader into the essay

o   if background for the ideas is necessary, where is it presented

o   HOW is the essay developed

o   what strategy is used for the conclusion of the essay

BOTH WHAT THE AUTHOR SAYS AND HOW THE AUTHOR SAYS IT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR OUR STUDY OF COMPOSITION. 

What does this have to do with YOU?

YOUR essays will be evaluated on the basis of WHAT you say, HOW you say it, and HOW effectively you communicate and develop your ideas.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Effective writing rests primarily on correct grammar, mechanics, diction (words that are used), syntax (the way a sentence is put together), clarity, and fluency.  No matter how insightful your ideas or how well organized and well developed your essay, it will fail if there are too many errors in agreement (subject-verb OR pronoun-antecedent),  if it contains an excess number of comma splices, run-on OR fragmentary sentences, incorrect diction, spelling, or syntax.

DO answer these questions on the essay by Nicholas Carr, “Is the Internet Making You Dumber?”

1.       What strategy does Carr use to open his essay?

2.       What is his thesis statement (the controlling idea of the essay) and where does it come?

3.       How does the quote that opens the essay relate to his thesis and the essay?

4.       What evidence does Carr use to support his claim?

5.       Is his evidence accurate? How do you know?

6.       Is Carr convincing in his argument? Why or why not?

7.       Agree or disagree: “ . . . people who juggle many tasks are less creative and less productive than those who do one thing at a time.” What evidence can you present to support YOUR opinion?

8.       How does Carr acknowledge the other side of the issue? How does he then refute that notion?

9.       According to Michael Merzenich how does our intense use of the internet “remodel” our brains?

10.   What does Carr mean when he says that the web  “keeps us in a state of perpetual mental locomotion.”

11.   How does Carr conclude his essay?

TO READ IN LIEU OF "Is Google Making Us Stupid"

Assignment for Week 2, Day 1:

NOTE:  YOU MAY READ THIS INSTEAD OF THE LONGER ESSAY PUBLISHED IN THE ATLANTIC

Does the Internet Make You Dumber? 
By NICHOLAS CARR

The Roman philosopher Seneca may have put it best 2,000 years ago: "To be everywhere is to be nowhere." Today, the Internet grants us easy access to unprecedented amounts of information. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that the Net, with its constant distractions and interruptions, is also turning us into scattered and superficial thinkers.

The picture emerging from the research is deeply troubling, at least to anyone who values the depth, rather than just the velocity, of human thought. People who read text studded with links, the studies show, comprehend less than those who read traditional linear text. People who watch busy multimedia presentations remember less than those who take in information in a more sedate and focused manner. People who are continually distracted by emails, alerts and other messages understand less than those who are able to concentrate. And people who juggle many tasks are less creative and less productive than those who do one thing at a time.

Mick Coulas

The common thread in these disabilities is the division of attention. The richness of our thoughts, our memories and even our personalities hinges on our ability to focus the mind and sustain concentration. Only when we pay deep attention to a new piece of information are we able to associate it "meaningfully and systematically with knowledge already well established in memory," writes the Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel. Such associations are essential to mastering complex concepts.

When we're constantly distracted and interrupted, as we tend to be online, our brains are unable to forge the strong and expansive neural connections that give depth and distinctiveness to our thinking. We become mere signal-processing units, quickly shepherding disjointed bits of information into and then out of short-term memory.

In an article published in Science last year, Patricia Greenfield, a leading developmental psychologist, reviewed dozens of studies on how different media technologies influence our cognitive abilities. Some of the studies indicated that certain computer tasks, like playing video games, can enhance "visual literacy skills," increasing the speed at which people can shift their focus among icons and other images on screens. Other studies, however, found that such rapid shifts in focus, even if performed adeptly, result in less rigorous and "more automatic" thinking.

56 Seconds

Average time an American spends looking at a Web page.

Source: Nielsen

In one experiment conducted at Cornell University, for example, half a class of students was allowed to use Internet-connected laptops during a lecture, while the other had to keep their computers shut. Those who browsed the Web performed much worse on a subsequent test of how well they retained the lecture's content. While it's hardly surprising that Web surfing would distract students, it should be a note of caution to schools that are wiring their classrooms in hopes of improving learning.

Ms. Greenfield concluded that "every medium develops some cognitive skills at the expense of others." Our growing use of screen-based media, she said, has strengthened visual-spatial intelligence, which can improve the ability to do jobs that involve keeping track of lots of simultaneous signals, like air traffic control. But that has been accompanied by "new weaknesses in higher-order cognitive processes," including "abstract vocabulary, mindfulness, reflection, inductive problem solving, critical thinking, and imagination." We're becoming, in a word, shallower.

In another experiment, recently conducted at Stanford University's Communication Between Humans and Interactive Media Lab, a team of researchers gave various cognitive tests to 49 people who do a lot of media multitasking and 52 people who multitask much less frequently. The heavy multitaskers performed poorly on all the tests. They were more easily distracted, had less control over their attention, and were much less able to distinguish important information from trivia.

The researchers were surprised by the results. They had expected that the intensive multitaskers would have gained some unique mental advantages from all their on-screen juggling. But that wasn't the case. In fact, the heavy multitaskers weren't even good at multitasking. They were considerably less adept at switching between tasks than the more infrequent multitaskers. "Everything distracts them," observed Clifford Nass, the professor who heads the Stanford lab.

Does the Internet Make You Smarter?

Charis Tsevis

Amid the silly videos and spam are the roots of a new reading and writing culture, says Clay Shirky.

It would be one thing if the ill effects went away as soon as we turned off our computers and cellphones. But they don't. The cellular structure of the human brain, scientists have discovered, adapts readily to the tools we use, including those for finding, storing and sharing information. By changing our habits of mind, each new technology strengthens certain neural pathways and weakens others. The cellular alterations continue to shape the way we think even when we're not using the technology.

The pioneering neuroscientist Michael Merzenich believes our brains are being "massively remodeled" by our ever-intensifying use of the Web and related media. In the 1970s and 1980s, Mr. Merzenich, now a professor emeritus at the University of California in San Francisco, conducted a famous series of experiments on primate brains that revealed how extensively and quickly neural circuits change in response to experience. When, for example, Mr. Merzenich rearranged the nerves in a monkey's hand, the nerve cells in the animal's sensory cortex quickly reorganized themselves to create a new "mental map" of the hand. In a conversation late last year, he said that he was profoundly worried about the cognitive consequences of the constant distractions and interruptions the Internet bombards us with. The long-term effect on the quality of our intellectual lives, he said, could be "deadly."

What we seem to be sacrificing in all our surfing and searching is our capacity to engage in the quieter, attentive modes of thought that underpin contemplation, reflection and introspection. The Web never encourages us to slow down. It keeps us in a state of perpetual mental locomotion.

It is revealing, and distressing, to compare the cognitive effects of the Internet with those of an earlier information technology, the printed book. Whereas the Internet scatters our attention, the book focuses it. Unlike the screen, the page promotes contemplativeness.

Reading a long sequence of pages helps us develop a rare kind of mental discipline. The innate bias of the human brain, after all, is to be distracted. Our predisposition is to be aware of as much of what's going on around us as possible. Our fast-paced, reflexive shifts in focus were once crucial to our survival. They reduced the odds that a predator would take us by surprise or that we'd overlook a nearby source of food.

To read a book is to practice an unnatural process of thought. It requires us to place ourselves at what T. S. Eliot, in his poem "Four Quartets," called "the still point of the turning world." We have to forge or strengthen the neural links needed to counter our instinctive distractedness, thereby gaining greater control over our attention and our mind.

It is this control, this mental discipline, that we are at risk of losing as we spend ever more time scanning and skimming online. If the slow progression of words across printed pages damped our craving to be inundated by mental stimulation, the Internet indulges it. It returns us to our native state of distractedness, while presenting us with far more distractions than our ancestors ever had to contend with.

—Nicholas Carr is the author, most recently, of "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains."

Week 1, Day 2

Assignment for Wednesday:

Quick Quiz over the syllabus

Out of class writing (to be handed in when you get to class): YOUR informal letter of introduction:
 Directions: Compose an informal letter of introduction, typed, double-space, no more than one page; include your name and class in the header. NOTE: I am not asking for personal information; this is more of a writing sample to familiarize me with your academic and/or professional background.
Follow these guidelines for your introduction:

• paragraph 1: Briefly explain your background, prior to coming to Macon State
• paragraph 2: Discuss your own experiences with writing, past or present. You might mention classes or past experience that has prepared you for English 1101 and what you hope to achieve in this class
• paragraph 3: Discuss the sort of reading you do on a daily basis. What websites do you frequent? What is your favorite book? Who is your favorite author? 

Read the essay by Steven Johnson, "The Genius of the Tinkerer"  & be prepared to discuss  

My Letter of Introduction to You

In a world where online courses are more frequent and social networks are largely in cyberspace, it pleases me to be in a classroom with students. I spent thirty-one years as a high school teacher in Jasper County, twenty years as an adjunct professor at Georgia College and State University, and this begins my sixth year as full time instructor at Macon State.  I like teaching--which is good, since I drive an hour to work.  I teach English 1101 and 1102; this semester, I have 103 students.  I am sometimes slow getting papers graded because of the number of papers.  If each student, in each class, hands in one essay, each week, and each essay is @ approx. 500 words, I may have 51,500 words to read over a weekend. Reading and grading papers take time, as does writing, which is hard for everyone.
Four years ago I joined a writer’s group because I like the challenge that writing presents, because I wanted feedback on my writing, and because I believed it would make me a better teacher of writing. I discovered one of my major writing flaws was the same as  some of my students: I tend to write a great deal to say what I mean; I must delete, revise and polish what I’ve written for it to be any good. It’s not unusual for me to write two pages and cut over half. My writing has become tighter, more succinct, thanks to the writing group, and my words are more exact. I am more aware of not just what I say, but how I say it; I hope my students cultivate that awareness, as well. Writing carefully and correctly is critical to understanding; it cannot be achieved without time and effort. After all, writing involves analysis, synthesis and creation—all of which are higher order thinking skills.
During my spare time, I read and enjoy painting in pastel. I belong to a book group, which has introduced me to many new books, including Life of Pi, Half Broke Horses, The Things They Carried, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and many others; my favorite author remains Stephen King, though.  At the end of a long work day, I drive an hour back home, where there’s cooking, cleaning, laundry and the rest of my life:  my husband, who works for the Department of Natural Resources, and my son, who is also a student at Macon State. That, as the saying goes, is another story.

Syllabus for Fall Semester 2012

                                                                                        Macon State College

Department of English

Fall 2012

English 1101

Instructor: Mrs. Sharon Aiken, H/SS 248   

Office phone: 478-471-2893

Office hours:  T/TH: 8:30-9:00 a.m.; 1:00-2:30 p.m., and by appointment; M/W: Off Campus

Email: sharon.aiken@maconstate.edu

       Website:   aikenenglish1101fall2012.blogspot.com

Best means of contact: email. Use your Macon State email. I check and respond to my Macon State email, Monday-Thursday and on Sunday evenings. I expect you to do likewise, because I use email for class announcements or changes in the class schedule.

Required Texts: Patterns for College Writing; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; Pocket Style Manual with MLA Update

Required Material: jump drive; a computer is not required, but there is all in-class work is on computer; out of class papers will need to be composed and saved; if you do not have a computer, you will need to spend time in the library to use one of theirs; pocket folder for research paper; half-inch binder in which all work may be kept and submitted at the end of the semester

Purpose of the Class: The general aim of the class is to introduce college students to writing as a process. By the end of the course, you should be able to write effective essays that are precise, organized, clear, and correct in grammar and usage; this is not a grammar course, but we will set aside brief times for review, as needed, based on submitted essays. Class assignments will cultivate the ability to compare and contrast, summarize, describe, and persuade in writing and speaking; assignments will stress logic and unity; and all remarks, whether formal or informal, will stress an awareness of audience and purpose; evidence and supporting detail will form the basis for all kinds of class writing and speaking. This course will additionally increase your awareness of the essay as literature.

Class Goals – Students will:

· Establish college-level, writing-based thinking and analytical skills

· Intelligent use of the library and the web for research

· Format and documentation using MLA guidelines

· Increase familiarity and use of the web as a tool for communication

· Engage in peer-review of papers

· Extend communication skills to a brief oral presentation accompanied by technology

Class Policies:

1. If you have been required to take Learning Support English, you may not take English 1101 unless you have completed that course with a D.

2. You can miss two class days without penalty—unless an in-class essay has been assigned. Normally students fail the class after four absences. (If you have a medical condition and see that you will be missing a number of days, be prepared to present a doctor’s excuse. If a member of your immediate family has a health condition requiring your absence from class, remember: that is still an absence. [English 1101 and 1102 have been known to cause sprains, eczema, childbirth, dandruff, seizures, hospitalizations, broken bones, accidents, and the plague. Students and their families are most susceptible one to two days before a paper deadline.] Do your work, plan ahead and protect yourself and your loved ones.)

3. Please be on time. Again, if you drive a distance to get here, plan accordingly. There are times we are all tardy, but being in class, ready to work says a great deal about your serious attention to this class and does not go unnoticed.

4. Assignments are to be handed in on time, typed. Writing on class computers is part of the class; there will be both in-class and out-of-class essays. Title all assignments and use MLA format.

5. If a hard copy of the paper is not handed in on time, in class, the date that it is due, you may email a copy of the paper, WITH PENALTIES :

a. you will automatically forfeit a letter grade off the paper

b. that essay may not be graded until the end of the semester, which is when I grade all late work

c. if it is the first or second essay, you will not have an opportunity to revise the essay for a higher grade.

6. Students have the option of revising the first and second essays with the following stipulations:

a. The original essay and grade sheet must be handed in with the revised essay

b. If the only edits made to the paper are for grammar/mechanics/corrections the grade will remain the same (the student has only copied and corrected)

c. Substantive revisions could gain the student as much as one letter grade

d. Revisions may not be graded until the end of the semester

7. I will NOT accept a research paper late or via email.

8. If you plan to print out of class essays in class, please attend to them it within the first 10-15 min. of class.

9. IF YOU USE ANY WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM OTHER THAN MS WORD, SAVE YOUR PAPER AS AN .rtf (Rich Text Format) file. Your paper cannot be opened, cannot be read, cannot be printed otherwise. Not even the tech guys and gurus in the library can help.

10. If you miss a daily assignment, you may NOT make it up; if you miss a major essay, your grade will result in a zero. You MUST complete all major assignments to pass the class.

11. I give letter grades; if you have a question about a grade, drop by my office or make an appointment to see me after class; if you wish to challenge a grade, do so in writing, no sooner than a day after getting your paper back, and no later than three class days after I return that assignment.

12. If you cheat on a test, you will get a zero. If you plagiarize an assignment, that grade will result in a zero. Plagiarism occurs when a writer uses the ideas, wording, organization, etc., of another writer without proper citation, whether intentional or unintentional. This includes having someone “help” you write the paper, buying the paper online, or lifting ideas, sentences, and/or paragraphs from another text. Keep an electronic copy of all assignments and be prepared to send it to me immediately if asked. Please go to the MSC Library site for further information on avoiding plagiarism. Failing this course is the common penalty for plagiarism.

Note:

A plagiarism prevention service is used in the evaluation of written work submitted for this course. As directed by the instructor, students are expected to submit their assignments, or have their assignments submitted, through the service in order to meet the requirements for this course. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.

13. POLICY ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: “As a Macon State College student and as a student in this class, you are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the MSC Student Code of Conduct. The Student Code of Conduct is included in the MSC Student Handbook and is available online at:http://www.maconstate.edu/studentlife/studenthandbook.pdf”

14. POLICY ON DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS: “Students seeking academic accommodations for a special need must contact the MSC Counseling and Career Center (478-471-2714) located on the second floor of the Student Life Center on the Macon Campus.”

15. If you have a D average based on the major assignments, no participation or daily grade average can bring that average up to a C. (Division Policy)

16. In all class policies, I expect common sense and courtesy. No open food or drink in the computer lab. Turn your phones on “manner mode” if you must keep them on. Do not text, update your facebook status, shop on your tablet, or surf the web when I am teaching, when we are engaged in peer review or class discussion, or when students give a presentation. If you want to enjoy those activities, I will ask you to leave the class. This class asks only two hours and a forty minutes of your undivided attention each week. If that is too difficult, you should reconsider whether you are serious about this class.

17. Please do not distract others who are working or paying attention in this class. I respect your right to fail this class, but not your right to infringe upon others who may want to pass. No one needs to be distracted.

18. It is the policy of this department that I keep your initial drafts, revisions, and final drafts for at least one semester. Therefore, should you want these returned, please see me at the end of Spring Semester 2013.

19. The final exam in English 1101 is a two-hour essay over The Kite Runner. While students may not use the book during the exam, they are allowed to have one 3x5 index card with notes from the reading.

20. Active Participation is expected from every student in class and is worth ten percent of your final grade. It begins but does not end with attendance and includes the following:

               

Criteria	25 pts.	20 pts.	15 pts.	0-10 pts. & below
Attendance	Attends class regularly – with no more than 1 absence at mid-term; usually prompt & professional	Attends class regularly; no more than 1 absence at mid-term; professional & seldom tardy	Attends class regularly; may have more than 2 absences at this point; professional	Has missed more than 2 days and often presented as unprofessional
Level of Active Engagement	Proactive in class; contributes with ideas, questions, observations; answers questions; treats classmates & professor with courtesy	Contributes to class; frequently offers comments, answers & asks questions; treats classmates & professor with courtesy	Offers some observations and answers questions now and then or when called on; treats classmates & professor with courtesy	Rarely contributes to class by offering ideas or asking questions. primarily a non-participant. Does not add to class discussion, but sits silently.
Listening Skills	Listens when others talk; builds on others’ ideas; involves others in class by asking questions or seeking others’ responses	Listens then others talk; frequently builds on ideas of others.	Listens when  others talk, but does not respond to ideas	Often does not listen when others talk; often distracted by his/her own agenda—e.g., the internet, studying for another class, talking to peers, when inappropriate
Preparation	Almost always prepared for class, with assignments and required class materials	Usually prepared for class	Frequently prepared for class	Seldom prepared

21. Please be aware that failure IS an option.

Tutoring—Information from the Academic Resource Center (ARC):

NOTE: Tutoring is not a substitute for attending class! If you miss a class, first get notes from a classmate.

Tutoring is available free of charge in the Academic Resource Centers (ARC) on the Macon and Warner Robins campuses for currently enrolled Macon State College students. The Macon ARC is located in the lower level of the Library building on the Macon campus. The WRC ARC is located in Oak Hall in Room 128. To schedule an appointment in the Macon ARC, call (478) 471-2057. For an appointment at the WRC ARC, call (478) 929-6770. To check the schedules for subjects tutored and tutor availability, go to the ARC website at http://www.maconstate.edu/arc/.

The ARC website also posts tutoring schedules for the MaRC--Mathematics Resource Center (Mathematics Bldg., 104 & 105: 478-471-2814), Department of History and Political Science Study Center (Jones 314: 478-471-5749), School of Business (PSC 346: 478-471-2724), School of Information Technology (PSC 336: 478-471-2801), and Foreign Language Lab (H/SS 110: 478-471-5792). All these services are free of charge as well.

Other services at the ARC include online Academic Success Skills workshops and a robust website with resources for academic assistance. The centers also have computer workstations with Internet access.

How to get the most out of a tutoring session:

· Start right away. Students who begin tutoring from the beginning of the semester typically do better than those who wait.

· Book your appointments early. During peak times, you may need to book a week in advance to get the times you want.

· Come prepared. Please bring your syllabus, class notes, textbook, and specific assignment. Look over the readings and try the problems. If you can, bring a list of specific questions. The more you prepare, the more you will get out of the session.

IMPORTANT DATES:

August 23: Last Day to Make Class Schedule Changes

September 3: Labor Day Holiday

October 15: Last Day to Withdraw from a Regular Session Class with a "W"

November 19-23: Thanksgiving Holidays

December 7: Regular Session Classes End

December 10-13: Final Exams for Regular Session Classes (refer to the Academic Calendar for the Exam Schedule)

Grading and Assignments:

Assignment	Percent of Grade	Tentative Due Date
Syllabus Quiz & Written Introduction In-class Peer Evaluations	05% 05%	2nd day of class at least two
Essay # 1 -- Exemplification(Example)	10	Week of Sept.10
Essay #2 – Cause and Effect Weekly Writing, Reviews & Quizzes over assigned essays	10	Throughout Semester
Essay #3 –  Comparison/Contrast	10	Week of Oct. 8
Essay #4 -- Argumentative/Persuasive Essay, with citations & works cited	20	Week of Nov. 5
Class Participation – in the form of verbal and written participation and effort	10	Final grade assigned; Week of Dec. 3rd
Kite Runner Quiz	10	Week of Nov. 12
Essay #5 – Literary Analysis over Kite Runner	20	Refer to MSC Exam Schedule

The best way to develop your writing is to read, read, read. There are no shortcuts, no easy outs, and no simple solutions. Read everything, good and bad, exciting and mediocre, suspenseful and boring. You will gradually begin to develop a sense of identifying good writing that is coherent and clear, complete, as well as concise. Bad writing will show you what to avoid; good writing will show you what to emulate. This class does not meet every day, but if you truly want to succeed and develop, not only in this class, but in college and in life, it is in your best interest to read every day and, if at all possible, to write every day. Seek help when you need it. Find your voice and remain true to it; take pride in your work. Do your best, whether your best is a “C” or an “A.”
“Writing is easy; all you have to do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.” Gene Fowler

Tentative Schedule by the Week—reading selections should be completed by the date announced in class. (TBA = To Be Announced)

08/20: Syllabus; written introduction; quiz

08/27: response & discussion to selections from the internet; in class exercise; introduction to the exemplification essay; select introductory pages from PATTERNS: 13-93 will be discussed

09/04: MLA format; initial draft; self-review & peer review; discussion of chapters 4-5;

09/10: The Exemplification Essay - Essay # 1 Due; begin discussion of the cause and effect essay, PATTERNS: 321-338; select essays TBA

09/17: return Essay #1 for voluntary revision; continued exercises and discussion of the cause and effect essay; selections TBA

09/24: The Cause and Effect Essay- Essay #2 Due; begin exercises and discussions of the comparison/contrast essay; selections TBA

10/01: exercises and discussions of the comparison/contrast essay; selections TBA

10/08: The Comparison/Contrast Essay – Essay #3 Due; begin study of MLA format and the research paper

10/15: Research Paper Study

10/22: Research Paper Study

10/29: Research Paper Study

11/05: Research Essay #4 Due – 2nd day of class

11/12: Begin study of The Kite Runner – 2nd day of class

11/19: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS

11/26: Quiz over The Kite Runner –

12/03: Discussion of novel

12/10: FINAL EXAM (Essay #5) – check Macon State Academic Calendar for time