Reviewing writing from conversation

Alright, the entire class period today will be dedicated to review of and making suggestions for your writing from conversation pieces.

So, in groups of 4 please:
1. Read your piece aloud to the group, group members should also read along
2. Group members should make 2 concrete suggestions for improvement in the comment field. If you want to gush or groan about the piece, go ahead, but be sure to include 2 specific observations with suggestions for change. The quality of your suggestions is considered in the class work/participation grade, so make them useful.
3. Spend a total (including reading) of 8-10 minutes per person.

Remember to revise for next Wednesday! Remember next Wednesday is Super Wednesday, please make sure to attend!

Inspecting writing from conversation

Today, we are going to try to look at as many of your writing from conversation posts as a whole class. We'll attempt to unpack what conversation is in a digital age, and how we go about capturing, commenting, explaining it. Are those even relevant goals in a literate society?

We will discuss writing from conversation today, then comment on each other's on weds, so we are less rushed.

You will have until next Monday to revise your conversation posts, write a new post revising your conversation based on class comments.

Additionally, before class on next Wednesday, write a post about another blog. This time speak to not only why you liked it, but who you think it's potential audience is, and how you came to that conclusion.

Also, next Wednesday is super Wednesday! Please make sure to be here as we will be discussing/negotiating the snapshot essay!!! (cue dramatic music)
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Warning, Ze didn't always use language appropriate for dinner with the family, I realize I don't actually know your family and I apologize for assuming what type of language they use.

Ze Frank (giant baby, earth sandwich/walnuts for gold) hosted a one year conversation with anyone who would listen. He posted a vlog everyday, commenting on news and whatever struck his fancy. Eventually a community was built around his videos and people would comment. He would comment on those comments, rewarding the good ones and poking fun at the bad.

Sportsracers, as his audience/conversation partners were called even played games with Ze and each other, attempting to put two slices of bread on opposite sides of the planet in an attempt to make an "Earth Sandwich" for example. It's a great place to peek if you want to see a digital conversation in action.

Looking back at your observations

As a writer, how did you find this experience? After the other students in your group are reading yours, comment on your own writing. You can speak to improvements you'd like to make, but also think about the experience itself, what was it like leaving yourself out of your writing? Did you? What contexts fit this sub-genre?

p.s. How is your tagging coming along?

p.p.s. In the interest of fairness, since I've shown you a site some use to cheat, perhaps I should show you one instructors use to catch cheaters.

Revising writing from observation

Well, it's great to be back in class, isn't it?

Today we'll review and revise our observation writing. We'll split into groups, again, and comment on each others posts.

Please focus you comments on specific areas for improvement. You should be able to come up with a minimum of two concrete items they can alter to improve their posts.

If you need help deciding what to critique, please use any of the items on this list.

Revisiting our writing from recall posts

So you've blogged from recall, how was it?

Today you'll be sharing your writings with peers in groups of seven-ish. They will go over their thoughts with you using the Bedford Guide Checklist to help get things started. Additionally, I'd like to add two questions to the checklist. You will be using the comments field in this activity.

1. Did using a blog to write from recall alter your writing experience?
2. Did it, or should it, alter your content?

Finally, I'd like you to create a new post, for Monday (aka Sunday 10pm), where you return to the work you wrote and revise it using your peers input. Do this in a new post.

It is important, at this stage, not to edit your posts when you revise, but rather to create new ones. This will allow you to see your evolution and identify patterns in your strengths and weaknesses. Feel free to copy and paste, however.