Happy Holidays!

Please see the Blackboard for final portfolio guidelines and submission requirements.

Happy Holidays!

Class Cancelled Mon-Wed for Conferences/Source Checks

Our regular class meetings of English 106 are cancelled Monday and Wednesday of next week (Dec 3 and Dec 5) for individual conferences and source checks. You must pass a source check before I accept your final portfolio.

Please arrive on time for your conference time slot—if you miss your conference, you will be counted absent for the week!

The conference schedule will be posted on my office door (Chapel 031) and on the course blog (see below). You should do the following four things to prepare for your draft conference:

1. Bring to your conference a full draft of your research paper (at least five pages, plus a References page or Works Cited page), with key sentences highlighted;
2. Choose and boldface three citations from sources (paraphrases or quotes) that you've used in your paper, and bring the original books or articles in which you found the information. I'll check your paraphrase or quotation against the sources to make sure they're accurate and acceptable; and
3. Write down at least two goals for revising your paper, and at least one question that you want to ask me during the conference. We will begin the conference with your goals and questions.

Conference Schedule
MONDAY, Dec. 3
8:40 Kim
10:20 Sara
10:40 Megan
11:00 Drew
11:20 Zach J.
12:40 Samantha
1:00 C.J.
1:20 Katy
1:40 Sarah
2:00 Emily
2:20 Mike B.
3:20 Sophie

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 5
8:00 Kate G.
8:20 Matt
8:40 Michael B.
10:00 Marcus
10:20 Tyler
10:40 Clark
11:00 Juliet
11:20 Jameela
11:40 Salim
12:00 Claire
12:40 Adriel
1:00 Kendal
1:20 Jon
1:40 Michelle
2:00 Josh
2:20 Natalie
2:40 Veronica
3:00 Sal
4:00 Sam
4:20 Krystle
4:40 Dan

Please bring a copy of your final course participation self-evaluation (see Blackboard Assignments page) to our last class meeting on Friday, December 7.

Your final research portfolio will be due during the regularly scheduled exam time for your course section. See the Course Blackboard for specific guidelines for submitting the final portfolio.

They Say, I Say Templates

The following templates come from Cathy Birkenstein and Gerald Graff's They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing (Norton, 2007). Which one(s) might be best suited to state your main claim and develop your argument for the research paper?

Post as a comment below at least two main claims that you might develop in your research paper, using the following templates as a guide:

1. Although it is often said that [your topic: e.g., autism] ______________________________, I argue _______________________. [Disagree]


2. I agree with X that _____________________________, and I would add that _________________. [Agree]


3. When I first thought about ______________________________, I assumed __________________________. Now, however, having _____________________________, I’ve come to the conclusion that _______________________________. [I was lost, but now I’m found]


4. Group X argues _______________________, and I have mixed feelings about it. One the one hand, _______________________________. On the other hand, ________________________________. [Yes, but. . . ]


5. Researchers have long wondered about ___________________________, having been unable to determine _______________________. My research offers an answer: ________________________________. [Problem-solving]

6. ___________________________ seems so unproblematic that we fail to recognize ___________________________. [Sell your problem]

7. Debates over ________________________________________ dominate discussions of ____________________________________________. What such debates obscure, however, is the more important issue of __________________________________________. [Change the conversation]

8. Although fierce debates have raged over __________________________, the debaters agree on one important thing: ________________________________________. [Opponents really agree]

9. Up to now I’ve been suggesting that ___________________________________. But it’s really more complex than that. First, ___________________________. Second, ______________________. And third, complicating matters even further, ____________________. [It’s more complicated]

10. At this point you will probably object that ____________________________. Although it is true that _________________________, I nevertheless maintain that __________________________________________. [Insert a naysayer]

The Big Picture, Part II

For today's writing workshop, please start by completing the following sentence:

"Taken together, the sources I have consulted so far on my research topic reveal _____________________________________________________________.

The Big Picture

For today's writing workshop, please start by completing the following sentence:

"Taken together, the sources I have consulted so far on my research topic reveal ___________________________________________________________________________________."

Preparing the Annotated Bibliography

During the next two weeks, you will be responsible for independent reading and research for your final paper. On Wednesday, November 14, you will hand in a draft of your annotated bibliography. A revised version of your annotated bibliography will be included with your final research portfolio, which is worth 30% of your course grade.

Preparing your Annotated Bibliography

Your annotated bibliography is an opportunity to show off your current understanding of your topic and the research you have done so far. In addition, your annotated bibliography allows you to do some of the work of summarizing and synthesizing your sources before you begin writing a more analytical essay. As you prepare your bibliography, then, you will be coming up with material and structures that you may use in your research paper.

Elements of the Bibliography

Your bibliography should have a title and a 1-2 paragraph introduction, which should give a bit of background on how your topic is usually viewed and studied, as well as an explanation of how the entries have been classified into at least two categories. Your draft should include a minimum of five relevant sources on your topic.

Each category should have its own heading and entries in alphabetical order. Each entry should consist of the source information in appropriate format (MLA, APA, or CBE), followed by an annotation of the source. The annotation should comment on the content of the source as well as its significance to the topic and your research. Review Chapter 2 of They Say, I Say on the “art” of writing strategic summaries, rather than the typical list summary. That is, summarize in terms of the specific issue your research addresses.
Summarize your sources strategically, emphasizing how the author(s) answer your research questions or contribute to developing your main claim/argument.

Sample entry in MLA format

Bright, Sidney. “Ethical Behavior in Group Work in a College Composition Course: The Devil Never Took the Hindmost.” Journal of Collegiate Ethics 14 (1999): 12-27.

Bright found that her students showed advanced ethical development in social behavior in small groups in class. However, when these same students wrote essays, their ethical development did not appear as advanced. This research is significant because it shows how different contexts shape ethical behavior.

The Longman Handbook explains how to arrange bibliographic entries in MLA, APA, and CBE fomat. Please choose one of these styles to use for your research project, according to the primary disciplinary area of your research:
MLA style is used in the humanities.
APA style is used in social sciences.
CBE is used in natural sciences, physical sciences, and mathematics.

During today’s class, practice writing a bibliographic entry and strategic summary (see pp. 32-33 of They Say, I Say) of at least one source you uncovered from your library research.

Role for Writers of Research Paper

Last week, you explored your sense of your audience and purpose for writing the research paper. Another task for writers is understanding the kinds of roles they can play in doing a research project. Often the writer's role and purpose depend on the nature of the research question posed.

See the Course Blackboard (Assignments page) for some typical roles that research writers can play, each followed by some sample research questions (adapted from an original student handout on Roles for Research Writers by Jack Folsom).

Evaluating Electronic Sources for Research

The reliability and quality of information from Web sources has created much debate in the academic world.

Browse the following websites on human cloning:
Cloning Fact Sheet
Human Cloning-Embryo Style
Clonaid
State Human Cloning Laws

Together with a partner, evaluate the reliability and credibility of each site, using Cornell University's Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages as a guide. Which sites would be appropriate sources for academic research?

The Cornell site summarizes the application of the Five Criteria for evaluating websites as follows:

* Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her and . . .
* Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and, . .
* Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and . . .
* Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and . . .
* Coverage. If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then . . .

You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research!

Check out the Santa Monica College Library site for more detailed information about Web research analysis.

Class Cancelled Monday (in lieu of instructor conferences)

English 106 (sections 02 and 03) will not meet on Monday, October 23, for instructor conferences. Your attendance at your scheduled instructor conference time will count for Monday's class attendance/participation.

CONFERENCE LOCATION: My office (Chapel 031)

CONFERENCE TIMES: Sign-up sheet for students in the morning (10:30) section is posted on my office door.

Students in the 1:00 pm section ONLY: Please post a comment below to request one of the following available conference times.

**The following conference times were still available as of 10:30 pm Sunday:

Tuesday, October 23--Times available: 1:45, 3:00 pm

Wednesday, October 24--Times available: 3:00, 3:15 pm

Other times are available by arrangement with instructor. Email requests to bridgeto@elmhurst.edu

The Rhetoric of The Research Paper

I think [students] should understand that in order to function as educated, informed men and women they have to engage in research, from the beginning of and throughout their work, as writers. I think that they should know what research can embrace, and I think they should be encouraged to view research as broadly, and conduct it as imaginatively, as they can. I think they should be held accountable for their opinions and should be required to say, from evidence, why they believe what they assert. I think that they should be led to recognize that data from "research" will affect their entire lives, and that they should know how to evaluate such data as well as to gather them. And I think they should know their responsibilities for telling their listeners and readers where their data came from. What I argue is that the profession of the teaching of English should abandon the concept of the generic "research paper"—that form of what a colleague of mine has called a "messenger service" in which a student is told that for this one assignment, this one project, he or she has to go somewhere (usually the library), get out some materials, make some notes, and present them to the customer neatly wrapped in footnotes and bibliography, tied together according to someone's notion of a style sheet.(11)

from Richard Larson, "The Research Paper in the Writing Course: A Non-Form of Writing," College English 44, 1982.

Refining Your Topic

Your final research project in English 106 will demonstrate some of what you’ve learned about the kinds of problems and issues that people argue about in academic disciplines, the types of sources and periodicals used for research, and the methods of research writing and documentation. A successful final research portfolio will demonstrate the effective use of sources to reach and support a research focus--that is, a claim that invites evidence, support, and debate.

Educational researcher Ernest Boyer argues that the “special task of the undergraduate college is to relate the values of liberal learning to vocation.” This is one way of saying that what you learn in college should relate to what you do. Today, I ask you to come up with some research questions that place your topic in a particular academic discipline that might investigate those questions.

Using the topic or issue that you plan to explore in your research paper, write at least 3 questions that might be asked by students and teachers in a particular field of study. Perhaps this field of study is your major. If you haven’t yet chosen a major, you may want to consider the field of study you plan to enter.

Here are some examples of how different perspectives and academic disciplines might shape the research questions you ask:

A sense of the issue’s history
Examples:
What is the history of the Internet? For whom and for what purposes was it originally developed? (might be asked by teachers and students in Computer Science)

Did role (if any) did the Roman Catholic Church play in resisting the Holocaust? (Theology/Religious Studies)

A sense of its social and economic implications
Examples:
How has the growth in online investing affected the U.S. stock market? (CS, Business and Economics)

How does extensive use of e-mail and online chat rooms affect people’s personal relationships? (Sociology)

Should Illinois public schools be funded through property taxes or by some other means? (Education, Policy Studies)

A sense of the moral issues attached to it
Examples:
Should the Internet be regulated? (CS)
How can public school teach moral values while respecting the cultural diversity of students? (Education)

See the Tidewater Community College's handout on research paper ideas to prompt your thinking about possible topics submitted by students from different academic disciplines. Note that not all of these topics are promising! However, they may prompt your thinking if you’re “stuck” for ideas.

Exploring Your Research Topic

If you are feeling confident in your choice of a particular topic for your research paper, you may only need to write about that topic. If you are unsure, explore two or three topics by responding to the following questions on your personal blog:

Part I: Exploration
1. Identify the issue or problem that you plan to focus on in your research project.
2. What is your personal connection to and interest in this topic?
3. What opinions do you already hold about this topic?
4. What knowledge do you already have about this topic. What are your main questions about this topic? What are you most curious about?
6. Within what scholarly discipline (such as history, biology, psychology) do you expect to do most of your research? How does this discipline approach or study this topic?
7. How could you research this topic outside the library (for example, through interviews and/or observations)?

Part II: Focusing
Write an initial claim, or an open-ended question, to guide your research on this topic. Make it specific but exploratory. Remember that a good claim opens up an area of inquiry about a topic; a claim should invite evidence, support, and debate.

Today, you will search for articles on your chosen topic for the synthesis essay, using Google Scholar. Consult Google Scholar Help for guidelines on searching for relevant articles and finding "related articles" once you have hit your target.

Guidelines for the Synthesis Essay (Assignment 2) are posted to the Blackboard Assignments page.

Wednesday's assignment:

Post links to at least three relevant sources to your personal blog. In addition, post a summary of at least one source, using the guidelines from They Say, I Say Chapter 1.

Ideas and questions for synthesis assignment

Post topics for the synthesis paper here.

What makes a good synthesis? (Take II)

Reviewing the drafts on the student blogs, develop criteria for evaluating a good synthesis. Here are some possible templates for evaluative criteria:

"The purpose or aim of a good synthesis is ___________________."
"The writer's synthesis statement makes a __________ and __________ claim about the relationship among the sources."
"The writer develops the synthesis statement with ______________________."
"A good synthesis is organized according to _________________________."
"The writer's point of view in a good synthesis is _____________________, but not ______________."

These are just guidelines. Feel free to create your own criteria.

What makes a good synthesis?

Reviewing the drafts on the student blogs, develop criteria for evaluating a good synthesis. Here are some possible templates for evaluative criteria:

"The purpose or aim of a good synthesis is ___________________."
"The writer's synthesis statement makes a __________ and __________ claim about the relationship among the sources."
"The writer develops the synthesis statement with ______________________."
"A good synthesis is organized according to _________________________."
"The writer's point of view in a good synthesis is _____________________, but not ______________."

These are just guidelines. Feel free to create your own criteria.

106-03 Summary: "Video Games and the Future of Learning"

Video games are beginning to change the way we learn, and will continue to do so in the future. Kids learn important lessons by playing these games, lessons they may not otherwise learn until they become adults, such as politics, economics, etc. For example, the Simms presidential election integrates real-life social events; they also become part of a global community and are able to interact with people around the world.

The previous model of teaching was more so based on the regurgitation of facts on a later date. Schools are currently in a transformation from fact fetish to more interactive ways of thinking by using software integration. This new way is more beneficial because what you learn coincides with everyday activites as opposed to the general learning in schools. For example, in Full Spectrum Warrior, the goal is to succeed as a warrior. And as a warrior, you learn multiple beneficial traits to help in daily activites. There is no single concrete test to prove what knowledge you have acquired in life.

Epistemic games expose players to the real world and transform thinking to recognize solutions for complex problems. While playing epistemic games, players are introduced to different roles, such as doctors, vets, journalists, and historians, thus learning how the professionals handle their jobs. Also, players are put through a number of simulations which place them in a world where the common ideas are obsolete and the player is forced to think outside the box, therefore modifying their thoughts to come up with a new solution to fix the problem.

Epistemic games lend themselves to education by creating knowledge in a different way. They introduce a new way of learning that is not solely based on facts, but rather based of knowledge acquired through experience and interaction. The potential for innovation that videogames have is hindered by the negative perceptions teachers have of them.

The implications that have been made so far are all encouraging, but in the future we need to base video games on educational values. We need to understand how virtual worlds will develop people’s social skills and knowledge. People will always learn from video games, but it is up to us to decide what they learn.

106-02 Summary: "Video Games and the Future of Learning"

http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingPapers/Working_Paper_No_2005_4.pdf

Will computers change the way we learn? The authors of "Video Games and the future of Learning" say that computers are already changing the way we learn. Video games help people relate to real life activities that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. In the case of the "Sims online," players are able to communicate socially while performing real life jobs in a virtual world.

Historically, knowledge has been defined as the memorization of a series of facts, however the authors argue that the epistemology (the way of thinking) of a study is more practical. To foster this kind of knowledge, the authors encourage playing video games that enable the user to get into the mind set of the game. For example, Full Spectrum Warrior is one of the epistemic games that immerse the player in activities and values of a modern soldier.

In addition, games based on an educational model can teach players new ways of learning. These games can allow players to take on different roles in society and learn about the fields of study through experience. This way of teaching can be understood through studies of how the epistemic approach to learning is developed by new members. Games such as Madison 2200 and Full Spectrum Warrior have helped players develop core skills and habits in social situations by giving them experience in a real-life context. These games illustrate the initiation of students into their society and the transformation of players’ identities into more powerful characters. They also teach students new ways to think and try new ideas.

The school system's teaching tactics are being left behind by the government, U.S. Army, and different institutions because they have already integrated games into their way of life. The author(s) argue(s) that incorporating video games will positively benefit students.

Draft Summary of Video Games and the Future of Learning (106-03)

Draft summary from afternoon section:
Video games are beginning to change the way we learn, and will continue to do so in the future. Kids learn important lessons by playing these games, lessons they may not otherwise learn until they become adults, such as politics, economics, etc. The Simms presidential election integrates real-life social events; they also become part of a global community and are able to interact with people around the world.

The previous model of teaching was more so based on the regurgitation of facts on a later date. Schools are currently in a transformation from fact fetish to more interactive ways of thinking by using software integration. This new way is more beneficial because what you learn coincides with everyday activites as opposed to the general learning in schools. For example, in Full Spectrum Warrior, the goal is to succeed as a warrior. And as a warrior, you learn multiple beneficial traits to help in daily activites. There is no single concrete test to prove what knowledge you have acquired in life.

Epistemic games expose players to the real world and transform thinking to recognize solutions for complex problems. While playing epistemic games, players are introduced to different roles, such as doctors, vets, journalists, and historians, thus learning how the professionals handle their jobs. Also, players are put through a number of simulations which place them in a world where the common ideas are obsolete and the player is forced to think outside the box, therefore modifying their thoughts to come up with a new solution to fix the problem.
Epistemic games lend themselves to education by creating knowledge in a different way. They introduce a new way of learning that is not solely based on facts, but rather based of knowledge acquired through experience and interaction. The potential for innovation that videogames have is hindered by the negative perceptions teachers have of them.

The implications that have been made so far are all encouraging, but in the future we need to base video games on educational values. We need to understand how virtual worlds will develop people’s social skills and knowledge. People will always learn from video games, but it is up to us to decide what they learn.

Draft summary

Will computers change the way we learn? The authors of "Video Games and the future of Learning" say that Computers are already changing the way we learn. Video games are beginning to help people relate to real life activities that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. (like being a spy)

Historically, knowledge has been defined as the memorization of a series of facts, however the authors argue that the epistemology (the way of thinking) of a study is more practical. To foster this kind of knowledge, the authors encourage playing video games that enable the user to get into the mind set of the game. For example, Full Spectrum Warrior is one of the epistemic games that immerse the player in activities and values of a modern soldier.

Furthermore, games based on an educational model can teach players new ways of learning. These games can allow players to take on different roles in society and learn about the fields of study through experience. Games such as Madison 2200 and Full Spectrum Warrior have helped players develop core skills and habits in social situations by giving them experience in a real-life context. These games illustrate the initiation of students into their society and the transformation of players’ identities into more powerful characters. These games have the potential to change a students societal identity, through changes in the school system.

This section is talking about how games being produce now are teaching students today new ways to think and makes them try new ideas. The school system is being left behind by the government and different institutions because they have already instituted games into learning their way of life.

According to Shaffer and his colleagues, the traditional way of schooling is becoming obsolete because of new technology. They argue that incorporating video games will benefit students in a way that will construct paticular social practices that will in turn develop different, more unique ways of thinking. This new practice is already being used by organizations such as the U. S. Army to introduce civilians to military ideology.

Jigsaw Analysis

Video Games and the Future of Learning

http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingPapers/Working_Paper_No_2005_4.php

Post the summary of your group's section here.

The Art of Summary

"As a general rule, a good summary requires balancing what the original author is saying with the writer's own focus. . . . Ultimately, it means being respectful of others while simultaneously structuring how you summarize them in light of your own text's central claim" (Graff and Birkenstein 29).

"The Wonderful, Magical Nordic Trak"gives a creative spin to the balance between David Zinczenko's views and the writer's own perspective. Notice how the writer adapts the "they say/I say" structure to create a conversational exchange between the reader, the writer, and the author of "Don't Blame the Eater":

http://thewonderfulmagicalnordictrak.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the English 106 Research Blog

This is a place for you to post reflections on course readings, share ideas, ask research questions, post related links, and think deep thoughts about the work you're doing in this course. This blog will link individual English 106 student weblogs from the morning and afternoon sections of English 106, Fall 2007.

To create a blog, go to blogger.com and follow the online instructions. Create an account and password, invent a creative title, add photos or a personal profile. The only required element are your postings in response to the course readings. The rest is up to you.

For your first blog post, find an Internet site (a blog posting, website or whatever) that responds to what others are saying on some topic or issue. In your post, copy and paste the link (the URL or http:// address), then explain what conversation ("they say") this writer is entering. Or, alternately, find a site that fails to address a "they say"--that does not start with what others are saying. Is the "they say" implied? If so, what is it?

Here's an example, from "high-tech heretic" Clifford Stoll:
http://www.edge.org/digerati/stoll/index.html

When you have created your blog, email the URL to bridgeto@elmhurst.edu, and I'll post it as a link to this page.

What you should not post to your blog: Please do not post personal information or opinions about you, your classmates, or your peer tutor. This is a public space, so anything you post to your course blog can be viewed by your professors, college administrators, and anyone else with an internet connection. Respect yourself and others' confidentiality and privacy. 'Nuf said, I hope. (See Elmhurst College policy on computer usage in the e-Book for more on The Rules.)