tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50550162011-04-21T14:57:36.645-07:00Planning, Acting, ReflectingStacey's College Writing II Course Management BlogShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-1105686500750867792005-01-13T23:05:00.000-08:002005-01-13T23:08:20.750-08:00Just in case you come here first--we will NOT have class on Friday, January 14. For future announcements, I'll be using the following URL: http://springsemester.blogspot.com/ Please be safe during this nasty cold snap. See you Wednesday. Stacey Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-1105558664670073962005-01-12T11:36:00.000-08:002005-01-12T11:37:44.670-08:00Ok, I decided to use a different weblog to post off. Go here and I'll continue to use it for the rest of the semester. Thanks! Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-944095692003-05-15T13:35:00.000-07:002003-05-15T19:29:06.000-07:00Success vs. Survival I have so many pages of notes and things I know I should include, that I’m not sure where to begin. I know, what a horrible way to start out, but it’s all part of the process for me. This entire year has been one overwhelming moment after another, particularly this semester. Most semesters leave me with a feeling of success and pride in knowing I did my best and Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-935015642003-04-29T18:28:00.000-07:002003-04-29T18:28:58.116-07:00Most likely intentionally, I just now added the comment option. I think I've been scared to know what people think of what I'm doing in my class. ahhhhhh! Since I'm presenting on this project tomorrow, does this mean I can quit posting to this darn thing????? I'm so tired of this blog. Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-934987592003-04-29T17:31:00.000-07:002003-04-29T17:31:51.893-07:00Quitting while I'm ahead!Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-934985582003-04-29T17:27:00.000-07:002003-04-29T17:27:19.196-07:00trying linking AGAINNNNNShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-934970612003-04-29T16:57:00.000-07:002003-04-29T17:14:47.000-07:00trying this comment stuffShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-934147092003-04-28T11:57:00.000-07:002003-04-28T15:16:06.000-07:00Several students were gone today...typical Spring Monday. Actually, just typical Monday! I wanted to do some imitation activities in class today. The students have papers due Wednesday, so I thought it would be nice to get some critical energy flowing. An activity from the book Opening Texts: Using Writing to Teach Literature by Kathleen Dudden Andrasick on imitation used as a way to look Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-933689952003-04-27T18:09:00.000-07:002003-04-28T09:04:36.000-07:00Blahhhhh, ok, I just got home from a weekend full of travels all over God's creation for various family events. Where is the time going? I don't really care, I'm just so glad it's going quickly right now. I want this semester to be OOOOOOVERRRRRR. I need to collect myself and reflect on many many things that have taken backseat lately. Friday's class: I wanted to discuss how the theme of Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-932531962003-04-25T11:15:00.000-07:002003-04-25T12:07:55.000-07:00This has been the craziest week all semester. I've had training in the evenings this afternoon/evening this week for another job, leaving me little time for accomplishing much more than the essentials of life. Wednesday's Class: In class we read the following poems for the nature/environment theme: Alone in the Woods by Stevie Smith A Child Said "What is the Grass?" by Walt Whitman Frogless byShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-931273192003-04-23T11:36:00.000-07:002003-04-23T11:36:58.120-07:00I had to catch up half the class who were gone Monday for the first nearly 15 minutes of class today. We then read 3 poems in class, relating to the theme of nature/environment. to be continued....have to run... Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-930813572003-04-22T18:10:00.000-07:002003-04-22T18:13:05.000-07:00Yesterday I didn't get a chance to post right after class, before my Pedagogy class, so I'm updating today. Only half the students were there and I rec'd notice from 2 of the remaining absent that they would be gone. Apparently they took an extended "break." Can't say I blame them. I'd never tell them that. It was the first "nice" day in about a week, so I agreed for us to go outside. I Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-927417402003-04-16T15:34:00.000-07:002003-04-16T15:34:31.513-07:00Today was the last day of class this week. Even today I rec'd emails and phone calls from students who left last night or this morning for "Easter Break." What break are they referring to? I filled plastic eggs with candy for my students today. With the crappy weather and just being all around tired, it really brightened the mood of everyone there. We talked a bit about tradition in our Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-926092492003-04-14T15:06:00.000-07:002003-04-14T15:17:11.000-07:00Every Monday I start class by asking how everyone's weekend was and inviting anyone to share a story from their weekend or fill the class in on a good movie or play they saw, etc. A handful of students went to the showing of Bowling for Columbine on campus Friday night. I asked one of the students to explain to the class what the idea was behind the movie, having heard intriguing things myself,Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-924415262003-04-11T11:07:00.000-07:002003-04-11T11:07:26.030-07:00WOW! Awesome class today! Spring has brought my once dead students back to life--that and it's Friday! I went to the classroom and started talking, noticing over half the class looking outside. Almost as though it was planned, 4 students, from different parts of the room said, "Can we go outside?" Why hadn't I thought of this? "Absolutely! Let's go!" I call back as I'm halfway out the door.Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-922543142003-04-08T17:10:00.000-07:002003-04-08T17:10:01.186-07:00I think I should retitle my blog "Planning, Acting, Reflecting...and REplanning." I feel like I am batting zero this semester with my students. I'll start with last Friday's class. The students were instructed to choose 2 poems from a list of about 20 focused on the theme of loss/death/mortality. They were to read the poems and compare and contrast them. When class began I asked for some Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-919976892003-04-04T10:59:00.000-08:002003-04-04T10:59:28.043-08:00I'm kind of in a crunch for time to run some errands and get on the road to Grand Rapids for tomorrow's conference before the snow picks up again. I'll post details regarding today's class (which was AWESOME!) when I return from the conference. I once heard a wise man say, "I mind is a terrible thing to waste." Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-919281182003-04-03T10:29:00.000-08:002003-04-03T10:29:29.983-08:00Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I sent a response to my student who came home to see a quick movie while her brother was in the hospital from his car accident. I said, "Sorry to hear about your brother, I hope everything's ok. Here's the assignment for Monday..... See you then, Stacey p.s. It's the craziest thing, I saw a girl at the Amigo Saturday that looked exactly like you, do you have a twin?Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-919280112003-04-03T10:27:00.000-08:002003-04-03T10:27:02.496-08:00I'm feeling much better today. I had class yesterday, but went home to bed almost immediately after. Let's see....(looking over notes, collecting thoughts). The students had a paper due yesterday (actually Monday, but no class) on the topic of loss/death/mortality. This time I left things wide open, because I just wanted them to write for themselves. In a way it was my "peace offering" from Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-917081062003-03-31T06:14:00.000-08:002003-03-31T06:14:31.356-08:00I'm surprised I've made it this long. Sick sick sick sick. No class today. No blogging today. Going back to bed to die. In closing I need to share a little situation I'm trying to decide how to deal with: One of my students was gone Wednesday last week because she had to go to a funeral of a woman from her church. She was also gone Friday, with no notification to me. I went to a matinee Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-914225752003-03-26T09:35:00.000-08:002003-03-26T09:35:57.700-08:00Today's plan: The students' assignment for today is to write a narrative account of a recent news happening. We will be sharing these in class and discussing how and why students selected particular details for their account. It should be noted that I pulled this assignment out of the book in a moment of desparation, struggling to know what to do about the whole damn book situation. I wasShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-913562372003-03-25T09:35:00.000-08:002003-03-25T09:35:01.890-08:00I know I should be posting my class plans for the entire week on Mondays, but given the book situation, they are sort of up in the air. After pedagogy class yesterday, Dr. Morgan called the on-campus bookstore (which I openly DO NOT support and would encourage every student at BSU to boycott if I were not a teacher) and was my voice of hostility in getting them to get some literature books Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-912440202003-03-23T15:03:00.000-08:002003-03-23T15:03:27.843-08:00I've done some reflective writing via the wiki. My head hurts. Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-912356522003-03-23T11:41:00.000-08:002003-03-23T11:41:01.246-08:00Whoever said Sunday was a day of rest obviously wasn't a student--or a teacher! I'm finding it difficult to get into the groove of things since returning from break. The assignment due for class Friday was to go through the literature book and find something that interests them and write about it. When I walked into the classroom, excited to dive in, a fleet of students raced from their desks Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-910630212003-03-20T07:38:00.000-08:002003-03-21T08:02:23.000-08:00It's obviously been a little while since I've posted here. We are finally getting back in the swing of things after returning from Spring Break. I decided to put blogging aside over break and just focus on grading the mountain of research papers on my desk. It was a tough mountain to climb, but upon completion, I felt satisfied overall. I was slightly disappointed by how bored I was by someShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-903604712003-03-08T09:13:00.000-08:002003-03-08T09:13:21.280-08:00Before leaving the office yesterday I made a "To Do" list that would intimidate even the most ambitious individual! -Laundry -Pay Bills/Balance Checkbook -Final Marketing Report -Update Resume -Post to Project Blog -Studio Tours -Finish Seminar Paper -Make Grocery List for Tuesday -Do House Dinner Menu for Next Week I want to have all of this done by the end of today. I'm well on my way with Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-900727672003-03-03T14:19:00.000-08:002003-03-03T14:19:40.590-08:00Quick summary because I'm having a bad day: Class was fine. We got through 8 presentations with zero deaths. I was impressed with the thoughtful questions and comments the other students had for the students presenting. I told them so. We ended up staying 5 minutes over the class period having a great discussion on the French Revolution. I'm digging this. Once I can get past the bad Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-900559042003-03-03T08:27:00.000-08:002003-03-03T08:27:44.090-08:00It's Monday of the week before Spring break. I've noticed that this week, along with the week before Thanksgiving in the Fall, have a finals week feel to them. Students are cramming for mid-term exams and papers, getting little sleep, tired, cranky, and look like walking corpses. It makes sense then to use this week's class to listen to student presentations of their paper and allow them to Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-900137122003-03-02T13:37:00.000-08:002003-03-02T13:37:18.873-08:00So I sit and harass my students about assignments and due dates and I guess what goes around really does come around--or something. I had a response assignment due Friday, but all week had been telling myself it was due Sunday. Boooo....hissssss....Stacey stinkssss!! Because I am bored, here is the link to the response.Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-900002692003-03-02T07:32:00.000-08:002003-03-02T07:32:13.840-08:00Only one more week of research paper hell. I can hardly wait to spend my spring break reading these things. I think the students would agree with me that it feels like we have been beating a dead horse for the last few weeks. This research paper section is way too drawn out. Is there any resolution? I think the time required for this part of the semester would really depend on the group of Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-899998912003-03-02T07:19:00.000-08:002003-03-02T07:19:56.140-08:00I love being at the office early Sunday morning. It's quiet, dark, and the most productive time of the week for me. I wanted to wait to post Friday's class summary until I had a chance to look at the peer review worksheets completed by the students. So, here I am! I was surprised to find half the class absent Friday. Of course I knew many would be intimidated by the idea of having a Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-897937092003-02-26T12:55:00.000-08:002003-02-26T12:55:27.530-08:00I'm pretty excited. I am always assessing and reflecting on the dynamics of group interaction within my classroom. I am one of those students who works best when given material, then put in small groups to sort it out and bounce it off each other. I like having that workshop format in my own class as well whenever possible. This fall I attended a 2 day workshop at BSU presented by MnSCU'S Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-897929282003-02-26T12:41:00.000-08:002003-02-26T12:46:37.000-08:00Today's class was devoted to concerns and questions regarding MLA format and parenthetical documentation, presentation questions, and random details of the paper. I distributed several handouts today. The first one was just a photo-copy of the Works Cited page from a paper I did for my Rhetorical Theory class last semester so the students could see an example of what I expect in their finished Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-896730152003-02-24T15:23:00.000-08:002003-02-24T15:23:36.153-08:00A student's response to today's in-class freewrite about what he still has left to do for his 7-10 page research paper due next week: "The only thing that I have to do with my paper is my research. I also still have to interview my friend on Muskly fishing." I find it peculiar that the only thing he has left to do for his research paper is his research. It makes me wonder what exactly he has Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-896726442003-02-24T15:17:00.000-08:002003-02-24T15:17:41.170-08:00Monday's Class Summary I entered the classroom feeling very ambitious since I had a lot I wanted to accomplish in our 50 minutes. I said, "Please be quiet." and "Could I please have your attention up here." with no cooperation from the students. Were they doing this on purpose or did they really not hear me? (Like I have to ask!) Rather than freak out and slam a book, I decided to just standShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-896677122003-02-24T13:54:00.000-08:002003-02-24T13:54:21.420-08:00In going over the students' drafts from conferences, I had a difficult time trying to decide exactly what to tackle in classes this week. I have my own sketch of a plan from the beginning of the semester on what I'd like to do and where I'd like to be, but that is always determined by the progress of the students. Final drafts are due next Friday, by 3:00 p.m. I think that is going to scare Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-895183932003-02-21T13:34:00.000-08:002003-02-21T13:36:27.000-08:00Conferences are complete. I prepared a discussion sheet for each conference, asking the following questions: * What is working for you so far in your project? What isn't? * Will you have any difficulty reaching 7-10 pages? If so, what areas might you be able to elaborate on or what direction could you go to get deeper into your chosen topic? * Sources: Enough? Appropriate? Reliable? * Are Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-893064272003-02-18T06:30:00.000-08:002003-02-18T06:30:51.846-08:00This week I'm having individual conferences with my students to discuss the progress of their research paper. I cleared 2 hours a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday allowing each student a 15 minute time slot. They have been directed to bring a rough draft (very rough for those with more difficulty) to the meeting and their sources, so I can physically SEE them. Reasons for conferences: * Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055016.post-891866952003-02-16T06:47:00.000-08:002003-02-16T06:47:43.706-08:00Title of Project Stacey’s College Writing II Course Management Blog Executive description I’m going to keep a blog on my College Writing II course this semester to assist me in course management, assessment, and reflection. I’ve chosen a blog because of the positive experience I’ve had with blogging up to this point and because blogs are structured in a linear fashion. Narrative I want Shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07626602690697196378noreply@blogger.com