september 5

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Everyday I Write the Book" by Elvis Costello & The Attractions]

Describe a moment from your day as if it were a scene in a movie or television show.  What happened?  When/where did it happen?  Who was present?  What did you/they say?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Now that you have a CC license on your blog, let's talk about what you're licensing/protecting
3. Building the perfect beast: from words to sentences to paragraphs...

POST:
Choose one of your blog posts, or start a new one.  In an introductory sentence, explain to your reader that today you are writing with the intention of being understood.  Then, care about every word with your purpose in mind: make yourself understood.  See if your revision or new post does the job more effectively.  Did you get feedback from others?  How do you feel about your writing today? (title: I CARE ABOUT YOUR UNDERSTANDING)

september 4

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: radio silence]

What song do you sing when there's nothing on the radio? What thoughts do you think when it's quiet and you have the chance to think about whatever you want?

AGENDA:
1. Journal
2. Put a Creative Commons license on your blog
3. Reflecting on the experience of writing an essay

HW:
Publish a post to your blog on the experience of writing an essay (title: THE MAKING OF AN ESSAY) -- how has this experience worked for you in the past?  Did you learn anything today that might make the experience different/better in the future?  Please explain your answer.

psat

The PSAT will be administered on October 16.  Have you signed up yet?  Why NOT?

september 3 update

Thanks to period 2 for helping me with today's agenda.

Since we're watching "Everything is a Remix," please post your notes to your blog (title: EVERYTHING IS A REMIX).  You can add to them as we finish the video and discuss tomorrow.

In that post, you can also respond to the second video's ideas and format-- did the drawings/animation contribute to the overall meaning of the talk?

cash and prizes

I finally remembered to bring both.  Don't let me forget, Jonathan, Flavio, Victor, & [whoever won in p.6 and forgot to put their name on the paper]!

request for input

Hi all, I have a confession to make.  I'm not that excited about today's agenda.  The concept is hugely important, and Orwell's essay is one of the best on the subject, but...

I don't know.  Maybe it's just the feeling of coming back from a long weekend.

The other big thing on my mind is fair use on the internet and the idea of the remix.  (You can see an old post with the videos I use to teach the idea HERE.)  These concepts are also extremely important for us, because they give us new ways to learn and share what we know.  Understanding fair use also helps us establish ourselves as knowledgeable digital citizens (translated: no one on the internet who sees your respect for legally protected original content will think of you as a lying, cheating, stealing douche bag, which means they will be less likely to sue you, charge you with a crime, or sabotage your good name on social media).

I'm leaning toward hijacking my own agenda, starting the week with this, and then using it to remix Orwell's essay.  Please let me know what you think in class, or comment to this post.

september 3

JOURNAL TOPIC: [today's tunes: "Smile Away" by Paul McCartney; "The Shadow of Your Smile" by Marvin Gaye]

Where do smiles come from?


AGENDA:
1. Journal/ A mindful moment
2. Bad language
3. George Orwell's "Politics & The English Language"
4. Let 'em eat cake

HW:
1. Continue your literature analysis work (this is going to be an always thing, and not always posted)
2. Response to reading on your blog (title: BIG BROTHER'S FIRST IMPRESSION)
3. Vocab... honestly
4. Review at least three of your colleagues' blogs and comment with feedback and/or questions