Welcome to Seminar 1Why Write?

• To enlarge the chat box, please drag the right border to the right. Since we will be using the white board, the chat box will cover 1/3 of the screen, at the most. Minimize the participant list, to make the chat box easier to view.

• Click the + to rescale and refresh the chat window, as needed.

• Click on “history”, at any time, to see a transcript of the current seminar. All seminar transcripts will be stored in the archives section. I will post the PowerPoint slides to the Doc Sharing section of the course.

It’s It’s SHOWSHOW TIME TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!It’s It’s SHOWSHOW TIME TIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the first Comp I Welcome to the first Comp I Seminar!Seminar!

How is everyone today?How is everyone today?

Why We Have Seminars?Why We Have Seminars?

These seminars offer the These seminars offer the opportunity for me to present opportunity for me to present

additional information beyond the additional information beyond the web sites and to discuss the web sites and to discuss the

readings and assigned questions. readings and assigned questions. They also offer you the opportunity They also offer you the opportunity to discuss any questions you might to discuss any questions you might

have.have.

Seminar Rules You're welcome to use the first few

minutes of the seminar to greet each other, but once we begin, let's stick to the lesson.

If you have a question, please type ??? after the question, so that I will see it easier. If I should fail to answer your question, please email it to me.

Please be respectful of everyone in the class. Writing is a scary thing for many, and we want everyone to feel free to ask questions and not feel intimidated.

Unit 1 Work You’ll be glad to know that for Unit 1, you don't have a lot of work. Two Discussion Questions:

Introduce YourselfHearing the call to adventure

Short ProjectMake sure that you have completed all the

work by TUESDAY midnight. Don't allow yourself to fall behind because it becomes difficult to catch up. However, if you do fall behind or experience some problem, please email your instructor right away.

How many of you would like to get an A?

The next group of slides will give you

tips on getting good grades.

Tips for Getting Good Grades #1) Keep Up with Work #2) Check Email Daily

Keep up with your work. It is very hard to catch up if you get behind. If you have a problem, please email your instructor.

Also, please feel free to email your instructor with questions about your work. No one was born knowing how to write. I had to go to school to learn all of this stuff, so PLEASE, just ask.

Be sure to check your Kaplan email at least ONCE A DAY!

Tips for Getting Good Grades: #3) Post Answers to the Discussion Questions

Posting is a significant percentage of your grade, so don't throw away grade points!!!!

To get good grades on discussion, you must answer every question. In addition, you must comment once in each question to a minimum of two other students.

Tips for Getting Good Grades: #4) Seminars Are Part of Your Grade

• If you should miss a seminar, do the alternative

assignment: Read the seminar transcript, and

answer the question under seminar discussion.

Seminars are graded, and missed seminars are

graded as zeros unless you do the alternative

assignment. Zeros do not average in well, so be

sure to do the alternative assignment.

Tips for Getting Good Grades: #5) Read the Directions#6) Number of Pages

Projects: The NUMBER ONE reason that students lose points on projects is by NOT following the directions. Read the directions. Read them again and again. Then while you are writing, keep reading them. It is very easy to think you are doing the project correctly when you are not.

When doing a writing project, make sure you are within the required page limits. If the assignment calls for 3-5 pages, do not submit the assignment with fewer than 3 full pages of essay. The page requirements refer to the actual essay, not the title page or reference page.

Tips for Getting Good Grades: #7) Follow APA Format

Use 12-point font (type size) for the entire paper. This includes the title page.

Do NOT center or right justify the body of your essay. To right justify means to have the right margin end in an even line instead of ending naturally as you type.

Do not use any font larger than 12 and do not use bold. When you use APA, think boring and you will probably get it right. (LOL)

If you need help with format, download the Using Microsoft Word document found in doc sharing. That document covers margins, font size, indenting, double-spacing, etc.

Tips for Getting Good Grades: #8: #8) Reference Page

When outside sources are needed, remember to include a Reference Page. Also, make sure the references are done in APA style. Follow examples so you know that you are doing the references correctly. We will be going over APA in other seminars.

Posted in the Doc Sharing section (look on the course tool bar next to Chat) is an APA Cheat Sheet .

Late PolicyThis information can be found in your syllabus and is also posted in doc sharing.

Late work for units 1-4 will not be

accepted after midnight Sunday of Unit 5.  Late work for units 5-7 will not be accepted

after midnight Sunday of Unit 8.  Late work for Unit 8 will not be accepted after

midnight Sunday of Unit 9.  No other late work will be accepted during

Units 9 or 10, including the final project. Late penalty is 1% per day late.

Computer Problems

The information stated on the next slide is not because we are mean or heartless. All of us who work or learn online have this problem. Snowstorms and thunderstorms in Iowa have taught me the lesson below and other occurrences have emphasized it. I now have a number of places where I can use the Internet if my computer dies, my electricity is off, or my Internet is down. You, too, need to develop alternative strategies.

What to do if you have computer problems Having computer problems or not having Internet

access is not an acceptable excuse for late work except during large scale disasters.

There are computers and Internet access in most public and community college libraries.

There are Internet cafes, coffee houses, bookstores with coffee houses, and hotel lobbies with wireless access (in fact, often you can sign on from your car).

It is your job to locate alternative sources for computer usage and Internet access.

If all else fails, make some friends who own computers.

You can consult the following web site for free or paid internet connections: http://www.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm

THE PRICE OF POOR WRITING

• Poor writing costs you and me a lot of tax dollars.

• According to a 2004 report, states spend $221 million annually on remedial writing training, sometimes sending workers to $400-per-employee classes.

• The indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens, but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.

Do you want to get a good job?

According to the anonymous survey, two-thirds of companies said writing was an important responsibility for workers.

Of the 49 states that responded to the same survey, 100 percent agreed that writing was important.

More than 75 percent of those responding said they take writing skills into account when hiring.

Think about how much money and time are wasted in Unnecessary support calls caused by unclear instructions; Poorly written forms and applications that are badly filled in; Manuals, reports, and specifications that are

hard to understand; Confusing internal procedures and regulations; Ineffective memos and business letters that are

never answered; Undecipherable legal notices and briefs; Uninteresting press releases that are ignored by the media.

Writing & Business Writing does not have to be complex

and contain a lot of "big" words. Rather, it needs to be clear and well organized so that readers can understand the message.

Most businesses do not realize how much time and money they spend on writing. Most businesses do not realize how poor writing can hurt their businesses, even to the point

of their businesses failing.

Good writing – Clear, concise writing can save companies time and money, even help businesses to grow.

For example, ground-operation manuals revised in plain language saved Federal Express an estimated $400,000 in the very first year.

Computer manufacturer Allen-Bradley found that the clarity of documents delivered with their product are the second most important factor (after product workmanship) that motivates customers to buy. Moreover, plain-language revision of their manuals reduced support calls from 50 a day to two per month.

Are you willing to learn? Today's writing includes new challenges, the

challenges of the Internet. Online documents must be clearly written. Web sites must be clearly written, user friendly, and motivate Internet surfers to become customers.

Careless, mistake riddled writing drives people away. Potential customers look at the writing and ask themselves: If the company can not hire people who can write well, can they deliver quality products and services?

Effective writing does not come naturally. It requires instruction, practice, and a willingness to learn.

In writing, why is In writing, why is knowing your purpose knowing your purpose

and the audience and the audience important?important?

AUDIENCE AND CONTEXT

Writing does not occur in a vacuum. Everything is written to someone for some purpose. The email you send to your sister should be written differently than a proposal you send to a business client.

Knowing the audience, purpose, and the context is vitally important to good writing. Ask yourself: Why am I writing this? Who is my reader? What am I trying to say?

What is Standard What is Standard American English?American English?

What are the benefits to What are the benefits to learning Standard learning Standard American English?American English?

Standard American English Standard American English is the common

language, spelling, grammar, and punctuation used in the United States. It is the type of speech and writing that is expected in higher education and the workplace.

When you use Standard American English, people can understand you no matter what part of the county they come from. Also, using Standard American English presents you as being an educated person.

Using Standard American English shows respect for the reader and a desire to be someone the reader can relate to.

When should you use When should you use Standard American Standard American

English?English?

When You Should Use Standard American English

You should use Standard American English most of the time if not all the time. You want to get into the habit of using it.When speaking or writing to your friends or family, you are free to use dialect, slang, or any type of English (or other language) that you desire.However, in the "real world," the world of work, school, and careers, there are different expectations.

Some people have fallen into bad habits because of email!

Here's an example of the type of email that I often receive:

"im not sure how to double space can u help me with this thanks."

This type of email is inappropriate in a school or business setting.Get in the habit of using Standard American English in your communications. This includes capital letters, spelling out words, and punctuation. Practicing this will help you to succeed in life.

Why do we botherto write?

What is the purpose of writing?

Writing

Writing is a form of communication. As with any form of communication, writing has a purpose: the message. The writer is trying to get a message to the reader.

We write to inform, to persuade, to entertain, and/or to express an opinion.

Why do we study writing?

Why We Study Writing

We study writing to learn to write clearly. When I speak to you, my message comes across through my words, my tone of voice, my gestures, and my body language. If you don't understand, you can ask me questions.

When I write to you, you have only the words that I have written. You do not have my tone of voice, my gestures, or my body language, and you may not be able to ask my questions regarding what I have written.

Therefore, I want to make sure that what I write has ONE meaning and ONLY ONE! When you read what I have written, I want you to understand my meaning. Most of us do not write that clearly naturally.

Writing Is the Key

If you wanted to learn to play the piano, what would you do? You would take lessons and practice. That is what you will be doing in this class. Anyone can learn to write. Learning to write simply requires lessons and practice.

Sometimes students start a writing class believing that what they will learn in it will only help them to do better in the writing class.  On the contrary, writing is a skill you will need not only in every class you take, but in every career, and good writing is the key to getting a great job, keeping it, and being promoted.

What is the writing process?

Writing Is a Six Step Process.

• Prewriting• Organizing• Drafting• Cooling• Revising• Editing

The Process• PREWRITING helps you to get ideas flowing.

There are a number of techniques for prewriting, including free writing, clustering, journaling, brainstorming, and others. We'll talk more about these in Unit 2.

• ORGANIZING means that you take the ideas generated from the prewriting and begin to put them into some sort of order, starting with grouping similar ideas. After the ideas are grouped, you put them into a rough outline that includes the main idea and the supporting details. We'll talk more about this in Unit 3.

The Process (continued) DRAFTING is getting what you have to say down

on paper. When you write your first draft, just write. Do not worry about details such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, or even if you are saying exactly what you want to say in the manner you want to say it. We'll talk more about this in Units 4 and 7.

COOLING is when you put your writing aside. Overnight is best, but you should put it aside for at least 5-10 minutes. After you have completed your draft, walk away, and then come back and reread your essay. It will look different to you when you reread it.

The Process (Cont’d) REVISING means rereading and rewriting what

you have written. You will need to revise everything you write, at least for this class. You will need to learn to always revise what you write. We'll be talking more about that in Unit 9.

EDITING begins when you are pleased with what you have written. Check spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Use spell and grammar check or a dictionary. Check that you have followed proper APA format. Do not begin to edit until you are done with all of your revisions. Why waste time? We'll also be talking more about that in Unit 9.

Writing TipWriting Tip In the text or on the reference page, always In the text or on the reference page, always italicizeitalicize or or underlineunderline the names of books, the names of books, magazines, journals, newspapers, and web sites.magazines, journals, newspapers, and web sites.

BookBook: The DaVinci code: The DaVinci code MagazineMagazine: People: People JournalJournal: The Journal of the American : The Journal of the American

Medical AssociationMedical Association NewspaperNewspaper: The Washington Post: The Washington Post Web SiteWeb Site: Fox News: Fox News

““Time” to Go! Time” to Go!

Questions?Questions? Concerns? Concerns? Comments?Comments?

Please let your instructor know how we can Please let your instructor know how we can help?help?

Have a Great Week! Have a Great Week!