Welcome to Sections 1 and 2 of Writing, Research, & Technology (WRT for short)! I’m Jason and I’m looking forward to working together this semester. Today we are getting to know each other, reviewing the syllabus, getting acquainted with one of the spaces we will be using this semester (and which some of you are already familiar), and preparing for our work for next class.
Once you get settled, please complete this survey. Note that you must be logged in to Rowan Google Drive (and usually no other Google service) to complete this.
Welcome!
As you can see, I use the daily plan blog on this course site to share my lesson plans with you. These also serve as a space for documenting our work and clarifying homework assignments. They are organized by categories and tags and searchable (look to the right). Today I’ll start by telling you a bit about myself and why I designed this course to focus on fake news and this phenomenon writers call post-truth.
Google Drive
We will be using Google Drive to share files and folders throughout this semester. Here’s how to use it.
- Go to http://drive.google.com/a/rowan.edu and log in with your usual Rowan credentials.
- Go to the “Shared With Me” tab on the left.
- Find your WRT student folder. It should include your last name, first name followed by “WRT” (i.e. “Luther, Jason [WRT-1]”). Click on it. This is the folder you will use to share work with me that is not on a public site; it saves us the trouble of using Blackboard and sending files via email.
Two helpful tools for Google Drive you’ll want to consider using this semester:
- Drive app for iPhone or Android. Allows you to save or access Google Drive files from your phone. This can be useful for sharing files on the fly or for sending files stored on your phone to another device, like an image, video, or audio file.
- Drive File Stream for your computer. Allows you to navigate and back up Google Drive files from your operating system rather than the web browser. This can save you several log-in steps and increase productivity.
Freewrite: Keeping up with the news
- Create a new document in your WRT folder by clicking the big + NEW button at the top left and choosing Google Doc. Title this document “News freewrite” and hit the Create button.
- Use this document to tell the class about your relationship to the news. What do you consider “news” and what does it mean to “keep up with it”? Do you personally pay attention to the news? Why or why not? What sources, if any, do you track and how? Are these sources from print or the web? Television? Radio? Podcasts? Are there any sources of news that you refuse to consume?
- When you’re done, keep the doc open as we will discuss it momentarily.
Homework for next class
- Review the course syllabus and first unit and be ready to ask specific questions in class.
- Complete the course survey if you weren’t able to in class today.