Essays: They're what's for dinner.

Submit your essay about why it's ethical to eat meat to the link below. It could be read by Peter Singer and published in an upcoming issue of the New York Times.

ethicist@nytimes.com

Can logical people agree to disagree, and can they do it in a civil way, anymore?

I've been wondering about this quite a bit lately-both personally and professionally. I have a feeling, I'm not alone. In his article for Inside Higher Ed, John Duffy offers his insights on the subject as well as what he thinks first year rhetoric and composition courses can do to help the current state of arguments we see taking place in social and political discourse.


http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2012/03/16/essay-value-first-year-writing-courses

What's Coming Down the Pike

Anna Alvarado, a principal from Chicago, discusses her school's implementation of the new "Common Core" that all grade levels (including colleges) will soon be using to align their curriculum in an article from The Council Chronicle.

http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Journals/CC/0213-mar2012/CC0213CommonCore.pdf

Re-Captchaing the Written Word

Almost all of us have seen those boxes pop up with the annoyingly distorted words we are supposed to replicate to prove we are a sentient being and not a computer program. Most people look at this as a frustrating waste of time (because even if it is only 10 seconds of your life, it sure can seem like a lot more when you're in a hurry). However, if you've bought something online lately or "friended" someone, chances are you've helped digitize a book. You may soon have the chance to learn a second (or third language) while translating portions of the web using a similar process. Luis von Ahn discusses the CAPTCHA program he helped create to authenticate a human response via the internet as well as the new directions his research is taking.



Here is a link to the CAPTCHArt he refers to. Some content is...well, sophomoric at best. If you are offended by that type of humor, don't click the link.

http://www.captchart.com/

Understanding and Using Metaphorical Language

Writers' Room FAQ's

Where is the Writers’ Room?

The Writers’ Room is located on the second floor of Clock Tower, 205 and 205A. It is toward the east end of the building across the hallway from the second floor restrooms. If you can’t find it, just ask any of the staff or faculty on the second floor. They will be glad to help you find it.

When is it open?

The Writers’ Room opens the second week of each spring and fall semester and remains open until final exams begin. The appointments are usually 9:00-2:30, Monday through Thursday, and 9:00-11:30 on Friday. The Writers’ Room computer lab is open 9:00-3:00, Monday through Thursday, and 9:00-12:00 on Friday. We are closed during final exams, during the summer sessions, on holidays when DACC does not have classes, and on days when the college cancels classes due to weather or other emergencies.

How do I make an appointment?

Appointments can be made by coming to Clock Tower 205A or by calling 443-8877 between 9:00 and 2:30. Please be prepared to give the tutor making the appointment your name, your instructor’s name, and the name of the class related to your assignment. Appointments are for 30 minutes. Students should expect this to include a short discussion about the purpose of the visit at the beginning of the session, the tutor session, and a brief wrap up period at the end where the tutor will ask you about plans to revisit the center, possibly make suggestions for your assignment, and fill out the necessary paperwork to inform your instructor of your visit.

Do I have to have an appointment?

If you want to work with a tutor, it is recommended that you make an appointment since there is usually not more than one tutor working at a time. You can drop in for a session, but you will only be seen if no one else has an appointment. If you need to make up a test that your instructor has left for you, want to use the computers to do some grammar review, or use the computers in the lab to work on an assignment, you do not need to make an appointment.

What if I can’t make it to my appointment?

Please let the Writers’ Room staff know as soon as possible if you can’t keep an appointment or need to reschedule one. Often, students call in on the same day they would like to be seen or drop by to see a tutor. If you don’t let a tutor know you aren’t coming, they can’t schedule someone else for that time. However, if you are more than 10 minutes late and someone is waiting, your appointment will be given to that person. If you don’t show up for an appointment, a notice will be sent to your instructor. If you habitually miss appointments, you may be restricted from using the tutor services for the remainder of the semester.

What do I need to bring to an appointment?

You should bring a hard copy of your paper or assignment that you will be discussing. You can use the computer lab to print a copy if you need to, but please have this done before your session begins. You should also bring any handouts/guides your instructor has given you about what he or she expects. If you have a textbook you are working with for the assignment, please also bring it. Finally, you need to bring something to write with so that you can make notes on your draft.

What does it cost?

Tutoring services are free to DACC students.

Can a tutor help me with a computer program like Blackboard that an instructor wants me to use or show me how to use a program like Word?

Tutors are in the Writers’ Room to primarily assist students with their academic writing. Depending on what programs they use in their own classrooms and their personal computer experience, they may or may not be able to answer questions concerning computer programs and technology, but they are not tutors for either technology or content knowledge of various classes. They will be glad to help you if they can. Otherwise, they will either refer you to DACC’s IT department or to your classroom instructor for help.

Why should I see a tutor?

The Writers’ Room staff is comprised of current and former teachers from DACC and the surrounding area. They have a solid understanding of academic writing as well as what different teachers on campus expect from you as a student. Tutors can help you better understand what an assignment entails, how to put a piece of writing together, and how to do a better job of editing your drafts. They can help you brainstorm ideas, work on organization, and understand either MLA or APA citations. A tutor will read your assignment and give your feedback from a reader’s perspective. This helps you see your writing and ideas in a more objective manner. Many students find it helpful to see a tutor and return to the same tutor on a regular basis because unlike your classroom instructor, a tutor does not evaluate student writing.

How far in advance of a due date should I make an appointment?

Since there are so many different types of assignments that students bring into the Writers’ Room, there’s no simple answer to this in terms of X amount of days or hours. However, we do see a significant amount of students who come in for help with a paper/assignment the same day it is due or the day before it’s due. If you have been in for a previous appointment for this assignment, that might work, but usually if it’s the first time you’re being seen for this piece of writing, you are going to find yourself wishing that you’d come in earlier. Students generally underestimate the time it is going to take to edit/revise their paper in light of what is discussed during the tutor session. Try to allow yourself a day or two between the time you will be seen and when your assignment is due to your instructor. Ideally, you should allow yourself time to revise your paper, and if possible, to come in for a follow up visit. That isn’t always possible, but it will help you get more out of your experience. Also, students often come in with a list of things they want to “get through” during the session and find that they have underestimated the time it will take to make if from the top of the list to the bottom. Your tutor will do his or her best to get to all of your concerns, but realize if you have several, you should be prepared to visit the Writers’ Room more than once.

Do I have to have a completed draft of my paper when I come in for an appointment?

Some instructors do have a requirement that when a tutor sees you, you have to bring a completed draft of your paper. If this is the case, your instructor will receive a notice if you don’t have a complete draft. Otherwise, no, you don’t have to have a complete draft. You can see a tutor for help with any part of the writing process. If you have something written, even a fragment of a section or an introduction, or even a random list of ideas, be sure to bring it along.

Why do you fill out those little forms and send one to my teacher?

After each student visits the Writers’ Room to see a tutor, we fill out a short report detailing what happened during the visit. This helps us keep track of how many students we are seeing and what we helped them with. Also, it verifies to your instructor that you came to an appointment and informs the instructor about what was discussed. This helps give your instructor a better idea of what you are/are not doing in relation to the assignment he or she has given you.

I asked the tutor to edit my draft and he/she wouldn’t. Why?

Tutors are not editors. Tutors are there to help you become more independent writers and to help you develop your writing skills. One of those necessary skill sets is the ability to view your own work more objectively, to recognize errors, and to edit and correct the errors. This is a very difficult skill for most people to master. It takes a great deal of practice and a careful eye. As long as someone else is doing this for you, you won’t get better at it. A tutor will help you work on your editing/grammar skills if that is what you want to discuss during your session. The tutor will read through your draft, point out a few examples of a particular error, discuss your options for correcting them, and then lead you through the rest of the draft asking you to identify and correct errors of the same type before moving on to the next problem area. That is the theoretical reason tutors do not edit your work. The more practical reason is that in 30 minutes, there simply is not enough time to edit and correct a paper. Both are valid reasons.

I saw a tutor, and I still got “X” grade on my assignment, why is that?

First and foremost, tutors don’t evaluate your writing. Your classroom instructor is the only person who evaluates your writing and issues you a grade based on the criteria he or she has set. When you come in for a session, the tutor will ask you what the purpose of your visit that day is. He or she will then read over the draft that you have brought, the assignment guide, etc. A discussion between the two of you will ensue concerning your project in light of the topic at hand. Hopefully, you will leave with more skills, knowledge, and/or insight into writing or your work than you had when you came in. So, why does that not equate neatly into “X” grade? Well, it might be that your session focused on one issue, and as important as that one was, it wasn’t the only one. There might have still be other issues that needed to be addressed. It might also be that whatever suggestions a tutor made concerning your writing were either ignored or not utilized as fully as they needed to be or in the way that they needed to be in order to meet your instructor’s standards for whatever grade you wanted. Mainly, though, it is probably the fact that student growth and understanding is what we encourage in the Writers’ Room, and while it is nice when there is a neat correlation between that and a student’s grade on a given assignment, usually that isn’t the case in a way that is so immediately visible. For example, your grade on a particular assignment may not be what you wanted, but that doesn’t mean your skills as a student and/or writer have not improved, or that your grade isn’t higher than it otherwise would have been if you hadn’t come to the Writers’ Room.

Is there anything else I can do in the Writers’ Room besides see a tutor?

· You can use the computer lab to complete assignments for your DACC classes. You can also print assignments for your classes.

· You can use the lab computers to do self-guided reviews in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization.

· The Writers’ Room has copies of several handouts to guide you through grammar review, the research and writing processes, and MLA and APA citation styles.

· We have a small library of reference materials dealing with writing and understanding/writing about literature. You may use these materials while doing work in the Writers’ Room/WR computer lab.

· Your instructor may place quizzes/tests on file in the Writers’ Room for students who missed completing them in class. If you are taking an exam or quiz, please be sure to bring a picture ID. Also, if your instructor has not set up a specific time for you to take the exam or quiz, please be sure that you allow plenty of time to finish it before the Writers’ Room closes for the day.

What if I need help when the Writers’ Room is closed?

You can find additional help as well as links to other sites concerning writing, research, and source citation by going to the Writers’ Room blog at www.wrnotebook.blogspot.com.

NCTE Announces the 2012 Norman Mailer College Writing Awards Competition

The Norman Mailer Writers Colony and the National Council of Teachers of English are pleased to announce that we are now accepting submissions for the 2012 Norman Mailer College Writing Awards. This year's category is Fiction. There are three competitions open to college students:

The Two-Year College Writing Award Competition is open to first and second-year full-time students enrolled in community colleges, junior colleges, and technical colleges. Maximum length of entry is 15 single-spaced pages. Winner will receive the following:
• Cash award of $5,000
• Travel and lodging* to attend the Colony’s National Award Ceremony

The Four-Year College Writing Award Competition is open to current full-time undergraduate students. Maximum length of entry is 15 single-spaced pages. Winner will receive the following:
• Cash award of $10,000
• Scholarship to the Norman Mailer Writers Colony during the summer of 2013
• Travel and lodging* to attend the Colony’s National Award Ceremony

Students may submit one or more stories (within the page limits) or a self-contained section of a longer work (for example, from a novel). Submissions may be “conventional” or “experimental” and may represent any fiction tradition. However, the best work will demonstrate compelling literary merit.

NEW! The Poetry Award is open to full-time students enrolled in four-year colleges, two-year colleges, junior colleges, and technical colleges. Students may submit one or more poems, to a maximum of 10 pages. The winner will receive:
• Cash award of $5,000
• Travel and lodging* to attend the Colony’s National Award Ceremony

Entries for all three awards will be accepted until April 30, 2012, Noon CDT. For more information, or to enter, visit: http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/nmwa