Week 1: Course Overview & Annotating Texts
Class Info
- Dates: Thursday, 8/25-Wednesday, 8/31
- Meeting Info:
This course is a hybrid format: we meet in person for 100 minutes once per week, Tuesdays from 12:00-1:40pm, in Namm 517, but instead of us meeting a second time for 100 minutes each week, you will do classwork asynchronously on your own. If you prefer to work together, you are welcome to join our student support meeting time, kind of a writing lab/writing studio/study space on Zoom on Thursdays, 12:00-1:00. I have emailed you the Zoom info (and it can also be found on Blackboard).
Each Wednesday, I will post an agenda that will outline the week’s work. It will include instructions for you and links to readings, discussion questions, and other work. We will work on developing community both in our classroom, optional Zoom meetings, and in our online written community.
Topic
Introductions and Course Overview
Objectives
- To get acquainted with the course, the First Year Learning Community, our OpenLab site, our course format, and each other, and to begin contributing to the course site.
To-Do This Week
Action
- Join the OpenLab (follow these instructions to create an account)
- Join this course on the OpenLab (follow these instructions to join this course.)
- Complete the Student Survey about your access to technology
Reading
- Read the course’s Syllabus, which includes the description of the course, policies, what I expect from you, and what you can expect from me.
- Read the course’s schedule for an overview of the semester
- Read the “Welcome, Students” post
- Read through the other materials on our site to get familiar with what’s available and to be ready to ask any questions you might have.
- Read “Tips for Success” from The OpenLab for Students, plus any other sections that you find important.
- Read “How to Read like a Writer” by Mike Bunn.
- Review “RLW” (Reading like a Writer) Power Point by Laura Westengard.
- Read your classmates’ contributions to the discussions you’re all participating in on our site.
Writing
- Join in our Introductions discussion by following the instructions included in the post. Please add your introduction early enough in the week (ideally by Monday morning) to give everyone time to read the introductions.
- Everyone has questions when starting college–about the course, the syllabus, the agendas, what a FYLC is, what you’re supposed to be doing, if you’re where you’re supposed to be, how to find something at City Tech, anything and everything! Add a question to our Q&A forum. If you have the answer to someone’s question, answer it! (lots of crowdsourcing potential here!)
- Join the discussion about Mike Bunn’s essay, “How To Read Like a Writer” early enough to give everyone time to read all the comments.
In Class
- Introductions:
- Name, major, interests, what you like to read, something uninteresting about yourself
- Reviewing the syllabus
- It’s a reference
- What are the features of this genre?
- what you’re going to do, how you’re graded, learning methods, data about our class/prof, requirements, esp materials and technology,
- long, lots of writing,
- tone: welcoming; also official
- audience: students in the course/ sometimes written just to state policies not for specific students or classes
- speaker: professor, but also maybe department, college
- goals/purpose: to provide information, welcome, but also a bit like terms of service
- What stands out from reading the syllabus?
- What questions do you have?
- How do you annotate a text you’re reading?
- Writing about our goals
- What are your goals for this course? this semester? your time in college? your future?
- What are some of your core values? How do they relate to your goals?
- Getting to know the OpenLab
- Tour
- Signing up
- Joining our course
- Discussions for Week 1
- Mike Bunn’s essay, “How To Read Like a Writer”
- Read or re-read the essay, annotating as you read
- review the discussion question and add to the discussion.
I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and to engaging in this material with you!
Hi, my name is Neel Sewsankar. My major is Accounting, I would like to own my own business when I get older. I like to write more than I like to read. I have a younger brother and an older sister, which means I am in the middle. During my free time I like to play sports or play video games. I live in Queens my whole life.
Welcome, Neel! I’m glad to get to know you better! Would you please copy your comment and paste it into a comment in our Introductions discussion? That way all the introductions can be together and we can see our shared interests and goals.
Hi, my name is Rangel Villar (Ron-Hell). I’m majoring in Architectural Technology, In the future, I would want to use the skills I will have acquired from my courses and make a company that helps engineers design architecture for construction projects. My interest includes playing sports and traveling. I liked to read different stuff mostly what’s going on in today’s world like current events and I was born and raised in the Bronx.
Welcome, Rangel, and thanks for including your name pronunciation guide! That’s actually something we’re considering adding as a field on members’ profile pages on the OpenLab because it’s so helpful! Would you please copy your comment and paste it into a comment in our Introductions discussion? That way all the introductions can be together and we can see our shared interests and goals.