Author: Jessica Penner

Hello, dear students!

Well, we’ve come to the end of the road–at least for this particular semester. I’ll be reminding you of deadlines and the like below, but first, I want to say a few things to this class:

We’ve been through an experience this semester that has been challenging, frustrating, and, for many of us–if not all–depressing. All of those emotions (and any I haven’t mentioned) are totally valid. I’ve had conversations with many of you over the semester, and during each one I’ve tried to say (however awkwardly) how awesome you are and how impressed I am with you. Even if I haven’t spoken to you one-on-one, I still want you to know I think these things about each of you. Seriously.

I hope all of us will have a chance to catch our breath for a moment when this semester is finally closed and let ourselves feel strong in the knowledge that we’ve survived a moment of unparalleled time in recent history. It’s not over–not by a long shot–but we’ve weathered some serious shit thus far. (I hope I don’t get in trouble for using that term!)

I’m honored to have been able to facilitate your writing and get to know each of you a little bit through the work you’ve created this semester. I’ve learned about soccer, genetic engineering, nursing, religion, fast fashion, and online fighting games, to name just a few of the topics you’ve shared with me.

I also want to keep in touch. I love running into my students in the halls of City Tech long after they’ve been in my class. I hope we’ll be in physical halls again soon, but until that happens, we’ll have to run into each other in virtual halls by other means. My personal email address is jessica.penner@gmail.com. I do Twitter occasionally and Instagram. Email me if you want my handles.

Okay, I’ll stop and get down to particulars:

Final Portfolios

Please save the PDF files EXACTLY as I show in the Final Portfolio Assignment document.

For example, if I submitted a Final Portfolio assignment, my files would look like this:

1_Jessica Penner, Final Reflection

2_Jessica Penner, Revision Paragraphs for UX and UX

3_Jessica Penner, U1 Writing Assignment

4_Jessica Penner, U2 Writing Assignment

5_Jessica Penner, U3 Writing Assignment

6_Jessica Penner, U3 Process Essay

7_Jessica Penner, Selected Journals

Note the numbers–PLEASE number each file! 

This helps me grade more efficiently, and is something that’ll help your overall grade, because if you do not follow these instructions, I will take 10% off your Final Portfolio grade.

There are many other details to the Final Portfolio. If you haven’t already please look at this document I’ve posted on OpenLab.

REMEMBER THE DUE DATE: MAY 20, 2020! 

Send the files in one email to monwedeng1121@gmail.com, NOT my City Tech email address! 

I’ve been generous on deadlines this semester because of the situation we’ve all been through, but this deadline is real, folks, because I have to turn in grades soon after this date. I don’t have time to locate you and your portfolio.

If you don’t turn in a Final Portfolio by 11:59 PM on May 20, 2020, you’ll lose 400 points (this is worth 30% of your overall grade).

Even if your Final Portfolio isn’t complete or as finished as you’d like, know that this is the agony of any writer–student or otherwise–we never feel it’s perfect, so submit what you’ve got by May 20!

If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during the  class office hours (Wednesday, 10 – 11:30 AM). I can work in later times, but you’ll have to email me in advance.

Know that I rarely check my email late at night, so if you have a burning question, ask me before 9 PM.  Please note: This question shouldn’t call for an answer that you can find on the Final Portfolio Assignment sheet, so check there first.

I cannot grant extensions, so do not ask for one. Again, even if it’s not complete, turn what you have in by Wednesday night.

Final Grades

Grades must be posted by all City Tech faculty by May 28, so your grade for this class will be up soon after this date. I have 60+ students’ portfolios to grade, then I have to calculate grades, etc., so there’s a lot that has to happen between the last day of class and that date. I post all grades at once, so please don’t expect your grade to be up any sooner than this.

One more time…

Stay safe & well!

Hello, dear students!

We’re almost finished with this, ah, shall we say, daunting semester! Just a few more things to work on before we’re through…

Two things to talk about today: U3 Website/Process Essay and Final Portfolios!

U3 Website & Process Essay

Final Portfolios

REMEMBER THE DUE DATE: MAY 20, 2020!

I’ve been generous on deadlines this semester because of the situation we’ve all been through, but this deadline is real, folks, because I have to turn in grades soon after this date. 

If you don’t turn in a Final Portfolio by 11:59 PM on May 20, 2020, you’ll lose 400 points from your overall grade.

If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during the class office hours (Monday and Wednesday, 10 – 11:30 AM). I can work in other times, but you’ll have to email me in advance.

Stay safe & well!

Hello, dear students!

Two very important things are covered in this post:

1. Peer Review of the Final Reflection
2. Discussion of the Final Portfolio

Peer Review of the Final Reflection

I’m assuming you all are working on the Final Reflection today, because that’s the piece of the Portfolio that will be the most work. If you haven’t begun the Final Reflection, look at the document on OpenLab and don’t waste any more time!

The Rough Draft of the Final Reflection is due by 11:59 PM Wednesday, May 13. I’ll be emailing each Group a copy of the Final Reflection Peer Review worksheet with the following subject line: “Group #, Final Reflection.”

You may have to review two or three reflections, so do not wait on working on this assignment!

Hit “Reply All” so I and your group receive your rough draft (this will count for your participation points for Monday).

You must review each member of your group’s Final Reflections by Friday, May 15 (this will count for your participation points for Wednesday). Email both the writers’ and me a copy of your peer review.

DO NOT send anything to my City Tech account! I will not count any participation points for items sent to that account. Send everything to: monwedeng1121@gmail.com!

Discussion of Final Portfolio

As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have a Final Exam for this class, but we have a Final Portfolio. The Final Portfolio includes:

• Final Reflection
• U1 Writing Assignment (Discourse Community)
• U2 Writing Assignment (General & Focused Analyses of a Genre)
• U3 Writing Assignment (Website based on either U1 or U2)
• U3 Process Essay (Based on U3 Experience)
• Selected Journals

There are many details to the Final Portfolio, so please look at this document I’ve prepared and posted on OpenLab. It states what is included, how many revisions are needed, how it must be saved/submitted, and how it will be evaluated.

READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY AND LONG BEFORE THE DUE DATE: MAY 20, 2020!

If you have questions or concerns, contact me and we can talk during the class office hours (Monday and Wednesday, 10 – 11:30 AM). I can work in other times, but you’ll have to email me in advance.

Stay safe & well!

Hello, dear students!

We have two very important items today:

1. Submit your Process Essay
2. Begin work on your Final Reflection & Final Portfolio (which are standing in for the Final Exam)

Let’s start with #1

I would like you to submit your revised Process Essay by going to your old post that you created for the U3 Website on the Dashboard, adding the PDF of the essay to that site, and hitting the button “Update.”

Not sure how to do it? Look at this PowerPoint, titled “Process Essay Upload Instructions.”

If you have problems, let me know!

Now, on to #2

As I’ve mentioned before, we don’t have a Final Exam for this class, but we have a Final Portfolio. The Final Portfolio includes:

• A Final Reflection
• Revised U1 Writing Assignment (Discourse Community)
• Revised U2 Writing Assignment (General & Focused Analyses of a Genre)
• Revised U3 Writing Assignment (Website based on either U1 or U2)
• Revised U3 Process Essay (Based on U3 Experience)
• Selected Journals

I’m going to focus on the Final Reflection today, because that’s the piece of the Portfolio that will be the most work. Please do the following ASAP:

1. Read and reread the Final Reflection Writing Assignment sheet on OpenLab. There’s a lot of information there!
2. Focus on the brainstorming questions on the first page.
3. Take notes as you do the following:
4. Look back at your Journals and Writing Reflections (these should be on your email).
5. Review your major writing projects for Units 1, 2, and 3. Think about what you learned through each project.
6. Start thinking about how you will organize this Reflection. It doesn’t have to be a traditional five-paragraph essay; however, it does need to show how you changed as a writer/scholar and how you can use these skills in college and beyond, so there needs to be organization of some kind.
7. Start writing! It needs to be 1,000 words, which can be scary, but if you are honest and open with your experience, it’ll be easier than you think.
8. You are allowed to take anything from your own writing this semester–in fact, you need to quote yourself at least three times–so feel free to cut, paste, quote, paraphrase, summarize any words that are your own!
9. The Rough Draft of the Final Reflection is due on Wednesday, May 13.
10. The final drafts of the Final Reflection & Final Portfolio are due Wednesday, May 20. This final date is unmovable. I am required to post grades soon after this date, and I have three classes, which means I have a lot of grading to do.

Again, the Rough Draft is due Wednesday, May 13!!!

Okay, this is a lot to digest. If you have questions, you know where to find me!

Be safe & well!

Hello, dear students!

Hopefully, everyone’s posted their U3 Writing Assignment on this website by now.

Now, for Monday’s class, let’s focus on our Process Essay, which I hope everyone worked on this weekend.

First, we need to do a Peer Review of the essay.

Since this is an informal writing assignment, you get to choose who you’d like to have peer review this assignment.

If you have a friend you’ve made in this class or someone from this class whose input you’ve found valuable, you can trade with that person. The worksheet is on OpenLab, under the title “ENG1121, U3 Process Essay Peer Review.”

The peer review sheet is very simple. It shouldn’t take more than 15-30 minutes to complete–if not sooner.

So, if you have a friend (outside of this class) or a family member you’d prefer to review your essay, that’s fine! Just email the peer review sheet from OpenLab to that person.

Either way, you must email the completed Peer Review Worksheet to me by 11:59 PM (that’s just before midnight on Monday, not noon on Monday) on Monday, 5/4/20 in order to receive participation points for Monday’s class.

The revised Process Essay is due by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, 5/6/20, so I’d advise you to get your essay peer reviewed ASAP!

On Wednesday, I’m going to begin talking about your Final Reflection as well as the Final Portfolio (both of which stand in for the Final Exam in this class).

Note: If you’re keeping up with the syllabus, there’s a Writing Reflection listed under the “Homework” section for Wednesday, 5/6/20 that you don’t need to worry about–I figure if you’ve written a Process Essay, you’ve reflected enough about U3! 

If you have questions, let me know!

Stay safe & be well!

Hello, dear students!

Hope all is well, and you’re busily peer reviewing your NEW groups’ websites with the correct worksheet (#2)!

1. Email the completed Peer Review Worksheet #2 to me and your group by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 29 (midnight on Wednesday, not noon on Wednesday). THIS COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR APRIL 29.
   • NOTE: DO NOT SEND EMAIL TO MY CITY TECH ACCOUNT!
2. I’m giving you a small extension to turn in your final draft for evaluation. Instead of being due on Wednesday, April 29, the due date will be 11:59 PM on Friday, May 1. 
3. On Friday, follow the PowerPoint titled “ENG1121 Unit 3 Upload Instructions” to upload your website onto this website. Be sure to hit “Publish” and make sure any links to videos work!
4. Remember the Process Essay? This is an informal essay assignment in which you’ll examine the creative/writing process that went into the creation of this website. You can see the Process Essay Brainstorm Worksheet here. The Rough Draft of the Process Essay is Monday, May 4.  

Questions? Contact me and let’s talk!

Be safe & well!

Hello, dear students!

Hope you’ve had a good weekend, and are ready for a second round of peer reviews!

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING POST CAREFULLY. There is some very valuable information in here!

1. For Round 2 of U3’s Peer Reviews, I’ve divided the class into NEW GROUPS!
   • Once again, each member of the group will perform a Peer Review for each member. This means you may be reviewing 3 to 4 writing assignments! DO NOT WAIT TO WORK ON THIS!
2. I will be emailing each group with the Peer Review Worksheet #2. The subject line will be: “ENG1121, Group #.” Keep an eye out for this email.
   • Peer Review Worksheet #2 has similar questions to the first round, but the last question’s much different!
3. “Reply All” to my email with an attached copy of your “website” for me and your group by 11:59 PM on Monday, April 27. That’s just before midnight on Monday, not noon on Monday.
   • THIS EMAIL COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR APRIL 27.
   • If a group member does not send their U3 Writing Assignment by the deadline, don’t worry! Just peer review the ones you receive. (Since you’ll be including me in the email, I’ll know who sends their U3 Writing Assignment.)
   • Please send your emails to my gmail account, NOT my City Tech account! If you want your participation points, follow this direction!!!!
4. Email the completed worksheet to me and your group by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 29 (again, midnight on Wednesday, not noon on Wednesday). THIS COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR APRIL 29.
5. I’m giving you a small extension to turn in your final draft for evaluation. Instead of being due on Wednesday, April 29, the due date will be 11:59 PM on Friday, May 1.

On Wednesday, I’ll let you know how I expect the website to be turned in on Friday, May 1. 

Be well & stay safe!

Hello, dear students!

Hopefully you’ve emailed your “website” to your assigned group and have begun peer reviewing your group’s websites. If you haven’t started, work on this now. When you’re finished, email the completed worksheet to me and your group by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 22 (midnight on Wednesday, not noon on Wednesday).

THIS COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR APRIL 22.

Today (Wednesday) is a “workshop day.” It is a time to work on your peer reviews and your own website AND  start work on a Process Essay.

What’s the Process Essay?

This is an informal essay assignment in which you’ll examine the creative/writing process that went into the creation of this website. You can see the Process Essay Brainstorm Worksheet here.

The Rough Draft of the Process Essay is Monday, May 4.  It seems like May 4 is a long way off, but it isn’t! Start brainstorming and working on this assignment immediately!

Questions? Concerns? I’m available during our office hours (10 to 11:30AM on Wednesday) and other times throughout the day. Please contact me!

Be well & stay safe!

Hello, dear students!

I hope you’re ready to jump into the remainder of the semester! Your participation points for the upcoming week (April 20 & 22) depend on what’s listed on this post. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY:

1. For U3’s Peer Reviews, I’ve decided to divide the class list into groups.
   • Each member of the group will perform a Peer Review for each member. This means you may be reviewing 3 to 4 writing assignments! DO NOT WAIT TO WORK ON THIS!
2. I will be emailing each group with the Peer Review Worksheet #1. The subject line will be: “ENG1121, Group #.” Keep an eye out for this email.
3. “Reply All” to my email with an attached copy of your “website” for me and your group by 11:59 PM on Monday, April 20. That’s just before midnight on Monday, not noon on Monday.
   • THIS EMAIL IS WORTH 50 POINTS AND COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR APRIL 20.
   • If a group member does not send their U3 Writing Assignment by the deadline, don’t worry! Just peer review the ones you receive. (Since you’ll be including me in the email, I’ll know who sends their U3 Writing Assignment.)
4. Email the completed worksheet to me and your group by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, April 22 (again, midnight on Wednesday, not noon on Wednesday).
   • THIS COUNTS AS YOUR PARTICIPATION POINTS FOR APRIL 22.

Wednesday is a “workshop day,” to work on your peer reviews and your own website, but there will be a post about a new writing assignment, so be sure to check this site on Wednesday!

I’ve discussed the U3 Writing Assignment one-on-one with several students over the past two weeks. If you’re still needing clarification on what’s expected, please contact me!

Be well & stay safe!

Hello, dear students!

Happy Tuesday that’s a Wednesday! 

If you haven’t yet uploaded your U2 Writing Assignment, the new due date is Monday, April 6, by 11:59 PM. (For those who didn’t read my last post, I’ve created a step-by-step guide on how I want you to upload your assignments. I will not evaluate anything that isn’t following my instructions!)

Only 12 people have completed the questionnaire about your experience with the U2 Writing Assignment: https://forms.gle/fFvtBDB1AdENtMex6

Here’s the first link to the PowerPoint about what we’ll be doing for U3: “ENG1121, Class Session 4.6.20.” If you haven’t reviewed that one, read it first, before moving on to TODAY’S PowerPoint (you’ll be quite confused otherwise): “ENG1121, Class Session 4.7.20.”

I’ll be available to do a hangout or chat via email on Tuesday, April 7, from 10-11:30 AM.

Be safe & well!