Hi Class. I just got permission to use the Dean’s Zoom Account for today’s working GoogleDocs Party. Here is the link below. Please note the new password.
Justin Vazquez-Poritz/Prof. Schmerler is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: GoogleDocs Working Party ENG 1121 402
Time: May 8, 2020 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,93927465616#,,1#,601787# US (New York)
+13017158592,,93927465616#,,1#,601787# US (Germantown)
Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 939 2746 5616
Password: 601787
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/aehs5vDCYv
We can work in real time on our Skills/Pairs projects and on the Diary and you can ask me lots of questions.
Regarding our Giant Diary: A couple of you wrote good entries, but didn’t separate them by date. Can you please do so?
A couple of entries also have no initials.
Please read Our Diary. It is getting really good! It also needs….you guessed it, more entries, so let’s not stop.
This is diary replaces your Writer’s Journal Grade.
Skills/Pairs note: you will probably need to find a way to communicate with your partner outside of our meetings — so Get Their Contact Info or find a virtual “place” or method to collaborate.
Hi Class. Need help? Want to work in real time? Meet me on Zoom on Friday, and of course, if you have questions, reach out via email or OpenLab any time:
S Schmerler is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: S Schmerler’s Zoom Meeting GoogleDocs Party
Time: May 8, 2020 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Instead of waiting for you to find your own affinities, I have assigned you into pairs. There is now a sub-folder called PAIRS. You can look there and see who your new assigned partner is. There also is a sample document in this new folder. Please look at it.
Once you have had fruitful discussion, and have populated your PAIR document, you are well on your way to completing UNIT III.
The final format document for submitting your work in UNIT III is below. You will upload your work to OpenLab with the post heading LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_UNIT 3:
UNIT III is really short, and I want you to succeed at it. So let me ask you some big-picture questions: What do you think learning is? A) are you aware of how you learn and why? can you even vocalize that? B) can the search for knowledge involve confusion, mistakes, and fearlessness? Can you learn from other people who are just like you?
For example: Maybe you have been told that “learning” is a simple download procedure –Your Professor (who is smart) has knowledge, and you download it into your brain via lectures and notes. You get a PowerPoint lecture; you memorize it; you take a test; and bam, you learned. Knowledge transferred, like money from an ATM.
Or, maybe you were told in Middle School that learning is predicated on good behavior and good grades, and that the good students give the teacher exactly what they want because the teacher has the power and doesn’t need to listen to you. P.S. You better not talk!
Or, maybe you like learning, but only self taught, on your own, where no one is looking over your shoulder. However, you keep your discoveries to yourself. Other people would only make you feel ashamed. Learning isn’t “supposed” to be fun — and it certainly isn’t cool to want to do it without being forced to.
Okay, I could go on. But what do I know? — a lot, yes, about quite a few things — but I was always a self-motivated learner. I never gave teachers exactly what they wanted. Maybe, deep down, I didn’t think they were as smart as I was?
Maybe, deep down, that’s why I became a teacher?
Nah. Actually, both my parents were teachers. It came naturally. However:
Geez. Maybe thinking this way is scary. Maybe this kind of questioning is showing me a side of myself I would rather not see. Maybe “research” is a really re-search. Looking at what you think you know…. Again. From a different perspective.
So…in your Skill Documents, show us who you are doing what what you want to do. Show us what you actually like to learn. And we will show you more, and you will say…[c’mon class, you know the answer here…]
“Thank You.”
UNIT III so far:
You have: Populated your skill documents with information. (Note, you also tried to make people care a little about what you are doing! People who don’t usually like what you like. You explained things. You gave sources. You cleaned up your document.)
You have: Commented on at least 3 other people’s documents and asked them challenging questions. I repeat: challenging as well as encouraging. You have also responded to those comments if they were made to you.
Going forward:
By Wednesday, May 6, I want you to tell me, in our AFFINITY document, with whom you might like to collaborate on a digital research presentation, and why. (Hello, UNIT IV!!) I will assign you an affinity group (in other words: collaborators) based on your recommendations and my good judgement. Did you read the AFFINITY document? Do! It is full of more talk. And, it can work like our Attendance document — it can contain many voices and many fonts. That would be fine.
For inspiration:
Watch the first couple minutes of this MasterClass trailer video by Neil deGrasse Tyson. (Yes, I know it is a crass advertisement, but I’m using it.) He says things I like, and some things I don’t agree with, but truth is always a great topic, don’t you agree? : -)
See you on Zoom at 9:00AM Wednesday, where I am sure you will teach me a thing or two.
Hi Class. A shout out to the people who joined together on Friday to work on our Diary. I really enjoyed your input. Working in real time is the New Normal. Same Zoom address and password for Monday, May 4, at 9:00AM.
Roll. No writing assignment. Have your own diaries handy to cut and paste.
Bring work to contribute to the Diary. Insert it/them.
Read other people’s skill documents if you have not already! Bring comments to make on the “Skill” documents. Make them. Ask good questions in your comments.
Brainstorm with Professor on how you will complete UNITS III and IV.
Give feedback: should we continue to meet on Zoom in “class”? Should we meet earlier than 9:00AM? Should all meetings be working meetings?
Many hands make light work. I want us to not only work on our Skill documents but also get our “hands dirty” by messing around and actually building in the giant DIARY document. Get in there by Friday, May 1, and make your mark felt and we can also work on this all together. Link, below:
image of tree planting from Wikipedia
S Schmerler is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: S Schmerler’s Zoom Meeting
Time: May 1, 2020 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Populate your own document with information. COMMENT on at least three different people’s documents. When you do, ASK them a good question. Get them thinking or get yourself involved. Take the discussion to another level. I will be looking to see COMMENTS and conversations forming, and I will create an Affinity document so that we can keep track and see if any new Constellations/circles of interest form. Two people cook? Four people like make-up…?
Let’s get this all done by Friday, May 1. We can have a short Zoom GoogleDoc party and work on some together, discuss…
I also want to see some additions to our large Diary Document by May 1. Don’t worry about cleanliness. Get in there!
