Hope you all had a nice weekend are are ready to go with another week of classes. This week, we will finish up the analysis assignment for Project 2 and begin work on technical instructions, definitions, and descriptions for Project 3. By the end of the week, I will post additional information on how your work in the forums and general participation are graded as well.

Class Work for July 21

Today we focus on peer review. The process will be a little different from last week, since your work is on your Google Drive, but the idea is basically the same. Here are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

• Go over documentation on using the comment system in Google Drive.
• Post drafts for Project 1 in the forums.
• Respond to two students on Google Drive and in the forums.
• Review the comments on your own work.

Using the Comment System in Google Drive

The Comment system in Google Drive allows you to highlight the text in the draft you are writing and link your comments to the passage. It is one of two tools typically used in the workplace to collaborate on documents (the other is the Comment tools in Microsoft Office). We are using Google Drive because it is free and works on nearly all operating systems in the same way. It’s usually a bit easier to use as well.

If you are unfamiliar with the comment and sharing systems in Google Drive, use the step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Drive for peer review on the FAQ site. The FAQ includes details on how to share your document, how to comment, and how to respond to comments.  If you need a more detailed explanation, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Posting Your Drafts for Project 2

You will post the share link to your draft in the forums:

1. Go to the Project 2: Analysis of Writing in Your Field forum, and find the topic you created with your name or your username and career or field (e.g., “Traci, college writing instructor”).

2. Post a reply in your topic, doing the following:
   • If you do not want to share your last name in the forums, change it in your draft to a pseudonym. You can use a generic last name like Doe or Smith, or you can change it to Lastname.
   • Share the link(s) to your Project 2 drafts in Google Docs, using the FAQ linked in the section above.

3. Let your classmates know about any specific concerns that you want them to consider as they comment on your draft.

4. Be sure to Preview your draft to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then submit your post.

Responding to Your Classmates’ Drafts

Follow these instructions to respond to your classmates’s drafts:

1. Read and comment on the drafts of at least two of your classmates:

   • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
   • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

2. Use the Share link to go to your classmate’s draft on Google Drive and do the following:

   • Check the title of the document, and add a comment to tell your partner if it is clear and effective.
   • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
   • Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine (excellent, even) to include more than the minimum number of comments.
   • If your classmate has included the optional analytical memo, check whether the draft addresses all six characteristics of technical communication. If anything is missing, add a comment that lets your partner know.

3. Once you finish commenting on the document, go back to your classmate’s post in the forums and add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the paper and gives your partner some encouragement.

Reviewing the Comments You Received

Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your partner gave you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement. Your goal is to reply today so that your classmate can respond if you need more information.

Today is the due date for Project 1. We’ll go over the reflection memo and how to submit your project. Aim to submit your work by midnight in your timezone, but remember that you have a 24-hour, grace period if you need it. No excuses needed. If something has gone wrong in your world and 24 hours may not be enough, contact me immediately and let me know what you need.

Class Work for July 15

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

• Review requirements for Project 1.
• Discuss the FAQs for using Google Drive.
• Go over the reflection memo and how to submit Project 1 in Scholar.

You may want to print out today’s post so you can check off the steps for submitting your project as you work through them. If you run into trouble submitting your work, just send me an email message with the details and I will reply ASAP.

Requirements for Project 1

You need to turn in a reflection memo as well as a link to the biograpy statement(s) you have written. The number of bios you turn in will depend upon the grade you are working toward.

Remember to check your spelling and proofread for grammar and punctuation in your bios.

Using Google Drive

I have begun creating an FAQ site that includes details on policies and documentation for the courses I teach. Step-by-step instructions for tasks you will complete with your Google Drive, including converting your document if you have worked in another word processor, adding comments, and sharing your documents are all included.

To make sure that you can submit your first project smoothly, pay attention to the following FAQs:

• If you worked in something other than Google Drive, you can use your preferences to automatically convert files you upload to Google Drive automatically.
  This step is important so that I can use the commenting features in Google Drive.
• If you already uploaded a document to Google Drive, check the format of your files and manually convert the files on Google Drive if necessary.
• Follow the instructions on how to set permissions and get the Google Drive Share link to get a link that will allow me to read and comment on your document.

Writing Your Reflection Memo

As I explained in the assignment, the reflection memo is your chance to tell me anything you want me to know before I read your bios. I will read your reflection before I read the bios.

For this project, your reflection memo will give me the link(s) to your biography statements on Google Drive and to your About.me profile if you created one. You will also tell me about what you have written. Follow these instructions to submit your work:

1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
2. Choose “P1: Professional Bio Statement.”
3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your memo in this box. (Alternately, you can write in a word processor and copy/paste your text into this box.)
4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date). For your reflection memo, you’ll use the following:
• Address your memo to me (Traci) and from yourself (use your name).
• Add a subject line that indicates this is your reflection memo and which project it is for.
• Add the current date.
5. Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below:
   
6. Introduce your project—what are your overall goals, what grade have you aimed for, and what documents have you written for the project?
7. For each part of the project you have written (e.g., the formal bio, the informal bio, the About.me profile), do the following:
   1. Label the document so I know whether it is a formal bio, an informal bio, or an About.me profile.
   2. For the formal or informal bio, add the Share link to the document on your Google Drive. Use the instructions for how to get the Share link on the FAQ site if you are unsure how to share documents.
   3. Explain who the audience for your statement(s) is. What do I need to know to understand the information you have included and the tone you have used?
   4. For the About.me profile, add the link to your public page.
   5. Tell me anything else you want me to know about the bio, including the content, the layout and design, and any images you included.
8. Review the information for your bio statements. You should have a block for each piece you have written that tells me what it is, gives me the link, and tells me about it.
9. Add a concluding section that tells me anything else you want me to know about your project.
10. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar. You cannot finish submitting the project without clicking that checkbox (and it’s easy to miss).
11. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID. If something goes wrong in Scholar, you can contact 4HELP with that information.
12. Celebrate! You’ve finished the first project!