 Your new post is loading...
Myth #1 – Writing = Keyboarding“Every time I would turn around, she would just be deleting everything on the screen.” My friend told me. “I bought her a bluetooth keyboard and that has helped.” How does the purchase of a keyboard magically improve the writing process? It doesn’t – though it may help with typing. When it comes to mobile devices, especially those with touch-screens like iPad or Android tablets, the effectiveness of the virtual keyboard immediately comes into question, and therefore the concept that writing can’t happen on a mobile device. Tech Directors have told me that their teachers oppose touch-screen tablets because they don’t allow students to type, and thousands of dollars have been spent on expensive cases with external keyboards. Interestingly, Brady Cline, an ICT Coordinator in Bangkok, conducted an informal study in his school to compare the typing capabilities of students using virtual vs. traditional keyboards. While anecdotal evidence over the past 12-18 months has suggested that students adapt to touch-screen keyboards much more easily than adults, Brady’s post provides a set of quantitative data indicating that students can potentially type equally well on both a traditional as well as a virtual keyboard. “…this study seems to illustrate an important point: adults who have spent decades typing on a traditional keyboard, find it very difficult to imagine that students can be successful typing efficiently on a virtual keyboard. The evidence here, however, does not support this bias.” Once we disconnect the process of writing from the mechanics of typing, then we can begin to look at the potential of mobile devices. Myth #2 – Writing = Word Processing http://www.edudemic.com/5-myths-about-writing-with-mobile-devices/
An updated database of online articles and posts
Introduction: Whether you're writing reports, proposals, policy documents or manuals, this training course will give you the writing techniques for putting ideas clearly, concisely and persuasively so you can concentrate on your real interest — convincing the reader of the merits of your case. Your report writing is the end result of a great deal of hard work — our report writing training gives you the techniques and develops the skills that will do justice to your efforts.Learn how to write reports and proposals that influence readers and get the results that you want — and you’ll bring the same effectiveness to bear on your letters and other documents.Our report writing training shows you how to communicate clearly and effectively, use report structures that guide the reader through your writing and bring them to your point of view. Convince readers with reports, proposals in which the key ideas shine through – capturing even the skim reader’s attention.
Teaching writing skills can be quite challenging as each student has different needs. Some students are planning on taking advanced tests like the TOEFL, whereas others just want to use English during their travels abroad. In general, it's important to focus on encouraging writing skills that students feel they will actually use. It's a good idea to start off with short writing exercises, and then, if it makes sense for the class, move on to more advanced skills such as writing essays. Use a writing rubric to grade longer written assignments, as this will give students a broader overview of the skills they need to improve.
The Spanish company Daedalus has released a new version of Stilus, a tool for multilingual proofreading that applies semantic technologies and operates in the cloud to facilitate the task of spelling, grammar and style checking.
Writing is something everybody does almost every day of their lives. Usually people don’t pay much attention to what their writing looks like. But what most people don’t know is that your writing can tell a little bit about your personality.
Here are ten areas to be sure to attend to if you wish to be taken seriously as a professional writer.
This volume is a collection of articles based on papers which have been presented at the monthlyJos Linguistics Circle, held in the city of Jos in central Nigeria, together with an overview chapter surveying current linguistics research and language development in Nigeria. The twelve articles are all written by specialists in Nigerian languages and treat a wide range of subjects. General linguistics topics include phonetics (Biu-Mandara labiocoronals, interdental approximants in Bauchi, and the “explosive bilabial nasal” of Ninkyop), phonology (vowel length in C’Lela and word-initial gemination in Cicipu), morphosyntax (focus strategies in Rigwe, tense/aspect/manner marking in Ukaan, and verbal nouns in Jukun), semantics (of ut‑Ma’in noun classes), and discourse (information structure encoded by verbal morphology in Central Kambari). Other chapters have sociolinguistic and interdisciplinary themes, including archaeology, Tarok oral traditions, and the use of Arabic script in present-day Nigeria. The focus is on the minority languages of Nigeria: many of the languages discussed are severely underdescribed despite their fascinating properties, and this book will be a valuable resource for africanists and typologists alike.
Arabic script in modern Nigeria
Doctor promotes love-letter writing - To revive the practice of writing love letters which has died a slow death after the advent of mobile phones and Internet, a naturopathy docto...
Everyone in prison thinks they can write. From inmates writing poetry and song lyrics to the officers who all say they're going to write their memoirs when they retire.
As the tech world becomes more mobile, some devices need to play catch-up. Laptops may have built-in speakers, but they're only ideal if you're born with tin ears.
A well-thought out e-mail, report or presentation gets recognised in college and at work. Here's a beginner's guide to honing your writing skills.
What ballet is to football players, mathematics is to writers, a discipline so beguiling and foreign, so close to a taboo, that it actually attracts a few intrepid souls by virtue of its impregnability.
With thousands of participants (200,000 and counting this year alone), NaNoWriMo is never dull. Most people have a book in mind that they "plan on writing one day." That is the beauty of NaNoWriMo.
It's that time again. Time for writers everywhere to shut themselves off from the world and shed light on that novel within. NaNoWriMo 2012 has officially begun and you only have 30 days to put 50,000 words down on paper. Thank goodness Jason Boog at MediaBistro's Galleycat published some tips on November 1, 2012, to help you get started. In his article titled, “NaNoWriMo Tip #1: Read Two Years' Worth of Advice in a Single Post,” Boog offers up 60 tantalizing and helpful tips for writers to help you with everything from plot summaries to character development to choosing the perfect writing implement. Hint: Check out #23: Turn your computer into a typewriter. You'll have a blast! Top Five Favorite NaNoWriMo Tips from Galleycat, in no particular order: Tip 25: Relax with a literary drink: Includes Raymond Chandler's gimlet recipe from, “The Long Goodbye.” Tip 20: Meet your deadline with kittens: Earn cute kitten rewards when you reach writing milestones. Tip 27: World of Warcraft Procrastinator Support: Yes, there's a group of NaNoWriMo writers who use WOW as an excuse to put off tackling that next 1,666.67 words. Tip 26: Write by hand: If you can still remember how to hold a pencil, this is the coolest way to write a book. There's even a support group.
In November, darkness is settling upon us, and that hibernation instinct could tell you to stay home every night — preferably with a good book. But don’t succumb to isolation; there are warm people gathering to talk about books all over the Twin Cities. Amazing writers are coming to town every week in November, and an evening in their company is well worth going out in the dark. There is one good reason to stay home, however: It’s National Novel Writing month. If you’ve been sitting on a good story idea, this is your chance to come away with a working rough draft. Solidarity always helps: A couple of hundred thousand other people have done it, and some have even sold their books. writers are coming to town every week, and an evening in their company is well worth going out in the dark.
“I spent every night until four in the morning on my dissertation, until I came to the point when I could not write another word, not even the next letter. I went to bed. Eight o’clock the next morning I was up writing again.” -Abraham Pais, physicist You’ve been in graduate school for many years now, and you’ve come a long way. You’ve completed all of your coursework, formed your Ph.D. thesis committee, passed your preliminary/oral/qualifying examinations, and have done an awful lot of research along the way. There’s a glimmer of hope in your heart that maybe — just maybe — this will be your last year in graduate school. Image credit: East Tennessee State University's Department of Mathematics and Statistics. You’ve probably even gotten some papers published along the way, with a handful of them (if you’re lucky) with you as the lead author! But there’s one more task you need to perform before you’re ready to defend in front of your committee: you must write that dissertation! While there are many guides on how to do that, many of them are either jokes… Image credit: Flickr user chnrdu. …or people grossly overstating the task in front of you. There are some very important things that go into a dissertation, but there are also some huge misconceptions about what a dissertation is supposed to be. What follows is my advice for anyone who’s reached that stage in their careers, on how to write a dissertation. (At least, as far as theoretical astrophysics goes, although I’m sure this is applicable to many other fields.)
Online tutoring, provided by the FMU Writing Center (WC), gives FMU students a new way to access tutorials outside of normal hours.
Dr. Jennifer Kunka, director of the WC, implemented the program last semester for off-campus students, but has decided to offer online tutoring for the entire student body.
“It began because we wanted to provide Writing Center tutoring assistance to students who are not physically taking class on the campus,” Kunka said. “[Now] we have decided to expand it this semester to a wider audience. We’ve opened it up to the entire university and have started to get some interest in it from students who are signing up to make use of what we can offer.”
Justin McGee, one of four online WC consultants, said that Collaborate is an environment that provides almost the same experience as meeting face to face.
“It’s different because you lose that one-on-one interaction between the student and the tutor,” McGee said. “However, the program we use, Blackboard Collaborate, really makes the sessions as similar to normal tutoring sessions as possible.”
Tutorials take place through an online application called Blackboard Collaborate. Collaborate is part of the Blackboard website which many professors use to post assignments and quizzes for students. Collaborate provides specialized tools for online tutoring allowing students to share documents and to interact with the tutors in various ways.
Students who are interested in using Blackboard Collaborate through the online tutoring program are required to have a microphone and speakers or headphones in order to talk to the tutors. A webcam is helpful, but optional for students. The tutors, however, will have a headset as well as a webcam so students can both see and hear them during the tutorial.
Although the tutoring sessions provide the same quality of tutoring found in the WC, some prior set-up is essential to make sure everything happens as it should.
By Tom Lange of The Daily Journal (Johnson County)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 - 8:49 am
Before local high school English teachers can show freshmen how to become more persuasive writers, they have to reteach skills the students were supposed to learn in elementary school.
Students need to be reminded to indent new paragraphs, end sentences with proper punctuation and to capitalize the starts of sentences, proper nouns and “I.”
Armed with cellphones, teens and preteens have forgotten these basics and blame it on texting. Teachers have to stop them from using text language, such as “ur” and “cu later.”
Teacher Nicci Sargent has a list with these and other reminders hanging in her classroom at Franklin Community High School. When Sargent grades a paper and finds any violation of these standards, she stops grading and marks VWE – Violating Writing Expectations – at the top. Students get their papers back and have 24 hours to find and fix their mistakes before they lose points.
“We were constantly seeing these same errors and having to correct them in papers over and over again. These are skills that they learned in the first grade, but somewhere they got out of the habit of using them,” Sargent said.
Ninth grade is a critical year for students' writing skills. By the time most students begin their freshman year, they're relatively skilled at writing stories and other narratives, but they don't know how to write arguments and essays that require clear writing skills, Sargent and Greenwood English teacher Mike Campbell said.
Appendices
Be careful with the use of appendices. Some proposal writers try to use the appendix to place information that should have been included in the body of the proposal. The appendix should not be used to get around any page limitations stated in the RFP.
In general, the appendix might include: résumés of key personnel that will implement the grant; endorsements and letters of support; verifi cations; assurances; and diagrams or illustrations. It is not uncommon to supply documentation of your non-profi t status. Some proposals will ask for you a list of collaborating partners.
Do not put new information in the appendix. Your grant application must stand on its own. Any information in the appendix should further verify or backup the text of your application.
Grant Forms
The forms that are part of the RFP guidelines will often serve as an outline for your grant narrative. Most RFPs will also include a procedure for the application submission. These directions will guide you and help you plan ahead. Additionally, the RFP will describe formatting issues. Follow all directions carefully. Many applications have additional components, usually a set of forms and assurances. It is imperative that you read all of the directions (several times) so that you can get going on these additional pieces.
Scoring Criteria, Rubrics and the Writing Process
Scoring criteria are often included in the grant request for proposals. The scoring criteria is often further described in a scoring rubric. The rubric may further break down the criteria and provide the grant readers a score range on which to judge this element.
Under each category in the rubric, a statement is provided as an example. This detailed rubric is both good and bad for the grant seeker. On the good side, the grant funder is telling you exactly what you need to do. What is bad is that you may be tempted to simply write the “Makes a Strong Case” statement without really describing what you plan to do. Be careful not to fall into this trap. For example, stating that the narrative describes a comprehensive action plan to share successful program implementation strategies and outcomes with stakeholders at the conclusion of the program does not tell the grant reader how you plan to do this. It does not say how parents, community members, and school districts will actually be able to share in the lessons learned.
Grant Budget
Can your elementary, middle, or high school student generate ideas, organize their thoughts, or revise and edit their own work? Learn how to help improve your child’s writing using the same tools and strategies teachers use in the classroom. Attend “A+ Writing: Building Stronger Writers at any Grade Level.” The program, part of the Jefferson Public Library Family Information Series, is presented by Mrs. Alicia King, certified teacher and professional tutor. It starts at 10am on Saturday, October 20th at the Jefferson Public Library.
In this article, we will explain the most important points in professional Writing and how to use English for academic puroposes. Exploring your theory
In 2011, German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg resigned after it was discovered that he had copied large parts of his doctoral thesis. In some cultures, copying may be regarded as a sign of respect, but in Western cultures, plagiarism is a serious academic offence.
International students must be aware of Western principles if they wish to study, or have their work published, in English-speaking countries.
Academic essays are written for a number of reasons — for example, to convince readers of the author’s opinion, to explain a current situation and offer solutions, or to compare different positions.
Of course, the essay is supported by research. This can be in the form of primary research (such as creating questionnaires and asking people for information) or secondary research, which means using data that is available in books, in articles and on the internet. When using secondary research, authors must make sure the source is trustworthy.
Wikipedia, for example, is not considered an acceptable source for an academic essay. The text of the essay will then have to be written in the correct academic style. This means the author should:
How to teach writing, reading and thinking
OCTOBER 11, 2012 BY JOANNE LEAVE A COMMENT
“Explicit teaching of writing makes kids better writers” and readers. Does writing improve thinking? Dan Willingham looks at the evidence in The Atlantic.
Not all writing instruction is helpful, Willingham writes. Students learn to write well if they’re taught “the nuts and bolts,” such as “text structure, how to use specific strategies for planning, revising, or editing text, and so on. . . . if a teacher does not show students how to construct a paragraph or a well-written argument, some will figure out it anyway, but many will not.”
Writing instruction improves reading comprehension, but again the details matter. When students write about what they’ve read — analyzing, interpreting, summarizing and answering questions — they build comprehension, Willingham writes. Explicit teaching of writing conventions helps students understand how authors use conventions.
It’s worth noting that these two advantages — better writing and better reading — will probably not accrue if most writing assignments consist of answering short questions, writing in journals, and completing worksheets — exactly the writing tasks on which elementary school kids spend most of their time (Gilbert & Graham, 2010). Students need assignments that include writing in longer formats with some formal structural requirements.
The research is not as clear on the question of whether teaching writing improves thinking, he writes.
There is a certain logic to the idea that students can become better critical thinkers by completing writing assignments. Writing forces you to organize your thoughts. Writing encourages you to try different ideas and combinations of ideas. Writing encourages you to select your words carefully. Writing holds the promise (and the threat) of a permanent record of your thoughts, and thus offers the motivation to order them carefully. And indeed some forms of writing–persuasive or expository essays for example — explicitly call for carefully ordering thinking.
|
Scoop.it!
