Final Grades

All final grades have now been entered into ISIS.  Thank you all for a great semester!

Grade Check

Hi everyone,

I believe I've now entered all grades up to this point in the semester.  Please check engrade to make sure your records agree with mine.  That way, we can save a lot of headache when final grades are prepared and entered. Email me with any questions, concerns, comments, and I'll get back to you ASAP.

I have your Persuasive 2 essays graded, and I plan to scan them in and distribute them when I'm on campus Tuesday morning.  I wish I could have them to you sooner, but I won't be back in town until then.

Hope your semester is wrapping up nicely!
Amanda

Final Exam Information

The information for the final exam can be found here.

I have published the questions and instructions for the take-home portion of the exam.  You can view the document here.  Remember the take-home portion is due at the beginning of the in-class exam.

Exam Times:

11am Class -- May 10th, 10:15am - 12:15pm

12:30pm Class -- May 10th, 1pm - 3pm

Semester Wrap-Up

Just to make sure we avoid any unnecessary confusion, I wanted to give you a schedule for the rest of the semester:

Tuesday, May 3rd -- Make-up day -- this is during your normal class time
        *** You don't need to make any special arrangements with me to make up a speech, just show up ready to go -- remember, you have one week to complete your self-critique form
        *** This is my last day of office hours, so if you want to chat about anything in person (e.g. grades, course concepts, assignment points), please plan to stop by my office Tuesday from 2 - 4 or you can email me at any time

Thursday, May 5th -- Work day -- NO CLASS
        *** Use this day to study, write your final exam take-home portion, catch up on sleep, whatever!  Email me with any questions, as I won't be on campus

Tuesday, May 10th -- Final exam -- Regular classroom, times below
        *** 11:00 class meets at 10:15am
        *** 12:30 class meets at 1:00pm
        *** Remember to check the guidelines posted here

Sample Persuasive 2 Speeches

Because this is a more challenging speech, I wanted to give you access to two sample speech videos. 

The first is a speech directed at Crowder College's Ag Days Board of Directors persuading them to include a job interview competition in the Ag Days schedule:

The second is a speech directed at Ford persuading them to change their engines. I include this one because it demonstrates that you can (and should) speak to your chosen audience -- even though that might mean that your actual audience won't understand everything in as much detail.

Increasing Your Persuasive Potential

Although we are finished discussing persuasive strategies, you should still be thinking about how they will affect your next speech.  Below is a checklist for the ways you can increase your chances of persuading your audience.  This is fair game for the final exam, but is not worth points as an assignment!

Business Presentations

Since some of you are focusing on presenting in a business setting, I thought this video was appropriate. It's short, sweet, and he has some great ideas!

No points for this one -- it's just an interesting video.

Persuasive 2 Topics

As you continue to work on your Persuasive 2 speeches, let's see what the rest of the class is working on.  Enter you topic (or topics if you're still deciding) into the form below.  The results can be viewed here.

This is required, but no points will be awarded.

NWACC Chamber Debate

Lots going on these last few weeks -- I've got one more event you can attend for assignment points.  I'll give you 15 points if you attend NWACC's Chamber Debate.  They will be discussing free speech, and all are experienced speakers and debaters.  More info on the event can be found here.  You'll need to bring me a program to prove you attended.

Here's the catch, though.  This is during the second day of Persuasive 2 speeches.  That means, if you want to attend this, you're going to have to speak on Tuesday. Wah wahhhh. . .

Persuasive Critiques

I'd like to encourage you to start thinking critically as audience members.  I posed some questions to you the other day -- and I hope you listened for these traits in your classmates' speeches. 

For 5 quiz points, choose one of those speeches and analyze it using two of those questions (printed on the form).  The form is located here.  Due by next Thursday before class.

Facebook Study

One of my colleagues is working on her thesis project which is an examination of facebook communication following a break-up.  She's looking for people to participate in focus groups (free form discussion with 7 or 8 people and a moderator).

I will treat this the same as the television study (click here for details on the points system).  However, I will only count two of the three options for points (so if you did the television study, you will need to choose between doing the plagiarism workshop OR the facebook study -- I won't count all three for points).

You need to email her at duvallamy31@gmail.com to sign up -- she asks that you include your name, gender, and your preference of the session times offered below:

Female Groups (Lead by a Female Moderator):

April 14th- 5:15-6:15 p.m.

April 15th- 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Male Groups (Lead by a Male Moderator):

April 13th- 5:30-6:30 p.m.

April 18th- 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Preparing to be Persuaded

This week, you'll be presenting your first persuasive speech.  You'll also be watching the persuasive speeches presented by your classmates.  I'll be putting up a blog post tomorrow that will allow you to identify the persuasive techniques employed by the other speakers in your class (worth 5 quiz points).  Think about the following questions as you listen/watch:

1. Where do they employ persuasive techniques?
2. Did they adapt to their anticipated audience receptivity?
3. Were you persuaded?
4. Did they use logos/pathos/ethos, Maslow's hierarchy, etc. 

I will not give you these questions if you ask in class.  You  need to BE PREPARED -- have them written down.

The Toulmin Model

Today we discussed the Toulmin Model of argumentation.  However, we were only able to briefly skim the surface of this cornerstone persuasive theory.

You can complete the four steps of the comprehensive tutorial of the concept here, and if you complete the assessment page with at least 80% accuracy, I'll give you 10 quiz points. Due next

MEGA IMPORTANT NOTE: You must PRINT the assessment page before you click Submit -- Clicking Submit DOES NOT send your test to me!!!!

Sample Persuasive Speech

Here's a sample of a Problem-Cause-Solution persuasive speech. If you'd like to see a second example, click here.

This post is just for your reference -- you may comment if you like, but no points will be awarded.

 

Adapting to Your Audience

We have talked about audience analysis several times in the past, but this concept is particularly important when we are attempting to persuade our audience.  The handout below gives specific ways you can adapt your topic to your audience's anticipated reaction.

You can also take a 10-point quiz on this handout here. Due next Tuesday before class time.

This information is also fair game for the final exam.

Television Study

For those who missed out on doing the television study a few weeks back, Ms. Ray is offering another session this Thursday at 5pm.  All points, rules, etc. remain from the last time this was offered -- you can see that post here.

For those who participated last time, I just got the list of your names, and I plan to have those in the gradebook by the end of this week.  Remember, if you want credit for doing the plagiarism workshop, you need to bring me some evidence that you participated.

Cognitive Dissonance

Since I was not able to be in class this afternoon, we didn't get to discuss cognitive dissonance.  We will cover that information on Tuesday.

However, you'll see that the daily assignment posted on the blog will ask you to describe your own cognitive dissonance (the sense of mental discomfort when a new idea conflicts with your previously held beliefs or values) after watching the episode.  You can either read this brief webpage description then go ahead and complete the quiz or wait until Tuesday after class to complete it.

The quiz will still be due next Thursday by class time.

Persuasion in Action

DISCLAIMER -- This video has some bad language in it.  If you are offended by the use of bad language (in humor, not violence, force, etc.), please email me for an alternate assignment.

Though there are many persuasive personalities in our popular culture, many of them do not employ solid reasoning.  One group who I have found to use solid evidence is the magic and comic duo, Penn and Teller.  They have a series called "Bullsh!t," in which they discuss current issues in a comical, but persuasive manner. 

Watch the episode called, "Stranger Danger" (links below) and complete this quiz by next Thursday to receive up to 15 points.

When you follow the link, you will see a notice that the video has been taken down.  Wait just a few more seconds, and it should load just fine.
Stranger Danger -- Part 1
Stranger Danger -- Part 2
Stranger Danger -- Part 3

Persuasive 1 Topics

Enter your name and your topic for the 1st Persuasive Speech in the FORM BELOW (you won't be able to type them into the spreadsheet -- you must enter them in the form).  Before you enter your topics, be sure to see what others have entered here.  This is due by class time next week.

This is required, but no points will be awarded.

Sample Informative 2 Speech

Enjoy!

Outline Template

I've embedded the link for the "Outline Template" in the Outlining PowerPoint.  For easy reference, HERE it is again.  It might be worth bookmarking. . . ?

This post is just for your reference -- no points awarded.

Informative 2 Topics

Enter your name and your topic for the 2nd Informative Speech in the FORM BELOW (you won't be able to type it into the spreadsheet -- you must enter it in the form).  Before you enter your topic, be sure to see what others have entered here.  This is due by class time next Thursday.

This is required, but no points will be awarded.

Death by PowerPoint

Below is a presentation created by the "Corporation for a Skilled Workforce" on how to prevent what they call "Death by PowerPoint."  AFTER CLASS, watch this presentation (you can turn off the sound if the song is annoying to you) and fill out this quiz to receive up to 5 points.

Early Progress Grades

I've entered your Early Progress Grades into ISIS.  Those included the two speeches you've given, the mid-term, and 50 assignment points (since we're halfway through the class). The score was out of 350 points.

There are two things I want to clarify:

1. If you were on the edge (89%, for example), I gave you the lower grade.  Remember, this grade is only for your reference -- so it seems to me more useful to know that you're on the edge so that you can step up a bit.  If I rounded, I'm afraid some would slack off and regret it later.

2. If you are missing an speech/exam, I adjusted it out.  For example, if you are missing the midterm, I took your score out of 250 points (350 - 100).

I was disappointed to see that many of you have only completed a few assignment points. Remember, that category is worth 10% of your grade -- or an entire letter.  The post below has information on a good way to earn a big chunk of these points, so I would highly recommend checking it out.

Want to Earn Some Points?

It's hard to believe we're about halfway through the semester already, and I know some of you are already thinking (worrying?) about your grades.  I wanted to share a couple of opportunities to earn some extra points.

1. Television Study -- a colleague of mine is doing a study on people who watch at least 2 hours of television per week.  If this describes you, click here to learn more about the study.  The study is taking place this week.

2. Plagiarism Workshop -- the QWC conducts workshops to help students learn about plagiarism.  If you are unsure of how to cite sources in papers, how to put together your Works Cited entries, etc., click here to find out about these workshops.  One workshop is this week, and there are two more later in the semester. *Pre-registration is REQUIRED*

If you participate in ONE of these -- I will give you 20 (count 'em, 20) assignment points

If you participate in BOTH of these -- I will give you 20 assignment points and 20 EXTRA CREDIT points

I'll confirm your participation in the study with Ms. Ray directly.  If you participate in the plagiarism workshop, they should have some documentation that you can bring to me to prove your attendance.

Do I Have a Right?

Even if you're "into" politics and government, we sometimes forget some of the most basic rights we have as US citizens.  Luckily, the folks at icivics.org have come up with a super awesome Bill of Rights flash game -- and really, I found it strangely addictive!

Play this game through to the end (you'll know you're done when they flash up a screen with your points) and email me with your score to earn 10 points.

Midterm Extra Credit

Some of you are probably aware that big things are happening right now in Wisconsin.  Protests have now been underway for about a week, and the various parties involved have been using a number of communication strategies to make their voices heard -- some of these are traditional, and some of them are not.

I RARELY give extra credit.  However, I think you should be aware of these events AND studying them will be good practice for Informative Speech 2, SO. . .

I'm offering up to 15 points extra credit on the midterm. Here's how to get it:

1. Read up.  Browse a few major newspapers/news blogs to find out what's going on there.  You're going to have to read several, because there is lots of misinformation and slant coming out of Wisconsin.

2. Think.  You need to decide what you think about this issue. Are the various parties acting ethically? Are they making good points? Should action be taken on behalf of one side or the other?

3. Write.  Write a 1.5 - 2 page (double spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman, etc.) paper.  This should NOT be an "opinion" paper -- it should be an "argument" paper.  That means I'm not interested in what you think unless you can back it up with strong argumentation and source citations.  You will have already read some news coverage, so it shouldn't be hard to back up what you think.  You'll also include a Works Cited/References page as your third page.

4. Proofread.  I expect this paper to be free from grammar and spelling errors, and I expect that you will go through and clean up any awkward or unclear sentences.

You'll hand in your paper before you take the exam on Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This is NOT valid for those who take the midterm on make-up day.

Midterm Next Week!

I've posted the guidelines for the midterm exam next week under the "speech and exam info" tab on the blog.  You'll want to be sure and look over the instructions, as they will give you some idea of how to study for the exam.

Many of you may not be very familiar with completing essay-style exams.  Since there is a good amount of writing in this test, I wanted to share some links with you:

• Here is a Washington University webpage to help political science students -- they make excellent points on constructing your answers, though I suspect this is targeted to a slightly larger exam than ours.
• This webpage is from a Florida State biology professor -- the first section is extremely similar to my own point of view, so it's worth a look.  You probably won't want to spend time looking over his examples, though, since the subject matter is so different from ours.
• Finally, this short video is a nice discussion of answering longer essay questions (you'll have ONE of these) -- if you've never had to answer a 3 - 5 paragraph essay question on a test, this is DEFINITELY worth watching.
• Remember I am expecting you to apply the Toulmin model of argumentation to ALL of our course work -- this DEFINITELY includes the exam!

Is Wikipedia Really So Bad?

Wikipedia definitely gets a bad rap.  Even the popular media has mocked the user interactive website.  Still, semester after semester, I have students tell me how much they love it -- even I occasionally uses it for quick reference.  Sooooo, what do YOU think of Wikipedia?

What is its place in the research process?  Does it even have a place at all?  Why does it get such a bad rap?  Do you use wikipedia?  Post a comments are due by next Tuesday.  5-points for a well-developed comment, 10 points if it includes a strong piece of evidence (including a source citation).

Internet Detective

Because our classrooms are not equipped as computer labs, I'm sending you home to complete a tutorial on responsible use of internet research. The tutorial claims it will take about an hour. It took me less time than this, but you should reserve a good amount of time for going through this website.

I'll be including info from the website on the mid-term, so I recommend that you don't just blow this off. . . Click here to begin the Internet Detective Tutorial. (You'll need to scroll down and click "Next" on the first page to begin the lesson.)

Rubric Error

A student in the 12:30 class caught a mistake on the Info 1 Rubric -- I had "Thesis" where it should have read "Attention Getter/Connection Step."  I've corrected the mistake, but I wanted to let you know in case you'd already downloaded/printed it.

Thanks, Lindsey (and good catch)!

Sample Informative Speech

To help you visualize your best Informative Speech, here's a sample of a good quality Famous Person Speech. Notice that her organization is clear and that she does NOT read from her note cards.

First Informative Topics

HANDS DOWN -- THE MOST COMMON REASON STUDENTS DON'T FINISH THEIR SPEECHES IS THAT THEY NEVER PICK A TOPIC!!!  This assignment is meant to prevent that.

You have until class time this Tuesday to list your chosen topic (a famous person).  Before you enter them into the FORM BELOW, CHECK HERE to make sure you aren't duplicating other students' topics.

Note -- you won't be able to type directly into the spreadsheet -- type into the form below, then look at the spreadsheet.

Introductions on the Internet

There are lots of speeches on the internet -- some follow our format, and some don't. Find a speech online that includes an introduction with at least 2 of the 3 elements covered in class.  Then:

1. Paste the URL address into a blog comment
2. Tell us what you think of the introduction -- is it good or bad?  Why?  How could it be better?

This is due by next Thursday and worth up to 15 points.

Snow Day Assignments

Sigh.  Here we go again?  I'm asking you to help me get us caught back up from all of our missed days -- so I not only expect you to complete the assignments, I plan to include this information on the midterm exam.

Here are your three assignments:

1. Using the Delivery PowerPoint to guide your reading, work your way through the chapters in your text (Chapters 17 - 19).  Let me give you a hint -- Don't read word-for-word. Be able to explain the terms and provide thorough answers to the questions on the PowerPoints.

2. Think about why we analyze our audiences -- your book has some stuff on this. . . but honestly, I think it's mainly common sense (no terms or anything).  Optional: check out the presentation here (we would primarily talk about the commercials used to target specific audiences on certain channels and at certain times of year).

3. I'm going to ask you to write about audience analysis on the midterm.   This stuff is real stuff -- people analyze you all the time.  So I want you to look at a real piece of persuasive rhetoric: Super Size Me (click to access).  Think about the following items:

1. Who is the intended audience?  Are there people who are excluded from the "conversation"?  What allows a person to be considered "intended audience"?
2. Does he do a good job of targeting his audience?  What are the specific strategies he uses to target those people?  Are there things he does to make you feel like you are included in this audience?
3. Why do you think this film was made?  What are the results of the film?  This film was made in 2004 -- are there any cultural influences that made the film successful?  Political influences?  Economics?
4. Now push yourself further.  Yes.  This is about obesity, blah blah blah.  That's the surface of it.  Now try to come up with something original and interesting to say about it.

I think this is a pretty entertaining film -- enjoy it.  After it's over, you might want to jot down some of your ideas so you can remember them later, but I wouldn't recommend taking notes during it (personally, I think notetaking just makes movies feel boring).

Stay safe, everybody, and please email me if you have any questions!

The Dark Side of Audience Analysis

Audience analysis goes hand in hand with an advertising strategy called "target marketing."  As public speakers, we analyze our audience to increase our credibility. . . but what are the ethical issues?

Watch this video and post a comment agreeing or disagreeing with the video's stance for 10 quiz points (due by class time next Tuesday).  Again, I expect well thought-out analysis and good grammar/spelling.

(PS -- this is actually just a trailer, but you can watch the whole documentary here.)

Multiple Intelligences

When analyzing your audience, it is important to consider differences in your listeners' learning style.  Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences is a staple for educators and speakers across the country.

You can take the test to determine your learning style here, and read more about it here.  Print the test, fill it out, and bring it in by next Tuesday for 5 quiz points.

New Schedule

Well, I guess waiting to rearrange the schedule paid off.  :)

Now that we are officially out of school again tomorrow, I've rearranged the course schedule to accommodate our missed week.  You'll see that we now have Diagnostic Speeches on Tuesday, after which we'll discuss audience analysis and I'll introduce the first informative speech.  It's going to be a big day.

I've also moved the first informative speech back a week, so that you'll still have two full weeks to prepare.  Unfortunately, this means you'll have the first informative speech and the midterm exam on back-to-back weeks.  It couldn't be helped, so I guess we'll make the most of it.

As always, please don't hesitate to email if you have questions, concerns, etc.  I'm happy to help!

Snooooooooooowpocalypse!!!

Clearly we will not be seeing each other today.  In fact, some have predicted that the campus will be closed on Thursday as well.  Who knows.  Remember, if the campus is open, we will meet.  If the campus is closed, we won't meet.

I'm not going to rearrange the schedule until I know a little more certainly when we'll be back to school.  For now, just be aware that I will expect to hear your diagnostic speeches the next time we have class.  If, on that day, you are not prepared, or you don't present for some other reason,  make-up speech policies apply.

Rules for Listening

This is NOT OPTIONAL!  You need to go through this Slide Show and READ AND UNDERSTAND the rules for speech day.  No points awarded for this assignment -- but not knowing the rules could lose you points on speeches.

Culture and Listening

Does your cultural background affect your ability to listen to others?  Check this out and leave a comment by in order to receive up to 15 points (due by next Tuesday before class).

Listen for the main idea of the story then argue either for or against their ideas.  Alternatively, you could provide an example of a time when you've seen this scenario play out in your life.  Or come up with your own analysis and argue it thoroughly.

Full credit will be awarded to those who provide an insightful, well-thought out argument free from grammatical and spelling errors.

Diagnostic Speech

We're diving right in!  A week from today, everyone will need to deliver their first speech of the semester.  DON'T PANIC!  This is meant to be a (relatively) stress-free presentation about the topic you know best -- You!  It's also meant to help you see (1) how I grade speeches, (2) how speech weeks work, and (3) where you excel and where you need to improve when it comes to public speaking.  It is NOT meant to make or break your grade.  Here are the guidelines:

The instructions are here, and the rubric is here.

Here's a sample speech to get you started:

SNOW DAY!

 Hi classes!  I hope everyone is staying safe and warm.  Due to University closing, we will not have class.  I've rearranged the calendar to accommodate the change -- note that the Diagnostic Speech has now been pushed back to the following Tuesday.  Since we are so early in the semester, you don't need to do any homework or anything -- just enjoy the snow day!!  See you all next Tuesday!

First Day

Greetings, students, and welcome to the fall semester!  Here are two small tasks that you need to complete before we really get going in here.  The following assignments are worth 5 assignment points each and they are due by next Tuesday.  Email or come by my office if you need help!

1.  Use the printed number I gave you in class to sign up on engrade.  Use an email address you check often. If you need help getting signed up, there is a "help" tab under "Gradebook" on the blog.

2.  Subscribe to the blog and/or "like" edgarcomm on facebook. Both options are on the right side toolbar of the blog.  Use an email address you check often.  Once you've clicked through the box on the blog, you'll need to click through the confirmation email you receive in order to receive credit.

Note: Liking edgarcomm on facebook does NOT allow me to see your profile, nor does it make us "friends."  It WILL post course assignments in your newsfeed.  It WON'T send you email updates -- if you want those, you should subscribe instead.