Monday, March 31, 2014
Draft Workshop: Intro / Methods Audio
Listen to your partner's podcast at least once without stopping, then answer the following questions in the Google Doc where that person kept his or her script.
1. Describe the author's implementation of the middle style. Is it a higher or lower take on the middle style? Does the author come off as a credible scientist? What aspects of the podcast contribute most to the author's voice? Be as specific as possible.
2. Do you zone out or become disoriented at any point in the podcast? At what point does the author lose your attention? Does s/he read too slowly or too quickly? Is the recording clear and easy to understand?
3. Describe how the author has implemented post-production techniques such as the addition of music, sound effects, etc. Do these help you to understand the content of the podcast or do they distract you from it?
4. Has the author done everything required for both the Introduction and Methods and Materials sections? Is this information clearly highlighted? Does the author do a good job of explaining the experiment without summarizing the results? Does the podcast sound too much or not enough like a proper scientific research report? What changes might the author make in order to enhance his or her credibility or come off as more approachable?
Now, read these questions and then listen to the podcast again, thinking about how you will answer each question. If you need to listen again, rewind and listen to part of the podcast again. When you're done, answer these questions:
1. How does the author attempt to grab the reader's attention? Do you think the reader will be "hooked" within 10-15 seconds? Can the author's attention-getter be described as one of the more or less effective introductions we talked about? Explain your answer.
2. At what point does the author transition from the Introduction section to the Methods and Materials section? Describe how this transition takes place and how the author signals to the reader that s/he should be listening for a new idea. Identify any other transitions that are unclear or confusing.
3. Is the hypothesis highlighted clearly? Can the author be absolutely sure that even a casual listener will understand the experiment's hypothesis? How does the author highlight this information? How might it be highlighted more clearly?
When you have completed the workshop, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eVXQhVAyTXf5rl78MaIA60_5Gpp0OXEM41Mbqs5GO2g/viewform
1. Describe the author's implementation of the middle style. Is it a higher or lower take on the middle style? Does the author come off as a credible scientist? What aspects of the podcast contribute most to the author's voice? Be as specific as possible.
2. Do you zone out or become disoriented at any point in the podcast? At what point does the author lose your attention? Does s/he read too slowly or too quickly? Is the recording clear and easy to understand?
3. Describe how the author has implemented post-production techniques such as the addition of music, sound effects, etc. Do these help you to understand the content of the podcast or do they distract you from it?
4. Has the author done everything required for both the Introduction and Methods and Materials sections? Is this information clearly highlighted? Does the author do a good job of explaining the experiment without summarizing the results? Does the podcast sound too much or not enough like a proper scientific research report? What changes might the author make in order to enhance his or her credibility or come off as more approachable?
Now, read these questions and then listen to the podcast again, thinking about how you will answer each question. If you need to listen again, rewind and listen to part of the podcast again. When you're done, answer these questions:
1. How does the author attempt to grab the reader's attention? Do you think the reader will be "hooked" within 10-15 seconds? Can the author's attention-getter be described as one of the more or less effective introductions we talked about? Explain your answer.
2. At what point does the author transition from the Introduction section to the Methods and Materials section? Describe how this transition takes place and how the author signals to the reader that s/he should be listening for a new idea. Identify any other transitions that are unclear or confusing.
3. Is the hypothesis highlighted clearly? Can the author be absolutely sure that even a casual listener will understand the experiment's hypothesis? How does the author highlight this information? How might it be highlighted more clearly?
When you have completed the workshop, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eVXQhVAyTXf5rl78MaIA60_5Gpp0OXEM41Mbqs5GO2g/viewform
Turn in Draft of Intro / Methods Audio
Once, your draft is completed, in Audacity go to File > Export. Choose a location for your file and choose WAV for the format. Click "OK" through any other options (the defaults should be fine), and you should have an audio file of your draft saved in the location you chose.
Go to soundcloud.com and sign up for a free account. Once you're logged in, click the "upload" button at the top of the page, then the "choose files" button and point it toward the file you saved in the step above.
Once your draft is uploaded, submit your link via the form below. Your link should look something like http://www.soundcloud.com/YOUR_SOUNDCLOUD_USERNAME/THE_NAME_OF_YOUR_PODCAST
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10e5byPuj9QbQA_bbrNQD3sxFw_5A2beVoXgi9qfh2Ew/viewform
Go to soundcloud.com and sign up for a free account. Once you're logged in, click the "upload" button at the top of the page, then the "choose files" button and point it toward the file you saved in the step above.
Once your draft is uploaded, submit your link via the form below. Your link should look something like http://www.soundcloud.com/YOUR_SOUNDCLOUD_USERNAME/THE_NAME_OF_YOUR_PODCAST
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/10e5byPuj9QbQA_bbrNQD3sxFw_5A2beVoXgi9qfh2Ew/viewform
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Intro / Methods Script Workshop
1. Examine the author’s introduction. Does it follow one of the strategies for effective introductions we talked about in class? If so, which one? Is it clear, direct, and specific? Does it begin by telling the audience something s/he doesn’t know? How might the introduction be improved?
2. Does the author clearly highlight their hypothesis statement? If so, how? Do you think that there is any chance that the listener might miss or misinterpret their hypothesis statement? If so, why?
3. What is the expected ratio of scripted vs unscripted content? Do you think this ratio will be effective? Are there any sections that you think might work better as either scripted or unscripted? Why?
4. How has the author planned to employ post-production techniques? Do you think these strategies will be effective? Suggest ways in which the author might use post-production techniques such as adding music or sound effects to make their podcast clearer and/or more interesting.
5. Is the author’s Methods & Materials section effective? Does it explain the experiment in enough detail that the listener could replicate it exactly? Suggest any ways in which the Methods section might be improved.
When you have completed the workshop, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FmZQjh9qgj01vju_G7DbY9_bSeepPLx_i-pmH6u6-0w/viewform
2. Does the author clearly highlight their hypothesis statement? If so, how? Do you think that there is any chance that the listener might miss or misinterpret their hypothesis statement? If so, why?
3. What is the expected ratio of scripted vs unscripted content? Do you think this ratio will be effective? Are there any sections that you think might work better as either scripted or unscripted? Why?
4. How has the author planned to employ post-production techniques? Do you think these strategies will be effective? Suggest ways in which the author might use post-production techniques such as adding music or sound effects to make their podcast clearer and/or more interesting.
5. Is the author’s Methods & Materials section effective? Does it explain the experiment in enough detail that the listener could replicate it exactly? Suggest any ways in which the Methods section might be improved.
When you have completed the workshop, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1FmZQjh9qgj01vju_G7DbY9_bSeepPLx_i-pmH6u6-0w/viewform
Monday, March 24, 2014
Model Podcast
Listen to the following podcast:
http://uncquartet.blogspot.com/2010/11/charlottes-feeder-22.html
As you listen, think about your answers to the following questions:
What signals the listener that the author is beginning a new section or introducing a new idea?
How does the author deal with the problem of representing charts, graphs, etc. in the audio format? Do you think she is successful?
Evaluate the author’s introduction and hypothesis statement. Are they effective? Why or why not?
How has the author used music and sound effects to make the podcast clearer? Are there any sections that might have used these tools more effectively?
Does the author achieve an appropriate level of scientific credibility? Why or why not?
Ask what things they liked about this podcast. What could have been done better?
http://uncquartet.blogspot.com/2010/11/charlottes-feeder-22.html
As you listen, think about your answers to the following questions:
What signals the listener that the author is beginning a new section or introducing a new idea?
How does the author deal with the problem of representing charts, graphs, etc. in the audio format? Do you think she is successful?
Evaluate the author’s introduction and hypothesis statement. Are they effective? Why or why not?
How has the author used music and sound effects to make the podcast clearer? Are there any sections that might have used these tools more effectively?
Does the author achieve an appropriate level of scientific credibility? Why or why not?
Ask what things they liked about this podcast. What could have been done better?
Data Sheet Workshop
What data you choose to collect and how you collect it is the backbone of your experiment; you won't be able to prove your hypothesis unless you collect your data in a way that is clear and consistent. Examine your partner’s outline closely and answer the following questions in the same Google Doc with the sheet:
1. Your hypothesis should have identified a relationship between an independent and a dependent variable. Are these variables identified specifically (i.e. “if I nap for 90 minutes per day...” rather than “if I nap…”)? How does the author measure changes in the independent variable? What about the dependent variable? Is the scale sensitive enough to measure subtle changes? Is it flexible enough to track unexpected changes?
2. We noted in class that the biggest danger to experiments of this nature is the confounding variable. What confounding variables do you anticipate might get in the way of proving the author's hypothesis? Are these variables accounted for in the data sheet? How might the author use the data sheet to keep track of these confounding variables and prove definitively that they have not shaped the relationship between the independent and dependent variables?
3. What other kinds of data might it be useful for the author to collect? Suggest at least two piece of data that the author might consider adding to his or her data sheet.
4. Is the data collected on the sheet adequately quantified? While there might be some space devoted to more open-ended, narrative responses, is the data predominantly in the form of numbers that can be quickly and easily analyzed? If not, how might the author collect the data in a way that is more quantitative and less qualitative?
1. Your hypothesis should have identified a relationship between an independent and a dependent variable. Are these variables identified specifically (i.e. “if I nap for 90 minutes per day...” rather than “if I nap…”)? How does the author measure changes in the independent variable? What about the dependent variable? Is the scale sensitive enough to measure subtle changes? Is it flexible enough to track unexpected changes?
2. We noted in class that the biggest danger to experiments of this nature is the confounding variable. What confounding variables do you anticipate might get in the way of proving the author's hypothesis? Are these variables accounted for in the data sheet? How might the author use the data sheet to keep track of these confounding variables and prove definitively that they have not shaped the relationship between the independent and dependent variables?
3. What other kinds of data might it be useful for the author to collect? Suggest at least two piece of data that the author might consider adding to his or her data sheet.
4. Is the data collected on the sheet adequately quantified? While there might be some space devoted to more open-ended, narrative responses, is the data predominantly in the form of numbers that can be quickly and easily analyzed? If not, how might the author collect the data in a way that is more quantitative and less qualitative?
Turn in Feeder 2.1-2.4
2.1:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oJHTpbRi4yR-vLL_LM85nZCmHteeDkKu76sM05YlL6Q/viewform
2.2:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TAxwEaad-ts-g4S4ezQlMujNxZOTa-zB8Sfl621xD5s/viewform
2.3:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/172dBX7aiCjVOkDs-Otv_sESzhELyBjV4jgJN1CRjy0E/viewform
2.4:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ujnBfIe63dePU9ueqXaDyl_dQ0bH9XsQnFJWnTTuhFs/viewform
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1oJHTpbRi4yR-vLL_LM85nZCmHteeDkKu76sM05YlL6Q/viewform
2.2:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TAxwEaad-ts-g4S4ezQlMujNxZOTa-zB8Sfl621xD5s/viewform
2.3:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/172dBX7aiCjVOkDs-Otv_sESzhELyBjV4jgJN1CRjy0E/viewform
2.4:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ujnBfIe63dePU9ueqXaDyl_dQ0bH9XsQnFJWnTTuhFs/viewform
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Introduction to Audacity Audio Software
Go to http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ and download the latest version of Audacity (note: you’re welcome to use another program like GarageBand or Adobe Premiere with the caveat that I can only provide limited technical support for these programs).
Audacity comes equipped with tools to record your voice, but you will also need to add music and sound effects to your podcast. The best site to find free and legal sound clips for your podcast is http://www.freesound.org/ (note: registration is required, but they will not spam you).
Spend some time playing with the technology and getting comfortable with it. Before we finish this activity, I would like each of you to practice:
Audacity comes equipped with tools to record your voice, but you will also need to add music and sound effects to your podcast. The best site to find free and legal sound clips for your podcast is http://www.freesound.org/ (note: registration is required, but they will not spam you).
Spend some time playing with the technology and getting comfortable with it. Before we finish this activity, I would like each of you to practice:
- recording your voice
- importing a sound file from FreeSound or some other source
- moving an audio clip to a different spot on the timeline
- editing audio (i.e. cutting, copying, or pasting something from one part of the timeline to another)
- applying filters or effects to an audio clip (i.e. fade in/out, reverb, etc.)
Sample Data Sheets
Monday, March 17, 2014
Posting Your Unit 1 Project
It’s finally time to post your unit project to your blog! Before you post, exchange your draft with someone in your group and have them proofread it (i.e. checking for mistakes in spelling, grammar, etc.). Feel free to ask me if you have any grammar questions. Once your post is proofed and ready to go, log in to blogger.com and post it! Don’t forget to:
- begin by pasting in your text, selecting all of it, then clicking the remove formatting button (the T with the X over it). If you don’t complete this step you will almost certainly run into trouble formatting your post.
- give your post a substantive title (i.e. not “Unit 1 Project” or something similar)
- include your works cited list (formatted according to the style sheet your group created earlier this semester)
- credit any pictures or other multimedia content if their creative commons license requires attribution
Remember, these formatting issues are as big a part of your grade as your spelling and grammar! Your post will be considered submitted at the end of the class period.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Unit 2 Brainstorming / Pre-Writing Activity
Hopefully all of you have had time to think about what behavior you will modify for your Unit 2 Project. Begin by sharing your behavior with your group members; let them know why you're choosing to change this behavior and why you think it will be appropriate for the assignment. (Note: you may want to look over the Unit 2 assignment sequence to make sure you've chosen a behavior that will work for this study.) Once everyone has talked about his or her behavior, create chart in a new Google Doc titled "[your name]'s Unit 2 Pre-Writing." After you create the Google Doc, click on "Table" and then "Create Table" and make a table containing 3 columns and 1 row. Please make sure to share the document with me.
In column 1, spend at least two minutes listing everything you think you know about your behavior. These things don't have to be verifiable scientific fact; for instance, if you're trying to drink more water, you might write down that being properly hydrated gives you more energy, even though you'd probably want to do research to verify this fact. In listing everything you know about your behavior, you want to consider what kinds of things trigger your behavior, what happens after you do your behavior, how it makes the people around you feel, etc. There are no boundaries here… just get as much down on the page as you can.
In column 2, spend at least five minutes listing everything you are wondering about your behavior. This is the place for unanswered questions: you might question some of the things you assumed in the first column, you might wonder about previous research into your behavior, you might think about the consequences of changing your behavior… you chose to modify this particular behavior for a reason, so hopefully you are curious about many different aspects of it.
In column 3, spend at lest five minutes write down (as specifically as possible) how you will find out the answers to the questions you are curious about in column 2. Do you expect that some of your questions will be answered in previous research? How will you find this research? Will you be able to answer some of the questions with your own study? If so, how will you design your experiment so that it gives you a definitive answer to your question?
When you are finished brainstorming, please turn in the document here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1u9ovETynDFy7rFAMgIuUO0nVS1yUr-Yx34HK9jUXMmg/viewform
If you finish before the end of class you can begin researching for your Feeder 2.2 assignment. If any new items for your 3 columns occur to you during your research, please return to this assignment.
In column 1, spend at least two minutes listing everything you think you know about your behavior. These things don't have to be verifiable scientific fact; for instance, if you're trying to drink more water, you might write down that being properly hydrated gives you more energy, even though you'd probably want to do research to verify this fact. In listing everything you know about your behavior, you want to consider what kinds of things trigger your behavior, what happens after you do your behavior, how it makes the people around you feel, etc. There are no boundaries here… just get as much down on the page as you can.
In column 2, spend at least five minutes listing everything you are wondering about your behavior. This is the place for unanswered questions: you might question some of the things you assumed in the first column, you might wonder about previous research into your behavior, you might think about the consequences of changing your behavior… you chose to modify this particular behavior for a reason, so hopefully you are curious about many different aspects of it.
In column 3, spend at lest five minutes write down (as specifically as possible) how you will find out the answers to the questions you are curious about in column 2. Do you expect that some of your questions will be answered in previous research? How will you find this research? Will you be able to answer some of the questions with your own study? If so, how will you design your experiment so that it gives you a definitive answer to your question?
When you are finished brainstorming, please turn in the document here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1u9ovETynDFy7rFAMgIuUO0nVS1yUr-Yx34HK9jUXMmg/viewform
If you finish before the end of class you can begin researching for your Feeder 2.2 assignment. If any new items for your 3 columns occur to you during your research, please return to this assignment.
Podcast Discussion
1.What kind of “hook” do they use to draw in the listener? (Note: ignore the plea for money that precedes the podcast.) Can you categorize it as one of the weaker or sronger introductions that we talked about in class?
2.Estimate what proportion of the program is based on extempore speech and what seems to be read from a script. How can you tell?
3.Note any background music or sound effects that seem to have been added in post-production. Why were these things added? How do they make the podcast clearer or more interesting?
4.Note any terms or concepts that you learned about from listening to the podcast. How were these explained? How did the authors make these complex ideas and terms easy to understand?
2.Estimate what proportion of the program is based on extempore speech and what seems to be read from a script. How can you tell?
3.Note any background music or sound effects that seem to have been added in post-production. Why were these things added? How do they make the podcast clearer or more interesting?
4.Note any terms or concepts that you learned about from listening to the podcast. How were these explained? How did the authors make these complex ideas and terms easy to understand?
Monday, March 3, 2014
Homework: Podcast Assignment
We'll be working with the RadioLab podcast titled “Quicksaaaand!". You can listen to it here:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/quicksand/
As you are listening, compose a retrospective outline of the podcast. Post this outline in a new Google Doc titled "[your name]'s RadioLab assignment." Share this Google Doc with me and when you are finished, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1v7GwXc-AyodxVWLI1muKDiivpxSVxXJvQA-p25i7Zjg/viewform
The assignment is due by class time on Thursday.
http://www.radiolab.org/story/quicksand/
As you are listening, compose a retrospective outline of the podcast. Post this outline in a new Google Doc titled "[your name]'s RadioLab assignment." Share this Google Doc with me and when you are finished, turn it in here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1v7GwXc-AyodxVWLI1muKDiivpxSVxXJvQA-p25i7Zjg/viewform
The assignment is due by class time on Thursday.
Unit 1 Wrap-Up
Read the following article:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2012/10/shinya_yamanaka_s_nobel_prize_he_saved_embryos_not_just_stem_cell_research_.html
For each of the following items, work together in your groups to rate the author’s performance as weak, proficient, or strong. For each item, explain your answer by noting, for instance, how the thesis statement provides a roadmap and makes the topic meaningful, which style of introduction the author chooses, or how the author cites sources. Each group should create one Google Doc.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2012/10/shinya_yamanaka_s_nobel_prize_he_saved_embryos_not_just_stem_cell_research_.html
For each of the following items, work together in your groups to rate the author’s performance as weak, proficient, or strong. For each item, explain your answer by noting, for instance, how the thesis statement provides a roadmap and makes the topic meaningful, which style of introduction the author chooses, or how the author cites sources. Each group should create one Google Doc.
- Post has a strong thesis statement that makes a substantial claim about the topic, lays out a roadmap for the essay, and makes the topic meaningful for the blog’s audience
- Post is logically organized with a strong paragraph structure
- Post has a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s attention, introduces the topic, and transitions quickly to the main argument.
- Post successfully employs outside research to support the main claim
- Post successfully achieves a middle style tone appropriate for the blog’s audience
- Post achieves a strong, active voice by avoiding the over-use of “to be” verbs and prepositions
- Post cites sources appropriately
- Post is well-formatted and free of obvious errors in grammar, punctuation, etc.
Unit 1 Self-Assessment
Take a moment to look back at the earliest drafts of your Unit 1 Project. Think about how you have grown as a writer over the past 8 weeks. Next, answer each of the following questions with a short paragraph of 3-4 sentences.
1. Which class lessons have had the most impact on your writing? Which ones have had the least? Why?
2. Have you found the draft workshops helpful? Why or why not? Do you have any suggestions about how the peer review process can be more efficient or productive?
3. Do you feel like the in-class assignments and draft workshops helped to move your writing through the conceptual, organizational, and surface-level stages? Did you get stuck at any one of these stages during any of the assignments? If so, explain why.
4. Do you think any of the concepts or lessons covered in the course so far need additional clarification? How will this clarification help?
When you're done please email your responses to me at dlupton@email.unc.edu. Please place your responses in the body of the message rather than as an attachment.
1. Which class lessons have had the most impact on your writing? Which ones have had the least? Why?
2. Have you found the draft workshops helpful? Why or why not? Do you have any suggestions about how the peer review process can be more efficient or productive?
3. Do you feel like the in-class assignments and draft workshops helped to move your writing through the conceptual, organizational, and surface-level stages? Did you get stuck at any one of these stages during any of the assignments? If so, explain why.
4. Do you think any of the concepts or lessons covered in the course so far need additional clarification? How will this clarification help?
When you're done please email your responses to me at dlupton@email.unc.edu. Please place your responses in the body of the message rather than as an attachment.
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