Final Grades

Please log onto Blackboard and see the final column. Add 20 points to your grade, and then check to see where you fall in the grade scale.

A 950-1000
A- 900-949
B+ 870-899
B 840-869
B- 800-839
C+ 770-799
C 740-769
C- 700-739
D+ 670-699
D 640-669
D- 600-639
F 600 and below

Calculating your grade

Hello Class!

You can calculate your percentage in the class by adding up all of your points, and dividing by the the total points possible in the class. This will give you your percentage so you know what your grade is in the class.

I will send one final email this weekend once I have finalized grades.

Until then.....

Final Exam Procedures

Hello Class! The final exam is finally upon us. Here is a summary of final exam procedures:

1). Download the final exam review sheet from the Handouts Page on Blackboard. This form has been available all semester.

2). Study Study Study

3). Print out the Proctor Form from the Handouts Page

4). Find someone 21 and over who is NOT associated with the class in any way. Ask them to observe you take the final. The proctor MUST watch you take the entire exam.

5). Take the final exam on Blackboard anytime during May 18th, May 19th or May 20th. The final exam will open at 12:01am on May 18th, and will close on May 20th at 11:59pm. PLEASE NOTE that you have 45 minutes ONLY to complete the final exam.

6). Have the proctor sign the Proctor Form AFTER OBSERVING YOU take the final exam in its entirety and send it to me by *scanning in the form in emailing (preferred method), *faxing the form (see form for fax number), or *sending the hard copy through snail mail.

7). Once you have sent your proctor form to me, please email me and let me know how you have sent your form so I can look out for it.

8). I will not post your grade until I have the proctor form. Again, it is preferred that you scan the form into the computer and email it to me.

Good luck on your final exam!!! I will be available all weekend, and during finals week through email. I will also be on Yahoo Messenger from time to time, so if you see me online, go ahead and message me.

Last Week of Discussion

I must admit, the last week of discussion in this class is my favorite. I really enjoy reading about your favorite speech, what was most useful and what you will be able to use in the future.

I'm sure you noticed that I did not write an 'early bird' post this week. Since it's a short week, I assume that people will post early on in the week. Most everyone has posted at least once.

Note: Your speech grades will be returned today (Wednesday). I will also update Blackboard with the rest of the grades. Of course I will not be able to post your last week of discussion today, nor your final exam grade. But everything else should be updated so you can calculate your grade on your own. I will try to tabulate the columns for you, but that might take until the end of the week.

As you know from the email I sent yesterday, I will not be holding office hours on Thursday. I extended my office hours on Tuesday, which some of you took advantage of (it was nice chatting with those of you that contacted me during extended office hours). I will also be online on and off all day today while grading papers, blogs, calculating grades, etc..... If you see me on Yahoo Messenger, feel free to pop in if you see that I'm online.

I hope you have a fabulous day!

Week of May 10-13

Hello Class! Good job on your speeches on Friday. Overall, the class did very well. I will email back the results at the start of the week.

Here is what's on the Participation Page for our very last discussion week:

***Post Self-Evaluation on blog by the end of the discussion week, Wednesday, May 13th at midnight (see Self-Evaluation #3 assignment on blackboard) as well as participate in class discussion:

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:
1). What concept or concepts from the class that you thought was the most helpful in preparing your speeches?

2). Which speech was your favorite and why?

3). What are you going are you going to take from this class that you think will be helpful in future endeavors?

***Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.***

Note: You can comment on any of the three posts AND/OR the self-evaluation. Just make sure you have posted 3 comments on other blogs.

Please complete an online SOTE evaluation for Comm 20

Once again it is the time of year that students must complete SOTE ratings. Please have yours completed and submitted by Sunday, May 10th @ 11:59pm.

Please log into your "MySJSU" account and complete a SOTE evaluation for this course. Here are the instructions:

1). Log into "MySJSU"
2). Go to "Self-Service"
3). Click on "Online SOTE Ratings"
4). Complete the evaluation
5). Submit

Please be aware that once you submit the form, you will not be able to change what you have entered into the form.

Once you have completed the online SOTE evaluation, please send me a confirmation email that you have submitted the form. No need to enter text into the body of your confirmation email. Simply start an email and write "SOTE submitted" in the subject line.

Please email me if you have any questions about this. As always, I'm available by email, Yahoo Messenger and phone conversations.

I greatly appreciate your participation!

Eye Contact

Eye contact during your speech, and any speech in the future, is highly important. Your eyes should be meeting the eyes of your audience about 90%-95% of the time. This means that you should know your speech well enough to simply glance at your notecards for your next point, then focus on your audience.

Of course if you have statistics, facts, quotes, source citations, etc... you can look down at your cards, but as mentioned, the majority of the time you are focusing on your audience.

Eye contact, and interaction with your visual aid, along with your physical presentation (body positioning, fidgeting, etc...) will be weighted a bit more heavily during this final presentation. This is why practicing for the coming speech is SO INCREDIBLY important.

Please practice WITH your visual aid at least 7 times in order to get more comfortable with your visual aid, and get to know your speech more so you can make eye contact with your audience about 90%-95% of your total speaking time.

A good way to measure this is to practice your speech in front of someone and get their opinion about your eye contact and interaction with your visual aid.

Clear Course of Action

As you may already know, the last stage of Monroe's Motivated Sequence is the ACTION step. This is generally presented towards the end of your speech. As we mentioned in class during our last meeting, you should probably put this in your conclusion somewhere. The action step advocates a specific course of action.

For example, if your speech is about nutrition, in your conclusion you should mention eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day according to the new food pyramid. This statement advocated a specific course of action. You are actually telling the audience WHAT you want them to do. So decide what action you want the audience to take, then tell them in your conclusion.

Comment on this blog if you have questions about this.

Using your Visual Aid

Here is another tip for the coming speech. This one is about your visual aid.

Please practice with your VISUAL AID. You might want to put a reminder on your notecards about SLIDE CHANGES. This will cue you when you should push the button to go to your next slide and help you to focus more on your audience without looking at the projection screen (which you should try to avoid completely if possible).

If you need to present something on the slide to your audience, try to explain it in words while focusing on your audience (making eye contact) without focusing too much on the projection screen.

Your visual aid should enhance your speech, not hinder it. As beginning public speakers, sometimes we have a tendency to focus on the computer or projection screen because it's safe and comfortable. You should be focusing on your audience. Make MORE eye contact than you think is necessary. This will help to connect you with your audience. Along the same lines, you should know your speech well enough to focus on your audience without relying too much on your notecards.

More tips to come......

Preview and Review of Main Points

Hello Class! Here is a tip for the coming speech....

As we have been doing all semester, please make sure you are PREVIEWING and REVIEWING your main points. This means that you should PREVIEW your three main points in your introduction, and you should subsequently REVIEW your main points in your conclusion.

Previewing informs you audience of where you are going in your speech. When you review your main points, it summarizes what have just covered. As I have mentioned before, this may seem redundant or even unnecessary. However, redundancy helps your audience to remember/retain the information you have presented.

Look for more speech tips throughout the day tomorrow at various times.

Speech Critique

As a reminder, the Speech Critique Essay is due on Friday in class. You should choose ONE of the two videos and write the paper on that. You do not have to watch both videos.

Actuative Outlines Returned

I will be sending back your outlines late tonight. Make sure to look over the feedback and make appropriate changes for your speech on Friday.

Week of May 3-9

Hello Class! The semester is quickly winding down, and I'm sure we are all feeling the pressure of final projects, papers, and of course speeches. Please keep an eye out this week for more speech tips that I will put under the label (lower right hand side of my blog) called "Actuative Speech Tips". If you click on that label, you will be able to see each tip that I have included, in date order.

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

1). Your Speech Critique Paper is due this Friday during our meeting. Please do not email me your paper, rather, bring it to class with your for our final meeting on Friday, May 8th.

2). You MUST practice your speech at least 7 times WITH YOUR VISUAL AID prior to our meeting on Friday. This is the culminating project in this course, and should be your best speech presentation. (There should be NO looking at the projection screen when presenting, you should NOT be relying on your notecards much, there should be LOTS of eye contact etc.... I will post more tips this week).

3). Your visual aid is due to me NO LATER than Wednesday, May 6th at 8pm. I will check each presentation to make sure it will work on my computer, and email you back if I cannot open the presentation.

4). You are REQUIRED to attend Friday's meeting. I will not be available to meet with students in person after Friday, May 8th, once our class meeting has adjourned (I will be available online and over the phone though). If you do not attend the meeting on Friday, you are fore fitting your opportunity to present a speech. This speech is approximately 30% of your grade.

I look forward to seeing you all on Friday. Remember to check my blog everyday this week for more speech tips.

Impressed

I just checked my email, and I must admit, I'm impressed. It's almost midnight, the night BEFORE the outline is due, and already more than half of the class has submitted outlines.

You guys are great!!!

More Actuative Outline Tips

Some reminders for the Actuative Speech Outline that is due NO LATER than 10am on Friday, May 1st.

Please be sure to include everything that is listed on the Assignment Sheet AND the blog I posted earlier this week. Make sure you have included:

2 instances of Valid Reasoning (Include at the end of the outline as stated in class. Please include WHICH TYPE of reasoning you have used).

2 different methods to establish Credibility (Include at the end of the outline as stated in class. Please include WHICH TYPE of Credibility you have used).

3 different types of Supporting Materials (Include at the end of the outline as stated in class. Please include WHICH TYPE of Supporting Material you have used).

Actuative Outline Tips

Hello Class! In case there is any confusion about the Acutative Speech Outline, I wanted to give you some pointers.

*The outline should follow the same format as the previous outlines. You should have a full paragraph introduction (label the following in the intro: Attention Getter, Purpose and Thesis, Establish Credibility and Preview your Main Points). Then, you should have three main points following Monroe's Motivated Sequence (I. Need, II. Satisfaction, III. Visualization). Make sure that you review Monroe's so that you understand each step and apply it appropriately to your outline. Finally, include a full paragraph conclusion (label the following in the conclusion: Review Main Points, Reinforce Purpose and Provide closure for the speech). Make sure to include transition sentences BETWEEN your main points please.

*Monroe's Motivated Sequence is as follow:
Attention Step (This step IS your introduction paragraph)

I. Need Step (you are creating a Need or stating the Problem of your topic)

(Transition Sentence)

II. Satisfaction Step (you are solving the problem or offering a Solution to the problem you just created).

(Transition Sentence)

III. Visualization (you are explaining what the world would be like with OR without your solution). Please note that this a full main point in your speech, so try not to cut this one short. It is also NOT simply a slide on your powerpoint presentation.

Action Step (This IS your conclusion paragraph.) You MUST make an OVERT call to action within your conclusion. You need to clearly state what steps the audience must take next.

Reminders: Our MANDATORY meeting is on May 8th at 12:00pm in HGH225. As I have mentioned over and over again, I will not be on campus after this date, so make every effort to be at the meeting).

Outlines are due NO LATER than May 1st @ 10am. Please submit them prior to this time. Submitting your paper at 10:01am will be considered a late paper, so get your submission in early!

Early Bird Posts

Hello All! Here is a list of folks who have blogged already this week. Go ahead and stop by their blog to get a start on your comments for the week.

beautiful
Colie
Genurr
Haightetak
Kai
KiwiMango
Marie
Niko
Piper
Roxy
vDNA

Let's congratulate these folks for getting an early start! Good job!!!!!

Grades Posted for April 19-25

I have just posted grades for the Discussion Week 4/19-4/25. Please log onto Blackboard to check your grades. If there is an issue with the blogging grade, please email me the following:

1). Dates/Times/Word Count of Posts to your blog
2). Dates/Times/Word Count/Locations of comments you made

Please check your grade on an ongoing basis and ask questions along the way. It will be difficult for both you and I if you do not check your grade, then have questions about past grades, especially as it pertains to discussion weeks.

As I have stated since the start of the semester, it is recommended that you keep track of your blogs and comments including dates/times/word counts, in case any issues arise.

All grades are on Blackboard, and are updated often, so there is little excuse for not keeping track of your grades on a continual basis. You are also able to calculate your grade at any point to figure out your standing in the class.

Please email me with any questions you may have. As always, I'm available to schedule a phone conversation. :)

Actuative Outline Grading

Hello Class! Listed below is how I will be evaluating your outlines (which are due this Friday by 10am!). Please email me if you have any questions. :)

Actuative Outline Grading Form

Content (intro, body, conclusion) /20
Full Sentences /2
Incl. Topic, Purpose, Org. Pattern, Thesis /2
Used Appropriate Org. Pattern /5
Used 2 instances of Valid Reasoning /2
Used 2 different methods to establish credibility /2
Used 3 different types of supporting materials /3
INcluded 4 in-text citations in APA format /2
Included 2 citations on reference page in APA format /2
Total /40

Week of April 26 - May 2

Hello Class! I hope today finds you well. Here is what's listed on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 15 - Understanding Argument in Persuasion
*Read Chapter 16 - Media Appearances and Other Occasions
*Participate in Week 15 Discussion
*Reminder - - - Actuative Speech Outlines are due NO LATER than this Friday, May 1st by 10am

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). Speech Buddy: Review the following Interactive Videos, 15.1, "Schooling: Pro" and "Schooling: Con" on the Interactive Video Website. Respond to the ideas in the videos. What did you learn that could be helpful in your speech? What types of appeals were used? How did the speaker connect with the audience?

2). Reflect on a recent discussion you've had in which you tried to persuade others to accept your point of view. What type or types of reasoning did you use? How well did your reasoning work?

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during this discussion week.

Reminder: There is a MANDATORY MEETING on May 8th at 12:0opm in HGH225. This meeting has been scheduled since before the semester began, and there is no excuse for missing the meeting. I WILL NOT be on campus after May 8th, so if you miss the meeting, you are fore fitting your opportunity to present the final speech in this course. The final speech in this course is approximately 30% of your grade. In other words, you WILL NOT be able to pass this course without presenting your final speech. Make necessary arrangements to attend the class meeting.

I suspect the meeting will be shorter than it has been in the past since the only task we have on May 8th is presenting speeches.

***If you will notice on the Schedule Page on Blackboard, you need to write a paper called the Speech Critique Paper. This essay is due on May 8th in class. DO NOT EMAIL ME THIS ASSIGNMENT. Please write the essay, print it out and bring it to our class meeting on May 8th. This is the ONLY assignment in the course that IS NOT submitted through email. I will email out the assignment this week (it is already on Blackboard).

Early Bird Posts

Hello All! Here is a list of folks who have blogged already this week. Go ahead and stop by their blog to get a start on your comments for the week.

Fish
Haightetak
Kai
Niko
Piper

Let's congratulate these folks for getting an early start! Good job!!!!!

Grades Posted

Hello Class! I just updated Blackboard with your grades from the week of 4/12-4/18. Please look over your grade and email me with any questions. If you do have questions about your grade for the discussion week, please include the following in your email:

1). Post dates/times and word count (on your blog).

2). Comment location/date/time and word count (on others blogs).

Once you send me this information, I will be happy to discuss your grade with you.

As the semester winds down, it is common for some folks to miss a blog or comment here and there. Please be aware of your grade, which you can calculate directly from Blackboard so you know where you stand in the class. As always, blog and comments are worth points which can ultimately effect your grade.

Let me know if you have any questions. I am always here to chat with you. :)

Week of April 19-April 25

Hello Class! Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 14 - Speaking to Persuade

Class Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). What are the main points for your next speech? How do you plan on beginning and ending your speech? How are you going to persuade your audience towards your point of view (hint: use the assigned reading to help you answer this part of the question). It is not enough to answer this question with “I haven’t had time to start”. This question is one that inquires about your speech and the plan for your speech. You must answer this question in its entirety.

2). How are you immersed in a sea of persuasion? Give some examples of persuasive messages you’ve received in interpersonal, public speaking, and mass media contexts. What can you do to become a more critical consumer or persuasive messages?

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

***Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.

***Reminder Dates:
Actuative Speech Outline is due NO LATER than 10am on Friday May 1st.

MANDATORY MEETING on Friday May 8th. YOU MUST COME TO THIS MEETING IF YOU WANT TO PRESENT THE ACTUATIVE SPEECH. I will NOT be on campus after this date, so please make EVERY effort to come to the class meeting to present your speech. Since the Actuative Speech is close to 30% of your total grade in this course, this is a meeting you DO NOT want to miss.

Out of Town

Hello Class!

I will be out of town this weekend, but will be checking my email periodically. If you need to contact me, please do so through email. I will do my best to answer your emails, but may need until the end of the weekend to address your questions more thoroughly. I hope you all are having a great week so far. :)

Early Bird Posts

Hello All! It is that time in the semester where we are tired, and start to lose motivation to work on our classes, trust me, instructors feel it too. :)

Even though there seems to be a mid-semester lull, these folks have jumped into the week full on and have posted already. Go ahead and stop by their blog to get a start on your comments for the week.

Colie
Haightetak
Kai

Let's congratulate these folks for getting an early start and for fighting the mid-semester lull! Good job!!!!!

Week of April 12-18

Hello Class! Since we have finished our Informative Speeches, we should now be diligently working on our Actuative Speeches. Remember, the Actuative Speech is worth almost 30% of your total grade in this course, so it should be the BEST speech so far. Since you have already observed quite a few speeches in this course, you should know by now the things you need to do to make the coming speech successful. I will be posting "Actuative Speech Tips" as time goes on, so please take a look at those posts. I will start a new label on the lower right hand side of my blog called "Actuative Speech Tips". Be sure to check those on a continual basis.

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 10 - Using Language Effectively
*Read Chapter 12 - Delivering Your Speech
*Reminder - - - THERE IS A QUIZ THIS WEEK on Chapters 7, 8, 9, 11 & 13

Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:
1). Speech Buddy: Review the following Interactive Videos 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 12.2 and 12.3 on the Interactive Video Website. Respond to the ideas in the videos. What did you learn that could be helpful in your speech?

2). Read the discussion on Flickr regarding sexist language HERE! How do you respond to their comments in light of what your textbook says?

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

***Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.

Early Bird Posts

Hello Class! As a reminder, you are able to post a comment on ANY of the posts this week. As you can see (below), the three posts are the self-evaluation, Speech Revision and as always, Pick a Concept from Chapter 11. You are more than welcome to comment on any of the posts as long as you make 3 comments on 3 different blogs. Listed below are the people who have already posted:

Boed
Colie
Haightetak
Kai
Nike
Piper

Let's send a BIG congratulations for those folks who started off early this week! Y'all ROCK!!!!

Week of April 5-11

Hello Class! I really enjoyed your speeches on Friday. I can really see an improvement from the first speeches we presented in the course.

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

1). Post your self-evaluation to your blog in essay format as we talked about in class. Make sure that your post is a minimum of 500 words. (10 points)

2). This is a minimum 200 word blog!!! Please take the suggestions provided to your by your instructor and your colleagues. Gather a group of at least 5 other people and present your speech. Have a conversation with your new audience about the strengths and weaknesses noted from your your speech either before or after your speech. Answer the following questions in your blog: Who did you present your speech to? What were their names? What did you do differently this time around than in the speech your presented to the class? Did you improve from the presentation on Friday? If so, in what ways? If you had to do the speech again, what would you do differently? After receiving feedback, were you able to improve your speech? Was this exercise useful? (Worth 10 points).

3). Pick one concept from Chapter 11 that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

***Remember to post at least 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.

PLEASE NOTE: The three objectives noted above should be posted to your blog at least 12 hours apart like our normal discussion week.

Let me know if you have any questions! :)

Meeting on April 3rd

As you already know, we have a meeting scheduled for Friday, April 3rd at 12pm. Please make sure you arrive to room HGH225 before the 12pm mark, so we can try to start on time. Here's a list of what you should bring, along with some reminders at the bottom of this post:

1). Print out the form titled "Info Evaluation Form" on the Handouts Page on Blackboard. Bring an extra in case a colleague has forgotten theirs.

2). Print out the "Acutative Speech Assignment" located on the Speeches Page on Blackboard.

3). Print out the "Self-Evaluation #2" assignment on the Writing Page on Blackboard.

4). Bring your visual aid to class on Friday.

5). Remember your videotape for class. We will be taping the speeches again so you can compare your first speech to the current speech.

6). Look through the past "Speech Tips" I have posted. Remember, your time frame is different for this speech (see the assignment sheet for details).

7). Remember to bring your notecards with you on Friday.

8). BRING ALL RESEARCH for the Actuative Speech. I will be meeting with each of you one on one again, so be prepared for that.

9). Again, this is going to be a lengthy meeting, so bring snacks, bottled water, etc.....

Reminder#1: I will be holding office hours in person this Thursday from 11:00am to 12:00pm in HGH248.

Reminder#2: I will have limited access to the internet starting at midnight, Wednesday night. Please have your powerpoint slides emailed to me by midnight on Wednesday. If you need to contact me, I will be checking email on and off, but will not be able to retrieve documents or powerpoint presentations.

I look forward to the coming speeches! :)

Informative Outline Returned

By now each of you should have received a graded outline. If you have any questions about the grade, or about the coming speech, please email me. I am always available to chat online, through email or over the phone.

Look for some speech tips coming this week.

Week of March 29 - April 4

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you had a wonderful week off.

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week, along with some reminders. Please read the post in its entirety:

1). Our meeting is on Friday, April 3rd at 12pm in HGH225. Again, please try to make it to campus early so we can get started right away.

2). There is NO discussion this week. However, during this week you should practice your speech at least 7 times. One or two of those practice sessions should be in front of someone who could give you feedback about your speech.

3). Please bring ALL research to class for your Actuative Speech. We will have individual meetings once again after all of the speeches are complete. Be sure to bring at least 4 sources with you. We will be talking about the Actuative Speech, and of course I will be asking for your main points. The next speech requires a certain Organizational Pattern, so please review the assignment sheet.

4). It may be helpful to bring your books to class on Friday so you can work directly with your text on the Actuative Speech in class.

5). VISUAL AIDS for the Informative Speech are due by Wednesday at midnight. I will be away from my computer starting early Thursday morning and will not be able to download any powerpoint presentations after Wednesday night. (It is HIGHLY suggested that you put together a powerpoint presentation for this speech).

6). My office hours on Thursday of this week will be held in person in my office on the SJSU campus. I will give more details a bit later this week about office hours, but in case you need some last minute help with your speeches, I will be on campus this week.

Week of March 22-28 SPRING BREAK

There is no class this week since it's Spring Break. Please practice your speech and perfect it for next Friday's meeting.

Have a great week!

Outlines Received

I have received your outlines. Each person should have received a confirmation email. I will be grading the outlines over Spring Break next week, and will return them as soon as I have them graded with comments. Once you receive the outline back, please make the appropriate changes to improve your plan for the coming speech. Remember to practice practice practice over Spring Break and into the following week. You will have an opportunity to revise your speech yet again after you receive my comments and your classmates comments, and present it to an audience of your choice. You will then blog about your speech revision.

As a reminder, our class meeting is on April 3rd @ 12:00pm. We will present our speeches during the class meeting and will discuss our coming Actuative Speech. Please bring the research for your next speech to class with you on April 3rd.

Outlines Due

I have just sent out an email about a deadline extension for the outlines. The outlines would normally be due at 10am on Friday. I will be extending the deadline until 11:59pm on Friday, March 20th (the same day).

Please make sure that you submit your outlines on time. Even 1 minute late will result in a grade deduction (see the syllabus for more information). If you need information about the late policy, please see the syllabus.

I will grade your outlines over Spring Break next week and return them to you for revisions. Our next meeting is on April 3rd, please mark your calendars.

I look forward to receiving your outlines for the coming speech. Make sure you review the grading criteria, in a blog below.

Early Bird Posts

Hello All! Here is a list of folks who have blogged already this week. Go ahead and stop by their blog to get a start on your comments for the week.

Colie
Haightetak
Kai
KiwiMango
Ms. Jeter
Niko
Piper
Vivian

Let's congratulate these folks for getting an early start! Good job!!!!!

Week of March 15-21

Here is what's on the Schedule and Participation Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 9 Beginning and Ending Your Speech
*Read Chapter 13 Speaking to Inform
***Reminder: Informative Outlines are due on Friday, March 20th***

Discussion
Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). Speech Buddy: Review the following Interactive Videos: 9.1, 9.2, 13.1A, 13.1B and "Use It" 13.1 on the Interactive Video website. Respond to the ideas in the videos/ What did you learn that could be helpful in your speech?

2). What components, according to your book, go into an introduction and conclusion? How are you going to use these ideas in your Informative Speech? Please give specific examples! Write out part of your introduction and conclusion if necessary.

3). Pick on concepts from either Chapter 9 or Chapter 13 that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs during THIS discussion week.

Informative Outline Grading Form

Here is how I will be evaluating your Informative Outlines:

Overall Content.....5 points
Full sentences (no fragments or partial sentences).....2 points
Included Topic, Purpose, Org Patter, Thesis (at top).....2 points
Used Appropriate Organizational Pattern.....1 point
Intro includes (attention getter, credibility, preview of main points).....2 points
Used Exclusive Main Points.....2 points
Conclusion includes (review of main points, provides closure).....2 points
Included 4 in-text citations in APA format.....2 points
Included 4 citation on Reference Page in APA format.....2 points
Total.....20 points

Reminder Email

I just sent this email to your inbox:

As a reminder, outlines for the Informative Speech are due on FRIDAY, MARCH 20th, next Friday. The Schedule Page on Blackboard reflects Monday, March 20th, but as you will notice on the calendar, March 20th is a Friday. The due date is prior to Spring Break. I will grade the outlines during Spring Break week and return them to you for revisions.

You should already have the following completed:
1). Topics - give during the first or second week of class.
2). Research (you brought this into class during our last meeting)
3). Main Points (you told me your main points during our last meeting when we met individually)

Please use the outline worksheet to start the outline process if you haven't already. As a reminder, there are some different reminders for the Informative Speech. Please see the assignment sheet for those additional items that need to be included on your outline. I will post a grading rubric (grading criteria) to the blog tomorrow for your outlines as I did with the last outline, so look out for that blog post. Use the assignment sheet in conjunction with the outline worksheet to complete the outline. There are also outline examples on Blackboard that you can check out!

Self-Evaluation Grade

I have just finished posting the grades for the first Self-Evaluation Assignment. Log into Blackboard to review your grade.

I found each Self-Evaluation to be quite interesting. It seemed as though each person was able to put into words exactly what they are going to try and improve upon for the next speech. Using your videotape, feedback from your classmates, and of course the grading sheet I have already emailed back, you all have a specific course of action you will be taking for the next speech. This is exciting because now that we have gotten our feet wet with the first speech, we know what to expect for the following speeches in this course.

I look forward to reading your blogs this week!

Early Bird Posts

Hello All! Here is a list of folks who have blogged already this week. Go ahead and stop by their blog to get a start on your comments for the week.

Colie
Haightetak
Kai

Let's congratulate these folks for getting an early start! Good job!!!!!

Grade Update

I have posted grades for the following:

Culture Artifact Speech Class Meeting (out of 10 points)
Culture Artifact Speech Presentation (out of 100 points)
Culture Artifact Speech Outline (out of 10 points)

Please review the point values on Blackboard and let me know if you have any questions.

I will post the outline grade updates tomorrow, so for some of you the grade will change in that area. Also, your self-evaluation grades will be posted tomorrow as well.

Happy blogging!

Week of March 8-14

Here's what is listed on the Participation and Schedule Pages for this week:

*Read Chapter 7, Supporting Your Ideas
*Read Chapter 8, Organizing and Outlining

Discussion: Answer one in each of your three posts, at least 12 hours apart:

1). Speech Buddy: Review the following Interactive Videos" 7.1, 7.2, 8.1 and 8.2 on the Interactive Video website. Respond to the ideas in the videos. What did you learn that could be helpful in preparing a speech?

2). When do you find facts and statistics most effective in a speech? When are facts and statistics not as effective?

3). Pick one concept from the reading, that has not already been discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.

Remember to post 3 responses to your colleagues blogs.

Note: I will be staring another series of Speech Tips for the coming speech, so look out for those posts to help you along in the preparation process for the Informative Speech.

Cultural Artifact Speech Returned

I have just finished returning all grades for the Cultural Artifact Speech. Please check your email for the grading sheet. There are notes on each grading sheet, with a grade down at the bottom. I will post the grades to Blackboard, as promised, but Sunday night.

If there are any questions or concerns, please email me and we can chat either through email or over the phone. Please look out for the next set of "Speech Tips" for the coming speech. Pay close attention to the grading sheet and the notes I have made on your grading sheet and make the necessary changes for the Informative Speech.

Reminders

I have enjoyed reading your self-evaluations over the last few days. I look forward to reading more of them as they are posted.

As a reminder, you need to have your midterm exam completed by Saturday at 11:59pm. This means you need to start prior to that time so you have enough time to complete it by 11:59pm. Remember, you have 45 minutes to complete the exam. If you go over that time limit, any questions answered outside of that time period will be excluded from your midterm exam grade. Pay close attention to the time clock as you are taking the test.

Please DO NOT share answers with one another. This is part of the Universities Academic Integrity Policy (please see the "Quiz" page on Blackboard for more information). You ARE however, able to use any notes you have personally taken so far, and of course it is an open book test.

Informative Speech Reminder:
You should be working on your Informative Speech Outlines. I will not be offering a revision opportunity for the coming speech, so make sure when you submit your outline, it is your best work and you are doing all that is required for the outline and speech. See the Informative Assignment Sheet for more details about what is required.

I will be returning your speech grades by the end of the weekend. I will be updating grades on Blackboard by Sunday night, so please check that when you can and email me with any questions you might have.

Look for a post on Sunday. Until then.....

Grades for Discussion Week 2/15-2/21

Please check Blackboard for grades for the discussion week 2/15-2/21. If you have questions about your grade for this grading period, please email me with:

Posts to your blog - Dates, Time

Comments to other blogs - Dates, Times and Word Counts

Reminder

As I posted at the start of the week, your self-evaluations are due. Please post them to your blog. Please remember that this is an essay assignment, so please post it as an essay, not an informal blog post. There should be paragraphs, a clear introduction and conclusion, etc....

Also, remember to take the midterm on Blackboard this week. You have 45 minutes to complete it. You can use your notes and the book of course, but you are required to work alone and not share answers or the questions on the test. If a technical difficulty occurs, please copy and paste the error message and email me immediately. Blackboard has a checks and balances system where I can see exactly how long each question took you and the time you looked at each question, etc....

Let me know if you have any questions! Again, I am always available through email, Yahoo Messenger during office hours and quite a bit during the day/night, and of course through phone conversations. :)

Chapter Outlines

Reminder: Chapter outline for chapters 1-6 are available on Blackboard. Go to the Handouts Page to download them.

Week of March 1-7

Hello Class! It was a pleasure meeting you in class on Friday. Good job on your speeches, they were interesting and informative. :)

Here's the schedule for this week:

1). Your midterm exam is this week. Please log onto Blackboard to complete the exam (the midterm review is also on Blackboard). As a reminder, you have 45 minutes to complete the midterm. Any questions submitted after the 45 minute mark will not be counted towards your grade, so keep a close eye on the clock.

2). Please post your self-evaluation to your blog by the end of the week. As I mentioned in class, your self-evaluation is an essay, so make sure you are writing it and posting it in essay format. If you need to, click "View Blog" after posting the self-evaluation to confirm the paper looks the way you want it to, with paragraphs, etc...

3). There are no discussion questions this week, just the midterm and the self-evaluation.

4). If you want to get a jump start on the reading for next week, the assignment is Chapter 7 & 8.

Speech Tip#7

Here are some final tips for the presentation:

1). Make sure you fall within the 4-5 minute time period.
2). Practice practice practice!
3). Begin your speech with your attention getter. Please do not predispose your audience to any insecurities you might have.
4). Make sure you preview your main points.
5). Transition from idea to idea.
6). Review your main points.
7). Eye contact is key while presenting.
8). Have a relaxed but alert posture when you are presenting.
9). Try to be 'professional' while presenting.
10). Bring all required materials (see your email)

I am looking forward to meeting each of you during our meeting, and can't wait to see your speeches.

Until Friday.......

Week of February 22-28

This week will be busy for you in a bit of a different way - there are no blogs due. Please make sure you complete everything I have listed here before our meeting on Friday:

1). Reminder: Our meeting is on Friday, February 27th from 12:00pm to 5:00pm in HGH225. Please plan on being in class the entire time. We will take a few breaks, but plan on being in class for the full 5 hours.

2). Practice your speech AT LEAST 7 times OUT LOUD (and get feedback from at least one other person at some point during your practice sessions). Practicing in your head while you are driving or resting is not sufficient. You should practice WITH YOUR VISUAL AIDS at least 7 times this week. Make sure to time yourself so you can fall within the 4-5 minute time frame. Points will be deducted if go over or under time.

3). A visual aid is required for your speech. Create your visual aid this week if you have not done so already. It is RECOMMENDED that you put together a powerpoint presentation. If you put together a powerpoint presentation, you need to EMAIL ME WITH YOUR PRESENTATION BY THURSDAY AT 5pm. I will not accept any presentations after that time, and you MUST email me with the presentation so I can save it to my computer and have it ready by the time we start our speeches on Friday.

4). Print out the grading sheet for the Cultural Artifact Speech located on the Handouts Page on Blackboard (titled "Cultural Artifact Evaluation Form"). Review it. Get to know it well. Make sure you are aware of how I will be grading your speeches. BRING A COPY TO CLASS AND PUT YOUR NAME AT THE TOP. I WILL COLLECT THE GRADING FORMS AT THE START OF OUR CLASS MEETING.

5). Obtain a VHS videotape. We will be taping your speeches for a Self-Evaluation assignment due next week.

6). Start reviewing for your midterm next week. The midterm review sheet is located on the handouts page.

7). You should receive your outlines back tonight - Sunday. Take that outline and make the appropriate changes. You will not turn in your outline again, rather the changes that are made will be for your verbal speech. Your outline is simply a plan for your speech.

8). Transfer your outline to notecards. Please ONLY USE 4x6 notecards (a maximum of 4 cards). Do not write out your entire speech on your notecards, nor your entire outline on your notecards. Since this speech is an extemporaneous speech (look that up in your book and refer to the assignment sheet), you will only use keywords and transfer facts/statistics/quotes, etc... onto your notecards. If you write out the majority of your speech, you might be compelled to rely heavily on your notecards. You should have eye contact with your audience the MAJORITY of the time while you are speaking (approximately 90% of your speaking time). This means that you will need to practice your speech quite a bit (see item #2 on this list).

9). Practice your speech enough so you can make eye contact with your audience for the majority of your speaking time. Since you will not be writing out your entire speech on your cards.

10). Please check my blog everyday this week for further "Speech Tips" which will be about the actual presentation.