This morning in class, you and your classmates will deliver your oral presentations on “Blogs vs. Term Papers” by Matt Richtel, “Why Writing by Hand is Better for Memory and Learning” by Charlotte Hu, “A Break from Your Smartphone . . .” by Allison Aubrey, “Want to Play Scrabble Like a Pro? . . .” by Ulrich Boser, and the first chapter of Ted Chiang‘s “The Life Cycle of Software Objects” in Exhalation (62-74).
Today’s class notes serve as the posting site for the response you will write, addressing both your group’s presentation and one of the other four. (See the directions below.)
Directions
Compose a short piece of writing (two paragraphs, minimum) that reflects on your individual preparation and delivery of your portion of the presentation and your group’s presentation overall. Although you are not required to draft your response longhand in your journal, I encourage you to write it by hand before you type it as a blog comment.
Elements to address include the following:
- The roles of your reading and writing: How did the processes of rereading the text and writing and rewriting your remarks contribute to the effectiveness of your delivery?
- The introduction of your group members and opening remarks
- The examination of points in the article
- The conclusion
- The cohesiveness of the presentation
- Poise, eye contact, and avoidance of filler words
Note that even though you are composing a blog comment, the assignment requires multiple, albeit short, block paragraphs. Use the enter or return key to create a space in the text box.
After you complete your two-paragraph reflection on your group’s presentation, compose an additional paragraph that addresses a presentation by one of the other groups. Choose the one that stands out the most to you. What element or elements of that presentation made it particularly effective and why?
Post your response as a comment on today’s blog post. To receive credit for the assignment, you must post your comment as a reply to today’s post, “ENG 1103: Delivering Your Group Presentations.” To submit your comment, click the title of the post, then scroll down to the bottom. There you will see the image of an airmail envelope with a box for your comment. Type your comment in the box and click Comment. Post your comment by 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28. I will make your comments visible after the deadline.
Next Up
Wordplay Day! To prepare for class, revisit the Merriam-Webster Scrabble Word Finder page, and review your journal notes and the blog posts devoted to Scrabble tips.
