More Online Tutoring

After class the other day, I'm not as gung-ho about online tutoring as I was. I guess I never really looked at the whole picture. Technology isn't the greatest. It is really easy to get kicked off of the internet or have your computer freeze on you. When you're face to face, you would never have that problem. Also, I never really thought about it, but you would spend most of the time just typing. You can say something a lot quicker than you can when you type it. So I wonder if the online session is less productive than face to face because the ideas you are wanting to express take a while to get out? Not to mention, you can take things the wrong way when you are reading text online because you don't have the sound of the voice and physical clues to tell you when the person is joking. Online tutoring leaves both the tutor and the tutee more open to misinterpreting something that someone says. I still think that online tutoring can be useful to those who need  a quick fix or for those who are too shy to do it in person. I would be interested in actually doing online tutoring just to see what it's really like. 

Online Tutoring

I think that online tutoring is a great concept for several reasons. Like the first article says, I think the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. First, it allows accessibility to tutoring to those who may not have it (and to those who are too lazy to travel somewhere to have it done). The fact that you can get tutoring on your computer at your own home can benefit disabled people, people who don't have cars, etc. Also, I think it's really great for shy or introverted people because they can be totally anonymous and don't have to "connect" with a tutor in person. The second article argues that you should create a personal relationship online, but I think that if you have to fill out a survey with your name, major, etc., it kind of goes against this whole idea of anonymity. I think that when students are sitting at their computers, they can feel comfortable asking questions they wouldn't normally feel comfortable asking in person. Also, like the first article argues, in online tutoring, you lose the stereotypes. Everyone makes assumptions about somebody based on their appearance, the way they talk, etc., so to not have this in the way of the tutoring process can make the tutoring session more successful. 

Sherwood & Jacoby

I agreed with the Sherwood article. Censorship is kind of a grey area and can be tough if you are the tutor. You don't want to step on the student's ideas and their creativity, but then again, you don't want the student's paper to offend or insult people.  He pointed out the idea that we never counterargue a paper that we agree with. . . which is interesting. I had never really thought about this. Should we play devil's advocate whether we agree or disagree? But then again, everyone's ideas and ways of seeing the world are different. You can't please everyone. 

Brooks Shamoon, & Burns

The Brooks article reminded me of North's article except he was a lot calmer and made more sense. I agreed with everything he had to say up until the Defensive Minimalist Tutoring.  Yeah, the paper is ultimately the student's responsibility. But if the student is the "only active agent in improving the paper" (173) and the tutor doesn't have a very active role in the session, then what is the purpose of going to the writing center? I would hope that the tutor would want to facilitate learning in any way possible. No, the tutor shouldn't sit there and correct every mistake, but I also don't think it's fair of the tutor to say, "I don't know - it's your paper" (172). If a student asks what they should do with a certain part of the paper, I think that the tutor should do something to get some ideas flowing like having the student making a list of ideas, etc. I realize that he's using this approach for uncooperative students, but if that's the case, why can't you just tell them you aren't going to edit their paper instead of beating around the bush? 

I like that Shamoon & Burns recognize that different tutoring approaches work for different people. I think that the directive approach is interesting and could be beneficial for the "uncooperative students" that Brooks talks about. I like the idea that tutoring is hierarchical and that everyone has different skills that can be passed down. I think that the nondirective approach seems to suggest that everyone is on the same playing field, which isn't really accurate. So I guess what I'm saying is that I agree with this article. I think that if everyone were to beat around the bush rather than be blunt about what needs to change, no one would become a better writer. 

North & North

North’s first article seemed very . . . ambitious. He sounded pretty angry and concerned with the way writing centers are viewed. I don’t know how I feel about it. No, I don’t think that writing centers should be used as fix-it places, but I think that society / professors have placed a huge emphasis on grammar / punctuation / spelling. Ultimately, the professors are the ones doing the grading and determining whether students will pass the class, so if a student is looking for good mechanics, why shouldn’t that be the focus of the paper when going to the tutoring center? If the student feels like he/she needs help with those kinds of issues, the tutor should help them with it. At the end of the day, the writing center needs to meet the needs of the students.

The End of Bedford

Thank goodness we are done reading this book. It was sooo boring.

Anyway. As boring as it was, it did have some helpful information in it such as the checklists in Chapter 7. I think that these would be good resources to have when you are tutoring someone with a specific paper although it's a lot of stuff to go over in 50 minutes. It's a good starting place though, especially if the student doesn't really know what he or she wants to go over. These checklists are also pretty useful if the tutor hasn't ever written a certain paper. For instance, if someone has never had to write a resume, then this would be a useful tool for them so that they make sure that they hit all of the important points.

I guess it's nice that Chapter 8 recognizes that every writer isn't polite and that every tutoring session isn't perfect. But some of the points they mention, like "be polite," are just common sense. I love that they say, "Don't get into an argument or shouting match." It made me laugh (although I'm sure that there are tutors out there who have felt like doing this!)

The End of Snobs

32 was interesting. I have a habit of smooshing my words together, like everyday and alot (even though spelling it that way is wrong no matter what). 

The numbers chapter was nice. I've never learned any number rules so I have always just done whatever I've wanted. I think I'm more of a numeral person. But I'm glad I know the rules now so that I can do it right. 

Less than vs. Fewer than was interesting although it could be kind of confusing trying to figure out when it is a single item, such as the "eight gallons of gas" example she used. This is a fun rule but I doubt I'll even remember it tomorrow. I don't use less than / fewer than very often. 

The Satan article cracked me up. It was a little lengthy but here are some of the ones I found interesting: "waked" (who knew it was really a word?), compliment / complement, disc / disk (never thought about this difference), and flammable / inflammable (I had no idea these were the same).

I'm a little sad that I've finished the book because it was fun. I don't think that I'll remember half of these rules because it was a lot to take in, but I'll probably keep it around as a reference for the particulars of writing. 

GS 24-31

Ok, so Chapter 24 confused me. On page 106, she says, "Never is the verb 'to do' conjugated with 'am' and 'done.'" Technically, isn't "to finish" supposed to be conjugated with "have" instead of "am"? And what's it really matter if the technical definition of "done" doesn't match up with what someone is actually saying as long as everyone knows what he/she means? Slang speech never matches up with the technical definition yet it's acceptable. 

So I'm pretty glad I can legally begin sentences with "so" because I do it all the time.

The possessive chapter was . . . difficult. I've always just put an apostrophe after a word ending in "s" because that's always what I thought the rule was. It looks too cluttered and messy to say "Jesus's book." When she was talking about the whole "boss' son" and how you wouldn't put that extra "s" there because it'd make three "s" sounds . . . wouldn't you pronounce that extra "s" when you are speaking anyway? Because you wouldn't just say "boss son" because that would be bad grammar. You'd have to pronounce all of the sounds so I don't really see the point of this rule. Unless I'm just making stuff up, which I probably am. 

Bedford 3-4

So this book is pretty boring. I've never tutored or been in a tutoring center, but I feel like the information in Chapter 3 is just common sense. Chapter 4 had some good information in it ( although still boring ). 

I like that it broke the tutoring process into different scenarios like prewriting and sentence-level revisions. It gave some good approaches to these situations and things you can do to help out the student. I've never done the clustering technique but it seems like it would be a very good place to start prewriting. I think it can really help to get the student focused on what he/she would like to write about and the main points that he/she would like to write about. I also thought the freewriting exercise was a good idea. I try to use this technique when I begin a paper so that I get all my thoughts and questions about my topic down. I thought the suggestions for coping with a long paper were good. Long papers are always a pain to write. 

Okay, enough random rambling. 

GS 16-23

It's been a nice refresher talking about the parts of speech in class but it is so confusing! Some words can have two categories and some can look like verbs but act like nouns. . . . I don't think I'm ever going to get the hang of it! I wish I would have taken this class at the beginning of my college English career instead of the end.

Grammar snobs was enlightening, like usual. I loved the part about ellipses. . . . I love using them. I had no idea that you were supposed to use 4 periods (with spaces in between) to ramble and 3 to omit words. I'm definitely a rambler. 

In Chapter 18, Casagrande says, "What we are witnessing may be the first time in the history of the language that a communication form has prioritized the writer over the reader." (81). I've never thought about this. It is a pain in the butt to read text lingo but I'm guilty of writing "lol" and "ttyl." I'm glad that she embraces this new language instead of cautioning against it because it is definitely something that is going to be around for awhile. 

Snobs 8-15

So pretty much all I've learned in these chapters is to trust my instinct because no matter what I do, "two out of three language authorities" will tell me I'm wrong. Great. Thanks for the insight, June. 

I liked Chapter 13 because I love making up my own words. Especially when I'm writing poetry, I love making up a word to use as a title. It was nice to see that it's accepted to make up your own words but she really lost me when she started talking about the hyphens. If I make up my own word, I'm going to make up my own hyphen rules, too. 

"Oh yeah? Well...your mama dangles her participles!" (62). hahaha...

Chapter 15 was nice. I never know whether to put my punctuation inside of the quotes or not. Sometimes when I'm quoting something, it seems so weird to put the comma inside of the quotation marks, but I guess that's how you do it. And at least the rule for punctuation is easy and not a complicated drawn out process like hyphens. 

GS Intro, 1-7

I think a more appropriate title for this book would be, "How to Become a Grammar Snob Like Me, June Casagrande". She seems to come across as a grammar know-it-all and has an "I am never wrong" mentality when it comes to her writing. She is like the God of Grammar Snobs. Especially on page 18 when she says, "You don't need to know that..." blah blah blah and "You absolutely don't need to know that..." blah blah blah. It's like she's saying, "Let me demonstrate my deeply extensive (and snobbish) knowledge of the subject. Bow at my feet. Now here is a simplified, layman's explanation of the subject for you."

That being said, I do think this book gives a refreshing and funny view on an otherwise boring subject. The titles of the chapters are pretty funny and while some of her jokes inside the chapters aren't so humorous, at least she tries to make grammar contemporary and "cool."

Despite her snobbishness and sometimes bad jokes, I think this is a valuable resource for writers, students, teachers, etc. because it addresses grammar issues that people don't really think about and that aren't taught in school. For instance, I really found the Lie/Lay chapter interesting because I had never been taught how to properly use the different forms. It is a problem that I have run across in my own writing so I'm sure that many others have had problems with it, as well. She explains things clearly and with examples so that anyone reading it (not just English majors!) can understand. 

I feel like such a nerd for saying this, but I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book. She explains grammar issues that I haven't been beat over the head with. (Yes, I just ended that sentence with a preposition.) It reads really fast, too. It's a lot lot lot better than Pipher's attempt...

Pipher's Chapters 8-10

The reading for today was full of good ideas and writing tips that I would like to incorporate into my writing. There are things I had never considered and some things that I had considered, but had never really given a second thought. 

In Chapter 8, Pipher says that "writing is like building a house" (115). This is something I need to take into consideration about my writing. Sometimes when I write, I get so caught up in finding the perfect adjective or an original verb that I lose sight of why I am writing in the first place. I need to refocus on why I am writing ... after all, "my house" can't be pretty if it has a crumbling structure.

Another part of this that I enjoyed was the section "Organizing Paper." I am bad about organizing my writing. I have a catch-all folder on my computer that I put my writing in, but it holds so many different pieces of writing, from school essays to poetry, that it is really hard to find a certain document. Also, I am really bad about writing down thoughts on whatever paper I have handy at that moment. When I try to find that thought later, I have to dig through all of my school notebooks to find it. I need to do what she suggests and carry around a little notebook for sudden thoughts. I also need to find a better way to organize my writing so that it is all in one place and easy to locate. 

The last idea that I loved was from Chapter 10. Pipher states, "Success means we have done our best" (162). I wrote this on a piece of paper and hung it above my desk. For some reason, I have this nagging voice in my brain that says that I have to write something perfectly. I just need to slow down and ask myself, have I done my best? If not, I need to revise revise revise. If I feel that I have done my best, I need to pat myself on the back and be content.

MLK Jr. Day

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (paragraph 14).

Wow. I’ve never read “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” but I’m glad that I did. MLK Jr. was a deeply religious and well-spoken man whose life ended all too soon. It is amazing to me that he risked being put in jail so that he could stand up for minorities everywhere in America. There are not many people in this day and age who are selfless enough to do that.

Sadly, this letter is still relevant today. The issues that he raises about the inequalities of blacks are issues that America is still dealing with. I feel like high schools across the country should be required to read this. I think it might help some people see that we should set our skin differences aside and love each other.  I know at my predominately white high school, it would have been nice to read.

My favorite part of the speech was paragraph 15. He paints a heartbreaking picture of what it must have been like to be black in America. The whole paragraph is so much more personal and emotional than any other paragraph in the letter and it really just grabbed my attention and made me want to do something!

“…in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty” (last paragraph)

If MLK Jr. were alive today, I think he would be honored that we have a day dedicated to him. I also believe that he would be proud of the way America has progressed in terms of equality. Although our racial relations are far from being perfect, I believe our country has definitely gotten better and everyone should take this day to thank him for giving his life in order to make ours better. 

Reading for the 16th

So...I forgot to post my blog for last class period. So here it is.

One thing I really enjoy about Mary Pipher's writing is the fact that she separates the chapters into sections and begins each section with a few quotes. However, I don't really enjoy all the quotes that she throws into the reading. I feel like she uses a lot of other people's thoughts instead of just coming out and saying what she needs to say, so it gets confusing sometimes for me. But, I really enjoyed Chapter 7 and how she compared tutoring to therapy. I guess I had never really thought about tutoring and everything that goes into it. But even just a couple weeks into this class, I can see that tutoring isn't just sitting down and penciling in commas... relationships, time, respect, etc. are all crucial for tutoring to be possible. I can definitely see the relationship between therapy and tutoring in that everyone (unless forced against their will) who comes into the tutoring center or the therapist's office are going there because they need help to correct or modify their writing or personality. The other things that Pipher suggests, such as connection, clarity, and perspective, are all important when dealing with tutoring and therapy, as well.

Also, I really enjoyed the section in which she talked about her writing/reading group. She made it sound so glamorous and made me want to start my own!

Current Traditional

If I were to correct the whaling paper adhering to the Current Traditional theory, I would address the following issues:

- There should be paragraphs to separate the main ideas. This will also make it easier to read.

- Double spacing would make it easier to read and make it easier for the teacher to write comments.

- Eliminate "you" so that it is not so informal.

- A quarter of the way down the page, use commas instead of semicolons for the following sentence: "These measures provide for the protection of certain species, designate..."

- Parenthetical documentation should adhere to MLA or APA.

- Include a Works Cited page.

- Make sure you have reached the assigned page limit.