audio version of a research essay

As I was listening to NPR last week, I heard a program on technology and online reputations. In the audio recording at the link below, Julie Siple presents "Repairing a Bad Online Reputation," which is essentially an spoken version of a research essay. She incorporates her personal experience with her online reputation and research about a person who helps people repair their online reputations. For some of you, this may be an interesting audio example of the work we're doing on the research essay; for others, it may offer a useful source (or idea for sources) for the topics you're writing about.

Click here to visit the NPR page and to listen to the program.

prompt for monday, february 25

Once you have completed the glossing of your entire draft that we began in class, look over your outline, and write a blog in which you freewrite responses to some or all of the following questions. (Don't simply write one-word answers. Remember, the idea behind freewriting is to think through writing; you can't do this if you don't write for at least a couple of minutes.)

• What themes seem to recur and in what ways?
• What themes or ideas in the draft surprise you? If so, why were you surprised? Are these themes developed enough or should you do more? How can you do this?
• Do any of the issues or themes you've noticed not seem to fit with the rest of the draft? Why not? Are there possible connections here worth pursuing? If so, how would you develop these issues? If not, do you need these ideas in the next draft of this paper?
• Think about how you have organized the information in this paper. Do you move from personal experience to public information? Or vice versa? Or back and forth? Is there information that you tell later that would be more helpful to your audience if told earlier, or vice versa? Would any other method of organization work better?
• Finally, is there any repetition that needs to be eliminated? Ideas or transitions between ideas that are missing?

prompt for friday, february 15

For class on Friday, I've asked you to bring your first three sources that you have discovered by searching in the same resources that we did in class today. Remember that you can find details on all of the sources I showed you today on eCollege.

For your blog, just write a paragraph reflecting on your experience researching. You might answer questions like: What was easy? What was difficult? Did you have to change your search to find relevant sources? Did you have to narrow down to be able to manage the sources? or broaden to find enough sources? What advice would you give your classmates or other researchers working in these databases or search engines? Or anything else you want to reflect on.

See you on Friday!

prompt for wednesday, february 13

As we discussed in class on Monday, you'll be starting your research process with a topic, question, and rationale. For Wednesday, write a blog (as long as it needs to be to cover the prompt) that introduces your TQR.

• Topic - Remember that the topic needs to be related to technology in some way. In your blog, briefly describe your topic.
  
• Question - Follow the qualifications listed on pp. 456-57 to ensure your question is researchable. In your blog, share your question and why you think it is a researchable question.
  
• Rationale - Think about why you are interested in this topic. In your blog, reflect on why you want to research this topic (or answer this question), what you hope/want to get out of your research, and how your question matters.