Reading before you start Assignment 1, Part 1:

  First Contact Letter

  Class Syllabus:  You are responsible and will be held accountable for everything in this document.  Pay particular attention on sending and receiving assignments, and withdrawals.  As well as your syllabus, you will receive weekly messages in your MCC e-mail that become an extension of your syllabus.  These messages may add, subtract, or change assignments and policy in the syllabus.

  Backup systems if your home computer fails...

Assignment 1, Part 1 Information:

MyMCC:

    MCC provides a Student Portal page where you can view the classes in which you are registered, see your classmates MCC e-mail addresses, and provides a link to your class bulletin board's assignment boards.  You will find a link to MyMCC on the right side of the navigation bar at the top of each assignment page and on the main course Assignments Page.  From the main MyMCC page, choose My Classes and follow the directions.  This is also an excellent way to enter your WebCT bulletin board.

Try it now:  MyMCC

E-Mail:

    MCC provides each registered student with an Internet e-mail account.  I assume that you have already set up your MCC username and password for MyMCC and the WebCT bulletin board (necessary to login to the bulletin board).  All MCC students and all Maricopa students have a lifetime Google@Maricopa address. If you have attended a Maricopa college anytime in the past three (3) years, you can go to https://google.maricopa.edu and log in with your MEID and password. New students can register for an MEID here. When your MEID registration is complete, you can login to GoogleApps@Maricopa, which includes your new e-mail.  This is an Internet e-mail account that is accessed always from your web browser, so you can access this mail from any computer that is connected to the Internet.  This is the e-mail that I prefer you to use for this course.

For each assignment I will send a class message using the MCC course distribution list that sends to your maricopa.edu e-mail address. 

Important:  If you do not use the Maricopa e-mail for this course, you must forward the mail from this account to your own mail account, for all class distributed e-mail instructions and grades for your bulletin board accounts will go to your Maricopa mail account.

To forward your mail, once in your maricopa.edu mail, go to Settings (very top of page - far right).  Then choose Forwarding and POP/IMAP from the Settings menu.  Follow the directions.

E-mail is a very important tool for this course.  Since students do not sit in class listening to questions and answers about assignments, when a question is sent to me by a student, if I feel it is a question whose answer will benefit the entire class, I will also send a copy of that question and answer to all students via a Maricopa e-mail distribution list.  This automatically generated list is made up of the your class maricopa.edu e-mail addresses, so if you are not using that e-mail account, you must have that mail forwarded to the account you are using, or you will miss out on an important part of the course.

Another e-mail account you may use in an emergency is the mail that is within WebCT.  This is a very limited mail, and will not send messages outside of WebCT, or to any other person that is not in the class, but it will send attachments (so it will send your research assignments) and will send to me.  However, I do not check this mail as often as I check my Maricopa.edu mail (abradshaw@mesacc.edu), so it is not a good mail to use if you want an answer to a question soon.  It is basically an emergency mail if the MCC e-mail is down when an assignment is due.  I do use this mail to comment on your bulletin board entries, and send grades on these entries, as it is convenient to use it at this time, so you do need to check your WebCT mail regularly.

I also have another MCC mail where I can be contacted, abradshaw@mesacc.edu , but I would prefer that you use the maricopa address. 

MyMCC:

    MCC provides a Student Portal page where you can view the classes in which you are registered, see your classmates MCC e-mail addresses, and provides a link to your class bulletin board's assignment boards.  You will find a link to MyMCC on the right side of the navigation bar at the top of each assignment page and on the main course Assignments Page.  From the main MyMCC page, choose My Classes and follow the directions.  abradshaw@mesacc.edu

Try it now:  MyMCC

Assignment 1-Part 1 Assignment:

To learn to access E-Mail, and write to your instructor: 

Access your maricopa.edu e-mail account and send a message to me (see below for what info it should contain). The point of this assignment is to demonstrate that you can correctly use e-mail account and can contact and converse with me.  This will also give me your e-mail address for class and individual messages. The message should be at least 150 words and must contain the following for full credit:

1. What equipment you are using - Windows, Mac, etc.
2. A statement that you have the correct word process for this course - Microsoft Word version 6 or higher -- if not MS Word, that you plan to use Open Office.  MS Works and other word processors are not acceptable for this course.
3. A short introduction of yourself, why you chose to take English 102 online, and any information about you that you think I should know.

This e-mail message must be sent the first day of the start day of class. This message shows that you are active in the class and provides me with your e-mail address (it is supplied automatically by your e-mail software).  Students who are on the roster that do not communicate with me the first day are subject to being withdrawn to make room for another student.

It is extremely important that you check your e-mail at least three times each week (daily in summer and winter intersession school). Since this is not a lecture course, when I need to communicate with you, whether it be tips on the current assignments, announcements, or just news for the class, this communication will come in the form of an e-mail. For Internet/distance learning students, e-mail is the primary avenue of communication between instructor and student.  You are responsible for the content of these class distributed messages.  These e-mail messages are an extension of your class syllabus.

If you are not using the Maricopa mail, you must have the MCC mail forwarded to your e-mail account.

Normally, if a work day, I will respond to your message in a few hours - at worst - within a day.  If I am home, I normally check my mail one time at night, usually about 9 pm.  I do not respond to messages written after 9 pm until the next day.

Instructor e-mail address:  Allen Bradshaw: abradshaw@mesacc.edu

Assignment 1. Part 1 Summary:

  All students will setup an MCC e-mail account
  All students will send an  E-Mail message to me at abradshaw@mesacc.edu  (150 words min.) containing certain information -- see below in Ass. 1.  This message can come from your personal e-mail, or the MCC e-mail, or even the WebCT e-mail.  This assignment is worth:  10 points

Assignment 1-Part 2: Class Internet WebCT Bulletin Board

This course uses a class bulletin board for you to post some of your assignments, converse with other students, gain extra credit points (see Class Forum points below) and obtain help on assignments.  This bulletin board is a web based board (viewed in your Internet web browser from a link on your course Assignments page or from MyMCC), but it requires a username and password (your MCC mail username and password), so only my classes can access it. I do NOT use WebCT for my course setup, lectures, or assignments.  These reside directly on the Internet as web pages.  However, you will find links to these course pages in the Course Content section of the bulletin board that will take you to your assignment pages on the Internet.  You will also find a course calendar with all the due dates of your assignments within WebCT.

All students will access the English 102 class web bulletin board and write an entry in BB1 -Introductions bulletin board. (300 words min.) (10 points) [minimum = average = C grade]

Required Reading:

  WebCT class bulletin board:  Instructions on accessing, logging in, and using the bulletin board.

  Writing Rules and Extra Credit for the Bulletin Board

To learn to use your WebCT Instructional Bulletin Board:

This board has its own Help area with instructions on how to write messages and use other functions of the board.  Part of your assignment is to read the Help section of this bulletin board.

The Class bulletin board can be accessed from a link at the top right hand side of the navigation links at the top of every course assignment page:                                                    Lectures | MLA Forms | MS Word Inst | Library | My MCC | Class Board | Sample Ppr R1 | Sample Ppr R2

Important Note:  Using the link from the the navigation links will only work if you have accessed the course assignment pages directly from the Internet using your web browser.  If you accessed the Assignment pages from WebCT, then you are already in your bulletin board and ready to work.  In this case, if you use these links, you will receive an error message.

All of your Assignments, lectures, and instructions can be accessed directly from the Internet, using your web browser, but all these pages can also be accessed from within WebCT.  Many students prefer to work this way.  In this case you enter WebCT from MyMCC using the link MyClasses.  This allows you to using your assignment pages and bulletin board together.

Entering WebCT, and your bulletin board, from MyMCC:

In your class bulletin board, you will post assignments that other students in your class can read, read other classmates' posted assignments, be able to converse with your classmates, and get help on your assignments from other students.  Remember, this bulletin board will ask you for your username and password each time you log on.  This username and password is the one that you set up when you registered for your MCC Mail.  Without this registered name and password, you can not use the bulletin board. 

Grading of the bulletin board:

Bulletin board entries are regular assignments to practice your writing skills and take the place of the extra writing assignments in a regular English 102 class. Therefore, you should always put your best writing effort in to these assignments. The minimum words for each assigned entry is 300 for credit (C), but spelling and other mechanics also can affect your grade. Most well-developed assignments run 400-500 words or longer. (A & B) grades will be given to those writings that show depth of thought and development of the assignment. (See Grading of Papers and Bulletin Board Assignments in your syllabus). Replies to other student entries can vary in length.

Bulletin Board Assignment:

Log on to your English class web bulletin board.

Select the BB1-Introductions class board and write a paragraph or two (300 - 600 words) introducing yourself. Tell the class something about your life (that you care to share) and about your high school or post high school experiences.

Each entry that you put on the bulletin board must have a subject.  For the subject of this assignment, use  (Your last name's) INTRODUCTION. i.e. Smith's Introduction.

Format for bulletin board:

You may write directly into the small editor window on the bulletin board, or you may write your assignments in MS Word and Copy and Paste your assignment into the bulletin board editor.  It is usually easier and safer to Copy and Paste from MS Word, as it is always possible that you may lose your connection on the Internet while you are writing, and if you do, all your text and hard work will be lost.

One of the new features of the WebCT bulletin board is this JAVA powered editor that works very much like a word processor, allowing you to underline, bold face, center text, etc.  This editor allows you to copy and paste writing assignments directly from an MS Word document into the editor of the bulletin board, keeping most of the formatting commands intact in the bulletin board. 

The new JAVA html editor in the WebCT web board may see some formatting commands a little differently than your MS Word editor, so if you copy and paste, be sure to proofread the assignment before your final posting of it.  Also, if you do not like what you see when you post it, or decide to add something to the entry, you can still go back and edit it.  You will want to use this new editor for this course (the old editor that only accepts only text and strips out formatting commands is the default editor).

 Important note:  When copying and pasting, some formatting can be lost, so it is important that you proofread your writing after you place it in the JAVA editor.  Also, the default type will be fairly small, so it is important that you differentiate your paragraphing in the bulletin board.  The best way is to skip an extra line between each paragraph, leaving a space that clearly tells the reader that you have changed thought. Skipping this extra line, as well as indenting the first word of each new paragraph, is required in this class when writing on the bulletin board.

So when you are ready to write in the board, be sure that you have selected the new JAVA html editor before you begin.

When you select the html editor, if you have JAVA installed on your computer, you will get a JAVA screen, and then the editor below will appear.  If you do not have JAVA installed (a free software program) you will need to download and install it.  For more on this, and other information about logging in to your class bulletin board, click here.

For full credit on this assignment, read the other students' introductions, and reply to at least one using the REPLY command.

Points for Assignment 1, Part II: 10

Extra Credit:  Yes, you can earn extra credit points in this class to make up form points you may have lost for one reason or another on research assignments.

Writing replies will add extra credit to your unit score--read on Class Forum Bonus Points.

You may also post messages if you are having trouble with any technology or class assignment.  The class is encouraged to read and reply to these entries if they can help.  Students helping can receive "class forum" points for timely replies.  The instructor will also monitor this board to give help when necessary.

 

Also for 3 extra credit points, you can post your picture and e-mail address (you can use your MCC e-mail address if you like) in the Roster part of the bulletin board.  This is certainly not required, but posting your e-mail address here makes it easier for students to contact you if they want to trade papers for a peer review (Ass. 9).  To do this, choose the Roster tab in the bulletin board menu and follow the online directions.

Assignment 1 - Part 3

Begin reading The Dark Wind by Tony Hillerman. As you read, jot down ideas of interest about Indian culture, Arizona topics, Federal land and enforcement subjects, etc. This list will be your source to choose the subject for your first research paper. The subject is limited to Arizona.

Assignment Questions and Answers:

Over the years, students have sent questions to me that I felt might help other students in the class.  I have created a question and answer page for each of the assignments that deal with these questions.  This is like sitting in a traditional class and listening to the instructor answer questions of students after an assignment was made.  Reading these questions and answers may help you with the assignment, and answer some of the questions you may have about the assignment.  So after reading any of the assignment pages, be sure to access the Question and Answer page for that assignment before firing off a question to me that may already have an answer. Normally, you will find the link to the Q & A page on the Reading List for the assignment.  But for this intro assignment, here is your link!

Go to Q & A's for Assignment 1.

Checklist:

Read all the lecture and instruction material (and you are overwhelmed!)
E-mail message sent to instructor
Introduction written on class bulletin board (BB1-Introduction board)

Total Points for Assignment #1: 20

Interesting places on the Internet:

Library of Congress
New York Public Library

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Copyright 1995: Allen Bradshaw