E-journaling for CO200 Self-Conscious Fiction

		CO200 SELF-CONSCIOUS FICTION Block 6, 2002 E-JOURNALING
What is e-journaling?
E-mail is by definition a form of electronic dialogue and our class e-journal will serve precisely as a forum for discussion. The journal entries or posts you write for this class will allow you to explore the assigned readings with your colleagues beyond the bounds of the classroom (instead of working through your ideas in isolation). This will be a place where you can compare ideas about a text with other class members before we actually discuss the text in class. You can also use the e-journal to continue a discussion that began in class or to bring up a topic we didn’t get to. Finally, you can use the e-journal as a forum for developing your own paper ideas.
*The Assignment*
To ensure that there are actual conversations going on (as opposed to having a bunch of random, unrelated comments), each of you should contribute TWO POSTS for each assignment.
In your first post*, discuss the text that we’re reading for class on the day after the journal assignment is due. Point out a difficult passage or pose an interpretive problem that you’re working on; ask for feedback on a reading you’re developing.
Then, in a second post* respond to questions posed by other students on the next day’s reading or on a previous reading that you’re still working out.
For each of your contributions, use a descriptive heading that will allow your peers to page down through the list quickly to identify topics of interest. Two simple suggestions about the kinds of questions you ask. Avoid questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”; they’re lame ducks. Locate your questions in concrete places in the text; challenge your peers to think about a specific part of the work that is problematic.
*Due Dates*
Journal entries are due each Tuesday and Thursday of the block, before 9 p.m. That’s a MINIMUM total of twelve posts. You do not need to post your entries only on these dates, however. Feel free to enter into the conversation at any time. In fact, the journal is more like a conversation when people post their thoughts in between official due dates.
*Grading*
This assignment will be graded as follows:
Pass + = 12 carefully conceived, challenging, substantive posts
Pass = 12 focused, topic-specific posts
NC = fewer than 12 posts or 12 unfocused, slip-shod posts

E-JOURNALING: GETTING STARTED
1.		Use the start menu. Internet and E-mail > Web and E-mail > Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer [This brings you to the CC home page.]
2.		Click on Check E-mail located in the lower left-hand corner.
3.		Click on the large yellow box that says Microsoft Outlook.
4.		In the Log-on box type your student name, e.g. J_Smith.
5.		You will see a box that asks for your name and password. Type in: J_Smith On the next line type your password.
6.		Now you are in Microsoft Exchange. On the left sidebar follow this progression: Academic Departments > Comparative Literature > Scheiner > 01/02 Blk 6 CO200
7.		In the upper right-hand corner there is a box that says new message. Click on the arrow and change it to create new post.
8.		Type your journal entry and click the small icon *post-it note* (the yellow note with a pin through it) that is located in the upper left-hand corner of the message box.
That’s all you have to do.
NOTA BENE
If you’re composing your journal entry at the computer and it’s a long one, the computer may “clock you out.” If this happens, simply block the text you’ve written, use the *edit* function to *copy* the block. Then start a new message and use the *edit* function to *paste* the text you just blocked from the first attempt into your new message.
You can pre-empt this problem entirely if you know in advance that your post will take a long time to write by writing long messages in Word or WordPerfect, saving the file, and then using the insert function (*insert file*) to insert the text into your post.