Excellent example of using indicator words to generate main ideas

Remember, our note taking is designed to help us generate main ideas so we can fill in our skeleton

From "Internet is it changing the way we think"

1.  In one sense,  This is telling us that training our brain is also important for stimulation
2. But      This is telling us that exercising your brain through the internet seems like work when its actually not as much work as exercising your brain through reading.
3. It Often       So sometimes its beneficial for our brains to use the internet and sometimes its not
4. If        Students can't understand something from a book essay then they revert to Google, which makes their brains lazy
5. But      It's always the most popular answer that comes up making the search engine not necessarily accurate
6. But     We can easily acquire information from the internet but that's not the same as knowing  something
7. But     The internet provides tons of in info but it lets everyone have access to it, unlike books.

Keep all of your graded work

Please get a folder to put all of your graded work in just in case you need it at some future date. I strongly encourage you not to throw any of your work away.

Redo/Revised Work

Occasionally I may ask you to redo an assignment or give you the option to revise an assignment. In either of those cases, the redone/revised work should be turned in at the NEXT class with the original work. It's imperative that you are keeping up with the work so that you don't get lost as we progress.

Note taking for Internet Changing the Way we Think

Just to clarify, your homework for Tuesday is to do your notes for Internet Is It Changing the Way We Think, the essay we worked on in class Thursday. Your notes should follow the style from the handout "How to Take Notes" that is in your reading packet.

Digital Cultural Summary example

The question the article raises is: Is it a violation of our privacy that police and other organizations are reading our license plate data?

Possible answers:
1. It is fair to store information because it will lower the crime rate
2. It is a violation of our civil liberties to store the information and it should not be done.
3. Only law enforcement agencies should be allowed to use such information and only if there is good reason.

Response: In my opinion, the police should not be allowed to scan cars freely because that information could really be misused and ruin people's lives. If anybody should be allowed it should be private security firms whose job it is to keep track of who is on the premises and only if they notify people that they are being taken picture of.

Some notes on notes

After grading students' notes, I have a few comments for your future notes.

First, vocab should be included and it must be defined.
Second, focus on main points. You do not need to summarize the entire article. Quality over quantity
Third, you want to focus on two main goals: pull out the ideas that will help you build the skeleton; and interact with the reading personally (what do these ideas mean to you and your world?).
Four, do NOT quote the article. In general, for this class, you will NEVER quote. I want to know what you think, how you make meaning.

Example of notes

Here is an example from one of your fellow students of what part of your notes might look like (This is the students second page of two).  As you can see, the student has numbered each paragraph and focused on question, main idea and support for each paragraph (just as the instructions for Taking Notes stated).  You'll also notice, the student has put vocab words at the bottom and defined them. 

Excellent first effort.

Welcome to English 116 Spring 2014

Welcome new students to English 116. If you have questions that you think the answers would benefit multiple students, please ask them here on the blog. I will post the upcoming assignment schedule and the assignments themselves here.

Any confusion? Please Ask. You can always email me at mvasudeva03@yahoo.com

I look forward to a great semester.