RSS+Assignment+for+ENG112+-+Denise+Hill

(This is a F2F class. For the time being, I cannot think of a way in which I would use RSS in my current online only class, LIT241.)
 * ENG112 – College Composition II**

Writing academic research compositions: locate information using a variety of search tools and methods; select source material appropriate to the writing context; integrate personal opinion with various source point of views; quote, paraphrase, summarize; document resource (Adapted from “Outcome 4,” Delta College English Department Outcomes and Objectives for ENG112).
 * Objective assignment will meet**:

Students will use aggregator to collect resources from which they can then sort through and select articles on which to write weekly journals, which in turn become resources for later research writing.

I currently have students write weekly journals from sources they find on their own and allow these to be any “reliable news source” for contemporary social issues. I have also tried using Newsweek subscriptions with students and found this to be disastrous and not a welcome addition to the class by the students themselves. Numerous problems occurred with subscriptions not arriving, with students moving and not getting their copies, and the subscriptions starting late.
 * Description of previous assignment**:

Most students, left to their own devices to find articles on which to respond, turn to the internet and conduct either general key-word searches on Yahoo or Google, or just go to their favorite news-source sites, such as CNN and Fox online.
 * Rationale for assignment revision**:

I would like to work with students in the lab on assessing reliable news source sites and finding multiple sites which can offer a variety of perspectives so that they aren’t getting their news completely from one source.

In my ENG112 class themed “Understanding Disability,” this will help students to connect with sites and news sources specifically targeting disability issues (such as “Disability Nation” and “Ouch! It’s a Disability Thing”).

Using an aggregator for their sources, and even just checking it once a week will provide students with the ability to see a great deal more content from which to make their choices in research and response.

Bloglines is a highly accessible tool that I believe students will be able to use without difficulty, so I’ll stick with that. Some may want to select a different option, perhaps based on their use of Outlook at home, but I will encourage them to use an aggregator that can be accessed away from home so that there will be no excuses for not being able to complete homework because of “down time” on the home computer.
 * Technology to be used**:

Students will select their own sites from which to receive feeds. They must get my "approval" for these sites, which they will gain when they are able to show that the site is credible and reliable and that they have selected sites which allow for a variety of perspectives on issues of interest to them. It is not my intention to "censor" sites, though if the criteria cannot be met, I will not approve their choice.
 * Brief description of content:**

I will plan to spend a class session in the computer lab with students showing them how to set up the feed. I will develop step-by-step instructions based on my own walk-through experience in setting up an account for any students who are not able to be in class that day. I will require students to have at least three sources from which to receive feeds, and I will also warn students about selecting too many feeds and perhaps even staying away from larger “main source feeds” and looking for more specialized and localized sites (such as an organizational blog/site vs. CNN).
 * Instructions for students to complete assignment**:

I do not plan to grade students based on their setting up a aggregator. I will give them credit for setting up an account for themselves and I will survey them as the class progresses and again at the end of the class to see how useful (or not) they found this tool to be. The journals are themselves graded as a weekly writing assignment.
 * Grading criteria, rubric, and assessment**: