VIRTUAL SELVES

1. VIRTUAL SELVES “Time’s Person of the Year: You” “Alter Egos in a Virtual World” “Who Am We?” “What You Say Online Could Haunt You”

2. “TIME’s Person of the Year: You”

3. HOW DO WE BEGIN? • With a quickwrite, of course. • Take out your Reader’s/Writer’s Journal • Table of Contents title “TIME Quickwrite” • Write about the ways you use the computer for either SOCIAL or ACADEMIC purposes. • (and, yes, I want you to write the prompt!)

4. Now, turn your reader’s/writer’s journal so it is landscape (hamburger!). Social Web Sites Academic Web Sites Special Interest Sites myspace m-w.com pogo.com You have three minutes to list the types of websites you visit, classifying them in the chart.

5. NOW, after your homework assignment, I want you to RE-READ THE TEXT. However, this time you are going to annotate it! • Underline any words you may not know • Highlight ideas that you may find interesting • Put question marks where you may be confused • Mark places where you can make a personal connection to what is being described (PC) • YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES……………..GO!

6. how do you define ASSERTION? • In paragraph 3, Grossman makes three assertions. What are they? • What textual evidence throughout his article does he give to support his assertions? • Use your own words to describe textual evidence please. Assertion: • to state or declare positively and often forcefully or aggressively • a declaration • an announcement You are going to explain Grossman’s assertions!

7. Take out your Reader’s/Writer’s Journal. Table of Content Title: GROSSMAN’S ASSERTIONS In paragraph 3, Grossman makes three assertions. What are they? What textual evidence throughout his article does he give to support his assertions? Use your own words to describe textual evidence please. Grossman’s Assertions “It’s a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before.” • Assertion #1 • Textual Evidence: • Assertions #2 • Textual Evidence: • Assertion #3 • Textual Evidence: • Use of the World Wide Web as a tool • Used throughout Baghdad, Boston and Beijing • User-created Linux

8. Now, take out your reader’s/writer’s journal. Title it “Virtual” Proper Nouns People Geographic Location Proper Names Thomas Carlyle Iraq Sony You have ten minutes to list the proper nouns from “Times Person of the Year: You” by Lev Grossman.

9. Descriptive Outlining • Descriptive Outlining examines how a text is constructed in terms of what each part DOES and what it SAYS. • DOES: the function and purpose • SAYS: the content • Turn to page 123 in your text book. There is a list of verbs that will help you in writing the DOES statement. • Always start DOES statement with one of those verbs. • In the SAYS section, you are paraphrasing the section.

10. Take out your Reader’s/Writer’s Journal. Table of Content Title: Descriptive Outlining DOES: the function and purpose SAYS: the content Chunk #1: Paragraphs 1-4 Chunk #2: Paragraphs 5-8 Chunk #3: Paragraphs 9-11 Descriptive Outlining Introduces the idea of an unexpected “Person of the Year”. • Chunk #1 (First Four Paragraphs) • Does: • Says: • Chunk #2 • Does: • Says: • Chunk #3 • Does: • Says Many famous individuals contributed positively and negatively to newsworthy events in 2006, but the way people used the internet this year, will have lasting world-wide effects in the years to come.

11. NOW, hopefully, you completed your assignment of finishing your DESCRIPTIVE OUTLINE because you are going to need it to create a summary! Summaries consist of several specific elements: • Read the text first for its main points. • Reread carefully and make a descriptive outline (Does/Says) • Write out the text’s thesis or main point (put main point in one sentence in your OWN WORDS!). • Identify texts major divisions or chunks. Typically these parts might function as background, review of the conversation, summary of opposing views, or subpoints in support of the thesis. • Try summarizing each chunk in one or two sentences. • Now combine all of this into a coherent paragraph. This will create a condensed version of the text in YOUR OWN WORDS (do not quote at this point.) • GET THE PICTURE? Now you’re going to do it!

12. Take out your Reader’s/Writer’s Journal. Table of Content Title: TIME Article Summary Read Article Create descriptive outline Write thesis/main point in your own words Summarize each chunk in one or two sentences (Chunk #1: Paragraphs 1-4, Chunk #2: Paragraphs 5-8, Chunk #3: Paragraphs 9-11) Finally, combine into coherent paragraph using own words TIME Article Summary Evaluate your partner’s work using the checklist on page 125. In the “Time’s Person of the Year: You” article published in the December 13, 2006 issue, Lev Grossman explains why the magazine chose YOU as the 2006 Person of the Year. Although many famous people contributed positively and negatively to newsworthy events in 2006, Grossman asserts that the way people used the Internet this year has caused a global connectivity where people are reading, listening and paying attention to each other’s posting and uploads. He states that user-created content gave an insight into how people live and adds that open source software allowed the opportunity for unprecedented global collaboration. Grossman claims that although there can be a lot of controversial and erroneous content on the Internet, this connectivity is a kind of revolutionary social experiment created by the people, and not dictated by the establishment. He subtly suggests that his readers become involved.

13. Using this same information, we are going to continue and write a précis. Table of Content Title: TIME Article Précis TIME Article Précis Structure of a Precis: • Sentence 1: Includes the name of the author, genre, and title of the work, the date published in parenthesis; a rhetorically accurate verb (such as “claims,” “argues,” “asserts,” “suggests”); and a THAT clause containing the major assertion or thesis statement in the work. • Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and supports the thesis, usually in chronological order. • Sentence 3: A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order to” phrase. • Sentence 4: A description of the intended audience and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

14. TIME Article Précis In the article “Time’s Person of the Year: You (2006), Lev Grossman explains that You, the consumer, was selected as the Person of the Year because of the vast amounts of user-created content that was developed for the Internet this year. Grossman asserts that people were tired of what mainstream media delivered as pre-packaged content and states that those who were once overlooked are now creating online content that gives insight into how they live via their uploaded videos, networking profiles, podcasts, blogs, and Wikipedia entries; they are working collaboratively through open-source software and making big business pay attention. His purpose is to call attention to the fact that user-created content is causing a “revolution” online and that in order to understand this revolution, we need to be aware that the individual voice now has an unprecedented power and that many worldwide are listening, watching and collaborating. He writes for an audience that is interested in new trends in technology using an easy going and conversational tone, inviting readers to act on their curiosity and explore these sites.

15. Hey, guess what guys???!! Don’t just say “what.” Actually guess something! WE HAVE A NEW PART OF THE UNIT TO READ!!! That’s right…No more TIME article!

16. HOW DO WE BEGIN ANEW? • With a quickwrite, of course. • Take out your Reader’s/Writer’s Journal • Table of Contents title “Alter Egos Quickwrite” • If you could change anything about your identity/ personality, what would you change? How would the virtual world influence this transformation? • (Of course I want you to write the prompt, and TIPS will follow five minutes of writing.)

17. Alter Egos in a Virtual World

18. An AVATAR is a computer user’s representation of himself or herself, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities, or a text construct found on early systems such as MUDs (multi-user domain). It is an “object” representing the embodiment of the user. The term “avatar” can also refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user. WHAT IS AN AVATAR?

19. “Alter Egos in a Virtual World” • Surveying the Text • What is the title of the essay? • When and where was the essay published? • What visuals do you notice in this essay? • What do you think this essay will talk about? Analyze how the colors, design, and images work rhetorically to grab their attention. We are going to TIPS this! • Plan and Predict • How do these pictures affect your attitude toward reading? • How might they guide your reading of the essay? • What information do they offer about genre purpose? • What do they tell you about what you can expect from the text?

20. Now, take out your reader’s/writer’s journal. Title it “Alter Ego” Key Vocabulary Word Definition Know It Well Have Heard of It Don’t Know It A computer user’s representation of self; can refer to the personality connected with the screen name, or handle, of an Internet user. X X X X X X X X archetype You have ten minutes to copy the Vocabulary Self Assessment Chart into your RWJ. Add (at least) three words from “Alter Egos in a Virtual World” that are unfamiliar.