Sample Re-Genre Assignment

Re-Genre that Essay!

The goal of the super-fun re-genre assignment is to get you to think critically about your writing and the course objectives. I hope this project will help you:

· *apply strategies for generating ideas for writing, for planning and organizing material, for identifying purpose and audience, and for revising intentionally;

· * revise to extend your thinking about a topic, not just to rearrange material or “fix” mechanical errors;

· *articulate the rhetorical choices they have made, illustrating their awareness of a writer’s relationship to the subject, context, purpose, and audience;

· *provide appropriate, engaged feedback to peers throughout the writing process;

How? For this assignment, I want you to select one of the three essays we have worked on this semester and completely rethink it. You will have to communicate the same message, but in an entirely new format. Did you write an op-ed about the increasing cost of higher education? Maybe you could turn it into a blog that targets other students across America, with links and resources to help your reader engage your topic further. Did you write a review of a new tech gadget? Create a YouTube video the houses audio and visual components of the review. I want you to play with technology and use that technology to rethink how you target your audience and the purpose of your writing.

There are lots of tools to help you with this assignment.

1) Visit The Zone—an interactive learning center to help you produce digital media projects. http://at.boisestate.edu/elearning/thezone/default.asp

2) Try the following free software:

Audacity

Jing

Wix

Photostory

Blogger

3) Bug your peers. Your classmates can be a great resource for ideas, tools, and feedback.

4) Visit The Zone (yes, I know I listed this twice)

Important Details:

Week 12 we will work on these projects in class. Bring your thinking hats. Ask questions. We will also brainstorm our criteria for a good digital media project. These criteria will be used to create the grading rubric used to evaluate these projects.

You must submit a one page, double spaced reflective letter that explores the following questions:

What did you learn from this project?

Who was your target audience and how did you try to appeal to them?

What was your purpose? What did you want your audience to understand?

What challenges did you face? How did you overcome these challenges?

We will present our re-genre projects to our peers during week 15 in small groups. Give feedback, ask questions, share your stress, and your success. Your cover letter and a link to your file will be due November 30^th by 5:00. E-mail the link or the attachment to me and type your cover letter in the body of the e-mail. In the subject of the e-mail, put your first and last name and the title of your project.

Do not panic. I am aware that some students are more tech savvy than others. That is fine. However, keep in mind that writing is often merged with technology; news appears on websites, people communicate through blogs, or write scripts for audio. We need to learn how to use technology productively. Think of this as a learning experience. It is college after all. Learning in college is good.