Spotlights & Recent Additions
03
Oct 2007; by Dennis G. Jerz
Quotations:
Integrating them in MLA-Style Papers
The MLA-style in-text citation is a highly compressed
format, designed to avoid interruping the flow of ideas. A
proper MLA inline citation uses just the author's
last name and the page number (or
line number), separated by a space (not a comma).
03
Oct 2007; by Dennis G. Jerz
Researched
Papers: Using Quotations Effectively
If your college instructor wants you to cite every fact or
opinion you find in an outside source, how do you make room
for your own opinion? Paraphrase, quote selectively, and avoid
summary.
Star
C. Foster and Daniel Ravipinto (posted Dec 2006)
Slouching
Towards Bedlam
*clunk*
The rotating tin cylinder within the phonograph vibrates
slightly as a brass needle scrapes against it. The sound
of a throat being cleared emerges from the machine's hornshell
speaker, followed by a thin, haunting voice.
"March the 16th."
A deep, shaky breath.
"I dread to say it, but I believe I am going mad. The
-- *moments* -- come more frequently now. I fear that I have
found what I have sought, and I shall now pay the price for
it."
The scrape of a chair across flagstone. A sigh.
"Chaos treads the halls of Bedlam; her work is evident
everywhere..."
22 Sep 2006 (updated); by Dennis
G. Jerz
Thesis Statements:
How to Write Them
A thesis statement is the single, specific
claim that your essay supports. A good thesis statment
is not simply an observation, a question, or a promise. It
includes a topic, a precise opinion, and reasoning.
08 Jul 2006 (posted here); by Dennis
G. Jerz
08 Jul 2006 (minor updates); by Dennis
G. Jerz
Personal Essays: How to
Write Them
Your instructor is not going to grade you on how much you loved your deceased
family member, how wonderfully you played in the big game, or how narrowly you
escaped death. Your instructor wants to gauge your ability to focus on one specific
incident -- even a routine happening -- and tell
it
in
an
engaging
way.
31 Jan 2005; by Dennis
G. Jerz
Assessing Google
as a Teaching and Research Tool
We know our students use Google, and we ourselves
use Google to prepare for classes. We should know how Google
works,
so we can accommodate its weaknesses. (Teaching & Learning
Forum, Seton Hill University.)
18 Dec 2005 (updated); by Dennis
G. Jerz
Finding
the URL of a Framed Web Document
When a site uses frames, clicking on navigation links will
cause the document displayed inside the frame to change, but
the URL at the top of the screen won't change. This document
explains how to find the URL of the exact page you want to
cite.
30 May 2004; by Dennis G. Jerz
Cruel
Amusement Park Instructions
Amusement parks just wouldn't be amusing without all
the warnings that we ignore.
20 Mar 2004; by Dennis G. Jerz
(Meme)X
Marks the Spot: Theorizing Metablogging via "Meme"
and "Conduit"
This paper examines metablogging in terms of Dawkins's concept
of the "meme" and Reddy's critique of the "conduit"
metaphor for communication.... The language of metablogging
uses metaphors that emphasize communality and proximity, and
thus offers an alternative to the social risks Reddy associates
with the conduit metaphor.
24 May, 2003; by Kathy Kennedy,
UWEC Senior
Short
Stories: 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers
A short story starts close to the conclusion, conserves
characters, scenes and details, and usually focuses on a single
problem and a short time period. This page offers tips on
writing dialogue, building to a climax, and capturing the
reader's interest.
10 Dec 2002 (updated); by Dennis
G. Jerz
Integrating
Good Sources
If your college instructor wants you to cite every fact or
opinion you find in an outside source, how do you make room
for your own opinion? Paraphrase. Quote selectively.
Avoid summary.
15 Nov 2002; by Dennis
G. Jerz
Newbie
Web Author Checklist
If you've recently created your first website and you're getting
ready to submit it for a class assignment, then this page
is for you.
04 Nov 2002 (updated);
Dennis G. Jerz
Gender-neutral
Language
Many people believe that the general use of the term "man"
is offensive, or at least inaccurate. Phrases like "no
man is an island" or "every man for himself" seem to exclude
women. Unless your goal is to offend or annoy your audience,
you should follow the conventions they expect.
28 Jan 2002;
Dennis G. Jerz
I
Found it On the Internet:
How to Locate, Evaluate and Cite Online Sources
The link above goes to the web version of a PowerPoint
presentation.
14 Dec 2001;
Dennis G. Jerz
All
Your Usenet are Belong to Wesley
I tracked down the first Usenet references to the hated
Star Trek character Wesley Crusher, and to Wil Wheaton, the
child actor who grew up to gain some serious geek credibility.
25 Nov 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Titles
for Web Pages: In Context and Out of Context
Most writers know the value of an informative title,
but many beginning web authors don't know that each web
page needs two kinds of titles.
13 Nov 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Short Reports: How To Write Routine Technical Documents
This collection of documents uses examples and commentary
to teach technical writing principles. Chief among them: good
writers don't need fancy words; a technical document is not
a mystery novel; and, break your content into appropriate
sections (Abstract or Executive Summary? Introduction or Background?
Recommendations or Conclusions?).
11 Sep 2001; Dennis
G. Jerz
World
Trade Center: Reflections on the Disaster
Skyscrapers in general, and the twin towers of
the World Trade Center in particular, symbolize, for many
writers, either prideful arrogance, or a new technological
beauty. This site attempts to survey what has already been
written on this topic.
02 Sep 2001; Matt Hoy and
Dennis G. Jerz, eds.
Scott
Adams: Storytelling in Computer Games
The author of the first commercial computer game ("Adventureland,"
1978) leads a lively discussion on narrative, copyright, and
violence. He also describes his first night playing EverQuest.
15 Jul 2001;
Dennis G. Jerz
Exposition
in Interactive Fiction
Putting long stretches of narrative prose into the
mouth of the interactive fiction narrator will not turn a
great puzzle-fest into even a passable story.... The interactive
fiction player is supposed to live the story.
19 Apr 2001;
Dennis G. Jerz
Frames: Finding the URL of a Framed
Document
Look for an "escape from frames" or "turn this
frame off" link. Right-click on a link (or, on a Mac, hold
down the control key while clicking) and select the command
that will let you "open link in new window."
09 Apr 2001;
Dennis G. Jerz
"Last
Page of the Internet" Links
Who first created the "Last Page of the Internet"
joke? I have no idea.
26 Mar 2001;
Dennis G. Jerz
Scott
Adams, Computer Gaming Pioneer, to Speak at UWEC
Scott Adams, the computer gaming pioneer whose
work during the early 80s helped spawn an entertainment industry,
will visit the University of Wisconsin -- Eau Claire on Thursday,
May 3, 2001 as part of the UWEC English Festival. He will
participate in an early afternoon round table (2pm, location
TBD), and also discuss his work in the Hibbard Humanities
Hall penthouse, 4-5pm.
02 Mar 2001; Dennis
G. Jerz
Eliza (1966)
Eliza was the first chatterbot -- a computer program
that mimics human conversation. In only about 200 lines of
computer code, Eliza models the behavior of a psychiatrist
(or, more specifically, the "active listening" strategies
of a touchy-feely 1960s Rogerian therapist).
posted 06 Mar 2001; by Emily Short
Galatea
(interactive fiction)
She might be the model in a perfume ad; the trophy wife at
a formal gathering; one of the guests at this very opening,
standing on an empty pedestal in some ironic act of artistic
deconstruction -- You hesitate, about to turn away. Her hand
balls into a fist. "They told me you were coming."
02 Mar 2001; Dennis
G. Jerz
Outlines:
How They Can Help You
An outline is a tool that helps writers
determine whether they have enough raw material (in the form
of quotations from scholarly sources and/or data from original
research) to construct a particular argument. With experience,
many writers learn that using an outline leads to better
work, in less time.
02 Mar 2001;
by Dennis G. Jerz
I Missed Class...Did
I Miss Anything Important?
Most teachers
I know cringe when students who missed class e-mail to request
a transcript of the class they missed. My policy is to say,
"Get the notes from a classmate."
23 Feb 2001; Vivinette K. Dietsche (UWEC
student)
Top
5 Tips for Effective Notetaking
The transition from high school textbook learning
to college lecture learning can leave students struggling
academically. Make that transition easy by following these
5 top tips to improve your notetaking -- and your GPA.
06 Feb 2001; compiled by Dennis G. Jerz
Zplet Bug Hunt
Some time ago I corresponded with Matthew T. Russotto,
programmer of Zplet, who gave me permission to update, expand,
and redistribute Zplet for non-commercial purposes. So...
what bugs bedevil us when we use Zplet?
05 Feb 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Blurbs:
Writing Previews of Web Pages
A blurb is a short paragraph that previews what's
on the other end of a link. You're reading a blurb now.
If it helps you decide whether you should click the link,
then it has done its job.
23 Jan 2001; by Bauer (UWEC Student)
and Jerz
Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips
These ten tips will help teach you how to write effective,
high-quality e-mails in today's professional environment.
Write a meaningful subject line; keep the message short and
readable; avoid attachments; identify yourself; don't flame
(and more).
22 Jan 2001; HTML by Dennis G. Jerz
The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde
"[I]n case of the decease of Henry Jekyll,
M.D., D.C.L., L.L.D., F.R.S., etc., all his possessions were
to pass into the hands of his "friend and benefactor
Edward Hyde," but that in case of Dr. Jekyll's "disappearance
or unexplained absence for any period exceeding three calendar
months," the said Edward Hyde should step into the said
Henry Jekyll's shoes without further delay..."
11 Jan 2001; by Dennis G. Jerz
Hypertext Essays- How to Write Them
The ordinary prose essay has been around for hundreds
of years; people have had a long time to discover how to write
a good one. But hypertext is a much more recent invention.
posted 05 Jan 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Learn to Fear Jupiter Communications!
If this press
release represents the kind of thinking that comes out
of this company, I suggest that you run screaming from
the unbounded evil that Jupiter Communications represents.
posted 05 Jan 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Slamming
the Door on Readers
Web design is a good thing; but web authors who
overemphasize design frequently end up skimping on -- or even
subverting -- their own content.
posted 05 Jan 2001; Dennis G. Jerz
Keep
It Simple Stupid: On the Web, a KISS is still a KISS
Want to launch a business that makes a really huge
impression? Put the cash register on the roof.
How cool would that be!
17
Apr 2000; by Dennis G. Jerz
MLA-Style
Bibliography Builder
Updated to handle web sources (Jan 2001).
Choose a form, fill it out, and push the button... you will
get an individual MLA "Works Cited" entry, which
you may then copy and paste into your word processor. The
BibBuilder is limited in its usefulness, but you may nevertheless
find it helpful.
Additional Resources
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