For all three sections, the first day's powerhouse uplifting not-to-be-missed PowerPoint of truth and justice! #overselling #winning

2. TODAY
1) Introduction Icebreakers
2) Syllabus/introduction to
PhillAlexander.com
3) Why Writing Matters (you
get to write!)
4) Things to set up
1) Tumblr
2) Twitter
3) Forum account (info for
Thursday)

3. Icebreaker
Pick someone in the room you do not
already know. If we end up with an odd
number of people, we might have one
group of three, but please try to pair in
groups of two.
Once you’ve found a partner, you will
interview that person with the goal of
introducing them to the class. You
should find out the information on the
next slide.

4. Find out
1) The person’s name
2) His or her “preferred” name
3) Where s/he is from
4) A major, if s/he has one
5) One piece of interesting
information that will enable
the rest of us to remember
him/her.
6) Each group should also
come up with a question to
ask about Phill.

5. The Syllabus
Instead of a printed syllabus, I’ve
placed all the information you’ll need
online at
http://www.phillalexander.com/ENG111
Please go there now.

6. And now…
I’m going to talk you through
the main points. It will be your
responsibility to read all of the
syllabus before next class.
There’s a PDF version on the
site if you want to print it out.

7. And now a pair of things
There are two things you’ll need to do
your homework tonight. Well, two
accounts, that is.
One is at Tumblr.com, a blogging
platform. Let’s set that up now.

8. Every week…
…you will have Tumblr
assignments. We will also use
Tumblr for spur-of-the-moment
brainstorming and such in class,
since it’s something that you’ll be
able to access easily later (and
hence better than paper, which
you might misplace).

9. Right now…
… I want you to spend the next five or
so minutes writing– Freewrite style,
which means typing without stopping–
about the importance of writing in your
world.
Notice I said “your” world; tailor this
however you’d like. To the life you live
now, to the life you hope to live, to your
future profession. Whatever helps you
to think about the importance of writing.

10. According to
Ann Lamott
(who you will
read for Thursday)
“So why does our writing matter, again?" they ask.
…Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation.
They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life:
they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our
heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths,
and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our
buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing
with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life,
instead of being squashed by it over and over again.”

11. Stephen King
“Writing isn't about making money, getting
famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making
friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives
of those who will read your work, and enriching
your own life, as well. It's about getting up,
getting well, and getting over. Getting happy,
okay? Getting happy.”
-Stephen King, On Writing

12. You will also need
…a Twitter account. Twitter uses
a system called hashtagging. Any
posts made specifically for class
should have the tag #ENGMU

13. Other resources
Readings for class will be in one of three places.
If the syllabus says CCM before it, it will be in
the printed copy of College Composition at
Miami.
If the name of the reading is blue, or there’s a
“click here,” it is hyperlinked from the
assignment sheet itself.
If it says “online” but is not linked, it will be in
Niihka under the “resources” tab.

14. You will also need
…an account for the forums at
PhillAlexander.com (under the
“forum” tab on the main page). I
am going to wait until Thursday to
see how add/drops go, then *I*
will generate an account for each
of you with the same ID as your
Miami network IDs.

15. For next class…
Read for class: Bolin Caroll: “Backpacks
vs. Briefcases” and LaMott: : “Shitty First
Drafts” – these are both on Niihka
And read Introduction to Inquiry 1—this is
under “inquiries” on the course site
SEND PHILL YOUR TWITTER
HANDLES AND TUMBLR URLS!!
Tweet: one question for Phill about Phill
Tumbl: Set 5 goals for the semester
(at least two need to be class specific)