Class Notes

Peer Review for Project 1

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This is the post for the September 9, 2014 class meeting.

Today is peer review day for the first project. By sharing the draft of your first project, you will have the opportunity to get some feedback on your work before it is due. In addition, you will have the chance to get to know your classmates better by reading through the bios everyone else has posted. Details on how to submit your project will be posted on Thursday.

Class Work for September 9

These are the tasks to complete for today’s work:

  • Review Editing and Proofreading tips (Markel, Appendix, Part B).
  • Learn how to use the Google Drive Comment system.
  • Post drafts for Project 1 in the forums.
  • Respond to two students in the forums.
  • Read everyone’s posts to get to know your classmates.

Important Dates

  • Tuesday, Sept 9 by noon: Project 1 Rough Drafts Due for Peer Feedback
  • Thursday,  Sept 11 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Due
  • Thursday, Sept 18 by 11:55 PM: Project 1: Professional Biography Statement Deadline (end of grace period)

Editing and Proofreading Tips

Part B of the Appendix in your text goes over various rules for grammar, punctuation, and mechanics. You can review these rules as needed. There’s also a list of 20 Most Common Errors available under the Resources menu at the top of the page.

Using the Google Drive Comment System

Review the step-by-step instructions for how to use Google Drive for peer review on the FAQ site. The page includes details on how to share your document, how to comment, and how to respond to comments.  If you need a more detailed explanation, be sure to check out the Lynda video on “Commenting on a file.”

Posting Your Drafts for Project 1

You will post details on your draft in the forums, just as you posted your topics last week:

  1. Follow the instructions in Step 1 of How do I use Google Drive for peer review? to set up sharing permissions for your documents. You need to share your draft with “Anyone with the link” or “People at Virginia Tech with the link” so that we can read your work.

  2. Go to the Project 1: Professional Biography Statement
    board in the forums, and find the topic you created with your name or your username (e.g., “Traci’s Bios”).

  3. Post a reply in your topic, doing the following:
    • If you do not want to share your last name in the forums, change it in your draft to a pseudonym. You can use a generic last name like Doe or Smith, or you can change it to Lastname.
    • Share the link to your bios in Google Docs.
    • If you have written more than one bio, please label them so that your readers will know what they are reading (for instance, you might note one is a formal bio for the company website, and the other is an informal bio for the internal company newsletter).

  4. If you have any specific concerns that you want your readers to consider, add a note on that as well.

  5. Be sure to Preview your forum post to make sure everything shows up the way you want it to, and then Submit your message.

Replying to Project 1 Drafts

Next, you will reply to the posts of some of your classmates:

  1. Review the instructions in Step 2 of How do I use Google Drive for peer review? to learn how to use the Comment features in Google Drive.

  2. Go to the Project 1: Professional Biography Statement board in the forums, and read the drafts of at least two of your classmates and add a reply with advice and encouragement (more below).
    • Find one post that no other student has replied to (so that we can be sure everyone gets a reply).
    • Find a second post that has only one other student reply.

  3. Use the Share link to go to your classmate’s draft on Google Drive and do the following:

    • Check the title of the document(s), and add a comment to tell your partner if it is clear and effective.
    • If you notice any spelling errors, punctuation errors, or typos, mark them as you read, but please focus more on the content rather than editing.
    • Add comments on the content of the draft. Comment on at least three things your classmate does well and at least three things that your classmate could improve on. It’s fine (excellent, even) to include more than the minimum number of comments.

  4. Go back to the forums and add a reply to your classmate’s topic and add an overall comment that sums up what you thought of the bio(s) and gives your classmate some encouragement.

Reviewing the Comments You Received

Once you have finished adding comments to your classmates’ projects, return to your own draft, read the comments that your classmates have given you, and add replies as appropriate. For instance, you might thank your partner for catching an error, ask your partner for more detail on feedback you don’t understand, or share a revision and ask your partner if it is an improvement. Your goal is to reply today so that your classmate can respond if you need more information.

Reading the Remaining Project 1 Drafts

To get to know your classmates a bit better, read through the remaining bio statements that are posted. If you notice anything you want to comment on, feel free to post additional replies.