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Overview

Every week, a different class member will write a brief journal entry in a shared Microsoft OneNote notebook. They will briefly summarize what we discussed in the previous three meetings and offer a short reflection on a point or topic (reflection minimum length: 500 words). The reflection should offer the writer's original thoughts on something we read or discussed, preferably with sufficient focus to fuel a lively classroom discussion. In that vein, while not absolutely required, arguments and claims will be more effective than observations. On the day that the entry is due, they will read or summarize their entry and then participate in a brief discussion with the class about the points they have raised.

In this way, the journal will document a continuous chain of knowledge building from the beginning of the class to its end, with each class member forging a link.

The journal will be useful to you for your own projects because you are permitted to use your classmates' entires as either inspiration or as sources of quotable observations and arguments for your own projects. Journal entries will also be tagged so that you can easily find entries relevant to the keywords you are working on.

Due dates are assigned in Canvas and the schedule can be viewed within the OneNote notebook. If you wish to switch assigned dates with a classmate, please work that out with them and then notify me no later than one week before the earliest due date between the two of you.

Instructions

Access the Journal

1. In your web browser, log into https://office365.psu.edu.
2. In the left navigation column, select "Apps."
3. In the Apps list that appears across the top of the page, select OneNote.
4. Click on the expanding notebook selection panel on the left (it appears in grey with the current open notebook's name on it).
5. Then, select the notebook titled ENGL 135 Course Journal - Fall 2023.
   1. Notify the instructor promptly if you are unable to view or select this notebook.

Create Your Entry
These instructions should provide you with everything you need to know about OneNote to complete the project. If you require more assistance, visit Microsoft's OneNote help & learning page.

1. Towards the bottom left corner of the browser window, select Add Page. A new note will be created.
2. In its title field, write [Your first name, "A title of your choosing for your entry"].
3. Write a 2–3 sentence summary of the past three class sessions.
4. Write a 500-word entry about a topic or idea that caught your interest, whether while reading or watching the work or while listening to class discussions.
   1. Note: While this is a reflection that begins from personal observations and interests, the criteria for what constitutes a good one is quite specific. See the rubric linked below for details.
5. Copy and paste into the bottom of a note the keyword tag below that most closely relates to the contents of your reflection paragraph(s).
   1. The keyword tags are: xAmerica, xHistory, xHome, xIdentity, xLabor, xStory, xTechnology. x is added to the beginning of these words to make them easily searchable; their actual topics are simply "America," "History," "Home," and so forth.

Gateway Criteria

The following minimum criteria must be met for the project to be considered submitted:

• The reflection portion of the entry is at least 500 words long.
  • Note: The summary of past class meetings doesn't count towards this total.
• The entry includes a keyword tag.

If this criteria is not met, I will notify you via a submission comment in this project's Canvas Assignment. Late penalties will be incurred until a version meeting this criteria has been submitted.

Evaluation Criteria

Your entry will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Summary's Content
2. Reflection's organization, argument & evidence, and connections drawn to other parts of the course (e.g. works, themes, keywords, discussions)

The criteria is explained in detail in this grading rubric.