TW Admin: Use this form for you e-portfolio

E-portfolio: In Theme Writing this semester, you are required to maintain an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) of all your writing in Google Docs. You should do all of your written assignments in your e-portfolio, as well as the preparation work required. Your e-portfolio is evidence of the work you have done and the progress you have made. You can write directly in your e-portfolio, GDS is like a simple online version of Microsoft Word. Moreover, it enables you to share and collaborate on your writing at the push of a button. 1. If you have not already signed up for Google Docs, you should sign up now. It takes about one (1) minute. Here again are the instructions. Please return here when you have finished. 2. Click the link at the top of this email message. Create Your Own e-Portfolio 3. On the next screen, click the on the 'File' menu, click 'Save as new copy'. You now have a copy of the TW e-portfolio form. 4. Click on the 'File' menu, click 'Rename'. In the box that opens, enter a new document name. The name of your e-portfolio should contain the title of the course, your first name, as well as your student number: e.g. 100108 Mari's Theme Writing Portfolio 5. You now have your own e-portfolio for Theme Writing. Share Your e-Portfolio With Me 6. Click the "Share' button (look top right), click 'Share with others'. Figure 1 7. On the next screen (Figure 1), type in my email address. The blue 'as collaborators' button should be 'on'. The boxes at the bottom should also be checked as shown. 8. Click the 'Invite Collaborators' button. 9. In box that appears (Figure 2 below), click the 'Send' button. Figure 2 10. As shown in Figure 1, click '« Back to editing the document.' 11. Delete all this text, Steps 1-11 above, then paste your Scratch Outline into your e-portfolio in the section below.

(Your Name Here) Theme Writing e-Portfolio 1) Scratch Outline (Please paste your work here) 2) Structured Outline (Please do or paste your work here) 3) In-class First Draft (500 words, 2+ sources) Handwritten in class. 4) Second Draft (600-800 words, 4+ sources) (Please do your work here. Leave one blank line between paragraphs. No indent necessary - not yet) 5) Third Draft (color coded) (Please do your work here. Leave one blank line between paragraphs. No indent necessary - not yet.) 6) 'Working' Title, Thesis & Formal Outline (Please do your work here) 7) Full-length Draft (1500 words, + peer review checklist) (Please do your work here. Leave one blank line between paragraphs. No indent necessary - not yet) 8) Works Cited (Please do your work here. No hanging indent necessary - not yet) 9) Final Paper (Please do your work here.)

TW Admin: Start Up Message to Students 2008

Dear Theme Writers,

Welcome to the course! I am looking forward to meeting you in class on Wednesday.

Before class I would like you to do three (3) things:

1) Think carefully about your writing topic. Please give some thought to what you would like to write about. Theme Writing is one of the most liberal and liberating courses at ICU: it is perhaps the only course that allows you to focus your reading, study, and research on a topic that is entirely chosen by you and reflects your particular interests. Please think about a topic that:

• Is strongly related to your personal interests and experiences. If you have lived most of your life in Japan, your topic should reflect that connection.

• Will let you write something new about it.

• Involves a problem or question that you can answer.

• Is "doable" in about 7 body paragraphs.

2) Sign up for Google Docs (GDS). GDS is free online software that you can use to create, store, share, publish, and collaborate on your documents. It is like a free version of Microsoft Office, but because it is online you can use GDS to access your work at any online computer, anywhere in the world. Moreover, for a course like Theme Writing, GDS makes sharing and collaborating on your paper incredibly easy. It means saying goodbye to the messy process of sending your paper to me as an email attachment. It also means you will never have to miss an opportunity to work on your paper because you left you paper at home. Once you have shared your paper with me via GDS, we can open and your check your paper at my computer. I will also share all course materials with you in GDS. GDS is easy to learn to use and can save you lots of time. GDS can make study easier. Yay! For these reasons, GDS is a requirement for Theme Writing this semester. If you already have a GDS account with Google, you do not have to do anything now. However, if you do not have GDS, please take two minutes now to sign up before class tomorrow.

1. Click GDocs & Spreadsheets, or point your browser at http://docs.google.com. If you have a Google account already, sign in with your Google username and password. You are finished!

2. If you do not have a Google account, click the 'Get Started' button.

3. Fill out the sign-up form and follow any directions that Google gives you.

4. If you have time, watch this short video which explains more about GDS. Click to watch the video.

3) Bookmark the TW Homepage. Our homepage is located at http://twicu.blogspot.com/. Please bookmark this in the browser on your home computer. Also, write down the address some where safe, so that you can access it any time you need to, e.g. your diary, keitai, etc.

Thank you & see you tomorrow,

Owen James