Successful Tips

1. Choose a specific day of the week that you will listen to the audio and complete the handouts.  It is normal for a student to take several days to complete an assignment.

2. Be aware that the first month may be stressful for students if this is their first online class.  It takes time for a student to master the navigation of the website, and it takes time for them to make their computer obey them.

3. If you or your student is stressed out, please email (mrsgorbyinabox@aol.com) or call (540-445-0193) me.  Most students work independently after the first month.

4. Print the step-by-step assignment sheet that is in lesson 1 so that you and your student are aware of what work must be done and of what is due when.

5. Accountability is the key!  Please stay in touch with me so that you are aware of your student’s progress.  I will do my best to keep you informed.

6. Enjoy the process.  If a particular assignment is more difficult, contact me so that I can help relieve stress. 

Trial Run

Since you are about to begin an online writing class with me, it would be a good idea to make sure that you are completely ready.  So here are some steps to follow a few days before beginning your Internet writing journey.

1. Make sure that you are able to pull up the website Gorbywriting.com.

2. Make sure that you are able to find the course you will be taking:  College Prep Writing—American Course or British Course, Academic Writing II—Travel Course or Civil War Course, or Academic Writing I. 

3. After you have chosen your class, then choose lesson 7 to make sure that you are able to find the handouts for that lesson (Click on the handouts listed under lesson 7 and print them one at a time.)

4. After you have located the handouts, you will see a blue icon with an arrow.  If you already have Real Player Basic loaded on your computer, then you will be able to download the streaming audio lecture for lesson 7. 

5. If you cannot hear an audio lecture, then you will need to download Real Player Basic  from the website.  You will see the blue, white and orange icon for Real Player at the left side of the screen.  When you click on the icon, you will be given simple steps to follow to download the program of Real Player Basic.  (The download is free off the internet.)  Be sure to select basic player and not the premium content. 

6. If you still have problems downloading Real Player Basic, then go to the Real Media home page (www.real.com).  You should see a “FREE Real One Player” link in the upper right side of the home page.  Clicking this link gets you to a page that says “Or get our basic player.”  On the right-hand side of the page on the bottom right it says, “Download the Free Real One Player Only.”  Click here to download.  You may even go to http://forms.real.com/real/player/blackjack.html to get previous versions of Real Player.

7. Please email (mrsgorbyinabox@aol.com) or call me (540-949-5900) if you have any questions.  You can do it!

Make your trial run.  Good luck!            Sincerely, Mrs.Gorby

Saving Assignments, Sending Attachments and Receiving Graded Assignments

1. Always type your assignment as a document.  Never type your work in the e-mail box.

2. Name your document what I have named it so that I will know exactly what you are sending me.

3. Save your assignment in a folder within your computer, and print a hard copy just to be safe.

4. Most of the time students can send Word documents with no problem (the MLA format doesn’t change), but if you find that your format changes when you send documents over the internet [after I print it and return it graded], you need to send your documents as RTF files (Rich Text Format files). To save a document as an RTF file, follow these steps:  (1) After you have saved your assignment, open the document again.  (2) Then click on save as so that you can also save the assignment as a Rich Text Format document.  The RTF (Rich Text Format) document can travel across the internet without losing its format.  Then it will not matter what program each student uses to type assignments.  All computers should receive the RTF files with no problems (For example, your margins won’t change.) 

5. Only send the work that is required, unless you need help on an assignment.  {For example, you do not need to send me assignments that we check during the next lesson, and you do not need to email me your notes from the lecture.}  See your Assignment Sheet so that you will know what to e-mail me. 

6. If you don’t get a reply from me that I have received your work within 2 days, resend the assignment.  The internet is not perfect, and you or I may make a mistake.

7. If there is a formatting problem between our computers, faxing assignment is a good option for us to use (sending assignments back and forth). You will need to call my phone number (540-949-5900), and wait for the answering machine to turn on; then the fax will connect. 

8. Because I teach so many students, I have to budget my time to grade papers.  Please know that I grade almost every day of the week, and I give it 100%.  Therefore, my realistic goal is to return graded assignments within 3-4 weeks.  Longer assignments (research papers) sometimes take me longer.  I can answer quick questions daily, but grading papers takes quality time.  I want you to be truly successful.