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Successful Tips
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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Make sure that you are able to pull up
the website Gorbywriting.com.
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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.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Always type your
assignment as a document. Never type your work in the e-mail box.
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Name your document what
I have named it so that I will know exactly what you are sending me.
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Save your assignment in
a folder within your computer, and print a hard copy just to be safe.
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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.)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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