How+to+Use+Wiki

=Wiki for Homework =

Every week you will **CHOOSE** which of the four topics (listed on the left-hand corner in the Navigation section) that you want to work on and you will need to post your response on Wiki. By the end of this unit, you will have responded to each topic. Each week you must choose a different topic to look into, and write a response for it. **This is in preparation for a class forum debate so whatever view you have now, you must be ready to go against it. Therefore it is important to know something about each topic**.

Part of doing this unit is being attentive, creative and responsive. It is wicked easy! I will post changes on THIS page regarding due dates and assignments, so check often, at least once a week.

We will be using the discussion tabs to reflect and ask questions (kinda like log notes, remember those???). **Therefore, you must follow the directions of the posts that I've created because your response will count as a homework assignment.**

===**Part of this homework assignment is that you have to __REALLY__ know what you are talking about, you must __research__ and __think__ about your topic before writing about it on Wik ****i. You will write __ONE__ response with __TWO__ parts in at least __FOUR__ paragraphs.   **=== ===**Part 1 is writing back to others & part 2 is writing your own thoughts.  **===

=Passwords & Usernames=

In order to use Wiki, you must have a **username** and a **password**. It should be one that you can remember easily and hard to forget (get the point?). Once you have chosen a username and a password, you CAN NOT change it. You must get a request from me and you will not be able to get on the site. So, **K**eep **I**t **S**imple **S**mart.

=How to Write Your Response= Before you post your own thoughts and opinions on a topic, you must first read comments by other writers to see what other students are saying about the topic. Then choose two different students in the class to write back to in your response. You will write ONE response and in that ONE response you must write FOUR paragraphs. The first paragraph is addressing writer #1, the second paragraph is addressing writer #2. And the last two paragraphs is where you express your ideas on the topic. Each NEW topic you write about should have a minimum of four paragraphs. See below to see how your response should look like.

Part 1: Writing Back to Others
You must write a paragraph to two writers. One paragraph is to __Writer #1__ and another paragraph to __Writer #2__. See Sample Below.


 * You must do the following:**
 * Name who you are responding to (use their username on this post please, not their real names)
 * State the topic in your response
 * Your response must be a paragraph long for each reader (a paragraph is 5 to 6 sentences long)
 * Put a space between each paragraph
 * Feel free to write more if you need you are able to, just not extremely long.

Part 2: Writing Your Thoughts
After you respond to 2 of your classmates responses, you will create your own response to the topic. You need to write at least 2 paragraphs expressing your thoughts on the topic. **You are encouraged to write more if you like, but it should not be an essay because you want people to stop and read your posts, not skip it** :-).


 * Your response must be:**
 * correct, accurate, factual (get the point?)
 * to the point, precise
 * grammatically correct (proofread before you post or write a draft on Word first)

** How should A Wiki Response look like? **

 * Part 1 - Writing Back to Others **


 * Paragraph 1: Response to Reader #1**
 * Chocolateabe-** I agree that the Iraq war is a waste of taxpayers money. I don’t think we should have gotten involved with Iraq in the first place. The problem is, now that we are in Iraq it is hard to simply leave. We have to come up with a withdrawal plan that will not leave us with a bigger problem. Now that we have gotten ourselves into this mess I think we need to have a way to get out of this. Hopefully we will elect a President that will solve this issue.


 * Paragraph 2: Response to Reader #2**
 * Samp4-** I don’t think that Fox News is the reason the US invaded Iraq. I think that the media had something to do with it but I think there are other reasons for the starting of this war. The media is one of the ways the government got the American people to go along with this idea. I agree with you that we should pull our troops out of Iraq but I’m not sure I believe that what you’re suggesting is the best idea. I think before we start really pulling out of Iraq we need to make sure that the Iraqi government is stable enough to continue on it’s own.


 * <span style="color: rgb(110, 43, 43)">Part 2- Writing your thoughts **

Supposedly the US went to Iraq to destroy the “weapons of mass destruction.” Of course these weapons did not exist. You wonder why the US didn’t leave then. Iraq has a lot of oil. I believe that this is one of the main reasons we invaded and stayed in Iraq for five years. Oil is expensive and the US government makes a lot of money off of it. There is also a problem with staying in Iraq. We can’t stay there forever. It is also preventing us from focusing our attention on Afghanistan, which is where we should really be right now. If we leave now Iraq might also become a safe place for Al Queda to stay. The Iraq war is also a big topic in the Presidential race. I think we need a president that can get us out of Iraq, but do it in a way that will work. So far there have been a couple of withdrawal plans but none of them have really been set to action. I believe that Barack Obama is the person that will be able to withdraw the troops from Iraq efficiently because he wants to have a timetable with set dates for withdrawal.
 * Paragraph 3**
 * Paragraph 4**

=**<span style="color: rgb(177, 31, 209)">DUE DATES: When are assignments due exactly??? **=


 * Response #1:** Monday, May 5 (part 2)


 * Response #2:** Friday, May 9 (part 1 & 2)


 * Response #3**: Wednesday, May 14 (part 1 & 2)


 * Response #4**: Monday, May 19 (part 1 & 2)

Important:

 * <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 222)">Responses are to be done __ON TIME__ even if we don't have class that day. You have till the end of the day ( <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 222)">before 11:59 PM) ****<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 222)"> to complete your response, not the next day (meaning 12:01 AM). It will be counted as late if it is not posted __BEFORE MIDNIGHT__ on the due date. For example, response #1 is due on May 5 by 11:59 PM.

Each response is worth 10 points. That's a total of 40 points. ** **You CAN NOT respond on the same topic TWICE. If you do, it will not count and you will lose all 10 points for the assignment.**

=<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0)">What about the FORUM DEBATES? =

Depending on your responses to each topic, we will hold debates only on the hottest topics from this wiki. Therefore it is up to the class. __**Be prepared to argue both sides, pros or cons.**__ Below is the debate schedule, be sure to write them in your planbooks at your earliest convenience:


 * Group 1:** Wednesday, May 21


 * Group 2:** Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23


 * Group 3:** TBA (if necessary)

=Debate Groups=

You will debate in groups of no more than four people. Again, be ready to argue either side of the issue, pros or cons. I will place you in a group. You may end up in a group that is for or against the issue. Your group will present to the class and the class will ask questions after your speech. The point of this unit is for you to become an expert on the topics, but especially the one you will stand for. Be ready, be prepared. Watch news channels, read newspapers, checkout informative Web Sites (no wikipedia please).

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