ENGL 324 Weather Lady: The reading discussed the use of mnemonic devices and learning techniques that aid information retention for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. I call our presenter the "Weather Lady" because she delivered a highly detailed scientific description of various types of weather phenomenon with facts and numbers. We were set up in work groups and were not able to take notes in any way, shape, or form. We were permitted a few minutes to strategize before the activity began and we delegated memory tasks to each other. Brittany Bauhaus and I were responsible for numbers. The funny part of this presentation is our presenter did all kinds of things with her body as she presented the information. She looked like she was flailing as she presented. At the end she explained the purpose of her motions was for visual learners to assist them in developing mnmeonics to aid memory of facts.

ENGL 407 Drama Queens: The reading discussed pre-teen girl groups (7th-8th grade) and how in forming an identity they had no identity. These girls would wear the same clothes, speak the same way, write the same way, typically with what High School teachers refer to as "loopy handwriting" that can make any adult reader crazy. The lettering is huge and takes up the whole space between the lines of ruled paper from top to bottom. The letters are extremely round and anything that requires a dot above the letter traditionally has a heart shape to dot the letter. In order to form their own identity, they gather together and take on the identity of the lead to shield themselves from the onslaught of peer pressure and ridicule from others. In the article, the author mentioned how these groups would act up and rebel against other students and teachers in unison thinking this would shield them from punishment.

We were tasked with crossing modes and modalities and through the use of construction paper, glitter, glue, and other arts and crafts materials, return back a message of what we had read. My group was confused on what to create. In the spirit of the reading, I told Crystal Gatton to cut out a huge construction paper foot that we colored, put glitter on, etc. "why a foot?" Because Shipka hates feet. If we create a huge foot, Shipka will get pissed off and we'll get thrown out of class for the day!" Not really, Shipka was not going to get pissed off, although she did hate feet, and she was not about to let us go for the day. The purpose of the foot was to use some form of communication that the "Drama Queens" would have used in order to piss off the teachers. Basically we were playing the part of the "Drama Queens."

ENGL 324 Virtual Chatroom: The presentation/activity was a re-contextualization of an online chatroom as a form of communication. Instead of having an online chat session (something we would do as a group at a later date), we set our desks in a circle with our backs to each other and taped our "Online Chatroom Names" to the back of our chairs. Shipka acted as the mediator choosing people when they wanted to speak. We would raise our hand to speak, introduce ourselves with our online name, and say what we wanted to say. Basically it was an exercise illustrating the affordances and losses of chatting in online chatrooms.

ENGL 407 Who Is Ye?: The discussion of this presentation/activity shows up in the ENGL 407 Blackboard posts on this website. Elizabeth Piccarillo's group asked the question of "Who are you?" and "Where are you going?" This was a presentation/activity illustrating the affordances and losses of switching between communication modes and modalities. The use of "Who is ye?" as a title is rhetorical humor. The answers to the questions posed are, "Number 6" and "Crazy! Want to come?"