Ideas from Evernote

This page from blogger Michael Hyatt shows how important organizational skills are for writing. He's using Evernote (a very nifty application), but the principles are applicable to writing academic essays, too.

First papers

I've begun picking up the first set of essays for review. I'll admit this is not my favorite part of teaching. It's as difficult for me to comment on someone else's text as it is for my students to do peer reviews. And I must do it dozens of times more than they do.

The best part of essay review is that I invariably learn something from at least one or two who are bringing new ideas into my view. I'll never forget how my views about hot dogs were changed by one student's diligent research into what really goes into them. And the essay about the economics of prostitution written mostly in second person -- and therefore calling ME a prostitute throughout -- was one of my favorite. That student was quite chagrined to realize the effect of second-person narration.

Hopefully there will be comments to draw from many of the essays this term, as well as many new pathways that require my attention. We've only been together a couple weeks, but already these four classes seem filled with interesting, engaging personalities. I'm a lucky teacher.