Each of the three modules in this series introducing the Little Red Schoolhouse principles aims to do several things:

Present an overview of the Little Red Schoolhouse method;
Review key LRS topics and terminology;
Examine one aspect of the writing and editing process more closely, working through selected examples
Writers often lack useful terms for talking about their writing with peers, editors, and collaborators. Developing a vocabulary for talking about good writing simplifies the composition, editing and review processes. These Modules introduce the Little Red Schoolhouse (LRS) method and terminology and discuss some of the major strategies of the LRS approach.

The Little Red Schoolhouse curriculum originated at the University of Chicago and was developed by Joe Williams, Greg Colomb, Frank Kinahan, Peter Blaney and others. The LRS curriculum has been adopted and adapted at, among others, the University of Chicago, Duke University, the University of Illinois, the University of Virginia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The approach formulates practical solutions to common difficulties of writing experienced by students across disciplines.

LRS Helps Writers

recognize and solve common problems;
achieve better writing through better reading and revision;
gain increased awareness of what makes their writing readable and persuasive.

This resource is useful in a first-year composition course. The examples are intended for a literature-based composition class. There are also examples of opening strategies intended for an expository composition class. The Word version will give both types of examples.

To Drill or Not to Drill is a multidisciplinary problem based learning exercise, which intends to increase students' knowledge of a variety of topics through a real world environmental topic. In addition, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) impacts students either directly (depending on the age level) or indirectly (through their parents) as gas prices soar to record high levels.

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Selecting appropriate Technologies

Short Description:
The use of open education is growing and has become a global movement. Across much of North America, most post-secondary institutions are in the process of integrating the use of open education resources into their teaching and learning activities. The number of OER repositories from which instructors can draw resources continues to grow each year. The number of resources continues to grow along with the number of different tools used to develop these resources. There are a number of commercial and open source digital technologies available for the creation of open resources. This resource is intended to provide the OER community with a summary of some currently available tools for creating open content. OER creators need to know the range of tools that can be used in the creation process. This guide is designed to provide a starting point for instructors and faculty at post-secondary institutions. Prospective creators of OER can use the guide to pick the most appropriate tool for their specific context and level of technical expertise.

Long Description:
The use of open education is growing and has become a global movement. Across much of North America, most post-secondary institutions are in the process of integrating the use of open education resources into teaching and learning activities. The following are the chapters covered in the guide: Chapter 1 starts with very basic information on the definition and description of what constitutes OER. Chapter 2 introduces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by providing a brief listing of each goal. Chapter 3 focuses on commercial word processing tool options. Chapter 4 describes a number of open-source word processing and additional tools. Chapter 5 introduces the basic open-source TeX-based systems that arose out of the open-source software movement. Chapter 6 delves further into TeX-based open-source tools by highlighting some packages useful for content creation. Chapter 7 describes other TeX-based tools helpful for creating open content. Chapter 8 introduces the emerging OER tools Pressbooks, EdTech Books and LibreTexts.

Word Count: 32461

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Selecting appropriate Technologies

Short Description:
The use of open education is growing and has become a global movement. Across much of North America, most post-secondary institutions are in the process of integrating the use of open education resources into their teaching and learning activities. The number of OER repositories from which instructors can draw resources continues to grow each year. The number of resources continues to grow along with the number of different tools used to develop these resources. There are a number of commercial and open source digital technologies available for the creation of open resources. This resource is intended to provide the OER community with a summary of some currently available tools for creating open content. OER creators need to know the range of tools that can be used in the creation process. This guide is designed to provide a starting point for instructors and faculty at post-secondary institutions. Prospective creators of OER can use the guide to pick the most appropriate tool for their specific context and level of technical expertise.

Long Description:
The use of open education is growing and has become a global movement. Across much of North America, most post-secondary institutions are in the process of integrating the use of open education resources into teaching and learning activities. The following are the chapters covered in the guide: Chapter 1 starts with very basic information on the definition and description of what constitutes OER. Chapter 2 introduces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by providing a brief listing of each goal. Chapter 3 focuses on commercial word processing tool options. Chapter 4 describes a number of open-source word processing and additional tools. Chapter 5 introduces the basic open-source TeX-based systems that arose out of the open-source software movement. Chapter 6 delves further into TeX-based open-source tools by highlighting some packages useful for content creation. Chapter 7 describes other TeX-based tools helpful for creating open content. Chapter 8 introduces the emerging OER tools Pressbooks, EdTech Books and LibreTexts.

Word Count: 32474

ISBN: 978-0-7731-0777-9

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When students are assigned an argument paper of 7-9 pages for Composition II, they often struggle to gather enough research material to fill the required pages.  This lesson is intended to help them expand their topics in order to write a good research question as well as to gather the appropriate amount of information.

This multidisciplinary lecture / workshop engages students in a variety of approaches to the study and practice of performance as an area of aesthetic and social interaction. Special attention is paid to the use of diverse media in performance. Interdisciplinary approaches to study encourage students to seek out material histories of performance and practice.

Line B: Employability Skills

Short Description:
No matter what your job is, you will need to communicate with other people. Your communication skills determine how successfully you receive and transmit information. Communication is arguably the most important of all life skills and plays a significant role in all aspects of work and home life. Communication is verbal, written, and non-verbal, and every gesture, voice inflection, or facial movement speaks volumes and conveys information to others. An effective communicator is also an active listener. Employers actively seek out individuals who are good communicators.

Word Count: 12217

ISBN: 978-1-77420-160-2

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Short Description:
Social media, digital devices, and networked communication systems have become fully integrated into our everyday living experience. This e-book touches upon the human experience of contemporary trends that affect how we perceive ourselves, others, and society.

Long Description:
Authored as a companion to COMM601 Trends in Digital & Social Media, Granite State College (USNH), Concord, NH.

Word Count: 25859

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An Introduction to Mass Communication

Short Description:
Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication, will support an engaging and interesting course experience for students that will not only show them the powerful social, political and economic forces will affect the future of media technology, but will challenge students to do their part in shaping that future. For questions about this textbook please contact textbookuse@umn.edu

Long Description:
Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication is adapted from a work produced by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing through the eLearning Support Initiative. Though the publisher has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution, this adapted edition reproduces all original text and sections of the book, except for publisher and author name attribution. For questions about this textbook please contact textbookuse@umn.edu

Word Count: 185227

ISBN: 978-1-946135-26-1

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This book’s title tells its intent. It is written to help you understand media and culture. The media and culture are so much a part of our days that sometimes it is difficult to step back and appreciate and apprehend their great impact on our lives. The book’s title, and the book itself, begin with a focus squarely on media. Think of your typical day. If you are like many people, you wake to a digital alarm clock or perhaps your cell phone. Soon after waking, you likely have a routine that involves some media. Some people immediately check the cell phone for text messages. Others will turn on the computer and check Facebook, email, or websites. Some people read the newspaper. Others listen to music on an iPod or CD. Some people will turn on the television and watch a weather channel, cable news, or Sports Center. Heading to work or class, you may chat on a cell phone or listen to music. Your classes likely employ various types of media from course management software to PowerPoint presentations to DVDs to YouTube. You may return home and relax with video games, television, movies, more Facebook, or music. You connect with friends on campus and beyond with text messages or Facebook. And your day may end as you fall asleep to digital music. Media for most of us are entwined with almost every aspect of life and work. Understanding media will not only help you appreciate the role of media in your life but also help you be a more informed citizen, a more savvy consumer, and a more successful worker. Media influence all those aspects of life as well.

According to the author, the world did not need another introductory text in mass communication. But the world did need another kind of introductory text in mass communication, and that is how Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication was birthed.

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The focus on soil in this unit is accomplished by browsing and reading or browsing (in some detail) information from nine websites as well as a book chapter. This effort will help students to understand issues relating to soil erosion, the state factors of soil formation, methods of soil description and classification in the field, soil orders, soil surveys and threats to soil. Questions are posed that require written responses and the in-class activity involves a web-based soil survey using the Natural Resources Conservation Service Web Soil Survey. This activity can be accomplished individually or by groups and should involve a short report of findings.

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The term "Earth system science" is typically used to describe the science (especially quantitative modeling) of the interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere, and biosphere---the addition of lithosphere to that list provides all of the main generalized components ("spheres") of the Critical Zone.
In this lesson, students will consider basic concepts of system science (studying complex systems), specifically as it can be applied to Critical Zone science. Students will engage in developing a qualitative systems model graphic of the Critical Zone. The knowledge gained here will be applied later in the semester to more in-depth systems thinking of the Critical Zone.

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In this introductory unit, students will learn about the fundamental role of observation by viewing photographs of both agricultural and non-agricultural (natural) landscapes and making independent observations. They will learn how to relate physiographic features to land use by drawing conclusions about how the physiography of the land affects or is affected by various land use practices. They will then discuss their observations in small groups, organize their thoughts, and explain their conclusions in a classroom oral presentation. Finally, students will consider landscape features in the context of Earth systems and discuss how these systems are impacted by human activity.

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This unit is designed to function as three days of instruction in an introductory urban planning, environmental science/studies or public health course.

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Students will learn about geoscience-specific methods used to analyze data in the Critical Zone from data-driven activities and short presentations by their peers. The topics include the use of carbon isotopes, rock and soil profile weathering rates, stream discharge, demographics, and soil carbon. Activities will build data analysis and communication skills while using real data to interpret Critical Zone processes and begin to think about human interactions in the Critical Zone. Students will use geoscience-specific methods when developing their research proposal for the summative assessment activity.

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In this activity, the student groups organized at the end of Unit 3.1 will prepare presentations representing different stakeholder positions. This artifact -- Part I of the Module Summative Assessment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 25kB Sep4 16) -- can be part of a presentation to the instructor, to a panel of faculty/students, or to a "board" representing some decision-making unit (Community Council, University Board of Trustees, City/County Planning Commission). At the conclusion of this unit, students will be prompted to reflect, individually, on an ecosystem services approach to natural resources management -- Part II of the Module Summative Assessment (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 23kB Sep4 16) .

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