Writing

13h30-14h10 / 14h20-15h00:

Powerful writing? It's easy if you do it smart

Martin Vögeli & Catherine Weiss & Peter Fiala, PHTG

Once upon a time, George Orwell said, "Good writing is like a windowpane". That's why we (two magicians and one fairy) decided to reveal to you the secrets of how to use the windows of the 21st century in order to prevent writer's blockage. To do this, we embark on a virtual journey to various free of charge writing tools on the web.

To begin this adventure, we jump-start our articles with the magic of time pressure to achieve flow as an author. Then we have our text corrected as if by magic, translated and peppered with smug quotations. Furthermore, we identify the most important keywords and generate appealing headlines. Finally, Hemingway polishes our phrases for better readability.

We collect the finished virtual parchments and publish them as a fantastic electronic book. It will become a unique gem of any reputable library.

Requirements for sorcerer's apprentices:

• An electronic device (notebook works best)
• Interest in different forms of writing and editing
• A spark of creativity for the magic to happen

After the conference:

• Etherpad of the two sessions

15h30-16h10 / 16h20-17h00:

Online annotation in higher education

Melanie Walter & Sarah Frédérickx, ETHZ

Online or web annotation enables students, assistants and lecturers to communicate through commenting (asking a question, giving feedback, taking notes) on online (lecture) material (on a specific part of text therein). It is particularly effective for the following tasks: deep/close reading, feedback, questioning, peer review, Internet research, rhetorical analysis, debating, sense making. All these enable students to reach higher order thinking skills and promotes retention of information. In addition, social processes such as dialogue, discussion, debate and resolving differences of opinion have a positive effect on the overall learning process.

We will talk about practical insights into using web annotation and prepare for effective future use in the professional practice (i.e. teaching, coaching).

In this tutorial we will give a short overview on:

• Web annotation: What is it? How to use it?
• Teaching scenarios for Web annotation
• Added value and challenges

And in addition, have a:

• Hands on: experiencing web annotation

We will finish giving you news about the project for a local (Switzerland) web annotation service at ETH Zurich.