Conferences (in person and e-mail)

In-Person Conferences

Conferencing is the most important part of the workshop process, whether it is with me, with peers, with other teachers, parents, siblings, or whomever, your ability to have good conferences will go a long way toward determining the success of your piece.

I am always available for conferences, according to the schedule posted on the network. And at least one of the required two conferences for any portfolio piece must be held in person. (BTW: In no way are you limited to two conferences; I have had students who have had as many as forty on a specific piece. As long as there is a need and there is growth because of it, that's fine with me.)

In order for me (or anyone, for that matter) to be able to help you in a conference, you must prepare a bit first:

1. Don't schedule a conference for minor changes in a piece. That can more efficiently be handled through simply e-mailing it to me with a note saying that this is a small change. (To e-mail a piece, see below.)

2. For significant revision that necessitates a conference, make things as simple and specific as you possibly can:

Highlight (with a highlighter , or through boldface or color changes in your printed text) everything you have changed. (You can delete the computerized highlighting later.)
Date and number each draft. This is CRITICAL for keeping track of what happened when.
Submit the piece at least a day before the conference is scheduled so that, if my time permits, I can read it in advance. Always submit it with the last previous draft that I actually read (with my own remarks written on it).
Include a note with the submitted piece indicating what you were trying to accomplish with this revision and what I should focus on for the conference. On this note you can also indicate things you deleted from the previous draft, since you obviously cannot highlight them.

3. Come to the conference ready to discuss the piece. Nothing can be accomplished if you make me do all the talking.

4. Take copious notes at the conference! And be sure to get signatures!

Using E-mail for Conferences

At least one of the required portfolio conferences must be in person, and you can arrange that through the means discussed in class (which basically means that you need to sign up in advance, hand in your piece prior to the conference, etc.)

However, the increased use of e-mail does afford us a luxury we did not have before: conferencing over the net.

Here's what to do:

1. Make all changes in the text of your piece. Type them in boldface, an alternative color, or ALLCAPS; you can change that later.

2. Compose an e-mail message to me. Explain what you have done to the piece, what specific issues you have addressed and changed, and what you want me to look for in the conference. Remember: in this conference I do not have access to your prior drafts, so I will need a lot of assistance in order to help you.

3. To send your piece to me, you have two options:

The best one is to send the piece to me as a Word or Appleworks file attached to your e-mail.

Another alternative (assuming you have a good e-mail program) is to copy the entire paper (highlights included) into your e-mail message and simply send it.

4. Despite the fact that e-mail is an instant gratification medium, do not expect that I will return your file immediately. I might be backed up that day, I might fail for some reason to check my e-mail, or something might go wrong with my net connections. If a couple of days has gone by, though, you might mention to me in class that you sent a file; that way I will know to check for it.

E-Mail Addresses: yourclass(e2h,e3h,drama,film,e3cp)@sunspark.com; kkopriv@d115.org; karensmile@gmail.com

I do not have an AOL address, but I am often available for conferences or questions (or just a brief hello!) at sunspark2 on AIM.

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