Unit 2 Project Script Workshop

1. How has the author summarized the data that she or he collected in the experiment? Does this summary feel like an onslaught of numbers? Is it disorienting, or do can you process them all as the author is explaining them? How might he or she deal with this material more clearly?

2. Does the author restate clearly the original hypothesis and how the data proved or disproved that hypothesis? How could this information be better highlighted so that the listener will be sure not to miss it?

3. How does the podcast end? Is the ending effective? Why or why not?

4. How might the author interject another voice in a way that would make the podcast both clearer and more interesting?

5. What parts of the podcast do you think will be essential to highlight with music, sound effects, etc.? In other words, what are the most important transitional moments in the podcast? Does the author indicate how s/he will deal with these effectively? Suggest ways in which the use of music and sound effects might be improved.

Make sure to spend 5 minutes at the end wrapping up, giving general feedback, etc.

Unit 2 Project Pre-Writing

Within your group, form smaller groups of two or three. Begin by explaining the results of your study to your partner and showing him or her the data that you collected. From there, return to your notes on today's PowerPoint presentation and work with your partner to begin figuring out what information will go in your results section and what you will say in the discussion portion of your podcast. After doing this, you should have a rough outline of your podcast. If you get this far, begin thinking about how you will frame this information and how you will present it to your listener clearly and succinctly. As you make decisions about these aspects of your podcast, begin transforming the rough outline of your podcast into a more detailed script.

Feeder 2.2 Podcast Workshop

Listen to your partner's podcast at least once without stopping, then answer the following questions in the Google Doc where that person kept his or her script.

1. Describe the author's implementation of the middle style. Is it a higher or lower take on the middle style? Does the author come off as a credible scientist? What aspects of the podcast contribute most to the author's voice? Be as specific as possible.

2. Do you zone out or become disoriented at any point in the podcast? At what point does the author lose your attention? Does s/he read too slowly or too quickly? Is the recording clear and easy to understand?

3. Describe how the author has implemented post-production techniques such as the addition of music, sound effects, etc. Do these help you to understand the content of the podcast or do they distract you from it?

4. Has the author done everything required for both the Introduction and Methods and Materials sections? Is this information clearly highlighted? Does the author do a good job of explaining the experiment without summarizing the results? Does the podcast sound too much or not enough like a proper scientific research report? What changes might the author make in order to enhance his or her credibility or come off as more approachable? 

Now, read these questions and then listen to the podcast again, thinking about how you will answer each question. If you need to listen again, rewind and listen to part of the podcast again. When you're done, answer these questions:

1. How does the author attempt to grab the reader's attention? Do you think the reader will be "hooked" within 10-15 seconds? Can the author's attention-getter be described as one of the more or less effective introductions we talked about? Explain your answer.

2. At what point does the author transition from the Introduction section to the Methods and Materials section? Describe how this transition takes place and how the author signals to the reader that s/he should be listening for a new idea. Identify any other transitions that are unclear or confusing. 

3. Is the hypothesis highlighted clearly? Can the author be absolutely sure that even a casual listener will understand the experiment's hypothesis? How does the author highlight this information? How might it be highlighted more clearly?

After you have answered all of these questions in the Google Doc, take 5 minutes to converse with your author, explaining both your answers to the questions as well as any more general or specific comments that didn't come up in your written feedback. Also, feel free to share any tips for using the recording software that the author might find helpful.

Example Feeder 2.2 Podcast

http://uncquartet.blogspot.com/2010/11/charlottes-feeder-22.html

Libraries of Sound Effects and Music

http://www.freesound.org/

http://www.freesfx.co.uk/

http://www.soundsnap.com/

http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/

http://www.musicalley.com/

Paramedic Method Workshop: Feeder 2.1 Introductions

Don't forget to write your name and date on your rewritten paragraph. Note: we're concentrating on having strong active verbs in the first sentence and thesis statement as well as steps 6 and 7.


1. Circle the prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into) 

2. Draw a box around the "is" verb forms 

3. Ask, "Where's the action?" 

4. Change the "action" into a simple verb 

5. Move the doer into the subject (Who's kicking whom?) 

6. Eliminate any unnecessary slow wind-ups 

7. Eliminate any redundancies.

Adding Music and Sound Effects to Your Podcast

Here's another video tutorial. As before, you'll want to make this full-screen to really see what's going on.

 

Recording Your Podcast with Audacity Part I

In case you weren't in class or you need a refresher course I've created some video tutorials to help you with the podcasting process.

The first thing you'll need to do is download the Audacity software and install it. This video will help you with what to do next. You may need to make the video full-screen to see exactly what's going on.

Feeder 2.2 Script Workshop

1. How does the author attempt to grab the reader's attention? It will be helpful to think not just about what the author is saying--i.e. the words s/he is using them--but HOW s/he says them. Will there be music? Sound effects? Will these methods work? If we assume that a potential listener is going to give us 10 seconds of devoted attention before making up his or her mind about whether to listen, do you think this author will have grabbed the listener by that time? Why or why not?

2. When we listened to the RadioLab podcast we talked a lot about the ratio of scripted vs. unscripted content. What do you think that ratio will be in your partner's podcast? Do you think that ratio is appropriate given the tenets of the middle style? How might the author work in more unscripted content? How might the author integrate different voices, sounds, and other effects that might add dynamism to the finished product?

3. How does the author explain the experiment in the Methods and Materials section? How does the author deal with the problem of representing quantitative data orally? Do you think the listener will be able to understand precisely how the experiment works? Do you think the listener could repeated the experiment precisely him or herself? Suggest ways in which the author might make this Methods and Materials section clearer.

4. Your finished podcast will contain at least two main sections: Introduction and Methods and Materials. How does the author signals the transition between those two sections (or any others the podcast might include)? Do you think these transitions will be effective? Why or why not?

5. How has the author attempted to establish and maintain his or her scientific credibility? There is a fine line between being accessible and losing one's credibility; where does the author's voice and content reside on this line? If the author were to shoot for a slightly "higher" take on the middle style, how might the script change? Conversely, how would it change if the author were to go "lower?" 

Example Podcast Scripts

https://docs.google.com/document/d/125yiArwhNXUKzrpxt8vw4O9QeHrRGIAgW4g3dq_Tt90/edit

Feeder 2.1 Workshop

Name: 

Date: 3/16/12

1. The assignment asks you to take a piece of scientific research and make it meaningful to your audience. This involves a unique answer to the "so what?" question. How does the original article answer the "so what?" question? In other words, why does this research matter to psychologists? (note: you might have to ask the author or look up the original article to find out.) Now, explain why this research matters to your blog's audience… has the author explained and supported this answer adequately? Do you think your readers will really value this research in the way the author has proposed?

2. Many of your summaries for Feeder 1.2 were too long, too detailed, and too closely mimicked the structure of the original article. Does it feel like the author has fully digested the research he or she is presenting? Are the key terms explained vividly, simply, and in ways that your audience can understand clearly? Go through the draft and strike out any information that you think is too detailed for the needs of your audience.

3. Is the essay organized? Evaluate the author's paragraphing skills; does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence and stick to only one topic without wavering? Is each paragraph's idea fully developed? Identify any potential problem paragraphs and note how the author might revise them.

4. Evaluate the writer's introduction. Does s/he grab the reader's attention quickly? Does s/he transition quickly and effectively to the thesis statement? Does the author follow the pattern of one of the more or less effective introductions we talked about in class? Note any ways in which you think the introduction might be improved.

Reading Podcasts Critically

1. What kind of “hook” do they use to draw in the listener? (Note: ignore the plea for money that precedes the podcast.)

2. Estimate what proportion of the program is based on extempore speech and what seems to be read from a script. How can you tell?

3. Note any background music or sound effects that seem to have been added in post-production. Why were these things added? How do they make the podcast clearer or more interesting?

4. Note any terms or concepts that you learned about from listening to the podcast. How were these explained? How did the authors make these complex ideas and terms easy to understand? 

Intro Paragraph Example 6

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2008 childhood obesity report estimated seventeen percent of adolescents were overweight or obese; adult obesity was estimated between twenty and thirty percent.[1] The CDC also reports percentage increases, both adult and child, since 2008. Many researchers have addressed the growing concern, rooting out potential causes to enable future treatment and prevention. Since the investigation’s beginning, food quality, genetic predisposition, increasing portion sizes, and sedentary activities such as television and video gaming have each received blame regarding what is now termed the “epidemic’s” emergence. Many Americans do not get enough daily physical activity and thus, the calories they consume outweigh those they burn. Sedentary activities like watching television exacerbate the situation.[2] Katherine Jones, Jennifer Otten, Rachel Johnson, and Jean Harvey-Berino recently conducted a study to determine whether or not having a bedroom television set negatively affects the owner’s health. Their study furthers existing research concerning television’s contribution to poor health because they discovered bedroom televisions do not seem to augment the existing health risks of sedentary activities.

Intro Paragraph Example 5

Concussions are the most common injury in all of sports, both contact and non-contact, from intramural college teams to professional sports. Not only are athletes more likely to suffer from concussions than the average person, but they are also at a greater risk to develop future brain damage as a direct result. Athletes must decide when they are able to come back to play. If one returns too early to play, one risks developing another concussion or potentially dealing with Second Impact Syndrome (SIS). SIS does not need to stem from a large impact, but any impact following a concussion has the potential to trigger the condition, which has only a 25% survival rate. Several tests are used to decide whether or not an athlete is able to safely return to the playing field. However, these tests are measuring psychomotor speed (time to think of something and then perform a task) as opposed to visuomotor speed (time to see something and react) which is far more game relevant. This results in some athletes returning to play before they have fully recovered. Studies show that upper extremity and oculormotor functions deficiencies can still be present a year after a concussion, long after other symptoms have faded. This had led to a call for more intensive testing for athletes returning from concussion. An obvious way to do this would be to implement some sort of test to measure visuomotor speed. Along with being relevant to the environment, incorporating visuomotor tests may increase the sensitivity of current post-concussion testing methods.

Homework: Listening to Podcasts Critically

We'll be working with the RadioLab podcast titled “Lucy.” You can hear it here:

http://www.radiolab.org/2010/feb/19/lucy/

or you can download the mp3 directly here:

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/radiolab/radiolab040910a.mp3

As you are listening, compose a retrospective outline of the podcast. Post this outline in a new Google Doc titled "[your name]'s RadioLab assignment." Share this Google Doc with me.

Example Intro 4

Recently students of high school level education and above have experienced difficulty maintaining concentration in their classes. As students have easy access to numerous distractions through cell phones, laptops and tablet PC’s, it is no surprise that concentration is a growing problem among students nationwide. Students have even resorted to often dangerous methods including prescription drugs, like Vyvanse, Adderall and Strattera, to help remedy their lack of attention. The results of a recent study, however, may provide some relief to these struggling scholars. An experiment conducted by Japanese researchers found a positive correlation between correct posture and improved academic writing. According to this study sitting with good posture allows students to increase their academic performance and remain attentive. The study suggests, rather than relying on external influences to increase concentration, students should instead improve their academic performances through conscious alterations of their posture.

Example Intro #3

Despite obvious health risks numerous women have currently engaged in jeopardous activities, such as smoking, in order to maintain weight and body image. Associate professor at Temple University in the Departments of Kinesiology and Public Health, as well as a Research Scientist at the Center for Obesity Research and Education, Melissa A. Napolitano has provided extensive research into this behavior in her article entitled “ Targeting Body Image Schema for Smoking Cessation Among College Females: Rationale, Program Description, and Pilot Study Results.” According to her article, body image as well as weight concerns, often fuel smoking behaviors among females. Undeterred by negative heath consequences women continue to smoke, in order to achieve aesthetic approval, but Napolitano discusses possible smoking interventions, including body image and exercise interventions, that may help modify this behavior.

Example Intro 2

Imagine a situation in which your friend is bothering you with how much she hates her chemistry professor, who you will have next semester. Imagine you had not met this professor yet, however, based on the information you already have, would you like or dislike her? Naturally most people’s first inclination would be to have a sense of dread towards having this teacher next semester. Why does this happen? After all you don’t know anything about this professor. Researchers at the University of Trier in Germany recently published a psychological study titled “The Role of Evaluative Conditioning in Attitude Formation”. In this post, I will summarize the methods and conclusions of this study.

Example Intro 1

Eating disorders among college students is a very pertinent issue of debate seeing that it so frequently occurs throughout the world. The article “Cognitive Behavioral Theories of Eating Disorders” by Williamson et. al gives a broad spectrum of various eating disorders that people encounter and the reasons to why they are so detrimental. Presumably many college students have encountered individuals who are diagnosed with some kind of eating disorder, and it is not an issue that should be left unattended. It is important to understand why individuals resort to eating as a coping mechanism for various problems and Williamson et. addresses some of these reasons. Eating disorders are a very pertinent area of psychological research since those who have encountered them wish to maintain a certain image, which in turn causes detrimental health affects.

Procedures for Requesting a Grade Change

Begin by locating the work for which you did not receive credit in Google Docs. Double check 1. that the document is shared with my correct email address and 2. that your work is clearly labeled with your name and date. Once you have double-checked these requirements, email me a link to the Google Doc and I will grade the assignment and send you a corrected grade for the unit.

Workshop: Unit 2 Data Sheets

3/2/12
Name:

1. Your hypothesis should have identified a relationship between an independent and a dependent variable. How does the author measure changes in the independent variable? What about the dependent variable? Is the scale sensitive enough to measure subtle changes? Is it flexible enough to track unexpected changes?

2. We noted in class that the biggest danger to experiments of this nature is the confounding variable. What confounding variables do you anticipate might get in the way of proving the author's hypothesis? Are these variables accounted for in the data sheet? How might the author use the data sheet to keep track of these confounding variables and prove definitively that they have not shaped the relationship between the independent and dependent variables?

3. What other kinds of data might it be useful for the author to collect? Suggest at least two piece of data that the author might consider adding to his or her data sheet.

4. Is the data collected on the sheet adequately quantified? While there might be some space devoted to more open-ended, narrative responses, is the data predominantly in the form of numbers that can be quickly and easily analyzed? If not, how might the author collect the data in a way that is more quantitative and less qualitative?

If you find weaknesses in your data sheet, go ahead and revise them. At the bottom of your document (which you should have posted to Google Docs), write a short paragraph explaining what changes you made as a result of the draft workshop.