This paper discusses how the topic of homelessness was explored for a course through research and a final project which consisted of a performance of personal narratives. The paper: (1) recounts how the script was created; (2) describes and shows the actual reproduction of the script; (3) presents a brief analysis of the script; and (4) describes…

Guidelines for designing effective multimedia presentations are presented. The differences between computer-based and computer-aided presentations are highlighted. Advice is given for the effective selection and use of layout, color, sound, and graphics. Room layout, lighting, equipment, and backup are examined and recommendations are made.…

The problems of writer's block and writing apprehension have just started to be examined in conjunction with modern rhetorical theories and practices. One of the variables that can make students more vulnerable to writer's block and writing apprehension is the degree of freedom the student is granted in the writing assignments. Two such freedoms…

A study examined the writing practices, attitudes, and beliefs about the importance of writing at work of "basic" writers and "strong" writers. Subjects were graduates of Francis Marion College for the years 1984 to 1989. Questionnaires were returned by 119 of the 182 basic writers (identified through placement in remedial…

A study explored the relationship between gender and talk show viewing motives. Students (109) from 6 randomly selected introductory communication classes in a midwestern university, 30 people belonging to a non-traditional student organization called "Oasis," and 8 residents of a retirement home were given Rubin's instrument to assess…

"Create Your Own," month-long "Artist in Education" residencies sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council, are used to guide students and teachers through the process of taking the vision of an original opera conceived by students and turning it into a reality. A local opera company is actually created. "Create Your Own"…

The merits of the video photo essay as a broadcast production teaching tool and as a genre of television news are examined in this paper. Suggestions are offered for using the video essay in the classroom, such as assigning students projects which involve producing a news story using only "nat-sound" and soundbites or music, and…

This book sets out the skills that are necessary for a public speaker to address an audience with confidence and clarity. The book discusses the kinds of speeches a speaker might be called upon to make and gives clear advice on how to prepare, rehearse, and deliver them. It explores the power of humor, helps one deal confidently and persuasively…

Suggesting that the World Wide Web (WWW) is a tool that "ordinary" teachers and students can use to promote content learning and literacy development, this paper describes how the WWW can serve as a catalyst and tool for intermediate-grade teachers on up to share ideas and improve literacy. After briefly discussing recent articles in the…

This guide to producing a readable, appealing, and interesting school newsletter is intended for teachers, administrators, and secretaries who might be intimidated and overwhelmed by the task of newsletter production. The guide will help school professionals write, design, and produce a school newsletter that will reach today's busy and…

This study examines children's interpretations of a visual convention used in television interviews and incorporates as a framework Flavell's theory of the development sequence of understanding television (1990). Thirty-four children were individually shown a videotape of two people talking in an interview on a television news program. Children…

Noting that entrepreneurs know that marketing can make or break a business and that outreach requires effective written materials, this guide argues that anyone can learn to write effective copy. The guide demonstrates how to write effective sales letters and advertisements and persuasive press releases. It takes readers step-by-step through the…

Based on models created by social reality researchers, a study used a modification of a Solomon four group design to investigate the influence of symbolic reality (exposure to the film "JFK") on a student audience's subjective reality (knowledge of the assassination of President Kennedy, political mistrust and belief in the existence of…

Debates as to the critical element in the writing process have usually taken sides as to either the preeminence of the writer or the essential nature of the text. Throughout two separate studies into the instruction of creative writing genres, the key element in every teaching situation is, instead of writer or text, the creation of a tangible…

According to Lawrence Chua, "zines" are "xeroxed broadsides" which "make marginality their starting point, empowering voices excluded from the slicker journals." According to "Ms," they are "downsized stapled rags...often defiantly tasteless." A subgenre of zines, "Grrrl zines" are those written, produced, and distributed by young women, usually…