If you can't read and write you can't think. Your thoughts are dispersed if you don't know how to read and write. You've got to be able to look at your thoughts on paper and discover what a fool you were.
WNC Information and Resources
Western Nevada College Home Page
The place to start on the web if you are looking to find information about WNCC.
WNC Library and Media Services
This is the home page for the college library. From this page, you can begin exploring the resources available to you.
WNC Database Login (Academic Search Premier)
This is a massive database of journals, newspapers, and magazines. The full text of many articles can be found, printed and saved for the purposes of your research. A highly valuable resource that is available to WNCC students. You will need to get a user name and password when you visit the library and get a library card. If you haven't used this resource, I highly recommend you get your library card and become accustom to using this powerful tool. It will prove invaluable to future research projects and papers.
Turn-it-in
I use this online service to collect papers, provide feedback, and verify the originality of student work. Check your syllabus for details on how I do this. Typically, I use Turnitin assignments in Blackboard, so you will only need access WNC's Blackboard learning system to submit your papers to Turnitin. For other instructor's classes you may have to sign up to a Turnitin class. For this procedure, see the student video for information on how to create an account: http://www.turnitin.com/static/videos/student_ppm.html
Academic Writing on the Web
Purdue's Online Writing Lab
This link will take you to OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University. There is a link to the old site (once you arrive at the URL above), but both places offer an array of helpful handouts covering many aspects of academic writing. Take a look around and find some extra help with your writing!
Diana Hacker's Site
Diana Hacker is the author of the Bedford Handbook and she has also been helpful enough to deliver a very useful website, especially for the purposes of documenting research. If you like using the web to learn, you might like using this site better than using the pages of the handbook.
Online Dictionaries and Reference Tools
Answers.com Online Dictionary
Can't find your old battered dictionary? You can always visit this online dictionary. I like the way this site works better than the Merriam Webster's online dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/), but you could use either. These online dictionaries (like a traditional dictionary) are useful for close reading (don't ever use the excuse "I didn't know that word" for your lack of understanding a text). You can also use the dictionary to ensure that you don't misuse that new vocabulary word in your own writing. Get a language power-up by visiting the links above.
Fiction on the Web
Celtx Screenwriting and Production Software
Celtx is open source and free to download. The homepage for this application claims that the software features an industry standards compliant screenplay editor. So, if you want to write screenplays (and don't want to spend a fortune), this may be a helpful tool. I have taken this for a test drive and it works like a charm!
Peder Hill's Novel Writing Page
I like this site, in part, because I've thought of creating something similar to expose my own efforts at writing a longer work. Afterall, if you tell the world you are writing a novel, it might motivate you to finish it.
Aspiring novelists will also find a kindred spirit and a healthy dose of advice by visiting Hill's pages.
Project Gutenberg
Have you run out of money and reading materials at the same time? Or do you want to read a classic but you don't want to exchange cold, hard cash for it? There is hope that your reading appetites will be satiated.
Zoetrope All Story
From the All Story Website:"In 1997, Francis Ford Coppola launched a magazine devoted to supporting the brightest young voices in fiction. In its short history, Zoetrope: All-Story has received every major short fiction award, including the National Magazine Award for Fiction, while simultaneously discovering authors such as Adam Haslett, Melissa Bank, and David Benioff and publishing literary luminaries such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Don DeLillo, and Cynthia Ozick. Zoetrope is also an art magazine, inviting a different contemporary artist to illustrate and design each issue. Past guest designers include Julian Schnabel, Mary Ellen Mark, Helmut Newton, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson, Jeff Koons, Peter Greenaway, and David Byrne."
Glimmer Train
From Glimmer Train: "Glimmer Train welcomes the work of established and upcoming writers. We especially appreciate work that is both well written and emotionally engaging. Please let us read yours! If it is chosen for publication in Glimmer Train Stories, you will be paid upon acceptance. Your story will be prepared with care, and presented in a handsome, highly regarded literary journal to readers all over the country (even a few in Ireland, England, and Australia). If you've seen Glimmer Train Stories, you know that we go to some lengths to honor our contributors and their writing."
Rosebud Magazine
From Rosebud's website: "Rosebud, a magazine dedicated to creative prose, poetry and visual art is available at over 1000 bookstores in the US, Canada and Great Britain. Published in April, August and December."
Poetry on the Web
The Academy of American Poets
Don't confuse poets.org with poetry.com. Poetry.org is full of essays, interviews, information on poets and poetry. This site also features some wonderful audio of poets reading their poems.
Blackbird
Virginia Commonwealth University's literary journal. The place I first discovered an audio recording of Larry Levis reading one of his poems, "In 1967." I had never heard his voice before and was pleasantly surprised by his warmth and his sense of humor.
Poetry Magazine's Place on the Web
The Poetry Foundation offers a large selection of poetry to its visitors. You can browse poetry by category, title, and even by occasion.
Research and Documentation
Citation Machine
One of my English 101 students suggested this nifty web tool. You can visit this link and enter relevant information for a variety of sources that you may want to cite for an academic project or paper. The web site then gives you a citation in the proper format. Just make sure you choose the appropriate style (MLA, APA, or Chicago) before entering your information. You still need to take good notes about the source material so that you can enter the right information (the website won't read your book for you yet... grin).
Diana Hacker's Documentation and Research Page
This is a fine companion site to the Bedford Handbook and Hacker's other writing guides. It contains a wealth of information on how to properly cite research for various disciplines and documentation styles.
Information for WNC Web Students
Frequently Asked Questions for Web Students
This link will take you to instructions on how to access an online class in WebCT.
First Time Login Procedure for Web Students
From WNC's home page: "WebCampus classes (Blackboard/WebCT) are not usually available for student access until the first day of the semester. Only students who have registered and paid for the class will be able to access their online courses." Visit the following link for instructions on how to log into the WebCampus at WNC.
WebCampus Overview
An overview page for online learning at WNC and related pages. This will give you a list of other helpful pages for getting started in an online class.
WebCampus Tutorials
This page provides links to tutorials from UNR for your WebCampus experience. These presentations will help you understand how to use specific tools while taking an online course at WNC.
Preparing Your Computer for the WebCampus
Make sure that you have the proper plugins and that your computer is ready for online learning at WNC.
Supported Browsers for Webcampus
This page lists supported operating systems and browsers for use with WebCampus. Other browsers and operating system may work; however, the listed configurations are the only configurations that are tested and supported.
TurnItin FAQ for Students
I use Turnitin for all essay assignments in my classes. If you want to find out more about this technology, you can visit this link which answers frequent questions asked by students. You might also explore the TurnItin website in greater detail.
Wimba Live Classroom Guide
If you are taking one of my online classes, this guide may come in very handy. I use Wimba to conduct live classroom sessions with microphophones and Power Point slides. This guide covers how this technology works.
Wimba Technical Support and Knowledgebase
Most students won't experience too many problems when first trying to use the live classroom (just be sure that you run the Live Classroom Setup Wizard before trying to participate). However, for exceptions to this rule, you might want to use Wimba's technical support to fix any problems. This link will take you to the front page for technical support. Be sure to look for answers in the knowledgebase and focus your attention on Wimba Classroom.
Library Help
Students who are having trouble logging in to their web classes should call the library reference desk at 775-445-3227. You can review the library's hours by visiting this link.