Purdue+OWL

The Owl

=__**OverView**__= The Online Writing center for Perdue University. Offers a free and creditable resource for all writers and teachers of writing. One can access the Owl here http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ This link will take you to the homepage of the Perdue OWL. The home page is easy to navigate with tabs on the left hand side.

The OWL breaks up into nine different sections. Each section then goes into depth about each category named in that section.
 * 1) [|General Writing]
 * 2) [|Research And Citation]
 * 3) [|Teacher and Tutor Resources]
 * 4) [|English as A Secong Language]

Here is the mission or Purpose of the OWL:

**Mission** The Purdue University Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services.

The more Important Sections for Learnign to write are focused on more. General Writing, Research and Citation, Teacher and Tutor Resources, and ESL.

__Advantages of the OWL__ The OWL is the best option for aiding students and teachers in Writing for multiple reasons:
 * 1) It is an Online source, constantly being updated on the newest and most recent information and updates on writing.
 * 2) It can be accessed anywhere and in other languages.
 * 3) It provides a vast amount of information, examples, resources for helping a student with the Writing Process.

__**General Writing **__

This Section of the OWL deals with such things as The Writing Process, Academic Writing, Mechanics, Grammar and Punctuation. __ The Writing Process __ This section fully explains in depth the writing process and relates to such authors as Nancy Sommers with Reverse outlining and Donald Murray with writers block which were read in class. This link will direct one to the section of the OWl that lays out the steps of the Writing Process. [|Steps of the Writing] __Writers Block and Ways to Cure it__ - Although Donald Murray suggest that Writers Block is essential to the writing process. The OWL seems to disagree providing multiple suggetions to cure writers block and help the Writing Process move along smoothly. This link will help you find these cures [|Fixing Writers Block] If those methods do not help ease the Writers Block try these [|More Writers Block Help] Reverse Outlining - Nancy Sommers talked heavily about the importance of Recursive Revision and Reverse Outlining. Here is the OWL's suggestions on Reverse Outlining. This Link Navigates to the OWL's suggestions [|Reverse Outlining] VIDEOS This Link will navigate to a video on The Writing Process, [|Video For Writing Process]

This section of the OWL discusses the ins and outs of Academic Writing focusing on many important issues that writers encounter with in writing. __Rhetorical Situation__. This link will take you to the sub tab,[|Rhetroical Situation] Here you will find very detailed explanation of Rhetorical situations dealing with context, author, audience and text. There is also a tab describing the time, place and community of Rhetorical Situation. Here is the link for that [|More on the Rhetorical Situation] __Active and Passive Voice__ This section of the OWL talks about the idea of voice in writing. The main parts it touches on are Active voice and Passive voice. The differences in them and how to effectively use them. Use this link to learn more [|Active and passive Voice] These section of the OWL deal with a more formalist view of writing. The syntax, Semantics and phonology of English writing are all things discussed. Other things touched on specifically in the **Mechanics** section are sentence structure, parts of speech, sentence clarity and transitions / transitional devices. This link will help you out [|Mechanics Discussed] More specific subjects talked about in the **Grammar** section are subject verb agreement, spelling, adjectives, adverbs and articles. This link will take you there [|Grammar]
 * __Academic Writing__**
 * __Mechanics Grammar and Punctuation__**
 * Punctuation** is the next section of the OWL and this tab talks about independent and dependent clauses, the rules of the comma, hyphens and quotation marks. This link will guide you their [|Punctuation].

Each section goes into more depth about every tab or sub tab of the General Writing Section. Almost any question can be answered about General writing Making the OWL far more supperior to any Writers guide text

__**Research and Citation**__ This next section of the OWL deals with the idea of research and Citation styles of modern day English writing. Dealing heavely in MLA, APA and Chicago Manual of Style. This Link is the main section for the citing tab of the OWL check it out! [|Research and Citing]

__**APA Style**__ The first sub tab in the Research and Citation section is American Psychological Association (APA) Style. The OWL uses the 6th edition second print which is the most updated version of the APA style guide. This link will allow you to learn a little about the APA Style and also lead you further into APA style, this works as an overview for APA Style[|APA Style Basics] __**APA Instructions**__ This next Link is very useful for students giving easy to understand step by step instruction on information needed to cite in APA style How to [|Cite APA]. Also mentioned in this section is General Format, Title page citation, Abstract citing and even how to cite the OWL in APA. __ More detailed APA fun __ Other things talked about in this sub tab of the citation of APA are:
 * 1) In-text citation basics and Author specifics
 * 2) Footnotes and Endnotes
 * 3) Reference Lists for Books, Articles and Electronic sources

More detail can be found in the corresponding numbered links for each above.
 * 1) [|Short / Long Quatations / Summaries and More] This Link deals with the basics of Short and Long quotations, summaries and Paraphrases quotations. This next link deals with In-text citations with Authors. Specifically Authors, Indirect sources, Electronic Sources and Sources without page numbers [|Authors APA In-text Help].
 * 2) This link deals with Footnotes and Endnotes. It also deals with APA content notes citations and Copyright Permission Note citations [|Endnotes Footnotes and more].
 * 3) This first link deals with the basic rules of reference lists.[|All Reference Lists] The second link deals with Authors single, two authors, three to seven authors, more than seven authors and unknown authors [|Citing Authors] The third link has to deal with everything one needs to cite for reference lists of Books [|Books] The fourth link has to deal with everything one needs to cite reference list for articles and Periodicals [|Articles and Periodicals] This fifth link deals with everything one needs to cite reference lists for Electronic sources [|Electronic Sources].

The OWL can be a powerful tool for a student using it to cite correctly because it is always up to date and accurate. If a writer wants to make sure they are citing in APA style correctly the OWL is their best bet.

**__MLA Style__** The second part of the citation section of the OWL is the Modern Language Association style of citing information. The Owl uses the seventh edition for writers and research papers, and the third edition for scholarly publishing. The first link deals with, What is MLA Style? Why use MLA? Why should someone use MLA? This link also includes MLA Formatting and Notation style and MLA citations and works cited page descriptions. [|MLA Background] __Format and Basics__ The next link describes the formatting style of the guide. It deals with General Format of MLA style, Paper formats, General Guidelines, How to Format the first page of a paper, Formatting second headings and How to cite the OWL in MLA style. [|Formatting the Basics] __In-text Citations__ The OWL covers extensivly how to cite everything from the bible to electronic services. Here are some examples for In-text citations. This is the link for the above in-text citation listed,[|Help with Citing things above] __Citing Quotations__ This section is similar to the APA page when it comes to citing quotations. It includes similar things such as: This is the link for the above quotation citations listed, [|Help with Citing Material Listed Above]This section that covers MLA in-text citing and quotations also covers many more important factors for citing in MLA.
 * 1) Author page style, Know and Unknown authors, classic authors in multiple editions, Authors with same last name, citing a work by multiple authors, and Multiple works by same authors.
 * 2) Citing multiple works
 * 3) Citing the bible
 * 4) Citing indirect sources
 * 5) Citing no print or source from the internet, citing Electronic sources
 * 6) When a citation is not needed
 * 1) Short quotation citing
 * 2) Long quotation citing
 * 3) Adding or admitting words from quotations

The OWL provides the most recent and accurate step by step description of how to cite using MLA. Other handbook do not compare with the OWL due to the fact that they are unable to be updated or changed. **__Chicago Manual Style__** The third part of the Perdue OWL deals with the chicago manual style of citing. The OWL uses the sixteenth edition issued September 2010. The Chicago Manual section covers every thing the other sections APA and MLA cover but unlike older version of texts books or writing assiting text books. The OWL offers a current to date version of citing for Chicago Manual Style 16th edition. This Link will allow writers to use and understand better this form of citing. [|Chicago Maual Style 16th Edition How to]

The OWL not only mentions the Chicago Manual Style 16th Edition, but goes into great detail and explanation. It also has a step by step guidelines to citing in this form **__Teacher and Tutor Resources__** The next larger section of the OWL deals with helping teachers and tutors with educating the art of writing. The OWL uses many interesting and exciting new innovating ways or conveying this information like podcasts and Flash movies. This Link will take you to the Overview Page.[|Overview] __Writing Instructors__ This section of the OWL deals a lot with helping teachers deal with writing and srudents and other aspects a teacher might encounter. Some things listed in this section are: __Teaching Resources__ This sub section of the OWL is extremely impressive and shows how education is beginning to move more into technology then ever before. Giving teachers resources such as Podcasts, Flash movies, Job acceptance letter presentations, Invention Presentation, and many other workshops. This link will guide you there [|Teacher Resources] Everything from podcast on Ethos / Pathos and introduction to Rhetoric can be found here, this is sure to be a tool every teacher will need. Incorporating Itunes and other modern day technology I think Hicks and Hocks would approve, This is the link for it, [|Podcasts] This following link will help you get started finding Podcasts to use in your classroom [|Podcasts] This part may get tricky but follow directions and the technology does everything else. These flash movies really show the versatility of technology spanning from alignment to repetition. This link will show you how to find these [|Flash Movies] This is an actual Flash movie!
 * Parents**, This section goes into great detail, it talks about conducting research and proofreading along with grammar and mechanics pertaining to parents. This link will take you there [|Help with and for Parents]Grades 7-12, Non-Perdue college level, Adult Basic Education,
 * Writing Across curriculum**, This section deals maninly with the ideas of writing to learn and writing in the disiplins, two very important things furture teachers will have to deal with. This link takes you there, [|Writing in the disciplins] The Teacher and Tutor sections also covers Creative non-fiction and Poetry writing course, Teaching Detailed Writing and Procedural Transitions. Here is the link that describes all these things listed above,[|Help with Listen Above]
 * Podcasts**
 * Flash Movies**

There are very little if any sections like this in any guide or text book that deals with writing. The OWL provides extensive examples, and multiple resources making them available for every teacher, parent and student.

**__English as a Second Language__** The last part of the OWL that seemed to really touch on things many future teacher may need that some of the texts and pocket Guides dont mention is ESL. America is quickly becoming a multi-lingual country where only knowing american can put a student and a teacher at a severe disadvantage. This section of the OWL helps with ESL instructors and Students. This link will take you there, [|ESL Basics] __ESL Instructors__ This sub section primarly deals with ESL and the Instructor. It gives instruction tips and tons of resources for tutors and Teachers. This link will guide you there, [|Tips for ESL Instructors] __ESL Students__ This sub section primarily deals with the ESL students. It helps students writing in the college, high school or business levels. THis link will help you check it out, [|ESL Students]
 * Teacher Resources e**verything pertaining to lesson plans to tests to online magazines dealing with ESL students can be found here. This is something a teacher will not find many other places, THis is the link, [|Resources for ESL Teachers]
 * Writing for International Students of Higher Education** this section to my belief delt with multiple things a teacher might never expect to have help with when dealing with an ESL student. Some things are Rhetorical strategies, writing from research, Bibliographies, Plagiarism and Directness. This link will help you find these things [|International Students].

If any guide or texts even mentions ESL instruction, it does not in the way the OWL does in specificity and workshops available to teachers, parents and students. The OWL makes educating ESL students that much more capable, helping schools and teachers everywhere.

__**In Conclusion**__

The Perdue Online Writing Lab has proven itself to be a worthy tool in educating writers, teachers of writers and students of writing. Its vast amounts of information are at any persons finger tips. The OWL will always be up to date and accurate, so it is reliable and a great resource all teachers, writers and students should have in their back pocket.