Can you live without your cell phone for six hours — during the day? Our assignment this week is to turn of the phone for six hours. You’re to write a 300-word, first-person blog post telling us about your experience.

• You can’t use your phone for a clock.
• You can’t use it for an alarm to let you know when your six hours are up.
• And, you can’t plan your six hours when you’re sleeping.

Click here to see what you looked like when you learned about your assignment.
You can do it.

This semester we’re going to think about efficiency in communication: using the . fewest, best words possible to say exactly what we mean to say. Often, the shortest word is the best word, so select words that you are most comfortable saying and reading because they are easiest to digest.

It’s not because your audience is stupid. Your audience is busy, and your job is to inform them quickly. Writing efficiently is not difficult; it just requires rethinking all of those years of English essay classes that encouraged the liberal use of adjectives and adverbs. Instead of Honey Boo-Boo writing, we are going to write like the most jacked, ripped players in the NFL, NBA, Olympics and FIFA World Cup combined.

This will be a great semester. I hope you enjoyed your Twitter class and perhaps had a second breakfast. If you haven’t tweeted your fun fact, time is running out. Get that done now.

Here are some assignment reminders for our first day of class after the MLK holiday:

Syllabus quiz Wednesday, Jan. 21
Personal Profile: Due when class starts Wednesday, Jan. 21
Quiz on Wednesday, Jan. 21: Chapter 1 (pp. 10-13 only) & Chapter 2, “Reporting for the Media”

You’ll need your Stylebook ASAP. We will start working on AP Style next week.

Deadline for text: Monday, Jan. 26. Check out the syllabus for information on e-book options. The LSU Bookstore also offers a rental option.

If you will have 30 hours of credit by the end of this semester, now is the time to apply to the Manship School. I know you don’t know your GPA or MC2010 grade yet, but you can apply if you have the right number of credit hours. Here are the requirements:

• 30 hours of college-level course work
• Grade of “B” or better in MC 2010 (Media Writing)
• 3.00 LSU grade point average and a 3.00 cumulative grade point average
• 250-word essay on development and career goals
• Resumé (GPA is the primary factor for admission, but secondary evaluative criteria will be considered.)

Click here for the application. You can fill it out on line, but you are required to sign it. So, you will have to print it out and deliver it to the Manship School by 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Here are your guidelines for turning in your final feature:

• Send it before the deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 26, at noon. It will be late if it’s turned in at 12:01 p.m. Wednesday.
• Send it to lsumc2010@gmail.com
• CC it also to your email address so that you also get a copy of the email if I don’t get a chance to promptly respond. You will have a record that you sent it if it should float away into outer space.

I will probably not finish grading your feature until you are in the midst of finals week. If you’re interested in seeing the graded feature, let me know. I can scan and email it to you.

Now … hang in there. Soon you’ll be sleeping late again.