Reflective Cover Letter
Within this portfolio, I have two pieces of work, which are paper #4 and my major re-write paper. With paper #4, I wrote about procrastination and how it may be beneficial in some ways. With my major re-write, I decided to re-write my 1st paper about technology and literacy. With this re-write, I changed it around a little bit and added more information on how we can incorporate technology in the classroom so that students can learn and keep up-to-date with all the advances in technology. I honestly think I deserve an A in the class because I believe that my writing is really starting to improve. I have worked really hard to improve my writing and hopefully it is starting to show within my writings. I think it has improved because normally I have a pretty tough time with the introductions in my papers, but in paper #4, you didn't really have to make any corrections and you said you really liked it, which is a pretty good sign. I'm well aware that my writing is not perfect, but I really have put in the time and effort to become a better writer. I personally really enjoyed the class overall. What I really liked about the class is being able to discuss our readings with our own personal thoughts and opinions. I also really enjoyed the fact that we got to choose what we wrote about. Normally when I'm assigned a topic that I'm not interested in, then I won't put that much time or research into it. One last thing I really enjoyed about your class is that we weren't forced to write a million papers. We actually focused on what writing really was so that we could improve our understanding of our own writing styles and ways to improve them. Something I really didn't like about the class is that we didn't really do much to keep the whole class involved. I liked when we did little in-class things with small groups, but we didn't do that very much at all and I think it would've been more enjoyable if it was more interactive rather than lecture. I learned so many things in this course, just like how there really isn't a "perfect" way to write because everyone has their own writing technique and there's nothing wrong with that. Something else I learned is that it really doesn't matter if you're a multi or single draft writer; whatever works for you, works for you. There really isn't anything that I wish I would have learned because we really did touch on a lot of the things that I was told in high school that didn't really make much sense, just like how we were only taught one specific way to write and how we weren't really allowed to be creative with our writing. I think the class overall would've been better if it was more interactive instead of a straight lecture for 2 hours, but as I've said before, I really did enjoy your class and I'm definitely going to miss it!
Paper #4
With this paper, I was trying to show that procrastination isn't as bad as most people make it out to be and it actually may be beneficial in some ways . My main claim was that although procrastination is normally viewed as a bad thing, sometimes it could be beneficial. I tried to support this claim by using quotes and interviews with students and other scholars on their views of procrastination. The counter-argument I used was using other quotes and ideas from other scholars who opposed the idea of procrastination. I believe that my introduction was my strongest part of the paper. I took the comments and corrections that Professor Whicker suggested and tried to make changes by explaining my study a little better and why students procrastinate.
URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/85565005
Major Re-Write for Paper #1
For this re-write, I was trying to show the different views that people have over if the use of technology and text messaging and its effects on student’s literacy. I was trying to prove that the use of technology and text messaging does not affect the literacy of students. The support I used for my claim is using different scholar’s quotes as examples and a couple of studies that have shown that the uprising of technology and text messaging is actually a good thing for the new generation of students. The counter-arguments that I used was where a couple other scholars have claimed that it is actually damaging our students. I took the comments that Professor Whicker suggested and incorporated them into the paper, as well as change some things.
URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/85799306
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Final Paper #4
With this paper, I was trying to show that procrastination isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. My main claim was that although procrastination is normally viewed as a bad thing, sometimes it could be a good thing. I tried to support this claim by using quotes and interviews with students and other scholars on their views of it. The counter-argument I used was using other quotes and ideas from other scholars who opposed the idea of procrastination. The parts of my paper that I think worked well was my intro and my first paragraph, but then I felt like I could really work on the rest of the paper to improve it. With Joey's review, I made some minor changes and I tried to extend on my introduction a little bit to express my main point.
Revised URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84999085
Peer Review URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84327320/Paige-Paper-4
Revised URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84999085
Peer Review URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/84327320/Paige-Paper-4
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Paper #4
With this paper, I was trying to show that procrastination isn't as bad as most people make it out to be. My main claim was that although procrastination is normally viewed as a bad thing, sometimes it could be a good thing. I tried to support this claim by using quotes and interviews with students and other scholars on their views of it. The counter-argument I used was using other quotes and ideas from other scholars who opposed the idea of procrastination. The parts of my paper that I think worked well was my intro and my first paragraph, but then I felt like I could really work on the rest of the paper to improve it. I want my peer reviewer to look for things that should be added into the paper, or things that I should take out, and also tell me how the flow of the paper is. Also, keep in mind that this is my first draft of this paper and I'm well aware that there is some work that needs to be done, but any feedback would be greatly appreciated. If given more time, I probably would've looked up more academic scholars and their views on procrastination.
URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/83879647
URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/83879647
Friday, March 2, 2012
Intro. for Paper #4
Believe it or not, procrastination is not a new phenomenon. It has always been around and it will more than likely be around forever. Procrastination is defined as the act or habit of putting off or delaying something, especially something that needs immediate attention (dictionary.com, 2012). Everyone does it, whether it be for school, work, or chores around the house. I will be the first to tell you that I am probably one of the biggest procrastinators ever. I have a big problem when it comes to starting papers or projects and giving myself enough time to do a excellent job. My main problems is I just get really nervous when it comes to writing papers and that is what makes me want to put it off until a later time. Some people have a different definitions of what is and is not procrastination, but what is the true definition?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Feb. 27th Homework
Penrose & Geisler Summary:
In their article "Reading and Writing Without Authority", Penrose and Geisler conducted a study on two different people and their writing styles. One of the people was a freshman English student, whose name was Janet, and a philosophy doctorate student, Roger. Janet and Roger were bother asked to write a paper on paternity. Once they were done, their overall context and the authority that was used in each paper. They concluded that the older you get, the more confident you get in your writings. I think the main purpose of this article was to be able to show the difference in authority with a freshman English student and a philosophy doctorate student.
QD: 3-5
3. Janet is basically in the same boat as us. She had just graduated from high school and is now a freshman in college and she probably doesn't have much knowledge on the topic so she probably gets most/all of her information from books and the Internet. I'd say she did this just because of the fact that she doesn't have the prior knowledge that she needs to make a good paper. Roger on the other hand may not need to do all this research because he probably has better knowledge.
4. I'd say she'd choose the published author over herself because the author is obviously published and is more reliable in her eyes than her own self. If she were to come up with something on her own, then she doesn't really know if it's true or not, and because this author is published, then she may just trust that it's true and go with that instead of her own thoughts.
5. My writing is definitely more like Janet's. I believe this just because I'm also a freshman in English and I look up research all the time through the Internet and books because I don't have a lot of knowledge on things that we have to write about. It would be nice to be like Roger, but it would require me to have a lot of knowledge and the good writing skills like him to be able to sit down and write an amazing paper.
MM:
I believe the next time I sit down and write a paper, I'm going to try to be more confident in my writing and focus more on how I actually write. I know that when I'm reading a paper or article and I can tell that the author(s) is pretty confident in what they're saying, then that kind of adds more credibility and it's more enjoyable to read because their own views and opinions get put into it.
Response:
Overall, I think this was a good article for us to read, just because it shows that the more time and effort that you put into a paper, the better it will come out. Writing isn't an easy thing to do and it takes a lot of time and practice to become really good at and we need to be more confident in our writings to become better writers.
In their article "Reading and Writing Without Authority", Penrose and Geisler conducted a study on two different people and their writing styles. One of the people was a freshman English student, whose name was Janet, and a philosophy doctorate student, Roger. Janet and Roger were bother asked to write a paper on paternity. Once they were done, their overall context and the authority that was used in each paper. They concluded that the older you get, the more confident you get in your writings. I think the main purpose of this article was to be able to show the difference in authority with a freshman English student and a philosophy doctorate student.
QD: 3-5
3. Janet is basically in the same boat as us. She had just graduated from high school and is now a freshman in college and she probably doesn't have much knowledge on the topic so she probably gets most/all of her information from books and the Internet. I'd say she did this just because of the fact that she doesn't have the prior knowledge that she needs to make a good paper. Roger on the other hand may not need to do all this research because he probably has better knowledge.
4. I'd say she'd choose the published author over herself because the author is obviously published and is more reliable in her eyes than her own self. If she were to come up with something on her own, then she doesn't really know if it's true or not, and because this author is published, then she may just trust that it's true and go with that instead of her own thoughts.
5. My writing is definitely more like Janet's. I believe this just because I'm also a freshman in English and I look up research all the time through the Internet and books because I don't have a lot of knowledge on things that we have to write about. It would be nice to be like Roger, but it would require me to have a lot of knowledge and the good writing skills like him to be able to sit down and write an amazing paper.
MM:
I believe the next time I sit down and write a paper, I'm going to try to be more confident in my writing and focus more on how I actually write. I know that when I'm reading a paper or article and I can tell that the author(s) is pretty confident in what they're saying, then that kind of adds more credibility and it's more enjoyable to read because their own views and opinions get put into it.
Response:
Overall, I think this was a good article for us to read, just because it shows that the more time and effort that you put into a paper, the better it will come out. Writing isn't an easy thing to do and it takes a lot of time and practice to become really good at and we need to be more confident in our writings to become better writers.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Feb. 24th Homework
Wardle Summary:
In her article "Identity, Authority, and Learning To Write In New Workplaces", Elizabeth Wardle argues that many people do not fully understand how much identity and authority really effect and influence our writings. She gives a few examples of each to show how they both play a big factor in the way that we write. Towards the end of her article, she gives a pretty good example of a man named Alan and how difficult it was for him to learn to write in a new workplace because he wasn't familiar with their ways of writing.
QD: 3-7
3. I think the main reason as to why Allen didn't have any positive results is because he liked the way he wrote and the way he was and he did not want to change for the workplace, therefore making it so there wasn't really any positive results.
4. I agree, because there is a lot of things that people say before they really think about it. Sometimes this really gets some people in trouble because things that they say often come out the wrong way than they actually meant for it to come out, so if they would've thought about it before they said it, then it would've came out much better.
5. I would have to agree with Gee, because Alan was put into a new discourse community and didn't want to change his ways for them, therefore making himself not a part of the discourse community.
6. I do sort of see Alan as a tool, because he was mainly used for facts and data for Wardle when he clearly wasn't a part of this discourse community.
7. A time I can recall is my senior year of high school, my AP social studies teacher was a pretty respected guy in our school and one day he swore and yelled at one of my classmates and it really made our respect for him drop significantly.
AEI: 1
To me, when it comes to having authority in texts, people really depend on the fact that you're a credible source, therefore believe in basically everything your saying in your writing. When it comes to having authority in a discourse community, the people within the community look up to you and believe in basically everything you have to say. Whenever I write, I try my absolute best to make it as credible as I possibly can by showing sources to give myself some credibility. An example of myself being authoritative was my high school volleyball team. I have played volleyball since my 7th grade year all the way through my senior year and I was captain of my team 3 out of the 4 years I played in high school because people really looked up to me because I'm really big on practicing what I preached. I always strived to be the absolute best I could be, along with making the team better, and I believe that was pretty inspirational to my other teammates.
Reflection:
I really enjoyed this article because it was pretty relatable to students and it gave a great example of someone who didn't agree with the discourse community he was out into, therefore refused to change himself for anyone, which shows that he truly believes in what he was taught.
In her article "Identity, Authority, and Learning To Write In New Workplaces", Elizabeth Wardle argues that many people do not fully understand how much identity and authority really effect and influence our writings. She gives a few examples of each to show how they both play a big factor in the way that we write. Towards the end of her article, she gives a pretty good example of a man named Alan and how difficult it was for him to learn to write in a new workplace because he wasn't familiar with their ways of writing.
QD: 3-7
3. I think the main reason as to why Allen didn't have any positive results is because he liked the way he wrote and the way he was and he did not want to change for the workplace, therefore making it so there wasn't really any positive results.
4. I agree, because there is a lot of things that people say before they really think about it. Sometimes this really gets some people in trouble because things that they say often come out the wrong way than they actually meant for it to come out, so if they would've thought about it before they said it, then it would've came out much better.
5. I would have to agree with Gee, because Alan was put into a new discourse community and didn't want to change his ways for them, therefore making himself not a part of the discourse community.
6. I do sort of see Alan as a tool, because he was mainly used for facts and data for Wardle when he clearly wasn't a part of this discourse community.
7. A time I can recall is my senior year of high school, my AP social studies teacher was a pretty respected guy in our school and one day he swore and yelled at one of my classmates and it really made our respect for him drop significantly.
AEI: 1
To me, when it comes to having authority in texts, people really depend on the fact that you're a credible source, therefore believe in basically everything your saying in your writing. When it comes to having authority in a discourse community, the people within the community look up to you and believe in basically everything you have to say. Whenever I write, I try my absolute best to make it as credible as I possibly can by showing sources to give myself some credibility. An example of myself being authoritative was my high school volleyball team. I have played volleyball since my 7th grade year all the way through my senior year and I was captain of my team 3 out of the 4 years I played in high school because people really looked up to me because I'm really big on practicing what I preached. I always strived to be the absolute best I could be, along with making the team better, and I believe that was pretty inspirational to my other teammates.
Reflection:
I really enjoyed this article because it was pretty relatable to students and it gave a great example of someone who didn't agree with the discourse community he was out into, therefore refused to change himself for anyone, which shows that he truly believes in what he was taught.
Final Paper #3 Cover Letter
For this project, we were mainly trying to show how people have different ways to learn about literacy. Our main purpose was to show that different people had different ways and literary sponsors that taught them how to read and write.We conducted interviews with 6 students and an librarian from Ohio University, whom were all different majors and different ages to get their input on how they learned to read and write, what their current attitudes towards reading and writing are, what types of reading and writing they currently do, and what their favorite types of reading and writing are. We weren't really trying to persuade anything, but just showing that everyone learns in a different way. I think that our video worked pretty well, but I know that there could be some improvements. I hope that the readers get the sense that everyone basically learns differently and that there isn't one set way on learning how to do it. If given more time, I probably would have tried to find a couple English majors to see what their professional input was and maybe try to be more creative with the video and make it more entertaining.
URL: http://amandapaigemily.webs.com/
URL: http://amandapaigemily.webs.com/
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Feb. 22nd Homework
Johns Summary:
In her article "Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice", Ann John discusses how discourse communities and communities of practice relate to one another. She also argues about the different types of conflicts that can occur within both the discourse communities and communities of practice.
QD: 1-6
1. Some complications Johns outlines that are related to joining a discourse community is that money plays a big factor. If you don't have money, then it can be pretty difficult to join certain discourse communities. She also talks about authority. If you don't have a high authority within the community, then that can become a pretty big problem.
2. I believe what Johns is trying to say here is that the opinions and values of someone can change, based on who they meet and the way they affect them. If someone new comes into the discourse community and totally blows everyone away with a new way of thinking about something, then they have helped changed the discourse community. An example of this in historical terms is when the Bill of Rights was re written based on different views.
3. I don't really think that my sense of self, values, or beliefs ever really changed when I became a part of a new discourse community because I've always had the same values. Because I went to a private and public school, I've been around all sorts of different people with different beliefs and values. I respect their own beliefs and values, but I always stay true to mine.
4. I do believe Johns views can impact your identity. Growing up, you are always trying to discover who you are. In the process, you go through many things that help you figure out who you truly are. Reading and writing can play a factor in that self discovery.
5. I don't really believe that I have much authority over the writings I've done, because we are always given an assignment sheet that has what is expected on the paper and how it needs to be written, which doesn't really give us a change to really express ourselves.
6. It is considered a "minefield" because when you are breaking the rules, you don't really know how far you can go and what result you'll end up with. I have never really been in this situation, but sometimes teachers tell me what I could add in my papers to make them better.
MM:
Understanding what Johns is writing about may make you not want to abide by the rules of a new discourse community because they can make you try to change your own beliefs and values to match theirs.
Response:
I thought she made a lot of interesting points throughout her article. It really helped me in what to basically expect if I decide to become part of a new discourse community and I liked how she gave multiple examples to get us thinking about things that we never really thought about before.
In her article "Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice", Ann John discusses how discourse communities and communities of practice relate to one another. She also argues about the different types of conflicts that can occur within both the discourse communities and communities of practice.
QD: 1-6
1. Some complications Johns outlines that are related to joining a discourse community is that money plays a big factor. If you don't have money, then it can be pretty difficult to join certain discourse communities. She also talks about authority. If you don't have a high authority within the community, then that can become a pretty big problem.
2. I believe what Johns is trying to say here is that the opinions and values of someone can change, based on who they meet and the way they affect them. If someone new comes into the discourse community and totally blows everyone away with a new way of thinking about something, then they have helped changed the discourse community. An example of this in historical terms is when the Bill of Rights was re written based on different views.
3. I don't really think that my sense of self, values, or beliefs ever really changed when I became a part of a new discourse community because I've always had the same values. Because I went to a private and public school, I've been around all sorts of different people with different beliefs and values. I respect their own beliefs and values, but I always stay true to mine.
4. I do believe Johns views can impact your identity. Growing up, you are always trying to discover who you are. In the process, you go through many things that help you figure out who you truly are. Reading and writing can play a factor in that self discovery.
5. I don't really believe that I have much authority over the writings I've done, because we are always given an assignment sheet that has what is expected on the paper and how it needs to be written, which doesn't really give us a change to really express ourselves.
6. It is considered a "minefield" because when you are breaking the rules, you don't really know how far you can go and what result you'll end up with. I have never really been in this situation, but sometimes teachers tell me what I could add in my papers to make them better.
MM:
Understanding what Johns is writing about may make you not want to abide by the rules of a new discourse community because they can make you try to change your own beliefs and values to match theirs.
Response:
I thought she made a lot of interesting points throughout her article. It really helped me in what to basically expect if I decide to become part of a new discourse community and I liked how she gave multiple examples to get us thinking about things that we never really thought about before.
Feb. 20th Homework
Swales Summary:
In his article "The Concept of Discourse Community", John Swales discusses the 6 guidelines included in a discourse community. He also argues that discourse community doesn't have a clear definition and gives a definition of what a discourse community really is and gives examples. Swales also argues that there are many different discourse communities, but all in all, the definition of discourse community stays the same.
QD: 1, 3, 5
1. The six characteristics of a discourse communities according to Swales include:
A: The community shares common goals. An example is that my volleyball and softball team shared a discourse community because we all shared the common goal of winning games and learning the game in the same way.
B: The discourse community has a certain way of communicating with each other and has a set of standards that they follow. An example of this is with me and my friends. We all have a specific way that we talk to each other and we have inside jokes that only we understand and for people that aren't in our group don't really understand what we're saying.
C: The discourse community has a way of receiving and giving information. The example I would use with this is in America, it's very common now a days that if you need to get something out, you just send a text message or e-mail to that person and they send you one back and that's just an effective way to communicate.
D: A discourse community uses their own type of language so that another discourse community can't copy them. An example would be that someone may use bigger words or something in a paper so that whoever is trying to copy them won't be able to understand what they are saying, therefore unable to copy them.
E: The discourse community forms their own language in a way that only the people in the community understands what is being said. An example of this is during softball, we had plays that had special names that only we knew what meant.
F: The people in the community must be on or around the same level to actually contribute to the community. An example is like when your learning something new in math class and your in a group, you need to be on the same level of understanding to get the job done.
3. According to Swales, a first-year college classroom would not be considered as a discourse community because they are more focused on their own views and opinions and aren't around each other enough to have the same views. However, with a graduate class, they could be a discourse community because they have been around each other for many years and have learned to share common goals.
5. A discourse community that I belong to is my group of friends. We all basically have the same goals, which is to get through college and make a better life for ourselves, as well as being teenagers and having fun when it's acceptable to. Our lexis is basically like our inside jokes, which have a lot of meaning behind, but someone that isn't really a part of our group won't understand. Our genres is how we set our prioritizes.
MM:
There was a lot of things that I was already pretty aware of when it came to discourse communities, but I did learn a little more about them because Swales gives pretty good examples and made it easier to understand.
Swales Response:
I really enjoyed reading this article, because it gave me a better understanding of how discourse communities work and made me think about the discourse communities that I'm involved in.
Gee Summary:
In his article "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics", James Paul Gee attempts to show the difference between Discourses and discourse communities. He argues that people must be fluent in order to engage in a Discourse and it can't be taught, but rather, can be learned if someone sits and listens carefully for some amount of time.
QD: 3-8, 11, 12
3. According to Gee, Discourse (capital D) is a combination of saying (writing), doing, being, valuing, and believing. Discourse community (lowercase d) is more focused on the language of the whole community. This makes sense to me because it is very well distinguished and he gives very clear definitions and examples.
4. Primary Discourse: The one we first use to make sense of the world and interact with others.
Secondary Discourse: Social institutions commands and demands one or more Discourses and we acquire these fluently to the extent that we are given access to these institutions and are allowed apprenticeships within them.
Dominant Discourse: Secondary Discourses the mastery of which, at a particular place and time, brings with it the acquistion of social goods, such as money, prestige, and status.
Non-dominant Discourse: Secondary Discourses the mastery of which often brings solidarity with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods in society at large.
5. "Discourses are connected with displays of an identity" means that Discourse is mainly about one's identity. The implications are that you need to have a certain identity to be a part of a certain Discourse.
6. Each Discourse has their own sets of beliefs and values that they were taught to believe in. This ties in with Discourse and identity because within every Discourse, you have to have a certain identity.
7. What he is basically saying is that members within a certain Discourse have their own language and they can clearly tell when someone is not from their community because they may not talk the same or be able to effectively talk to other members in the community. An example of this is during softball, whenever the other team would call out plays, no one on my team ever knew what they were about to do, because that was part of their Discourse.
8. I think Discourse "tests" happen because many countries/cities may not like outsiders in their territory and it could be beneficial because it's very obvious when someone that is not part of your Discourse and they could kick those people out.
11. Meta knowledge is having to translate another language in relation to your own language and it cause you to become more aware of how your first language works.
12. I know I'm a part of my Discourse because I understand the language of my group and I can effectively communicate with them in ways that we all understand.
AEI: 2 & 4
2. The primary Discourse I was born into was New Lexington, which is in Perry County. Outsiders typically think of Perry county people as "hicks" and "hillbillies" and basically like to say that we aren't the brightest people around and that we have a "southern accent". Outsiders also believed that our school systems weren't any good and didn't prepare us for the real world, which I'd definitely have to disagree with both of those statements. We do have that "country" side to us, but that doesn't make EVERYONE "hicks", "hillbillies", or "stupid". Also, my school did a very well job of preparing me for college. It's just a bad sterotype that we have been labeled with.
4. The Discourses that I'm mainly involved with is my schooling Discourse and my family/friends Discourse. With my schooling Discourse, I act in a very professional manner, but with my family/friends, I tend to goof off a lot and joke around. I know better than to goof off with my schooling. I navigate through this by knowing when and where specific behavior is acceptable and when it's appropriate to do it.
Response:
I actually liked this article because it gave me a much better understanding of Discourses and it made me better understand my own Discourses that I'm involved in.
In his article "The Concept of Discourse Community", John Swales discusses the 6 guidelines included in a discourse community. He also argues that discourse community doesn't have a clear definition and gives a definition of what a discourse community really is and gives examples. Swales also argues that there are many different discourse communities, but all in all, the definition of discourse community stays the same.
QD: 1, 3, 5
1. The six characteristics of a discourse communities according to Swales include:
A: The community shares common goals. An example is that my volleyball and softball team shared a discourse community because we all shared the common goal of winning games and learning the game in the same way.
B: The discourse community has a certain way of communicating with each other and has a set of standards that they follow. An example of this is with me and my friends. We all have a specific way that we talk to each other and we have inside jokes that only we understand and for people that aren't in our group don't really understand what we're saying.
C: The discourse community has a way of receiving and giving information. The example I would use with this is in America, it's very common now a days that if you need to get something out, you just send a text message or e-mail to that person and they send you one back and that's just an effective way to communicate.
D: A discourse community uses their own type of language so that another discourse community can't copy them. An example would be that someone may use bigger words or something in a paper so that whoever is trying to copy them won't be able to understand what they are saying, therefore unable to copy them.
E: The discourse community forms their own language in a way that only the people in the community understands what is being said. An example of this is during softball, we had plays that had special names that only we knew what meant.
F: The people in the community must be on or around the same level to actually contribute to the community. An example is like when your learning something new in math class and your in a group, you need to be on the same level of understanding to get the job done.
3. According to Swales, a first-year college classroom would not be considered as a discourse community because they are more focused on their own views and opinions and aren't around each other enough to have the same views. However, with a graduate class, they could be a discourse community because they have been around each other for many years and have learned to share common goals.
5. A discourse community that I belong to is my group of friends. We all basically have the same goals, which is to get through college and make a better life for ourselves, as well as being teenagers and having fun when it's acceptable to. Our lexis is basically like our inside jokes, which have a lot of meaning behind, but someone that isn't really a part of our group won't understand. Our genres is how we set our prioritizes.
MM:
There was a lot of things that I was already pretty aware of when it came to discourse communities, but I did learn a little more about them because Swales gives pretty good examples and made it easier to understand.
Swales Response:
I really enjoyed reading this article, because it gave me a better understanding of how discourse communities work and made me think about the discourse communities that I'm involved in.
Gee Summary:
In his article "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics", James Paul Gee attempts to show the difference between Discourses and discourse communities. He argues that people must be fluent in order to engage in a Discourse and it can't be taught, but rather, can be learned if someone sits and listens carefully for some amount of time.
QD: 3-8, 11, 12
3. According to Gee, Discourse (capital D) is a combination of saying (writing), doing, being, valuing, and believing. Discourse community (lowercase d) is more focused on the language of the whole community. This makes sense to me because it is very well distinguished and he gives very clear definitions and examples.
4. Primary Discourse: The one we first use to make sense of the world and interact with others.
Secondary Discourse: Social institutions commands and demands one or more Discourses and we acquire these fluently to the extent that we are given access to these institutions and are allowed apprenticeships within them.
Dominant Discourse: Secondary Discourses the mastery of which, at a particular place and time, brings with it the acquistion of social goods, such as money, prestige, and status.
Non-dominant Discourse: Secondary Discourses the mastery of which often brings solidarity with a particular social network, but not wider status and social goods in society at large.
5. "Discourses are connected with displays of an identity" means that Discourse is mainly about one's identity. The implications are that you need to have a certain identity to be a part of a certain Discourse.
6. Each Discourse has their own sets of beliefs and values that they were taught to believe in. This ties in with Discourse and identity because within every Discourse, you have to have a certain identity.
7. What he is basically saying is that members within a certain Discourse have their own language and they can clearly tell when someone is not from their community because they may not talk the same or be able to effectively talk to other members in the community. An example of this is during softball, whenever the other team would call out plays, no one on my team ever knew what they were about to do, because that was part of their Discourse.
8. I think Discourse "tests" happen because many countries/cities may not like outsiders in their territory and it could be beneficial because it's very obvious when someone that is not part of your Discourse and they could kick those people out.
11. Meta knowledge is having to translate another language in relation to your own language and it cause you to become more aware of how your first language works.
12. I know I'm a part of my Discourse because I understand the language of my group and I can effectively communicate with them in ways that we all understand.
AEI: 2 & 4
2. The primary Discourse I was born into was New Lexington, which is in Perry County. Outsiders typically think of Perry county people as "hicks" and "hillbillies" and basically like to say that we aren't the brightest people around and that we have a "southern accent". Outsiders also believed that our school systems weren't any good and didn't prepare us for the real world, which I'd definitely have to disagree with both of those statements. We do have that "country" side to us, but that doesn't make EVERYONE "hicks", "hillbillies", or "stupid". Also, my school did a very well job of preparing me for college. It's just a bad sterotype that we have been labeled with.
4. The Discourses that I'm mainly involved with is my schooling Discourse and my family/friends Discourse. With my schooling Discourse, I act in a very professional manner, but with my family/friends, I tend to goof off a lot and joke around. I know better than to goof off with my schooling. I navigate through this by knowing when and where specific behavior is acceptable and when it's appropriate to do it.
Response:
I actually liked this article because it gave me a much better understanding of Discourses and it made me better understand my own Discourses that I'm involved in.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Paper #3 Cover Letter
For this paper, we were mainly trying to show how people have different ways to learn about literacy. Our main purpose was to show that different people had different ways and literary sponsors that taught them how to read and write.We conducted interviews with 6 OU students and an librarian, whom were all different majors and different ages to get their input on how they learned to read and write, what their current attitudes towards reading and writing are, what types of reading and writing they currently do, and what their favorite types of reading and writing are. We weren't really trying to persuade anything, but just showing that everyone learns in a different way. I think that our video worked pretty well, but I know that there could be some improvements. I hope that the readers get the sense that everyone basically learns differently and that there isn't one set way on learning how to do it. If given more time, I probably would have tried to find a couple English majors to see what their professional input was and maybe try to be more creative with the video and make it more entertaining.
link: should be on Amanda's blog
link: should be on Amanda's blog
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Feb. 15th homework
Summary:
In their article "Motivation in Literacy Development", Tyler Cecchini and Hugo Perez discuss how students motivate themselves how to read. They interviewed 8 students to see where they learned their literacy from. Their studies found that they mainly learned everything from their parents/family and their motivations included hobbies and technology.
Questions:
1. I don't believe that the authors put themselves in their writing.
2. When I write, I normally refer to myself in 1st person instead of 3rd person.
Response:
I really enjoyed this article because it gave some really good insight on how to motivate myself and who their main literacy sponsors are.
In their article "Motivation in Literacy Development", Tyler Cecchini and Hugo Perez discuss how students motivate themselves how to read. They interviewed 8 students to see where they learned their literacy from. Their studies found that they mainly learned everything from their parents/family and their motivations included hobbies and technology.
Questions:
1. I don't believe that the authors put themselves in their writing.
2. When I write, I normally refer to myself in 1st person instead of 3rd person.
Response:
I really enjoyed this article because it gave some really good insight on how to motivate myself and who their main literacy sponsors are.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Paper #4 idea
For my final paper, I'm going to expand on the effects of technology/texting on literacy from my first paper.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Final Paper #2
Cover Letter:
In my paper Oh, the Glories of Writing, I mainly talk about how many people dread having to write papers and the process I personally go through when preparing to write, when I actually start writing, and how I revise my paper when I'm done. I also talk about my main struggles that I go through and how I overcome them and pull through to write my paper. My peer, Nick, really helped me with my paper. I have never been really good with transitions between each paragraph and he tried to give me some pointers on how to do them better. He also highlighted some sentences and gave suggestions on how to make them better. Overall, I think this paper went pretty well.
Revised paper URL: http://www.scribd.com/nd462010/d/80603156-80330586-Paper-2-Peer-Revised
Final paper URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/81004376
In my paper Oh, the Glories of Writing, I mainly talk about how many people dread having to write papers and the process I personally go through when preparing to write, when I actually start writing, and how I revise my paper when I'm done. I also talk about my main struggles that I go through and how I overcome them and pull through to write my paper. My peer, Nick, really helped me with my paper. I have never been really good with transitions between each paragraph and he tried to give me some pointers on how to do them better. He also highlighted some sentences and gave suggestions on how to make them better. Overall, I think this paper went pretty well.
Revised paper URL: http://www.scribd.com/nd462010/d/80603156-80330586-Paper-2-Peer-Revised
Final paper URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/81004376
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Feb. 8th Homework
Baron Summary:
In his article "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies", Dennis Baron talks about how his frustrations with how technology has made our population very lazy.
QD: 2, 4, 6
2. Yes, I do agree that this is one of Baron's messages, but I don't agree with the message. I don't think the new technology is making us "lazy", but just expanding our knowledge and it's a more efficient way of communicating.
4. I think of cameras (not digital) and CD's. These used to be really big back in the day, but now there are digital cameras to where you can upload them on to your computer and print out pictures from your own computer and the iPod and MP3 players make CD's no longer useful.
6. I think the images make the reading more interesting and helps to explain his points in a better, more understanding way.
Baron Response:
I didn't really like reading this article because it was kind of confusing and I don't really agree with a lot of the things he was saying, nor do I feel like most other college students would agree with him either.
Malcolm X Summary:
In his writing "Learning to Read", Malcolm X discusses how he learned to write while he was in prison by rewriting the dictionary and writing letters.
QD: 1-4, 6
1. I feel like Malcolm X's article was intended to other people that don't know how to write because it's very inspirational and some people could probably relate to it easily.
2. He defines "literacy" as being able to understand what is being said to you and being able to understand what you're reading. With school-based literacy, they define it as actually being able to read and write effectively.
3. Books, prison, school (until 8th grade), and the library were his literacy sponsors. I would say that the library would be the most influential because the library contains all the books that he needed in order to learn how to write.
4. I think it may have been his case a few times, because he may have misunderstood what some books where saying because of his lack of vocabulary knowledge.
6. I think he probably read more than college students because he actually began to really enjoy it, but I know I don't like reading when I'm forced to do it.
AEI:
I believe that technology gives us more ways to become literate because we can connect with any literacy sponsor at any place, any time, you can search for more things, and it's the fastest way to gain all this knowledge.
Malcolm X Response:
I really enjoyed reading this article just because it is a story that maybe some people can relate to and shows how less fortunate people can really make something of themselves and it was very motivational and inspirational.
Alexie Summary:
In his article "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me", Sherman Alexie talks about how he first learned how to read by looking through comic books.
QD: 1
1. When I was younger, any time that I got a paper back with an A, my confidence rose so much and felt more confident writing papers. When it came to my 7th grade science class, which has never really been a strong subject for me, I remember getting a D on a science project that I actually somewhat tried on, which then made me hate doing science projects.
AEI:
1. I do believe that this is the case because for anyone that has enough motivation and determination, they can do anything that they want to. Even if it seems "too hard" or "too difficult" for someone, if you have the motivation to make yourself better, then you will.
Alexie Response:
I really enjoyed this article because it really showed that less fortunate people can really pull through, even if they don't have all the resources that wealthy people do.
In his article "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies", Dennis Baron talks about how his frustrations with how technology has made our population very lazy.
QD: 2, 4, 6
2. Yes, I do agree that this is one of Baron's messages, but I don't agree with the message. I don't think the new technology is making us "lazy", but just expanding our knowledge and it's a more efficient way of communicating.
4. I think of cameras (not digital) and CD's. These used to be really big back in the day, but now there are digital cameras to where you can upload them on to your computer and print out pictures from your own computer and the iPod and MP3 players make CD's no longer useful.
6. I think the images make the reading more interesting and helps to explain his points in a better, more understanding way.
Baron Response:
I didn't really like reading this article because it was kind of confusing and I don't really agree with a lot of the things he was saying, nor do I feel like most other college students would agree with him either.
Malcolm X Summary:
In his writing "Learning to Read", Malcolm X discusses how he learned to write while he was in prison by rewriting the dictionary and writing letters.
QD: 1-4, 6
1. I feel like Malcolm X's article was intended to other people that don't know how to write because it's very inspirational and some people could probably relate to it easily.
2. He defines "literacy" as being able to understand what is being said to you and being able to understand what you're reading. With school-based literacy, they define it as actually being able to read and write effectively.
3. Books, prison, school (until 8th grade), and the library were his literacy sponsors. I would say that the library would be the most influential because the library contains all the books that he needed in order to learn how to write.
4. I think it may have been his case a few times, because he may have misunderstood what some books where saying because of his lack of vocabulary knowledge.
6. I think he probably read more than college students because he actually began to really enjoy it, but I know I don't like reading when I'm forced to do it.
AEI:
I believe that technology gives us more ways to become literate because we can connect with any literacy sponsor at any place, any time, you can search for more things, and it's the fastest way to gain all this knowledge.
Malcolm X Response:
I really enjoyed reading this article just because it is a story that maybe some people can relate to and shows how less fortunate people can really make something of themselves and it was very motivational and inspirational.
Alexie Summary:
In his article "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me", Sherman Alexie talks about how he first learned how to read by looking through comic books.
QD: 1
1. When I was younger, any time that I got a paper back with an A, my confidence rose so much and felt more confident writing papers. When it came to my 7th grade science class, which has never really been a strong subject for me, I remember getting a D on a science project that I actually somewhat tried on, which then made me hate doing science projects.
AEI:
1. I do believe that this is the case because for anyone that has enough motivation and determination, they can do anything that they want to. Even if it seems "too hard" or "too difficult" for someone, if you have the motivation to make yourself better, then you will.
Alexie Response:
I really enjoyed this article because it really showed that less fortunate people can really pull through, even if they don't have all the resources that wealthy people do.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Feb. 6th Homework
Brandt Summary:
In her article "Sponsors of Literacy", Deborah Brandt discusses ways that people become literate. She conducts interviews from 1900-1980 with all sorts of people with different ages, backgrounds, and class rankings and compares their literacy based on those topics.
QD: 1,3,4
1. She defines literacy sponsor as "people, institutions, and circumstances that both make it possible for a person to become literate and shape the way the person actually acquires literacy." Literacy sponsors are knowledgeable, wealthy, and religious.
3. The sponsored sometimes "misappropriate" their literacy lessons because they only take into account the high and middle class people and not the lower class people with limited access.
4. She uses the term "stratified" to arrange the status level. She's referring to the stakes as something that limits or stops someone.
AEI:
Growing up, my main literacy sponsors were my parents, teachers, and sports coaches. My parents taught me the basics, the teachers taught me on a academic/scholarly level, and my sports coaches taught me all about teamwork and how to work together. I believe that these were all adequate sponsors and I can't really think of any other literacy sponsors that I wish I had access to.
Summary:
I understood pretty much everything in this article and I liked reading it. It made me think back on how I actually learned about literacy and it was sad to think about how lower class people don't get the same opportunity as middle/high class people to learn literacy just because of their social status.
In her article "Sponsors of Literacy", Deborah Brandt discusses ways that people become literate. She conducts interviews from 1900-1980 with all sorts of people with different ages, backgrounds, and class rankings and compares their literacy based on those topics.
QD: 1,3,4
1. She defines literacy sponsor as "people, institutions, and circumstances that both make it possible for a person to become literate and shape the way the person actually acquires literacy." Literacy sponsors are knowledgeable, wealthy, and religious.
3. The sponsored sometimes "misappropriate" their literacy lessons because they only take into account the high and middle class people and not the lower class people with limited access.
4. She uses the term "stratified" to arrange the status level. She's referring to the stakes as something that limits or stops someone.
AEI:
Growing up, my main literacy sponsors were my parents, teachers, and sports coaches. My parents taught me the basics, the teachers taught me on a academic/scholarly level, and my sports coaches taught me all about teamwork and how to work together. I believe that these were all adequate sponsors and I can't really think of any other literacy sponsors that I wish I had access to.
Summary:
I understood pretty much everything in this article and I liked reading it. It made me think back on how I actually learned about literacy and it was sad to think about how lower class people don't get the same opportunity as middle/high class people to learn literacy just because of their social status.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Paper #2
In my paper Oh, the Glories of Writing, I mainly talk about how many people dread having to write papers and the process I personally go through when preparing to write, when I actually start writing, and how I revise my paper when I'm done. I also talk about my main struggles that I go through and how I overcome them and pull through to write my paper.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/80330586
http://www.scribd.com/doc/80330586
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Feb. 1st Homework
Lamott Summary:
In her article "Shitty First Drafts", Anne Lamott argues the fact that everyone needs to write a "shitty" first draft to basically get all your ideas out, then using all those ideas to create a good second draft, which then makes for a really good final draft.
Lamott Response:
I really liked this article because it was short and got straight to the point. It also gave me kind of a boost of confidence knowing that I'm not the only one who really struggles with writing papers and that it's okay to write a really bad first draft because that can help make a much better paper.
King Summary:
In his article "What Writing Is", Stephen King talks about his own writing process and also talks about telepathy. The main point he is trying to make is that you, as a writer, can "never come lightly to a blank page" and you need to take it seriously.
King Response:
I really liked the unique way that he approached this article to get his point across about telepathy. He is basically just saying that you should take writing serious and just get do it.
Goodman Summary:
In her article "Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work", Allegra Goodman discusses how to basically become a more confident writer. She talks about all the negative things that come up while she writes and gives tips on how to overcome those obstacles and how to not let that negativity get to you so you can be a better, more confident writer.
Goodman Response:
This article really interested me because this is a problem that I face all the time and I just need to learn how to not let my "inner critic" get to me and to just be a more confident writer and with that, I'll become a better writer.
Haurf Summary:
In his article "To See Your Story Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes", Kent Haurf talks about how every writer has a unique way of writing and he even blindfolds himself so that he can actually write his papers for their meaning and not worry about the words he uses, grammar, or punctuation.
Haurf Response:
I liked this article because he is basically saying that we just really need to get our words out on paper and not worry so much about punctuation or grammar until later, which I definitely agree with. We can always fix that stuff after we're done getting all of our ideas and our main points out.
Sontag Summary:
In her article "Directions: Write, Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed", Susan Sontag shows us her creative way of writing and it really appeals to us because we can add our own creativity into it to make it a better paper. She also says that if we write a good paper the first time, then we can definitely write a better second paper.
Sontag Response:
I liked this article because although it seemed a little more informative than anything, she did show us a more unique and creative way to write and that just gives me better ideas on how to write future papers.
Diaz Summary:
In his article "Becoming a Writer", Junot Diaz talks about the ways that he became a writer. He went through heartbreaks and struggles and just when he was about to give up, that's when he realized that he was a writer.
Diaz Response:
This article actually kind of shocked me in a way because most writers don't really say that this is the way they became a writer. I think it's really good that he can still write even when he feels like everything else is failing. I actually find it to be a little inspirational.
Using These Essays:
I don't really see any common metaphors with any of these articles because they are very unique in their own individual way. Lamott and Goodman kind of relate to each other because they both talk about how to become a more confident writer. All of these authors have at least one or more problems with rules that they are supposed to go by and they just kind of do their own thing. I believe that they all faced problems like Tony because of all the frustrations and problems that arise in writing. I believe that Tony could have definitely benefited from reading all of these articles.
MM:
1. One of the things I found really useful was Lamott's article with writing the shitty drafts. She basically just says you need to get all of your ideas down on paper for your first draft, then keep adding and building off of that to make a much better final paper.
2. The only thing that will probably change with my writing is the way I approach it. I feel like everyone has their own individual, unique way of writing and however they feel comfortable writing is the way they're going to write.
In her article "Shitty First Drafts", Anne Lamott argues the fact that everyone needs to write a "shitty" first draft to basically get all your ideas out, then using all those ideas to create a good second draft, which then makes for a really good final draft.
Lamott Response:
I really liked this article because it was short and got straight to the point. It also gave me kind of a boost of confidence knowing that I'm not the only one who really struggles with writing papers and that it's okay to write a really bad first draft because that can help make a much better paper.
King Summary:
In his article "What Writing Is", Stephen King talks about his own writing process and also talks about telepathy. The main point he is trying to make is that you, as a writer, can "never come lightly to a blank page" and you need to take it seriously.
King Response:
I really liked the unique way that he approached this article to get his point across about telepathy. He is basically just saying that you should take writing serious and just get do it.
Goodman Summary:
In her article "Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work", Allegra Goodman discusses how to basically become a more confident writer. She talks about all the negative things that come up while she writes and gives tips on how to overcome those obstacles and how to not let that negativity get to you so you can be a better, more confident writer.
Goodman Response:
This article really interested me because this is a problem that I face all the time and I just need to learn how to not let my "inner critic" get to me and to just be a more confident writer and with that, I'll become a better writer.
Haurf Summary:
In his article "To See Your Story Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes", Kent Haurf talks about how every writer has a unique way of writing and he even blindfolds himself so that he can actually write his papers for their meaning and not worry about the words he uses, grammar, or punctuation.
Haurf Response:
I liked this article because he is basically saying that we just really need to get our words out on paper and not worry so much about punctuation or grammar until later, which I definitely agree with. We can always fix that stuff after we're done getting all of our ideas and our main points out.
Sontag Summary:
In her article "Directions: Write, Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed", Susan Sontag shows us her creative way of writing and it really appeals to us because we can add our own creativity into it to make it a better paper. She also says that if we write a good paper the first time, then we can definitely write a better second paper.
Sontag Response:
I liked this article because although it seemed a little more informative than anything, she did show us a more unique and creative way to write and that just gives me better ideas on how to write future papers.
Diaz Summary:
In his article "Becoming a Writer", Junot Diaz talks about the ways that he became a writer. He went through heartbreaks and struggles and just when he was about to give up, that's when he realized that he was a writer.
Diaz Response:
This article actually kind of shocked me in a way because most writers don't really say that this is the way they became a writer. I think it's really good that he can still write even when he feels like everything else is failing. I actually find it to be a little inspirational.
Using These Essays:
I don't really see any common metaphors with any of these articles because they are very unique in their own individual way. Lamott and Goodman kind of relate to each other because they both talk about how to become a more confident writer. All of these authors have at least one or more problems with rules that they are supposed to go by and they just kind of do their own thing. I believe that they all faced problems like Tony because of all the frustrations and problems that arise in writing. I believe that Tony could have definitely benefited from reading all of these articles.
MM:
1. One of the things I found really useful was Lamott's article with writing the shitty drafts. She basically just says you need to get all of your ideas down on paper for your first draft, then keep adding and building off of that to make a much better final paper.
2. The only thing that will probably change with my writing is the way I approach it. I feel like everyone has their own individual, unique way of writing and however they feel comfortable writing is the way they're going to write.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
January 30th homework
Ransom Summary:
In her article "How Do I Write?", Dominique Ransom discusses the way that she writes. She discusses all the things she goes through with writing, such as the good things, struggles, and distractions. During her experiment, she discovers who she really is as a writer.
Other Questions to Consider:
1. Some of the things that interested me the most was about all the distractions, time, struggles, and revisions that she talks about with her writings. If I could do my own research, I would look into the importance of the audience and better include them into my writings.
2. I don't think taking note really makes me think. I'm more of a person that gets ideas randomly by either talking to someone or just seeing something that may spark an idea. Once I get that idea, I usually write it down so I don't forget about it.
Reflection:
I personally enjoyed this article because it really gave me some good ideas on how to write my next paper. However, I found it kind of boring to read. I usually try to make my papers a little more fun to read for my audience.
Harris Summary:
In his article "Composing Behaviors of One- and Multi-Draft Writers", Muriel Harris compares and contrasts the differences between one-draft and multi-drafts and discusses the problems that occur in both things.
1. I'm more of a one-draft writer. I usually write my paper then go through and make corrections and do all my editing all in one draft.
2. According to Harris, one of the disadvantages about one-draft papers is that you miss out on some important details and information that could've been added.
Response:
I personally enjoyed reading this article because it gave me ideas on how to write my next papers and how to prepare myself better.
In her article "How Do I Write?", Dominique Ransom discusses the way that she writes. She discusses all the things she goes through with writing, such as the good things, struggles, and distractions. During her experiment, she discovers who she really is as a writer.
Other Questions to Consider:
1. Some of the things that interested me the most was about all the distractions, time, struggles, and revisions that she talks about with her writings. If I could do my own research, I would look into the importance of the audience and better include them into my writings.
2. I don't think taking note really makes me think. I'm more of a person that gets ideas randomly by either talking to someone or just seeing something that may spark an idea. Once I get that idea, I usually write it down so I don't forget about it.
Reflection:
I personally enjoyed this article because it really gave me some good ideas on how to write my next paper. However, I found it kind of boring to read. I usually try to make my papers a little more fun to read for my audience.
Harris Summary:
In his article "Composing Behaviors of One- and Multi-Draft Writers", Muriel Harris compares and contrasts the differences between one-draft and multi-drafts and discusses the problems that occur in both things.
1. I'm more of a one-draft writer. I usually write my paper then go through and make corrections and do all my editing all in one draft.
2. According to Harris, one of the disadvantages about one-draft papers is that you miss out on some important details and information that could've been added.
Response:
I personally enjoyed reading this article because it gave me ideas on how to write my next papers and how to prepare myself better.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
January 27th homework
Summary:
In the article "Tuning, Tying, and Training Texts: Metaphors for Revision", Barbara Tomlinson argues how important metaphors are and how to revise them. She uses many examples throughout the text to get her point across, rather than just explaining the whole process.
QD: 1-5
1. I believe she says this because not all metaphors can be trusted and because many people aren't honest during interviews, so it's more beneficial to look the information up yourself.
2. You can become blind for the rest of the reading when trying to interpret a metaphor because sometimes you may not understand the full meaning behind it, making the rest of the reading harder.
3. I don't usually use a lot of metaphors in my writings. Not many of them come from personal experiences or anything and sometimes I even find them hard to understand, so I probably won't be using them in my writings.
4. She was using a lot of different metaphors and it became pretty confusing for me myself, so I think she definitely over did it.
5. Because I don't really use metaphors, I wouldn't use this process.
Response:
I didn't really like reading this because I became easily confused with all the different metaphors she was using and I found it harder to read than our other readings. However, I do understand the importance of using metaphors and revising them.
In the article "Tuning, Tying, and Training Texts: Metaphors for Revision", Barbara Tomlinson argues how important metaphors are and how to revise them. She uses many examples throughout the text to get her point across, rather than just explaining the whole process.
QD: 1-5
1. I believe she says this because not all metaphors can be trusted and because many people aren't honest during interviews, so it's more beneficial to look the information up yourself.
2. You can become blind for the rest of the reading when trying to interpret a metaphor because sometimes you may not understand the full meaning behind it, making the rest of the reading harder.
3. I don't usually use a lot of metaphors in my writings. Not many of them come from personal experiences or anything and sometimes I even find them hard to understand, so I probably won't be using them in my writings.
4. She was using a lot of different metaphors and it became pretty confusing for me myself, so I think she definitely over did it.
5. Because I don't really use metaphors, I wouldn't use this process.
Response:
I didn't really like reading this because I became easily confused with all the different metaphors she was using and I found it harder to read than our other readings. However, I do understand the importance of using metaphors and revising them.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
January 25th homework
Berkenkotter and Murray Summary:
In this article "Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer", Carol Berkenkotter focuses on ways that skilled writers planning, approaches, and revisions their papers. She uses Donald Murray in her experiment. She would observe him in ways that he gets started with his papers and his thoughts. In the article "Response of a Laboratory Rat--or, Being Protocoled", Donald Murray discusses his thoughts and the outcomes from the experiment. He was pretty surprised, as stated on page 232, on how much time he actually spends planning.
QD: 1-3
1. My impression is that he has a pretty good way of planning and how it's pretty similar to my writing style. I usually think about the paper and start brainstorming ideas before I even sit down to write the paper.
2. Murray's relationship with his audience seemed pretty complicated because he always thinks and connects with his audience without even really noticing that he does it. Unlike him, I don't usually think about my audience when writing papers.
3. Berkenkotter realized that planning and revising basically go hand-in-hand with each other.
AEI:
Unfortunately, I'm a pretty big procrastinator so I usually wait until last minute to write my papers. I'm usually in a pretty big rush so I just sit down and get all my thoughts out so I don't forget about them and then I start actually putting all my thoughts and research I do into a good writing. I don't usually do a lot of revising, which I should probably start doing.
MM:
One thing I have learned from them is that writing a good paper takes a good bit of time, planning, and revising. I need to start giving myself some more time and do some better planning so I can write better papers. I also learned that you don't have to just be sitting at your desk and ideas will eventually come to you. You can be out doing something and an idea may come to your mind that you can use.
In this article "Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Publishing Writer", Carol Berkenkotter focuses on ways that skilled writers planning, approaches, and revisions their papers. She uses Donald Murray in her experiment. She would observe him in ways that he gets started with his papers and his thoughts. In the article "Response of a Laboratory Rat--or, Being Protocoled", Donald Murray discusses his thoughts and the outcomes from the experiment. He was pretty surprised, as stated on page 232, on how much time he actually spends planning.
QD: 1-3
1. My impression is that he has a pretty good way of planning and how it's pretty similar to my writing style. I usually think about the paper and start brainstorming ideas before I even sit down to write the paper.
2. Murray's relationship with his audience seemed pretty complicated because he always thinks and connects with his audience without even really noticing that he does it. Unlike him, I don't usually think about my audience when writing papers.
3. Berkenkotter realized that planning and revising basically go hand-in-hand with each other.
AEI:
Unfortunately, I'm a pretty big procrastinator so I usually wait until last minute to write my papers. I'm usually in a pretty big rush so I just sit down and get all my thoughts out so I don't forget about them and then I start actually putting all my thoughts and research I do into a good writing. I don't usually do a lot of revising, which I should probably start doing.
MM:
One thing I have learned from them is that writing a good paper takes a good bit of time, planning, and revising. I need to start giving myself some more time and do some better planning so I can write better papers. I also learned that you don't have to just be sitting at your desk and ideas will eventually come to you. You can be out doing something and an idea may come to your mind that you can use.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
January 23rd homework
Kleine Summary:
In his article "What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One-and How Can We Get Students to Join Us?", Michael Kleine attempts to show teachers and students how to write research papers properly. On page 25, he uses the interesting idea of how we need to be like hunters and gatherers, which means that as "hunters", we need to find what we're looking for and a gatherer discovers that which might be of use. He also talks about how to use all of your information that you gather to put together a good research paper.
QD: 1, 3 & 41. His text is pretty much how I write my research papers. I never really enjoyed doing research papers, but when I'm told I need to do one, I usually do a lot of research to find good information and quotes or something to back up my arguments.
3. Sources play a pretty big role because a lot of people say things from what they have heard from other people. In high school, citing our sources was a MAJOR thing we had to do for our papers. If we didn't have a works cited page, it was an automatic zero. However, I think Kleine is saying that sources aren't as important as the actual idea behind the argument.
4. I think the only way I'd really change the way I do research is that I'd try to be more of a "hunter" so I can gather more information.
Response to Kleine:
I really liked this article because it really relates to what we're trying to learn in class now and it gave me a kind of new perspective on how to do my research.
In his article "What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One-and How Can We Get Students to Join Us?", Michael Kleine attempts to show teachers and students how to write research papers properly. On page 25, he uses the interesting idea of how we need to be like hunters and gatherers, which means that as "hunters", we need to find what we're looking for and a gatherer discovers that which might be of use. He also talks about how to use all of your information that you gather to put together a good research paper.
QD: 1, 3 & 41. His text is pretty much how I write my research papers. I never really enjoyed doing research papers, but when I'm told I need to do one, I usually do a lot of research to find good information and quotes or something to back up my arguments.
3. Sources play a pretty big role because a lot of people say things from what they have heard from other people. In high school, citing our sources was a MAJOR thing we had to do for our papers. If we didn't have a works cited page, it was an automatic zero. However, I think Kleine is saying that sources aren't as important as the actual idea behind the argument.
4. I think the only way I'd really change the way I do research is that I'd try to be more of a "hunter" so I can gather more information.
Response to Kleine:
I really liked this article because it really relates to what we're trying to learn in class now and it gave me a kind of new perspective on how to do my research.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Paper #1
Reflective Cover Letter Paige Martin
English 151
For this paper, I was trying to show the different views that people have over if the use of technology and text messaging and its effects on student’s literacy. I was trying to prove that the use of technology and text messaging does not affect the literacy of students. The support I used for my claim is using different scholar’s quotes as examples and a couple of studies that have shown that the uprising of technology and text messaging is actually a good thing for the new generation of students. The counter-arguments that I used was where a couple other scholars have claimed that it is actually damaging our students. I think my introduction and conclusion were my strong points in my paper, but I think that I need to continue to work on the body of my papers. I want the readers to hopefully have a pretty good understanding of my main purpose and hopefully my reader can follow my paper pretty easily. If given more time, I think I would’ve given my research a little more depth, but I think/hope I did pretty good for this first paper.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/78821361/English-151-Paper
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
January 18th Homework
Response to Allen:
In the article "The Inspired Writer v. The Real Writer", Sarah Allen argues about all the different challenges that both students and writers face dealing with writing. She also points out that becoming a "good writer" does not come that easily and how getting help or advice can actually help you become a better writer. I really enjoyed this writing because I felt like I could connect with it, just because I'm always afraid of getting papers back because of "rejection" or seeing something bad written on the paper, but I feel like getting advice from friends and educators could really help me out.
Repsonse to Question:
My experiences are very similar to Allen's writing because whenever I write a paper or get a paper back, I usually seek advice or help from my peers and teachers on how I can make it better.
Reflection:
I personally really enjoyed reading this article because I've always been really scared about writing and I tend to get really nervous when I'm forced to write a paper, but I feel like with getting reviews from my peers first before my professor, I'll feel more comfortable and hopefully improve my writing skills.
Murray Summary:
In "All Writing is Autobiography", Donald M. Murray argues that writing can be autobiographical and that we've basically been taught wrong by saying we can't use "I" or make our objective writings personal. He gives a lot of examples to prove his point on where different writers actually have some autobiography in their writings and it just proves that all writings are autobiographical. I liked reading this piece, just because he gave many examples to prove his point and I felt like, although it felt like it was more directed towards professors, he was actually opening our eyes to show that we can have a little more fun with our writings now.
WAW GRR (pg. 57)
1. At my old high school, I was always taught to not use "I" in my writings because, as stated on page 56, a research paper isn't supposed to be personal, but rather more focused on the objective. The only time I was able to be more "personal" in my writings was in my Speech class, where we could use personal stories to get our points across.
QD: 1, 3-5 (pg. 66)
1. The construct that Murray is trying to get us to reconsider is that writing can't be "personal".
3. I believe that Murray is coming out more by saying "all writing is autobiographical." (pg. 57) He gives plenty of examples that show the "autobiographical" content within texts to prove his point.
4. Murray uses content that many students may not understand, but other professors may understand. He is trying to direct this more towards professors to prove his point on how they can't tell students that writing can't be "personal".
5. Murray's views kind of did change my views on writing because whenever I've been told to write a paper, I was always told to not use "I" or make it "personal". Now I can see where all writing is autobiographical, so that will change the way I approach papers.
MM:
One way Murray's claims have a positive impact is that young writers, such as students, can have a little bit more fun with writing because they can make it a little more personal instead of all objectively. Another way Murray's claims made a positive impact is actually knowing that we can put a little personal spin in our objective writings, which will make students enjoy writing a little bit more.
Dawkins Summary:
In his article "Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool", John Dawkins argues that you don't have to use the basic punctuation rules for you to explain to your readers the point that you're trying to get to. He also wants us to think about grammar as "rhetorical". He uses the quote "it has to do with the choices that writers make to influence readers." (pg.139)
GRR (pg. 139)
1. My sister's treehouse made a great place for her to play with her friends; it was made of wood scraps and cardboard.
2. My sister's treehouse, which was made of wood scraps and cardboard, made a great place to play with her friends.
3. Wood scraps and cardboard made a great treehouse for my sister and her friends to play in.
QD: 2-3, 5-6
2. The handbook's rules do not provide instructions on how to use commas appropriately and punctuation is different depending on the structure of the sentence.
3. Raising is when a writer uses certain punctuation like "!" to emphasize what they're trying to say. Lowering is when they use other punctuation that doesn't need as much emphasis on it. Whenever I want to emphasize something important, I always do the "raising."
5. Before reading Dawkin's article, I knew the basic rules about punctuation, but I never really thought of the "raising and lowering" as a way to show emphasis in a sentence.
6. Whenever I write, I'm usually very cautious on my punctuation. I can't stand not putting a coma where it should be and the appropriate punctuation at the end of sentences have to be correct. I think it's very hard for readers to follow your writings if you hardly use any punctuation. He hasn't really done much to change my mind, just because I feel like it's just something that will always stick with me.
MM:
I think my professor wanted me to read this because he wanted us to better understand on how to become better writers and Dawkin's does a pretty good job of explaining all these things through his examples.
Reflection:
This article was kind of tough for me to read, but I got the gist of how he is saying that punctuation can be used in different ways, depending on the readers. It gave me a better understanding on how there are different ways to use punctuation and hopefully this will help make me a better writer.
In the article "The Inspired Writer v. The Real Writer", Sarah Allen argues about all the different challenges that both students and writers face dealing with writing. She also points out that becoming a "good writer" does not come that easily and how getting help or advice can actually help you become a better writer. I really enjoyed this writing because I felt like I could connect with it, just because I'm always afraid of getting papers back because of "rejection" or seeing something bad written on the paper, but I feel like getting advice from friends and educators could really help me out.
Repsonse to Question:
My experiences are very similar to Allen's writing because whenever I write a paper or get a paper back, I usually seek advice or help from my peers and teachers on how I can make it better.
Reflection:
I personally really enjoyed reading this article because I've always been really scared about writing and I tend to get really nervous when I'm forced to write a paper, but I feel like with getting reviews from my peers first before my professor, I'll feel more comfortable and hopefully improve my writing skills.
Murray Summary:
In "All Writing is Autobiography", Donald M. Murray argues that writing can be autobiographical and that we've basically been taught wrong by saying we can't use "I" or make our objective writings personal. He gives a lot of examples to prove his point on where different writers actually have some autobiography in their writings and it just proves that all writings are autobiographical. I liked reading this piece, just because he gave many examples to prove his point and I felt like, although it felt like it was more directed towards professors, he was actually opening our eyes to show that we can have a little more fun with our writings now.
WAW GRR (pg. 57)
1. At my old high school, I was always taught to not use "I" in my writings because, as stated on page 56, a research paper isn't supposed to be personal, but rather more focused on the objective. The only time I was able to be more "personal" in my writings was in my Speech class, where we could use personal stories to get our points across.
QD: 1, 3-5 (pg. 66)
1. The construct that Murray is trying to get us to reconsider is that writing can't be "personal".
3. I believe that Murray is coming out more by saying "all writing is autobiographical." (pg. 57) He gives plenty of examples that show the "autobiographical" content within texts to prove his point.
4. Murray uses content that many students may not understand, but other professors may understand. He is trying to direct this more towards professors to prove his point on how they can't tell students that writing can't be "personal".
5. Murray's views kind of did change my views on writing because whenever I've been told to write a paper, I was always told to not use "I" or make it "personal". Now I can see where all writing is autobiographical, so that will change the way I approach papers.
MM:
One way Murray's claims have a positive impact is that young writers, such as students, can have a little bit more fun with writing because they can make it a little more personal instead of all objectively. Another way Murray's claims made a positive impact is actually knowing that we can put a little personal spin in our objective writings, which will make students enjoy writing a little bit more.
Dawkins Summary:
In his article "Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool", John Dawkins argues that you don't have to use the basic punctuation rules for you to explain to your readers the point that you're trying to get to. He also wants us to think about grammar as "rhetorical". He uses the quote "it has to do with the choices that writers make to influence readers." (pg.139)
GRR (pg. 139)
1. My sister's treehouse made a great place for her to play with her friends; it was made of wood scraps and cardboard.
2. My sister's treehouse, which was made of wood scraps and cardboard, made a great place to play with her friends.
3. Wood scraps and cardboard made a great treehouse for my sister and her friends to play in.
QD: 2-3, 5-6
2. The handbook's rules do not provide instructions on how to use commas appropriately and punctuation is different depending on the structure of the sentence.
3. Raising is when a writer uses certain punctuation like "!" to emphasize what they're trying to say. Lowering is when they use other punctuation that doesn't need as much emphasis on it. Whenever I want to emphasize something important, I always do the "raising."
5. Before reading Dawkin's article, I knew the basic rules about punctuation, but I never really thought of the "raising and lowering" as a way to show emphasis in a sentence.
6. Whenever I write, I'm usually very cautious on my punctuation. I can't stand not putting a coma where it should be and the appropriate punctuation at the end of sentences have to be correct. I think it's very hard for readers to follow your writings if you hardly use any punctuation. He hasn't really done much to change my mind, just because I feel like it's just something that will always stick with me.
MM:
I think my professor wanted me to read this because he wanted us to better understand on how to become better writers and Dawkin's does a pretty good job of explaining all these things through his examples.
Reflection:
This article was kind of tough for me to read, but I got the gist of how he is saying that punctuation can be used in different ways, depending on the readers. It gave me a better understanding on how there are different ways to use punctuation and hopefully this will help make me a better writer.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
January 13th Homework
"Annoying Ways People Use Sources" Summary:
In the summary "Annoying Ways People Use Sources", Steadman argues that people simply don't really know how to use their sources correctly. I really liked the comparison he gave about a slow car driving in the fast lane on the high way. This is a really good comparison because I know how annoying it is to behind someone that is going under the speed limit, so I understand how annoying it is for him when other writers don't know how to use their sources properly. He is basically saying that you need make sure that reader is able to read your writings and it needs to be organized and your sources need to be used properly.
My Response:
Steadman's advice compare to what we've read with Porter, Greene, and Kantz because they all talk about ways that us college students make mistakes in our writings and they are showing us ways to improve our writing skills. The way I've always been taught to use sources is that I had to do proper in-text citations and properly cite my sources at the end of my paper. My views haven't really changed because I've been taught to always cite my sources, so I'll remain to do the same, but of course, my writing can always use some improving.
In the summary "Annoying Ways People Use Sources", Steadman argues that people simply don't really know how to use their sources correctly. I really liked the comparison he gave about a slow car driving in the fast lane on the high way. This is a really good comparison because I know how annoying it is to behind someone that is going under the speed limit, so I understand how annoying it is for him when other writers don't know how to use their sources properly. He is basically saying that you need make sure that reader is able to read your writings and it needs to be organized and your sources need to be used properly.
My Response:
Steadman's advice compare to what we've read with Porter, Greene, and Kantz because they all talk about ways that us college students make mistakes in our writings and they are showing us ways to improve our writing skills. The way I've always been taught to use sources is that I had to do proper in-text citations and properly cite my sources at the end of my paper. My views haven't really changed because I've been taught to always cite my sources, so I'll remain to do the same, but of course, my writing can always use some improving.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
January 11th Homework
"Intertextuality and the Discourse Community" Summary:
In the article "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community", James Porter argues that many of the texts we read today are "traces" of other texts that have already been published. He uses a good bit of examples, such as the Pepsi commercial (pg. 90), the Declaration of Independence (pgs. 89-90), and the Kent State shooting (pgs. 90-91) that all show that the original writers used ideas from other things that were already published and mixed it around with their own views and made it theirs. According to Porter, Discourse Community is a group of individuals who are basically bound by a common interest. I have to agree with Porter when he says that all texts are "traces" of other texts because when we write research papers, we're getting information from all different sources who all basically say the same thing, so to me that just makes me think they're all using the same ideas from each other to make something known as a "fact."
GRR #2:
Whenever I'm trying to get research, or "help", for my papers, I usually check out a couple different sources on the Internet to see if all their information matches up, check out books at the library, and after I'm done with my rough draft, I usually have a friend proof read it to make sure it's a good paper. My ideas for my papers usually come up as a random thought, or they're something that I'm really interested in. When I was in high school, I was in a Speech class and we could choose any subject for an informational speech, and I chose Autism because that subject is really interesting to me and I wanted to find out more about it. I did a lot of research and I had a friend and my teacher proof read it to make sure I had it where it needed to be.
QD:
2. I don't think that intertext makes individual writers less important because although they do have to go and maybe take some ideas from different sources, they are still being unique with their writings and putting their own thoughts into it as well. I don't really thing that anyone's writings aren't "plagiarized" because they had to find their information the same ways as writers have to today.
3. Porter calls the idea of an autonomous writer "romantic" because, as he states on page 94, these types of writers are "exercising a free, creative will through the writing act."
4. I've always believed that writing should be evaluated on the writer's content and how true the "facts" are within the text. With my experience, I've always been evaluated on how well I wrote and the skill level I was at based on where I should have been at the time, which I don't seem to think is very fair, just for the simple fact that we weren't really taught how to effectively write a "good" paper.
5. I feel like Porter kind of fails to reflect his own opinion because he is taking ideas from other sources and he uses examples from other sources and then he ties his opinion in with it. An example of this, which is on page 90, he talks about the Pepsi commercial and how they took ideas from Spielberg's movie to make that commercial.
6. The problem in imagining writing "as individual, as isolated, as heroic" is that no one's writing is really original. Writings are usually a bunch of other people's ideas and things that have already been said and are mixed together and have their opinions thrown in there to make it seem like their "own" idea.
MM:
Porter's study has pretty much changed the way I imagine writers and writings because it really made me realize that not very many writers are original and they all seem to use each others ideas, mix it around, throw in their views or opinions, and call it theirs. I'm definitely going to take what he's saying and try to use it into making me be a better writer by being cautious of how much information I take from sources and just try to be more original.
In the article "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community", James Porter argues that many of the texts we read today are "traces" of other texts that have already been published. He uses a good bit of examples, such as the Pepsi commercial (pg. 90), the Declaration of Independence (pgs. 89-90), and the Kent State shooting (pgs. 90-91) that all show that the original writers used ideas from other things that were already published and mixed it around with their own views and made it theirs. According to Porter, Discourse Community is a group of individuals who are basically bound by a common interest. I have to agree with Porter when he says that all texts are "traces" of other texts because when we write research papers, we're getting information from all different sources who all basically say the same thing, so to me that just makes me think they're all using the same ideas from each other to make something known as a "fact."
GRR #2:
Whenever I'm trying to get research, or "help", for my papers, I usually check out a couple different sources on the Internet to see if all their information matches up, check out books at the library, and after I'm done with my rough draft, I usually have a friend proof read it to make sure it's a good paper. My ideas for my papers usually come up as a random thought, or they're something that I'm really interested in. When I was in high school, I was in a Speech class and we could choose any subject for an informational speech, and I chose Autism because that subject is really interesting to me and I wanted to find out more about it. I did a lot of research and I had a friend and my teacher proof read it to make sure I had it where it needed to be.
QD:
2. I don't think that intertext makes individual writers less important because although they do have to go and maybe take some ideas from different sources, they are still being unique with their writings and putting their own thoughts into it as well. I don't really thing that anyone's writings aren't "plagiarized" because they had to find their information the same ways as writers have to today.
3. Porter calls the idea of an autonomous writer "romantic" because, as he states on page 94, these types of writers are "exercising a free, creative will through the writing act."
4. I've always believed that writing should be evaluated on the writer's content and how true the "facts" are within the text. With my experience, I've always been evaluated on how well I wrote and the skill level I was at based on where I should have been at the time, which I don't seem to think is very fair, just for the simple fact that we weren't really taught how to effectively write a "good" paper.
5. I feel like Porter kind of fails to reflect his own opinion because he is taking ideas from other sources and he uses examples from other sources and then he ties his opinion in with it. An example of this, which is on page 90, he talks about the Pepsi commercial and how they took ideas from Spielberg's movie to make that commercial.
6. The problem in imagining writing "as individual, as isolated, as heroic" is that no one's writing is really original. Writings are usually a bunch of other people's ideas and things that have already been said and are mixed together and have their opinions thrown in there to make it seem like their "own" idea.
MM:
Porter's study has pretty much changed the way I imagine writers and writings because it really made me realize that not very many writers are original and they all seem to use each others ideas, mix it around, throw in their views or opinions, and call it theirs. I'm definitely going to take what he's saying and try to use it into making me be a better writer by being cautious of how much information I take from sources and just try to be more original.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
January 9th homework
Intro Summary:
This article was mainly about how certain articles are meant to grab certain people's attention and how we interact with those texts. Every reader won't have the same reaction to a specific text. It's more involved with how we put ourselves into the writing and the meaning we take out of the text.
Response Blog: Rhetoric/Rhetorical
To me, the meaning of rhetoric is the type of language that writers use to get their point across. The meaning of the term "rhetorical", to me, is understanding how readers interpret a text and how writers work to construct a meaningful meaning behind their texts.
Topic Proposal:
Does texting really affect the way a person writes?
WAW Response:
In this article, it is basically saying we have been taught so many different things about reading and writing, but there is a much deeper understanding that we aren't too familiar with yet. It also talks about how professors need to find a better way of criticizing a student's work in a most positive way, rather than just saying "bad" with no definition of what is actually "bad" about it and how students are the only one's that can really improve their own writings by being creative in their own way.
QD: 1-3 & 6
1. Kantz is basically saying that facts, opinions, and arguments aren't always your own personally thoughts, but rather that most of these things are taken from other people's ways of thinking.
2. Often times, students strongly believe that all the right answers about their homework are found in textbooks and that everything that is written in a text book is all true, when a lot of it is basically another person's opinion. I'd have to agree with her on this list, just because I used to think the same way about textbooks and I relied heavily on them to be as accurate as possible with my homework.
3. Her article does kind of teach me something new about persuasive techniques. I think it's often better when people use personal experiences in a persuasive speech because it makes the listeners or readers see that it really can happen and how it can affect a person.
6. Yes, I think Kantz's ideas will help improve my approach on doing research and writing with sources, because a lot of the stuff that was said I already knew, but it gave me some reassurance on what needs to be done.
MM:
I feel that she is trying to analyze the aspect of rhetoric by trying to persuade her audience. I believe that, as a writer, knowing the importance of rhetoric, it'll help you become a much better writer because then you'll know how to effectively reach out to your audience in a way that will get them to listen to you and think about the things that you are saying.
This article was mainly about how certain articles are meant to grab certain people's attention and how we interact with those texts. Every reader won't have the same reaction to a specific text. It's more involved with how we put ourselves into the writing and the meaning we take out of the text.
Response Blog: Rhetoric/Rhetorical
To me, the meaning of rhetoric is the type of language that writers use to get their point across. The meaning of the term "rhetorical", to me, is understanding how readers interpret a text and how writers work to construct a meaningful meaning behind their texts.
Topic Proposal:
Does texting really affect the way a person writes?
WAW Response:
In this article, it is basically saying we have been taught so many different things about reading and writing, but there is a much deeper understanding that we aren't too familiar with yet. It also talks about how professors need to find a better way of criticizing a student's work in a most positive way, rather than just saying "bad" with no definition of what is actually "bad" about it and how students are the only one's that can really improve their own writings by being creative in their own way.
QD: 1-3 & 6
1. Kantz is basically saying that facts, opinions, and arguments aren't always your own personally thoughts, but rather that most of these things are taken from other people's ways of thinking.
2. Often times, students strongly believe that all the right answers about their homework are found in textbooks and that everything that is written in a text book is all true, when a lot of it is basically another person's opinion. I'd have to agree with her on this list, just because I used to think the same way about textbooks and I relied heavily on them to be as accurate as possible with my homework.
3. Her article does kind of teach me something new about persuasive techniques. I think it's often better when people use personal experiences in a persuasive speech because it makes the listeners or readers see that it really can happen and how it can affect a person.
6. Yes, I think Kantz's ideas will help improve my approach on doing research and writing with sources, because a lot of the stuff that was said I already knew, but it gave me some reassurance on what needs to be done.
MM:
I feel that she is trying to analyze the aspect of rhetoric by trying to persuade her audience. I believe that, as a writer, knowing the importance of rhetoric, it'll help you become a much better writer because then you'll know how to effectively reach out to your audience in a way that will get them to listen to you and think about the things that you are saying.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Writing as Conversation
(GRR) activity:
1. To me, argument is defined as people with different opinions or views that don't agree with each other about a specific topic. In everyday conversation, arguments are mainly where two or more people don't agree about a certain thing and they are trying to prove that they are right. In an academic setting, I think argument is used to get different opinions and views about a specific topic heard. In my opinion, the difference between the two is that in an academic setting, arguments should be conducted in a positive and constructive manner, whereas in everyday conversation, seem to happen in a variety in different ways.
2. I think argument and conversation are closely related because in order to argue, there has to be some sort of conversating going on. I believe that arguments can be conversational because during a conversation between two people, for example, they can be having a conversation about something, then have different opinions or views about a specific topic and they can have a positive and constructive argument over the issue.
(QD)
1. According to Greene, the role that reading plays in the kind of writing you will be asked to do in college, is where research as conversational inquiry, where an issue and situation contribute to framing a problem. Researches seek to generate new knowledge in a social process, not just to collect information.
2. I believe that Greene quotes this again because he's really trying to get his point a crossed that arguments and conversation are closely related. The main point of this extended metaphor to show how coming into a conversation late and trying to assume what the conversation is about as it continues and how it causes an argument for assuming what the conversation is about. The way it presents writing is showing how conversation and argument are closely related and how one can lead into the other. It may challenge how close argument and conversation really are.
3. Framing is basically like setting up the main points for the story in a writing. Framing is simply a metaphor for describing the perspective from which the writer presents their argument. Greene believes that writers want people to see the world in one way. Framing allows writers to say what their opinion is in their own writing.
(AEI)
2. Yes, I believe that Greene's article represents itself as a "conversation". I believe that his audience for this article is aimed at college students. He frames his argument by first defining what both argument and conversation mean, gives a little background, then gets to the point of how they are related. I think that Greene practices what he preaches because in this article, he shows his opinion and gets his point acrossed, but he does it in a positive way.
I really enjoyed reading this article. I agree with Greene about conversation and argument being closely related myself because anyone can conversate and without "fighting", have an argument to prove their point or get their opinions heard and I believe he did a very well job of explaining all of this.
1. To me, argument is defined as people with different opinions or views that don't agree with each other about a specific topic. In everyday conversation, arguments are mainly where two or more people don't agree about a certain thing and they are trying to prove that they are right. In an academic setting, I think argument is used to get different opinions and views about a specific topic heard. In my opinion, the difference between the two is that in an academic setting, arguments should be conducted in a positive and constructive manner, whereas in everyday conversation, seem to happen in a variety in different ways.
2. I think argument and conversation are closely related because in order to argue, there has to be some sort of conversating going on. I believe that arguments can be conversational because during a conversation between two people, for example, they can be having a conversation about something, then have different opinions or views about a specific topic and they can have a positive and constructive argument over the issue.
(QD)
1. According to Greene, the role that reading plays in the kind of writing you will be asked to do in college, is where research as conversational inquiry, where an issue and situation contribute to framing a problem. Researches seek to generate new knowledge in a social process, not just to collect information.
2. I believe that Greene quotes this again because he's really trying to get his point a crossed that arguments and conversation are closely related. The main point of this extended metaphor to show how coming into a conversation late and trying to assume what the conversation is about as it continues and how it causes an argument for assuming what the conversation is about. The way it presents writing is showing how conversation and argument are closely related and how one can lead into the other. It may challenge how close argument and conversation really are.
3. Framing is basically like setting up the main points for the story in a writing. Framing is simply a metaphor for describing the perspective from which the writer presents their argument. Greene believes that writers want people to see the world in one way. Framing allows writers to say what their opinion is in their own writing.
(AEI)
2. Yes, I believe that Greene's article represents itself as a "conversation". I believe that his audience for this article is aimed at college students. He frames his argument by first defining what both argument and conversation mean, gives a little background, then gets to the point of how they are related. I think that Greene practices what he preaches because in this article, he shows his opinion and gets his point acrossed, but he does it in a positive way.
I really enjoyed reading this article. I agree with Greene about conversation and argument being closely related myself because anyone can conversate and without "fighting", have an argument to prove their point or get their opinions heard and I believe he did a very well job of explaining all of this.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
My relationship to writing
The definition of writing to me is a unique way for a person to get all of their thoughts, opinions, and ideas on paper and it's a unique way for people to express themselves. I personally enjoy writing, because it's a great way for me to take out any frustration or any other kind of emotions that I have in a positive manner. I've always been a pretty good writer, but of course, it can always get some improving. With this course, I hope to improve my writing skills.
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