Reflection on Open Letter Draft

In this blog post I will reflect on my draft for project 4 and the general peer review process. I will also answer questions provided by the Student's Guide in order to reflect on drafting and how I plan to revise my open letter.

Screenshot from my computer, 12/10/15

I reviewed Sam's and Evan's drafts. Evan has made his rough draft into his final, so I've just provided the link to that.

Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?

• I believe I demonstrated an ability to think about my writing and myself as a writer. I reflected on many aspects of my writing style, such as my style of heavy revising. Another aspect I touched on was my issues with procrastinations. This is key part of who I am as a writer, so writing about this really demonstrated my ability to think about my writing and who I am as a writer.

Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?

• I have not provided much analysis on my experiences, writing assignments, or concepts I have learned in my draft. This portion is largely lacking and I need to address it in my final  draft. I plan on adding a lot of analaysis about how I handled each project and why my writing style suited or did not suit each of them.

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich descriptions of your writing process)?

• I did provide concrete examples from my own writing. I had a few quotes from past blog posts. I may go back into my final projects and see if I can add quotes from them to add to this portion of my letter.

Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?

• I did not explain why I mader certain choices very thoroughly. This is another aspect of my letter that I need to address and revise. Perhaps I will talk about why the approaches I took to writing each of the projects was either effective or ineffective.

Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?

• I used some specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process. One examples is when I identified myself as a "heavy reviser". This term came straight from the given readings we read early on in the semester. 

Draft of Open Letter

In this blog post I will link my draft of the open letter. I will also write a short paragraph giving relevant details about my draft and what I'm looking for in terms of peer review.

Screenshot from my computer, 12/5/15

Draft of Open Letter

This draft is not much more than the content of the two previous blog posts. Nonetheless, I would still appreciate all feedback on what I do have. I think the weakest area in this draft is the lack of transitions from thought to thought. Any suggestions on how to resolve this issue or any other issue you find would be very much appreciated. Also, please point out any and all convention errors for this genre.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

In this blog post I will provide answers to six questions on my writing experience this semester. When appropriate, I will refer back to old blog posts, comments, and drafts.

Screenshot from my computer, 12/5/15

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?

• This semester, the biggest challenge was writing in new genres I had no previous experience writing in. For example, I had never heard of a QRG before this semester. Learning the conventions and specific style of this type of writing was difficult for me. My final draft for Project 1 took by far the most time and effort to create.

• Also, time management in general was a big challenge at times. It was especially difficult when other courses also demanded lots of time and energy.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time managment, writing and editorial skills?

• My thoughts about time management in the "Calendar Reflection" where I said that "For this class specifically, if I dedicate one hour a night to homework I can easily meet the weekly deadlines" are funny in retrospect. I learned that I was not able to follow this regiment. Also, when I said I was a "heavy reviser" I was absolutely correct. To complete my assignments in the most effective manner, I need to begin writing without an entirely clear idea of where I want the piece to go. Along the way, I find exactly how I want to get my point across.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.

• After going through this course, I understand what it means to write in a certain 'genre'. There are infinite types of writing situations that must be written in a very specific style or genre to be effective. It's imperative to understand that and choose the exact right genre for your writing situation, otherwise your writing will not be as effective.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?

• I think one of the most important skills I will use and develop further in the future is writing with a specific audience in mind. In the professional world, I will likely write for a select few people while trying to achieve a very specific effect. I plan on practicing this important skill whenver I write something. 
• Another skill I will use in the future is researching a topic quickly and effectively. Over time, I will learn exactly what search terms will yield the results I want. This skill is very valuable for not just writing, but learning anything you want.

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?

• My most effective moment from this semester was constructing a compelling argument for Project 3. I feel like the sequence in which I presented my ideas was effective and clever. Also, the images I presented were appropriate and helped convey my ideas in a clear manner.

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?

• My least effective moment was my failure to effectively link my ideas in Project 2. I made several compelling points in the paper, but my transitions from point to point and general commentary were lacking. This hurt the effectiveness of my project significantly.

Revising My Writing Process

In this blog post I will refer back to blop posts 1.10 and 1.12 to reflect on my writing process and time management approach. I will also speculate on how the type of writer I am now will affect my writing in the future.

Screenshot from my computer, 12/5/15

In blog 1.10 I wrote that I was a heavy reviser.

I was not sure if that style was the most effective style for me, but after going through this course, I believe that heavy revising suits me well. When I approach a writing assignment, I will have an idea of the idea I want to convey, but it's very difficult for me to have the foresight to see exactly how I get there. 

To fix this problem, I simply begin writing. Through the process of writing the first few sections of the paper, I figure out the specifics of what information I want to include and how I want to present it in my writing.

In blog 1.12 I wrote that procrastination has always been a problem for me.

Going through this course, procrastination was still a large issue for me. However, I don't think this is all bad. When given less time to complete my work, I tend to focus much better and get my work done effectively. As I progress in my academic career, I will likely need to give myself more time for assignments. However, since this first semester was relatively easy, procrastination was not as large of an issue.

Hopefully, as I go through college and go out into the real world, I will become a more responsible writer and take my time. I foresee becoming a responsible writer if my schedule becomes more busy in the future, which it almost certainly will.

Reflection on Project 3

In this blog I will reflect on project 3. Specifically, I will be answering the nine questions on page 520 of Writing Public Lives.

Screenshot from my computer, 11/22/15

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

• The overall idea of my project changed from one draft to another. I originally wanted to address the lack of teachers in computer science, but decided to instead address the lack awareness about computer science in high school students.

2. Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

• My organization stayed roughly the same. I began by introducing the issue briefly, and getting right into my proposal argument.

3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

• Changing the overall point I wanted to argue came about after I had a shift in purpose. I wanted to work towards improving awareness of computer science in general.

4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author? 

• These changes don't affect my credibility as an author very much. The final product is not fundamentally different.

5. How will these changes better address the audience or venue?

• These changes better address the younger audience I'm trying to target since I'm focusing on high school students.

6. Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

• I changed my style to putting mostly bulleted information on my slides and describing them in better detail in my voiceover.

7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

• These changes will help my audience understand my purpose more clearly since the presentation is better structured.

8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

• I did have to reconsider the conventions of a PowToon. I was using too many words in my original draft.

9. Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

• The process of reflection helps me realize why I made certain changes in the entire process. If I didn't reflect, I would never understand exactly why I made various decisions.

Publishing Public Argument

In this blog I will link my final project on a public argument. I will also give some important information about my intended audience, argumentation approach, and use of rhetoric.

My Beautiful PowToon

Screenshot from my computer, 11/22/15

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watcing/hearing your argument) below:

←----------------------------------------------------|----X----------------------------------------------------->

Strongly agree                                 Totally neutral                        Strongly disagree

       

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←------------------X---------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly agree                               Totally neutral                          Strongly disagree

                                                                                                                   

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         ___X___ My public argument proposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

My public argument provides original context and insight since my specific proposal is one that has not been provided before. Nobody else has presented my idea in exactly the way I did.

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employedi n your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    

                    __X___ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    __X___ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    __X__ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    __X__ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    __X__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    __X__ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    __X__ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X__ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    __X__ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

Logical or rational appeals

                    __X__ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    __X__ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    __X__ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    __X__ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    __X__ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    __X__ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

6. Example 1

    Example 2

    Example 3

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

In this blog post I will reflect on my own project 3 draft and the peer review process. I will also discuss the aspects of project 3 that I need to focus on moving forward.

Screenshot from my computer, 11/15/15

I reviewed Samantha's and Michael's drafts of project 3.

1. Mira and Samantha reviewed my Project 3 draft.

2. The feedback these two provided was very helpful. Specifically, the ideas Mira and Samantha had to do a better job of persuading my audience and sticking to my genre were very helpful. I will certainly take all of their ideas into account when working towards my final draft

3. For me, nearly all aspects of my Project 3 need work. The aspects that need it the most are genre, audience, and argumentation. For genre, I plan on adding an audio voiceover for all the slides in my PowToon. For audience, I plan on developing and revising my argument much more to make it as convincing as possible. For argumentation, I need to implement lots of logical and emotional appeals to create the best argument possible.

4. I'm feeling more confident about the overall direction of my project after the conference this week. Hearing what Sean had to say about the project helped me better understand what type of presentation he was looking for.