Reflection on Open Letter Draft

Reflection on Open Letter Draft 

Peer review is a great resource to use in order to improve upon one's writing. Below is my reflection on the peer review process and my first draft of the open letter. 

I peer reviewed both Aaron West's draft along with Bailey Mattox's draft. Upon reading Aaron's draft I was happy to see that we have a similar length in our letters. He effectively used some great hyperlinks to earlier blog posts which I think might be effective if I added to mine. Aaron had really solid claims but needed to expand a bit more with his analysis which I think is similar to my draft. Contrarily, Bailey's draft was very long and had great depth. That being said I think her draft can be cut down a bit in order to still convey the main messages yet be more concise so the reader does not get bored.

Samdogs, "Christmas Cookies"12/3/08 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution. 

"Revision" Questions: 

• Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer? 
• The revision process helped me recognize how important it is to get a different view on one's writing in order to perfect it. That being said, while I conducted peer review it helped me recognize that writing is really just an interpretation of the world through the writer's eyes. As I continued on with my work it was even more apparent that writing is my expression of myself. 
• Did you provide analysis of your experiences, writing assignments or concepts you have learned? 
• Analysis is one of the areas which I always struggle with in my writing. While I feel as though I am capable of putting different facts into a writing assignment I feel as though I find difficulty in analyzing this material appropriately in order to make a unique work that is my own. The revision process helps me to recognize where the analysis is lacking and then determining how to make it a better piece of writing. 
• Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich descriptions of your writing process)? 
• For this specific piece of writing I mostly used hyperlinks to refer back to previous blog posts and writings. While at points I did refer to specific quotes I mostly utilized these hyperlinks in order to allow the readers to fully appreciate the entirety of the blog post or deadline assignment. 
• Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective? 
• Although usually I have more difficulty with explaining my choices I feel as though the informal letter genre really allowed me to express the reasons behind my choices. It's easy to acknowledge the choices but then takes an extra step to effectively convey to the audience the importance of the decision I made. Revision always allows me recognize how to do this more effectively. 
• Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process? 
• By referring to previous blog posts as well as deadlines I was more capable of indicating the important terms and concepts throughout the course. I tried to convey to the audience the terms and concepts which I had the most trouble with and what I was able to improve upon and what I had more difficulty with. 

Draft of Open Letter

Draft of Open Letter 

Gassen, Chris. "Christmas Spirit" 12/6/14 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution. 

Linked below is my draft of the Open Letter course final. After doing some research on the genre of a semiformal letter I feel as though my conventions are correct but I could be totally wrong. While editing could you please focus on:

• Conventions of the genre?
• If I covered all the content assigned.
• If I have enough references to outside sources? 
• If the letter is long enough? 
• In general if it sounds good? 

LINK TO MY DRAFT OF OPEN LETTER 

THANK YOU!!!

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences 

Writing experiences are instrumental to helping a person determine what type of writer he or she really is. Below is my analyzation of my writing experiences throughout English 109H.

Travis. "Christmas-Tree-Wallpaper-christmas-8142630-1024-768" 12/7/12 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution. 

• What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall. 
• The biggest challenge which I encountered was working my way out of the classic 5 paragraph type of writing which I was accustomed to and learning how to utilize multiple different genres of writing. That being said, the QRG and public argument were such interesting ways of writing but in order to fully understand and utilize the genres I had to first get over the hill of going out of my comfort zone in the writing process. 
• What did you learn this semester about your own time management, writing and editorial skills?
• In the past I always thought that what I had to say with my writing as well as my editorial comments was somewhat insignificant. During this course I realized that what I have to say is important and that more often than not the comments I have on other people's work is in sync with other peer editors. I realized that what I have to say is just as important as anyone else's and it was exciting to come to the realization that I am more capable at writing in many different genres rather than only being able to convey my ideas and opinions in one way. Additionally, I realized that in order to time manage everything I have going on I can't do any of my work in my dorm room. I realized that I have to get out and about and do my work with lots of different breaks in order to produce my best work.
• What do you know about the concept of "genre"? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer. 
• Throughout projects 1, 2, and 3 I feel like my understanding of "genre", or the type of writing which one does, has increased. I have come to the realization that depending on the genre which someone is writing is will convey a different message to the reader. Understanding this concept is instrumental because knowing the genre which one is writing in will make him or her more capable of effectively conveying the intended message within the writing. 
• What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework? 
• English 109H introduced me to a number of different types of writing, especially those which were published publicly. That being said, I think as I continue on with my education I will probably learn more specifics about a few genres of writing that are used especially for my major. This could be some sort of act of public speech or it could be a formal type of writing. 
• What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H?
• I think my most effective moment from this semester in English 109H was when I published my Public Argument in my blog post, "Publishing Public Argument". I felt as though throughout projects one and two I had really been trying to fully understand not only my topic but also the genre which I was writing in. I believe that the end of project 3 I really had a firm grip on every aspect of the project. It was so exciting to have really taken everyone's revision recommendations and then compile them with my own ideas to create something that I felt really worked well as an actual public argument that could have been published somewhere. 
• What as your least effective moment from this semester in 109H?
• My least effective moment in this semester of English 109H was when I published my project 2 final in my blog post "Project 2: Final Draft". Both projects 1 and 3 felt pretty good to me but for some reason I feel as though I had not accomplished much in project 2. That being said, I don't think that my publication of project 2 was the best. 

Revisiting My Writing Process

Revisiting My Writing Process 

Each individual is shaped by his or her own writing process. After having completed all the work for projects 1, 2 and 3 for the course I have decide to revisit what I stated as my writing process at the beginning of the course. 

McIntosh, Johnathan. "Xmas Lights DC" 2004 via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons Attribution.  

In my first blogpost entitled "My Writing Process" I recognized that I used to be "a somewhat procrastinating heavy reviser type of writer". Although this was true in the past I feel as though throughout the course I really focused on attempting to procrastinate less. After the first few deadlines in which I did the majority of the blog posts and assignments in the last two days prior to the de date I realized that I caused to much stress and anxiety to do it that way. From then on I really tried to space out the assignments evenly in each deadline in order to ensure that I wouldn't get overwhelmed. 

I also labeled myself as a heavy reviser which I think still mostly holds true. Although this is still true I think I have improved upon this method to make it effective to my writing abilities rather than just being a result of procrastination, as in the past. That being said, I realized that I would create my own first draft all on my own and then following peer feedback as well as much meeting time with the professor I would work to improve upon what I had crafted in my first draft. 

As of now, I think my time management skills have improved. I really tired to look at each deadline before the week of it in order to determine how to allot enough time in my schedule to each item on the deadline list. That being said, I think there' always room for improvement with time management and writing processes but I think I that I am starting to get onto the right track with how to deal with the full workload. 

Hopefully, based on this course, I will be able to continue to procrastinate less and less with the assignments. I hope to continue to capitalize on both my own thoughts as well as those thoughts of the editor's of my work in order to produce the best work I can both in terms of school work and beyond. 

Reflection on Project 3

Reflection on Project 3 

After a project is finished it is important to reflect on the project itself, especially the changes between drafts of the project. The following is my reflection on Project 3. 

Colwell, Ken. "Running Baby Giraffe" 9/6/11 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution.

• What was specifically revised from one draft to another? 
• Between my first and second draft I changed up quite a bit of the content of my script for the podcast. I did this in efforts to make my argument more persuasive rather than just informative based on factual information. Additionally, I changed the person who acted as the interviewer in order to make it feel less forced and instead more relaxed. 
• Point to Global Changes: How did you reconsider your thesis or organization?
• I tried to change the sequence of questions in order to create a more logical flow. By doing this I felt that the audience would have a better build up for the argument and could then be more capable of being persuaded as to why genetic engineering is a good thing. 
• What led to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose? 
• These changes were made specifically because I recognized my first draft seemed to have a purpose of just informing the audience. Instead I knew my purpose was to persuade the audience so I decided to make some global changes.
• How do these changes affect your credibility as an author? 
• Due to the fact that I created a podcast for this project I don't think that the organization of questions affects my credibility as an author. It more reflects on the person who acted as the interviewer in the podcast because they know how to lead an interview in an appropriate direction. 
• How will these changes better address the audience or venue?
• These changes will help the audience to understand on a more basic level and then further open their eyes and ears and understanding to appreciate the emotional appeals which were utilized to help connect with the audience. 
• Point to Local changes: How did you reconsider sentence structure and style? 
• From the first to last draft I tried to make my sentence structure less formal and more conversational. I felt that this would be more easily understood by the audience and would help them accept the topic better. 
• How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose? 
• I think that by breaking down the sentence structure the audience will understand the topic on a more personal level and and feel as though the topic is more relatable. 
• Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing? 
• Due to the fact that I composed a script and then worked that into a podcast I did have to change some of the conventions. When someone reads something he or she gets a completely different take on it than if he or she hears it. For that reason I really tried to make the script have a number of sentences which would really stand out and roll off the tongue well so they would be easily remembered. 
• Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer. 
• I think that reflection helps me to understand my strengths and weakness as a writer. Reflection helps me to see what I need to work on and what I was able to do well and that should be used in future writings. 

Publishing Public Argument

Publishing Public Argument

The following is a link to my final draft of Project 3: Public Argument. Enjoy! 

PROJECT 3 FINAL

Kent, Carrie Belle. "Screenshot of GarageBand" 11/21/15. 

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                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly 

agree                                                                                                                          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                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

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

         ____X___ My public argument etablishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument prooposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         _______ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

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 project 3 final draft has factual evidence throughout it but I take this known information and then analyze that which is stated. I tend to throw in my own opinions and use a variety of appeals in order to connect with the audience to help them feel more positively towards the topic. The audience is more capable of connecting with the subject and then understanding the more complicated parts of it and why it is worth it to believe in the cause of genetic engineering. 

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

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

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

                    _____ 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

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

                    _____ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    __X___ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    __X__ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    _____ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    _____ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _X____ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture 

                    _____ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact 

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

                    _____ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    __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

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

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __X___ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

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

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    _____ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

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

                    _____ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    _____ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    _____ 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

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

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

                    _____ Other: 

6. Below, provide us with working hyperlinks to THREE good examples of the genre you've chosen to write in. These examples can come from Blog Post 11.3 or they can be new examples. But they should all come from the same specific website/platform and should demonstrate the conventions for your piece:

   Examples 1,2 and 3 

      *** I could not link to each podcast individually but this is a link to the specific channel on NPR which I would publish my work and the channel has three different examples of what I was going for with my podcast. 

   

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

Reflection on Project 3 Draft 

Peer revision on a draft is instrumental in becoming the best writer which one can be. Below is my reflection on the reviewing process as well as my project 3 draft. 

• Peer Reviewed Drafts: 
• I peer reviewed Stef's Project 3 Draft as well as Alex's Project 3 Draft. 
• Who Reviewed My Project 2 Draft? 
• Olivia Wann, Jon Wirtzfeld and Austin See all edited my project 3 draft. 
• What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received? 
• I think that peer review is always good because it helps me as a writer see problems that people who don't have as much background on the subject have trouble understanding. It's really hard to recognize all the errors you have if you're the only one ever editing it. I like this but at the same time I sometimes think that different people might contradict one another unintentionally. That being said, I really liked how in depth the revision comments were in this project. I know it's hard to specify what people need to say in every single project revision process but I think it's so helpful when you have a full document in comments rather than just the short comments on the side of the draft. (Not that I don't think that is effective I just feel this is the most effective) 
• What aspects of Project 3 need most work going forward? 
• I think to start with I need to mainly focus on making the voice over and then making sure that my script isn't just informational. Then I think I need to work on my argumentation. I think I need to change my script in order to have the interviewer ask me questions rather than just me going on a script based on telling why I think genetic engineering is beneficial because the point of this project isn't to inform by to debunk one of the claims of why genetic engineering is not beneficial. 
• How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?
• SCARED. After peer review and conferences this week I realized I have quite a bit of work to do on my project and I need to work on really making it the type of argument I want it to be which I think will take quite a bit more time than I expected it to take. 

Piascik, Chris. "1204-20121002-WORK-WORK" 2/4/13 via Flickr. Creative commons Attribution.