Reflection on Open Letter Draft

In this post I will be reflecting over the peer reviewing process for our last assignment. I will be reflecting over the comments I received.

I peer reviewed the drafts of Chris and Olivia

Toshihiro Gama, "Red Panda", taken on June 5th, 2013 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

• The most powerful part of my letter is my organization. It is clear in what it is talking about and is structured very neatly. This is where my semi-formal letter is excelling because it gets the necessary points across. 
• What I need to add is evidence form my blog posts. My letter is lacking evidence and for that it weakens the overall strength of the letter. 
• No cliches are used in the letter. The only cliche that can be said was used was that every student dislikes taking English courses. This is because I had written in my letter that I disliked English and writing. 
• In my letter everything seems to fit. The only thing that may not fit is the talk about genre. It seems a little bit forced but it is asked about in the assignment description so it was covered. It seems a little bit out of place when reading over the whole letter but it needs to be addressed. 
• Nothing in the letter is concealed, everything listed in the assignment is covered. 

Draft of Open Letter

In this blog post I will be posting the rough draft of my semi-formal letter!

When peer reviewing my draft, I would like for the reviewer give me ideas of where I can include hyperlinks to blog posts and such. I did not include any yet because I was unsure of when it would be a good idea to add "evidence" in the letter. I would also ask to make sure that the reviewer checks to make sure I hit on all the required topics/questions on the rubric. Of course grammar and things like that would also be great! Be as harsh or as nice as you feel comfortable being!
Thanks!

HERE is the link to my rough draft!

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

In this blog post I will be reflecting on my work through the course by answering the provided bulleted questions.

Alan Wolf, "Midland Painted Turtle" taken on August 27th, 2005 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

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

The biggest challenge for me that came up with this course was the work load. Out of all my courses it was the most demanding and required the most time. Learning to balance this with my other classes that I was taking was the biggest challenge that I faced. This course required a significant amount of work each day.

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

Through this course I learned that I have strong time management skills. I turned everything in on time and never procrastinated the deadlines. I never had to do a ton of work on Saturday as I spaced out my work over the week. My writing skills were stronger than I thought as I created some pieces of writing that I was very proud of. My editorial skills increased in strength due to the structured peer reviews we did. The project three peer review helped me learn how to peer review more effectively.

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

What I learned about the concept of "genre" was that there is a certain way of writing depending on the genre. The genre is like a set of rules, and the rules are the conventions of the genre. You must follow these rules to successfully write in the genre. You cannot simply pick a genre and not follow the conventions. By following the conventions you are then writing in the genre.

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

One skill I know I improved on was my time management skills. I also know that my editorial skills have improved. Before this I would rarely edit my papers. I would try to write the paper to the best of my capability the first time around and then not revisit it. I still write it to the best of my capability but I now know how to edit it to make it even better.

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

I would say that my project three was my most effective moment. I used a genre that allowed me to be creative and I was very proud of how my project turned out. It followed the conventions, was effective for it's purpose, and looked professionally done. It allowed me to create a project using everything that I learned in the course.

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

My least effective moment was the punctuation posts. I did not like doing those at all and my blog posts were very forced. I felt as if it was unnecessary busy work. I understood why we were doing the punctuation blog posts but I feel as if no one actually allowed themselves to learn about punctuation by doing them.

Revisiting My Writing Process

In this blog post I will be revisiting the first two blog posts that I made in this course. I will reflect on them, seeing how I have changed as a writer and how my time management has changed. I will also be looking forward to the future.

Dean Shareski, "Mirrors" taken on August 3rd, 2009 via Flickr Attribution Generic 2.0

My Writing Process:
At the beginning of the semester I considered myself a heavy planner with a dash of heavy reviser. I think I have become a better balance between the two. I have learned to take some of the time I would use on planning and use it to revise. I plan slightly less and revise more. This course has taught me to simply "crank" out pieces of writing due to it's heavy workload so I have learned to create a rough draft that can simply be crafted into a final draft. Looking forward, this class has taught me to work diligently and stay on top of my work. I think I have learned to edit and revise much better. I have also learned to understand a grading rubric better and learned how to create a piece of writing based off of a rubric. For the future and rest of my college schooling I think that his class has taught me to write in different genres. It has made me a more diverse writer and more efficient writer. I will continue to be a nice blend of heavy planner and heavy reviser. Depending on the genre I will be able to lean more to one side if that is what will work better for that genre.

Calendar reflection:
Looking back on my calendar reflection was amusing because it is funny how much I thought i'd be able to do. I actually have done a decent job balancing everything I feel like. I was correct about choosing between hanging with friends and going to the recreation center. I seem to have more free time than I did in high school but I also seem to have more stuff to fill it with. I think this course has taught me to not procrastinate because if you do it leads to the worst weekend of your life. I have done everything I have sought to do in college so far and I feel like I have managed my time well. Moving forward, I would like to go to the rec more. I tend to nap a lot so maybe I will cut back on that and go to the rec instead. I believe this course has shown me that I will keep working hard. I survived this class when at time I thought I would not and I am proud of that.

Reflection on Project 3

In this blog post I will be answering the reflection questions on page 520 of Writing Public Lives. 

Daniel Stockman, "Corgi Puppies", taken on May 28th, 2011 via Flickr Attribution-ShareALike 2.0 Generic License.

1. What was changed from the first draft to the final was the platform, I switched from power-point to a prezi. I also added a voice over to it to make it more like a presentation. 
2. I did not change my thesis/organization too much as I felt that it was created effectively the first time around. I made the prezi very organized, moving from one idea to the next. 
3. Audience had a lot to do with the structure and organization of my prezi. I wanted to make it clear what the argument was first before introducing the counter arguments. I also emphasized on addressing what computer science is first. 
4. I feel that it strengthens my credibility. I am making an effort to make sure the whole topic, pros and cons are all laid out there for the audience to see. I am not holding back and i'm confident in my argument so it makes me more credible. 
5. These changes will make it so the audience has a full grasp on the topic and in turn will side with my argument. The venue is perfect for a prezi because it is simple and an interesting presentation. 
6. I made sure to not put too much words or sentences on any one slide. I did not want any slide to be overwhelming to the audience so they were more of talking points. 
7. By understanding the whole topic and not this my side, the audience will understand what my purpose in my argument is. If they understand all the aspects of the topic then they will understand where i'm coming from and it will be more clear to them. 
8. The only conventions that I had to consider was the limited text space on the slides so it was not overwhelming. I also had to put the voice-over on the presentation in order to make it effective with the talking points. 
9. Through reflecting I realized as a writer I can adapt to any genre with not much difficultly. This presentation was difficult to make but I feel like it achieves it's purpose and is effective. I feel pretty confident and proud of this project. 

Publishing Public Argument

COMPLETEEEEEE! Here is the link to the final copy of my PREZI.

Moyan Brenn, "Happiness" taken on March 30th, 2014 via Flickr, Attribution Generic 2.0

Now to answer the provided questions:

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:

For my public argument I gave insight to how computer science can provide much more than just learning computer science. I explained how it would be beneficial for the students in the way that they think, setting themselves up for job opportunities, and diversifying a one-dimensional work field. I also gave reasons as to why the counter-arguments were refutable. 

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in 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.)

                    __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)

                    __x__ 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)

                    __x__ Other: Voice over of presentation

Emotional appeals

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

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

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

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

                    __x__ 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

                    __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.)

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

                    _____ 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

                    __x__ Other: Voice over of presentation

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

                    __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)

                    _____ 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:

Prezi 1

Prezi 2

Prezi 3

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

For the peer reviewing I peer reviewed the drafts of Gabee and Joy. 
Their peer review sheets can be found through the links below
Gabee's peer review
Joy's peer review


I will now be answering the provided questions regarding reflecting over my project three draft. 

1. Who reviewed your Project 3 rough draft?

No one has peer reviewed my draft. I would wait and see until later if someone reviewed it but I have to finish this deadline before right now since I have work until midnight. 

2. What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received? Be explicit and clear. 

Tell me what helped or what confused you about the feedback you got.

No feedback was given from peer reviews but my conference with Professor Bottai was helpful. He suggested to use more evidence if I make bold claims. He also suggested to do a voice over. He also suggested to show the counter arguments in the beginning to make it seem as if I am arguing against something. 

3. What aspects of Project 3 need to most work going forward [Audience, Purpose, 

Argumentation, or Genre]? How do you plan on addressing these areas? 

I will need to move a counter argument to the start of the presentation and I will need to make my claims either less bold or provide evidence to back them up. 

4. How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?

I really like my presentation and like what I have going with it. It is effective and is visually appealing. I think it gets my argument across and is effective. What I need to do is simply finesse it.