Reflection on Open Letter Draft

In this post I will be explaining what I have learned from both the peer review on my draft and my reviews of my classmates' drafts of the Open Letter assignment.

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For this assignment, I peer reviewed Katherine and Thomas' drafts.

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

• I think that I was able to think about myself as a writer in both in the past and the present, as I talked about how I have improved. However, in my draft I think that I could elaborate more on how my writing itself has changed (other than simply saying that I am able to write in different genres). I could talk about how I  can more easily talk in a personal tone (because of the listicle) instead of a formal one. 

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

• Somewhat. I definitely talked about what I have learned about the concept of a "genre", but not much else. I also talked about what I have experienced in both this class and through the assignments, but I don't think I really analyzed what they taught me or how they helped me improved- and if I did, it was superficial. 

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing?

• Not as much as I probably need. I did provide hyperlinks and referenced some of my first blog posts through quotes, but with the more important later assignments I only provided hyperlinks. I think that adding a very specific example of how my tone has changed (like within the listicle) could help my analysis to become stronger. 

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

• While this is something that I will probably end up revising later on, I think that I did explain my decisions properly, for both the effective and non-effective ones. Especially with when it comes to my time management.

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

• Yes! Especially when I was discussing what a genre means to me after this course. I discussed conventions and the concepts of said conventions pretty well. I also talked about different examples of genres that we have written in throughout the semester. However, in regards to terms I think that I could add more in my current draft. 

Draft of Open Letter

This post will serve as a link to the draft of my final project- an open letter.

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Peer reviewers,

As you read this draft, keep in mind that this prompt was very vague and I was not quite sure what to write about. So, please let me know if there is enough relevant content about this course and what I have learned. Also, please tell me if I have explained what I have already written down well enough. 

Thank you all so much!

You can find my draft here.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

In this post, I will be reflecting on not just my process- but my overall writing experience within English 109H.

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1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?
• I would say the biggest challenge would be having to change the way that I wrote before college. In my very first blog post, I had said that I was a "Heavy Planner" and a "Procrastinator". In college, it's difficult to be this type of writer when there is a lot of preparatory work and other courses that need time and attention as well. Therefore, finding the right way to organize my time was a challenge- but I feel as if I have found a good balance (even though it can still be improved).
2. What did you learn this semester about your own time management, writing and editorial skills?
• I learned that I can write in many different genres and in many different tones. Before this course, I had only written analysis on classic books and personal statement-like genres. So, my tone was usually very formal and academic. However, especially with this past project, I have been able to understand how to better write in a tone that is interesting and fun. I never thought that I would write a Buzzfeed article in a college course, even though now I can see its worth. In this type of genre, the author usually has a tone which is humorous and personal, which I think that I replicated well.  
3.  What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.
• I understand that a "genre" is simply a style of writing. However, within this style there are many guidelines and (especially) conventions that the author must follow in order for it to be considered as a piece of work within the genre. Understanding the concept of a genre is helpful for both when given an assignment about a specific genre or in the future when publishing pieces of work for a specific audience. In both instances, you should understand the conventions within a genre and, at least for the last scenario, find a genre that works best with the audience you are writing for.
4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?
• I think that I will use the planning style that this course has taught me when I am writing papers in the future. Along with this, I will be able to use the time management skills that this course has taught me. I have learned that work is better done when split up into small steps, which can be used for any sort of assignment (not just a paper). Finally, I have learned how to properly analyze another author's piece of argument and what to look for within their text. This will be especially helpful to me in the future because I will need to so some sort of research, and in this research I will need to look at scholarly articles. 
5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H? 
• I would say that my most effective moment was once I sat down and figured out a proper schedule for me to finish these deadlines in a timely manner. This was at the beginning of our second project. One day, I took a few minutes before starting on my nightly routine of homework and decided that if I could work on my blog between classes (when given the time), I would have less to do at home. From there, I found a good way to organize my time for the rest of my classes as well.
6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H? 
• I think that my least effective moment actually lasted for about a month at the beginning of the semester. One, I would put off all of the deadlines that I needed to do until Friday. However, I thought that the actual due date for the deadline was at 11:59 AM, not PM. So, I was going through my work stressing myself out and not being able to focus on the key details within my work.

Revisiting My Writing Process

In this post I will be reflecting upon my past semester in regards to my writing process. I will be referencing two blog posts (1.10 and 1.12) that I wrote in the beginning of the course.

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For my writing process, I think that it has definitely changed for the better. Mostly, I think that I procrastinate less and have been able to turn my "heavy planning" into something more productive, rather than just throwing all my thoughts onto a page as my first draft. For example, I feel that this past project (where we drafted our own piece of public argument) was the best experience I had authoring any sort of assignment. I started the deadline earlier than normal and was able to write a first draft that I was actually proud of a day ahead. From there, while I was working on the deadline I was able to slowly revise my listicle to work out all the details I needed. I actually thought my final draft was polished, which is something very different than how I normally end up feeling. Now, I think that I have the time management skills to spread out my planning and find time to revise my drafts.

For the referenced time management, it also changed for the better, even though it may have been less prominent of a change. I can still be considered a procrastinator, but to less of a degree. At the beginning of the semester, I was not following the plan that I had set out for myself. But, as the course went on, I found that actually following a set plan (revised to how my other coursework turned out to be) was really helpful in completing better assignments in a timely fashion. Now, I can usually finish the whole assigned deadline at least a day early, which leaves time to finish revising the project itself. 

Overall, I think that the way that this course was structured helped me to figure out a plan for my future classes, even if they are not on the subject of English. As I continue progressing in my college career, I think that I will end up finding the balance of the writing process that works for me and end up becoming successful in writing an assignment without being rushed and/or stressed out.

Reflection on Project 3

For this post I will be reflecting on my writing process for Project 3- my listicle. I will be using the questions from Writing Public Lives.

Dokkum, Remko van. "MacBook Pro backlit keyboard" 10/10/09 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic 

What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

• The amount of commentary from me about my topic and sources was changed. I did not have enough comments within my first draft, therefore, I added a little bit more in the second.

How did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

• I didn't reconsider my thesis or organization that much, as I felt that I did all that thought for my first draft. I still feel like my listicle is organized well because it looks like how Buzzfeed would organize an article. 

What led you to these changes? 

• The instructor meetings helped me to realize what I needed to change and add within my draft. Also, thinking back upon the purpose of my listicle helped me to really focus on what needed to be changed.

How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

• Depending on the way an author adds his or her commentary, it could affect their credibility either way. However, I made sure to keep my credibility by not adding any radical opinions or attacks to the other opinion.

How will these changes better address the audience or venue?

• I think that these changes add appeals toward my credibility, and therefore, my audience is likely to analyze what I am saying further and in turn my purpose for this article is fulfilled.

How did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

• While I did not change the sentence structure, I did reword a few things within my draft. First, I edited my conclusion to end on a more positive note-as Buzzfeed would. Then, I added some commentary about my sources after they were mentioned. 

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

• I think that these changes will really help my audience to understand that I want them to see the positive side of AI technology. Also, I think that adding my own comments can make the article more personal, therefore adding the appeal to emotion. 

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

• I did change the way that I cited each image. However, I did not change much else in regards to the listicle conventions. 

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

• I feel like reflection helps me to understand what I can change about my writing and my process for the next assignment. For example, based on my last project's reflection I realized that I really needed to put more effort into my first draft. Therefore, for this project, I did the bulk of my assignment in my draft, so that now for my final draft I only have to edit the details and give it the polished look that it needs.

Publishing Public Argument

This post serves as both a link to my final public argument (yay!) and some information about the appeals used in my argument, along with the purpose and audience.

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Here is the link to my final project. 

Some 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:

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

         ___X____ 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:

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.)

                    __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)

                    _____ 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)

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

                    _____ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    __X___ 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.)

                    __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

                    ____ 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

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

                    __X___ 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

                    _____ 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:

Example 1
Example 2 
Example 3

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

This post will serve as a reflection on the peer review of my draft, as well as the direction of my draft overall.

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Hyperlinks to peer review sheets:
Charles 
Scott

• Who reviewed your Project 3 draft?
• Addie Stansbury and Charles Novak

• What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received? 
• I feel that the feedback I got for my project was helpful overall. Addie and Charles were great in telling me what sounded awkward and what needed to be added, but also showed me what was good within my draft so I could continue that. 
• The instructor conferences were very helpful as well, as it mostly helped me to realize what I need to change in my argument itself.

• What aspects of Project 3 need to most work going forward [Audience, Purpose, Argumentation, or Genre]? How do you plan on addressing these areas? 
• For my specific draft, I think that I need to work on my purpose and argumentation the most. For my purpose, I really want to be sure to write about AI in a positive light, even enough so that the audience may start to see it in a good light as well. I think that this would help to get the younger generation interested in working with AI as well. As for the argumentation, after instructor conferencing I now realize that I need to add some more of my own commentary on each source that I present within my listicle. So, I will go through and add my own thoughts.

• How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?
• I'm actually feeling pretty good with my project so far! The instructor conference was all about helping me with the bulk of my project, but I do not need to change too much. Addie and Charles' feedback helped me with the details of my project, which is especially helpful because as writers, we sometimes neglect the details. With this feedback, I think that I can make my final project a strong one!