Finally, the last Peer Review Process! Not that I didn't like it, but I just couldn't wait for the semester to be done with. For this last peer review, we used Google Docs again, just because everyone agreed that this was a much easier program to use, and I agree as well.
The final essay is a reflection of the movie making process that we did as a group. On the day of peer review, we were divided into groups with people that weren't in our collaborative video project group, which I thought was beneficial. As I was reading through a couple of my other blogs about peer review, I noticed that I was upset because there were never enough people in my peer review group, and so I wasn't getting enough feedback. This time, I was finally in a group of 4, which I was very thankful for, just because I wanted as much feedback as I possibly could get.
I did receive the most feedback that I ever did all semester for this essay. The only problem was that one person in the group didn't contribute, and so I only received feedback from two other people. I had my rough draft essay posted well before Thanksgiving break, and was hoping to get some work done, before we went back to school. That didn't work out the way I planned. The people in my group didn't submit or revise any papers, until after the break, which was a bit of a set back. The only advice I have for this specific peer review, is that Thanksgiving break is a bad time to get a lot of work done.
I liked the overall process of peer review, but for future purposes, I think there should be a way for you to analyze more closely what students are revising, and so this will motivate the students to contribute to their peers in the groups.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
What is Style Part 2?
After reading a couple of my earlier blog entries, I realized that I had a good opinion of what style is prior to entering this class. The only problem I noticed, was that I didn't have any other clue about what Style is, other then a Style is different for each writer, their own in a sense. I felt like writing style was kind of like fashion style in a twisted kind of way. I used to believe that the way we choose what we want to wear is the same way we choose how we want to write. Clothes are a way to express ourselves, individually, and writing is as well.
Writing style is developed from many ways, other then just the way a writer feels like writing. A writing style comes from the topic of what the subject you are writing about is in. Is this a paper about movies, or is this a research paper on the history of presidency? This matters when it comes to the type of style the writer will be using. Another aspect, is who is the audience that the writer is directing the information towards. Does the audience know much about the topic being discussed, or is the audience completely in the dark, and have no idea about what the topic is. This will effect the way the writer chooses to layout the information in order for the reader to comprehend.
Strunk and White and Williams books, The Elements of Style, and What is Style, were packed with different rules and procedures of ways to improve your writing style. These books give information ranging from where the comma should be placed in a sentence, to comprehension, conversion, concision, and ways to make your paper 'flow'. These rules are all different options that allow the reader improve on their writing style. These aspects make a writers style much more concrete, and allow the reader to hear the voice of the author and see the style of the writer as well.
There are many ways that a writer can improve their writing style, which is not only based on one aspect. A writer never stops working to improve their work and is always looking for the best way to connect to their audience. This class has taught me to continue working on my writing style every time I write, and have come out of this class with a lot more resources and knowledge of how to improve my writing style.
Writing style is developed from many ways, other then just the way a writer feels like writing. A writing style comes from the topic of what the subject you are writing about is in. Is this a paper about movies, or is this a research paper on the history of presidency? This matters when it comes to the type of style the writer will be using. Another aspect, is who is the audience that the writer is directing the information towards. Does the audience know much about the topic being discussed, or is the audience completely in the dark, and have no idea about what the topic is. This will effect the way the writer chooses to layout the information in order for the reader to comprehend.
Strunk and White and Williams books, The Elements of Style, and What is Style, were packed with different rules and procedures of ways to improve your writing style. These books give information ranging from where the comma should be placed in a sentence, to comprehension, conversion, concision, and ways to make your paper 'flow'. These rules are all different options that allow the reader improve on their writing style. These aspects make a writers style much more concrete, and allow the reader to hear the voice of the author and see the style of the writer as well.
There are many ways that a writer can improve their writing style, which is not only based on one aspect. A writer never stops working to improve their work and is always looking for the best way to connect to their audience. This class has taught me to continue working on my writing style every time I write, and have come out of this class with a lot more resources and knowledge of how to improve my writing style.
Friday, November 14, 2008
You Tube / Low Bridge Videos
So far, this movie making process seems to be going in the right direction. I feel like a lot of us, the people in my group, have a lot of great ideas, but just need to organize them all together. Everyone in my group has been showing up everyday to work on our movie, so the time given in class is really helping us out. We finally got a script together, and began shooting film today. It was hard at first, just because there are so many ideas that we want to put into our 3 minute film. There are so many ideas flowing, but we haven't figured out how we are going to organize them to flow like a movie.
This process of movie making seems somewhat similar to the process of writing in a sense. There are so many ideas I come up with in my head, when I want to write a paper, but then have difficulty organizing all my thoughts into a paper that flows well. This is like the brainstorming step of writing. The next step is to get all the ideas down on paper, which I try to get as much as I can, and later edit what I don't need. This is like the process of shooting different scenes for the movie. We wanted to shoot as many takes and scenes as possible, so we can find the absolute best scene filmed. The last step for writing is proof reading and editing the paper. This step takes time, and help of others as well. Just like the editing of the movie. This step takes time, trying to figure out which scenes go best where, allowing the movie to naturally flow without looking awkward or unnatural.
As for me personally, I definitely see a lot of benefits of using YouTube for the writing classroom. I have named many similarities to writing and movie making above, but don't believe that a writing classroom should be limited to just this process. I feel like there are a lot of limitations with YouTube as well. YouTube has been used for entertainment purposes, and reasons other then writing processes. I feel like this can easily distract students, and doesn't allow them to see many good examples of what can be done on YouTube.
I wouldn't use YouTube for my classes, just because I feel like the writing process needs to be done in a classroom, as well as the use of technology. I feel like students need human contact, and input on the subject or topic of what they are writing about. Eye contact is needed from the students for a teacher to get an idea if the students are comprehending what is going on in the classroom. I like this idea of multimedia, but would prefer to teach my students the writing process in class, the old fashioned way!
This process of movie making seems somewhat similar to the process of writing in a sense. There are so many ideas I come up with in my head, when I want to write a paper, but then have difficulty organizing all my thoughts into a paper that flows well. This is like the brainstorming step of writing. The next step is to get all the ideas down on paper, which I try to get as much as I can, and later edit what I don't need. This is like the process of shooting different scenes for the movie. We wanted to shoot as many takes and scenes as possible, so we can find the absolute best scene filmed. The last step for writing is proof reading and editing the paper. This step takes time, and help of others as well. Just like the editing of the movie. This step takes time, trying to figure out which scenes go best where, allowing the movie to naturally flow without looking awkward or unnatural.
As for me personally, I definitely see a lot of benefits of using YouTube for the writing classroom. I have named many similarities to writing and movie making above, but don't believe that a writing classroom should be limited to just this process. I feel like there are a lot of limitations with YouTube as well. YouTube has been used for entertainment purposes, and reasons other then writing processes. I feel like this can easily distract students, and doesn't allow them to see many good examples of what can be done on YouTube.
I wouldn't use YouTube for my classes, just because I feel like the writing process needs to be done in a classroom, as well as the use of technology. I feel like students need human contact, and input on the subject or topic of what they are writing about. Eye contact is needed from the students for a teacher to get an idea if the students are comprehending what is going on in the classroom. I like this idea of multimedia, but would prefer to teach my students the writing process in class, the old fashioned way!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Peer Review Recap 3
For our third essay, Understanding Comics, we were able to use Google Docs to peer review with our classmates. This was something I was definitley excited about, because I hated using Wiki! There were issues that I had that were different than the first time I used Google Docs.
This time around, we had to count off to get into groups, we weren't able to pick who we wanted to peer review. This wasn't a big deal, but the only set back was that my group was really small, only 3 of us, compared to other peoples 4 or maybe 5 people. I wanted to get a lot of review this time around, seeing as though the last essay with Wiki, I wasn't able to get much review at all.
I still feel the same towards Google Docs, I really like using this tool to review. I think it's cool the way we are able to read the same paper, with new reviews from our peers. The only issue I had was in class submitting my paper, it wouldn't accept it for some weird reason, but never gives me a problem at home (I think its the Mac Computers). So far, I only recieved reviews from one person in my group, and am hoping for the other to respond to my annoying emails. This seems a little unfair, because I know a lot of people that are getting 3 or 4 reviews, this is the only thing I hate about this process.
After reviewing a few of my classmates blogs, I think it's safe to say that most of us prefer Google Docs. The majority of us believe it's easier, and serves the purpose of peer review much better. There were a lot of the same complaints as mine, the kind of feedback that was given was either minimal or useless. In my opinion, I would prefer editing on paper.
This time around, we had to count off to get into groups, we weren't able to pick who we wanted to peer review. This wasn't a big deal, but the only set back was that my group was really small, only 3 of us, compared to other peoples 4 or maybe 5 people. I wanted to get a lot of review this time around, seeing as though the last essay with Wiki, I wasn't able to get much review at all.
I still feel the same towards Google Docs, I really like using this tool to review. I think it's cool the way we are able to read the same paper, with new reviews from our peers. The only issue I had was in class submitting my paper, it wouldn't accept it for some weird reason, but never gives me a problem at home (I think its the Mac Computers). So far, I only recieved reviews from one person in my group, and am hoping for the other to respond to my annoying emails. This seems a little unfair, because I know a lot of people that are getting 3 or 4 reviews, this is the only thing I hate about this process.
After reviewing a few of my classmates blogs, I think it's safe to say that most of us prefer Google Docs. The majority of us believe it's easier, and serves the purpose of peer review much better. There were a lot of the same complaints as mine, the kind of feedback that was given was either minimal or useless. In my opinion, I would prefer editing on paper.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Reading and Writing about Comcis, Part 2
After reading a few of my classmates comics, I was able to see the huge range of comics posted on the web, other then the site I visited earlier. The comic that I thought was interesting was posted by Lukas Tasker, which is a comic by Daniel Goodbrey. The reason that I this comic caught my attention is a bit strange. I would assume that the comments with all of the action or bright colors would catch my attention, but this wasn't so. This comic is very simple, the words and images, and I think that's what caught my attention. I'm not used to reading a lot of comics, and so this one was simple enough for me to comprehend without getting too intimidated.
Lukas touches on the ideas of the categories mentioned in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, on page 71. I agree that this comic would fall into the Moment-to-Moment category, seeing as though it seems there is very little closure in this strip. It seems as though the moment caught in this comic, is over a very brief moment.
The topic I want to touch on, that Lukas hasn't mentioned about this comic is the combination of the words and images. McCloud mentions these combinations on page 153. I believe that this comic falls under the category of Word Specific. This means that the pictures in the comic illustrate to the viewer what to look at, but don't significantly add to a largely complete text. I believe that the text in this comic does more for the panel, then the picture does at all.
Lukas touches on the ideas of the categories mentioned in Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, on page 71. I agree that this comic would fall into the Moment-to-Moment category, seeing as though it seems there is very little closure in this strip. It seems as though the moment caught in this comic, is over a very brief moment.
The topic I want to touch on, that Lukas hasn't mentioned about this comic is the combination of the words and images. McCloud mentions these combinations on page 153. I believe that this comic falls under the category of Word Specific. This means that the pictures in the comic illustrate to the viewer what to look at, but don't significantly add to a largely complete text. I believe that the text in this comic does more for the panel, then the picture does at all.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Writing about Comics Part 1
Growing up, I never was into reading comics, they always reminded me of some sort of action hero stories, like Batman or Spider man, which didn't appeal to me. Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, is the first comic book I ever read. The positive aspect is that it teaches the reader how to understand and interpret comics, but I don't have a lot of experience in that, so this was all new information to me. At first this book was hard to read, not because of the text or language, but because of the way you have to read the words in a comic. The lines and bubbles were hard for me to read without getting distracted and wandering off to the drawings. I caught myself completely forgetting where I was at, and what the topic was about! After a few chapters of practice, I was able to get the hang of things and found myself flowing through the reading much easier, and enjoying it as well. I thought a lot of the illustrations were helpful and noticed the words changed for me with the illustrations.
I found a comic strip off the web using the site onlinecomics.net. This site allows you to read different comics, which are categorized either by genre or style. The comic that I found interesting is called Croaker's Gorge by Steven Ogden. This is about a boy who moves from the city to the country, and meets a bunch of smart-alec talking animals living in a polluted swamp behind his house. This comic is for people of all ages. This comic reminds me of when I was younger, and my parents taking my brothers and I on vacation up north. We hated it, couldn't wait to get back to the city life, we always were so bored! The boy in Croaker's Gorge hates moving there, and the animals don't make it much easier. I think it's hilarious.
The scene that I want to talk about in relation to McCloud is funny, and I chose this because it resembles the format for the comic that we have to create in class. Take a look at it right here. There are 3 frames, which is what we have to create for our comic as well.
According to McCloud on pages 70-71, the transition used is called Subject to Subject, or #3. This type "takes us from subject-to-subject while staying within a scene or idea." (pp 71). The reader involvement is needed in order for the transition to take place, where is he walking to; his room, kitchen, or is he going outside? The next frame takes us to the scene outside, but stays within the same subject. The other idea I want to point out it is the idea of Time Frames, which is Chapter 4 in McCloud's book. On page 101, there are demonstrations of how authors play with the frames in order to show time. They can either make the frames larger, or spaces between them larger as well. I found this comic interesting because he is shown walking from one frame, to the next, as if we are taking the time to walk with him. I thought this was a cool technique used, that I didn't see in McCloud's reading.
I found a comic strip off the web using the site onlinecomics.net. This site allows you to read different comics, which are categorized either by genre or style. The comic that I found interesting is called Croaker's Gorge by Steven Ogden. This is about a boy who moves from the city to the country, and meets a bunch of smart-alec talking animals living in a polluted swamp behind his house. This comic is for people of all ages. This comic reminds me of when I was younger, and my parents taking my brothers and I on vacation up north. We hated it, couldn't wait to get back to the city life, we always were so bored! The boy in Croaker's Gorge hates moving there, and the animals don't make it much easier. I think it's hilarious.
The scene that I want to talk about in relation to McCloud is funny, and I chose this because it resembles the format for the comic that we have to create in class. Take a look at it right here. There are 3 frames, which is what we have to create for our comic as well.
According to McCloud on pages 70-71, the transition used is called Subject to Subject, or #3. This type "takes us from subject-to-subject while staying within a scene or idea." (pp 71). The reader involvement is needed in order for the transition to take place, where is he walking to; his room, kitchen, or is he going outside? The next frame takes us to the scene outside, but stays within the same subject. The other idea I want to point out it is the idea of Time Frames, which is Chapter 4 in McCloud's book. On page 101, there are demonstrations of how authors play with the frames in order to show time. They can either make the frames larger, or spaces between them larger as well. I found this comic interesting because he is shown walking from one frame, to the next, as if we are taking the time to walk with him. I thought this was a cool technique used, that I didn't see in McCloud's reading.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Picturing Texts on the Web
When I hear the word 'text' I immediately think of words. After reading chapter 1 of Picturing Texts, I was able to realize that there is more to this word then just words on paper. Images, pictures, symbols, and words are all apart of the definition of the word, text. From this chapter I was able to develop a language needed to use for describing the concepts involved with the texts. These concepts include, balance, classification, comparison and contrast, description, emphasis, metaphor, narration, pattern, point of view, proportion, and unity.
I found a web page, with an image that I found interesting in relation to the concepts of Picturing Texts. The picture is called Tangerine, a photo taken by Justin Grant. First, take a look at the picture right here.
The first concept I believe this picture relates to is balance. This picture brings an equal amount of weight on each side of the photo. The necklace is a tangerine, that is hanging over one side of the eye, but is balanced out by the chain hanging on the other side of the face. This is also balanced by the shape of the necklace as well. One side is shaped like a tangerine, with a colorful, smooth surface, while the other is a silver, chain texture. This balances out the photo.
The next concept I will talk about in relation to this photo is emphasis. The face of the woman captures our attention the emphasis is towards the tangerine over the eye. After looking at the picture I, find myself being drawn towards the tangerine. The colors and the detail of the tangerine may have an affect as to the emphasis of it in the photo. The color of the tangerine is orange in the photo, which is bright, and causes the viewers eyes to be directed towards it.
I do believe that there is some sort of a pattern in this photo. I don't necessarily think it's as intense as the Chinese symbol of Yin and Yang, but I do believe there is importance to it. The color of the eyes, with the color of the lips, skin, and necklace all seem to blend together. These patterns communicate to the viewers to direct our attention to where the photographer, or author wants them to go. The color of the tangerine is the brightest, and so the photographer has emphasized this for the viewers to direct our attention towards it.
I found a web page, with an image that I found interesting in relation to the concepts of Picturing Texts. The picture is called Tangerine, a photo taken by Justin Grant. First, take a look at the picture right here.
The first concept I believe this picture relates to is balance. This picture brings an equal amount of weight on each side of the photo. The necklace is a tangerine, that is hanging over one side of the eye, but is balanced out by the chain hanging on the other side of the face. This is also balanced by the shape of the necklace as well. One side is shaped like a tangerine, with a colorful, smooth surface, while the other is a silver, chain texture. This balances out the photo.
The next concept I will talk about in relation to this photo is emphasis. The face of the woman captures our attention the emphasis is towards the tangerine over the eye. After looking at the picture I, find myself being drawn towards the tangerine. The colors and the detail of the tangerine may have an affect as to the emphasis of it in the photo. The color of the tangerine is orange in the photo, which is bright, and causes the viewers eyes to be directed towards it.
I do believe that there is some sort of a pattern in this photo. I don't necessarily think it's as intense as the Chinese symbol of Yin and Yang, but I do believe there is importance to it. The color of the eyes, with the color of the lips, skin, and necklace all seem to blend together. These patterns communicate to the viewers to direct our attention to where the photographer, or author wants them to go. The color of the tangerine is the brightest, and so the photographer has emphasized this for the viewers to direct our attention towards it.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Peer Review Recap 2
For the second essay of this class, writing style rules, we used a different program to peer review. The program we used is from wiki, called wet paint. Personally, I did not like this program at all. I had a lot of technical difficulties from the very beginning with this. I wasn't able to log in, it was telling me I was using the wrong password, or wrong email. The problem was that I was using the correct password. It wouldn't email me my password, and then it would say that I was already logged in with my user name. This took up a lot of time that I could have been using to review people's essays.
I did not like the tools that were available for use to edit the work. I had to constantly go to the toolbar to change the color I wanted to type with, it wouldn't allow me to just type. I wasn't able to cross out sentences the way I was with Google Docs, I had to actually type 'cross this out' which I felt looked sloppy. I don't know if there are tools that allows you to edit papers this way, but I didn't know where they were.
After looking at my essay, I realized that there wasn't much, of any, helpful corrections. I needed to help for this essay, and don't feel like I got the same amount as I did with the first essay. Another thing that I didn't like, was that some people's papers overflowed with comments, I don't understand why, maybe their the popular ones, whatever.
I would suggest using the Google Docs program. It's way more efficient, and productive as well. I felt like it was more intimate with our groups, and so the reviews were much more helpful then they were while using the wiki.
I did not like the tools that were available for use to edit the work. I had to constantly go to the toolbar to change the color I wanted to type with, it wouldn't allow me to just type. I wasn't able to cross out sentences the way I was with Google Docs, I had to actually type 'cross this out' which I felt looked sloppy. I don't know if there are tools that allows you to edit papers this way, but I didn't know where they were.
After looking at my essay, I realized that there wasn't much, of any, helpful corrections. I needed to help for this essay, and don't feel like I got the same amount as I did with the first essay. Another thing that I didn't like, was that some people's papers overflowed with comments, I don't understand why, maybe their the popular ones, whatever.
I would suggest using the Google Docs program. It's way more efficient, and productive as well. I felt like it was more intimate with our groups, and so the reviews were much more helpful then they were while using the wiki.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
What are others Saying?
After reading a few of my classmates blogs about their feelings towards Strunk and White and Williams, I was able to see that there are people with the same feelings towards Strunk and White as mine. Many people agreed that after reading Strunk and White they had gained specific answers about grammar rules that they always had. Rebecca made an interesting statement in her blog about Strunk and White, "I was turned off when these authors put down writers who don’t follow their strict rules." (http://rcreteau.blogspot.com) I think that this is a big issue for students that are reading this book, and are trying to get a benefit towards their writing style out of it. I agree with Becca, because I felt the same after reading some of the issues that seemed to annoy Strunk and White. I found myself being turned off to what they had to say, and found that a lot of the issues they had didn't matter all that much in a persons writing style.
As I was looking at the syllabus, I must have gotten something mixed up because I thought that we had two days to read Williams entire book (not something I would recommend!) I would have to agree with Rudi stating, "Williams' book is far better, more useful and more in-depth, but also harder to use" (http://clocklife.blogspot.com) I found that this book was much harder then Strunk and White, but after class discussions I was able to comprehend each chapter much clearer. I felt that the information from Williams was a lot more beneficial as a college student. I personally don't feel that grammar is that big of an issue nowadays, with spell check so handy, but the Eloquence and Concision of writing truly makes a difference in our work. I enjoyed reading what others in class had to say about Strunk and White and Williams, I gained a new view towards the authors as well.
As I was looking at the syllabus, I must have gotten something mixed up because I thought that we had two days to read Williams entire book (not something I would recommend!) I would have to agree with Rudi stating, "Williams' book is far better, more useful and more in-depth, but also harder to use" (http://clocklife.blogspot.com) I found that this book was much harder then Strunk and White, but after class discussions I was able to comprehend each chapter much clearer. I felt that the information from Williams was a lot more beneficial as a college student. I personally don't feel that grammar is that big of an issue nowadays, with spell check so handy, but the Eloquence and Concision of writing truly makes a difference in our work. I enjoyed reading what others in class had to say about Strunk and White and Williams, I gained a new view towards the authors as well.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Comparing Strunk and White with Williams
As I was reading through some of my blog postings, I reflected back on what I said after I read Strunk and White's Elements of Style. After I read this book I really enjoyed the information that was available for me to practice. I realized that this book contained a lot of answers that I had questions to as a writer. I feel that this book is focused towards the technical part of writing, rather then the quality or eloquence of it.
Joseph Williams' book Style: Toward Clarity and Grace does begin with the same type of format, or information about writing as does Strunk and White. During the beginning 0f the book Williams begins by teaching the basics needed to write clearly, with a proper flow and emphasis of writing as well. I believe that a lot of these elements are similar in both books. Towards the second half of Williams, he goes into more depth about the eloquence and grace of writing, assuming that we can now write clear, coherent, and appropriately.
Strunk and White never seem to go into detail as the way Williams was able to. I feel that Strunk and White were directed towards a less advanced audience, and so this book was starting at the beginning, or back to the basics as some would say. I feel like Strunk and White were much more opinionated, and were trying to teach their audience how to write without annoying them. I feel like Williams directed his audience towards a much more advanced writer. Even though the beginning chapters begin with a lot of basic rules, it still seems to be more advanced and depth then Strunk and White ever really get to. I also feel like Williams is much more complex, and there is a lot of information to learn, but feel like this was very helpful for a senior in college.
Joseph Williams' book Style: Toward Clarity and Grace does begin with the same type of format, or information about writing as does Strunk and White. During the beginning 0f the book Williams begins by teaching the basics needed to write clearly, with a proper flow and emphasis of writing as well. I believe that a lot of these elements are similar in both books. Towards the second half of Williams, he goes into more depth about the eloquence and grace of writing, assuming that we can now write clear, coherent, and appropriately.
Strunk and White never seem to go into detail as the way Williams was able to. I feel that Strunk and White were directed towards a less advanced audience, and so this book was starting at the beginning, or back to the basics as some would say. I feel like Strunk and White were much more opinionated, and were trying to teach their audience how to write without annoying them. I feel like Williams directed his audience towards a much more advanced writer. Even though the beginning chapters begin with a lot of basic rules, it still seems to be more advanced and depth then Strunk and White ever really get to. I also feel like Williams is much more complex, and there is a lot of information to learn, but feel like this was very helpful for a senior in college.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Revising with Williams
After reading Joseph Williams' Style: Toward Clarity and Grave, there are a lot of helpful tips for a Style of writing. I found a passage from the 'Admissions' link in the EMU Catalogs. This passage states, "Eastern Michigan University is open to students who have the potential to succeed academically as determined by a review of official high school records and/or college records. Admission to the University is based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, the review of high school or college grade point average, high school or college curriculum and scores on standardized tests.
I revised this passage to state, "Eastern Michigan University is open to students who have the potential to succeed academically. This is determined by a review of official high school and/or college records. Admission to the University is based on the review of high school or college grade point average, high school or college curriculum and scores on standardized tests.
I found that the passage I chose to revise was unclear, it wasn't easy for me to read and understand. After I read it, I had to read the passage again because I couldn't comprehend the direct message. I used Chapter 2, titled Clarity, to help revise this passage.
I felt like this passage was making the reader work too hard, because we have to re-assemble and sort out the actions in our minds. This is discussed on page 18. I tried to fix this by separating the first sentence into two. I eliminated a few words, and felt like this was easier to read. I also eliminated words from the last sentence. I felt like there were unnecessary words in this sentence that only took the reader away from the topic. I made the sentence shorter, causing the passage to flow and easier for the reader to understand.
I revised this passage to state, "Eastern Michigan University is open to students who have the potential to succeed academically. This is determined by a review of official high school and/or college records. Admission to the University is based on the review of high school or college grade point average, high school or college curriculum and scores on standardized tests.
I found that the passage I chose to revise was unclear, it wasn't easy for me to read and understand. After I read it, I had to read the passage again because I couldn't comprehend the direct message. I used Chapter 2, titled Clarity, to help revise this passage.
I felt like this passage was making the reader work too hard, because we have to re-assemble and sort out the actions in our minds. This is discussed on page 18. I tried to fix this by separating the first sentence into two. I eliminated a few words, and felt like this was easier to read. I also eliminated words from the last sentence. I felt like there were unnecessary words in this sentence that only took the reader away from the topic. I made the sentence shorter, causing the passage to flow and easier for the reader to understand.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Strunk and White: First Impressions
After reading Strunk and White's, The Elements of Style, I was intrigued with the information in the book. I felt the book was a fairly easy read and the information wasn't overbearing to comprehend. As I was reading, I realized that there were answers in this book to many of the questions that I had as a writer. This is a little book, but I feel that is useful to have for writers of any level. I feel that the book is conveniently small for writers to have in any place, and easy to look up information as well.
There were several "elements" mentioned that I felt are useful for me to have as a writer. The element that caught my attention was chapter 4, which was a list of words and expressions commonly misused. There are a lot of words listed that I commonly misuse, and honestly didn't know the correct meanings. For example nauseous meaning sickening to contemplate, and nauseated meaning sick at the stomach. I have always used these words interchangeably, not knowing the difference in meaning. In Chapter 4 I liked that the words listed were written with examples of how they were used incorrectly, and the correct way to use these words as well. I felt this to be most helpful.
There were a few elements that I found unhelpful for a writer, or just couldn't understand. Chapter 3 discusses the matters of form. I found that some of these were dated. The discussion of margins isn't of any help, since most writers use a word processor with margins already set. Also, I don't feel that there is one correct way of writing titles, headings, or numerals in a paper. I feel like there are many correct ways, other then the ones stated by Strunk and White.
Overall, I found that this is a useful reference book for any writer, or student to own. I feel like this is a book that answers questions that many of us have. I don't think that there are exact rules for each element of writing, but I do feel that there are useful examples in this book that a writer can always refer back to.
There were several "elements" mentioned that I felt are useful for me to have as a writer. The element that caught my attention was chapter 4, which was a list of words and expressions commonly misused. There are a lot of words listed that I commonly misuse, and honestly didn't know the correct meanings. For example nauseous meaning sickening to contemplate, and nauseated meaning sick at the stomach. I have always used these words interchangeably, not knowing the difference in meaning. In Chapter 4 I liked that the words listed were written with examples of how they were used incorrectly, and the correct way to use these words as well. I felt this to be most helpful.
There were a few elements that I found unhelpful for a writer, or just couldn't understand. Chapter 3 discusses the matters of form. I found that some of these were dated. The discussion of margins isn't of any help, since most writers use a word processor with margins already set. Also, I don't feel that there is one correct way of writing titles, headings, or numerals in a paper. I feel like there are many correct ways, other then the ones stated by Strunk and White.
Overall, I found that this is a useful reference book for any writer, or student to own. I feel like this is a book that answers questions that many of us have. I don't think that there are exact rules for each element of writing, but I do feel that there are useful examples in this book that a writer can always refer back to.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Peer Review Recap
The first assignment of the ENGL328 class was to invent our own writing technologies, without the use of any tools such as pens, pencils, paper, computer, basically any sort of technology. We then had to write a 5-6 page essay of how our invention process went, what we learned after writing text without the use of technology, and connections to class readings as well.
Once the essay was finished we were to submit it online to Google Docs. I have never used this before, but felt it was very easy to do. We were placed in small groups of 3, which I liked, and then share our essay with the people in our group. I thought it was cool that we could share our docs with whomever we wanted, rather then with the whole class. I never peer reviewed someones paper online, I have always done so with a hard copy. I felt like this was much better and easier to use. There were a lot of tools available to use (such as spell check, word count, thesaurus,etc.) in which I wouldn't have readily available with a hard copy in front of me. I felt like I was able to say what I wanted in the documentation much clearer then I would have on a hard copy trying to scribble and point weird arrows everywhere. I also liked that I was able to get feedback from two different people, and see which comment was from whom, so if I had any questions about it, I was able to ask that person.
The only issues that I had with using Google Docs, was that because it was live, I was confused if the person has already reviewed my paper, or were in the process of reviewing it. I felt like that was hard, but once I learned that if a person just reads the doc, it will tell me it's reviewed by that person, when this necessarily isn't the case. Now that I know this, I will need to have a little more patience waiting for my reviews from my peers!
Once the essay was finished we were to submit it online to Google Docs. I have never used this before, but felt it was very easy to do. We were placed in small groups of 3, which I liked, and then share our essay with the people in our group. I thought it was cool that we could share our docs with whomever we wanted, rather then with the whole class. I never peer reviewed someones paper online, I have always done so with a hard copy. I felt like this was much better and easier to use. There were a lot of tools available to use (such as spell check, word count, thesaurus,etc.) in which I wouldn't have readily available with a hard copy in front of me. I felt like I was able to say what I wanted in the documentation much clearer then I would have on a hard copy trying to scribble and point weird arrows everywhere. I also liked that I was able to get feedback from two different people, and see which comment was from whom, so if I had any questions about it, I was able to ask that person.
The only issues that I had with using Google Docs, was that because it was live, I was confused if the person has already reviewed my paper, or were in the process of reviewing it. I felt like that was hard, but once I learned that if a person just reads the doc, it will tell me it's reviewed by that person, when this necessarily isn't the case. Now that I know this, I will need to have a little more patience waiting for my reviews from my peers!
Monday, September 15, 2008
My Writing Technologies
I have been able to read since I was about four years old, so I don't have a memory of what it feels like not to be able to read. I also have been writing since I was at a very young age as well. I have always enjoyed reading and writing, and always felt that it is the 'norm' to be able to read and write. I grew up in a household where both of my parents came to this country at an older age. They had little education from the country they grew up in, working and providing was more important at the time then school and education. I can remember teaching my father to read and write in English when I was in the third grade. My family was not big on the new technology of using computers, and so I was not familiar with a lot of technology other then the incorporation of it in school.
Now that I am in my fourth year of college I have become very familiar with several writing technologies that I use all the time. Before I read the articles in this class, I honestly wouldn't have said that using a pencil or pen to write was a 'technology' tool that I use. I was so used to writing with pencil on paper, that this actually seemed old fashioned to me. But, this is definitely a tool that I use all the time. I like to write notes in class, brainstorm on paper before I actually type an essay, because I like to see work in my own writing. I feel if I see information in my handwriting, I will comprehend it much easier. I also use the computer all the time for several writing tools. I definitely use word processor for my essays or any professional documentation. I use email to keep in touch or ask questions with my peers or co-workers as well. I have used the Internet for for writing tools as well. I have taken an online course where everything was discussed online. I have also used caucus and blogger for class discussions. I have used Livetext to post some of my writing work to be seen and read.
I feel as though I have become familiar with new writing technologies and use these tools for my advantage. I do feel that these tools have helped speed up the writing process. I feel as though information is much more convenient and easy for me to find. I try to avoid using emails as a way to catch up with a family member or an old friend. I get so busy, and am so used to being able to keep in contact with the world from my computer screen. I feel as though it is much more personal to keep in contact with a person through written letters, phone conversations, or physical visits.
Now that I am in my fourth year of college I have become very familiar with several writing technologies that I use all the time. Before I read the articles in this class, I honestly wouldn't have said that using a pencil or pen to write was a 'technology' tool that I use. I was so used to writing with pencil on paper, that this actually seemed old fashioned to me. But, this is definitely a tool that I use all the time. I like to write notes in class, brainstorm on paper before I actually type an essay, because I like to see work in my own writing. I feel if I see information in my handwriting, I will comprehend it much easier. I also use the computer all the time for several writing tools. I definitely use word processor for my essays or any professional documentation. I use email to keep in touch or ask questions with my peers or co-workers as well. I have used the Internet for for writing tools as well. I have taken an online course where everything was discussed online. I have also used caucus and blogger for class discussions. I have used Livetext to post some of my writing work to be seen and read.
I feel as though I have become familiar with new writing technologies and use these tools for my advantage. I do feel that these tools have helped speed up the writing process. I feel as though information is much more convenient and easy for me to find. I try to avoid using emails as a way to catch up with a family member or an old friend. I get so busy, and am so used to being able to keep in contact with the world from my computer screen. I feel as though it is much more personal to keep in contact with a person through written letters, phone conversations, or physical visits.
Monday, September 8, 2008
What is Style?
I believe that each person has their own distinct touch to the piece of work they are composing. Writing is a way for a person to express emotions, such as joy, anger, or even grief. Writing can also be used as a way for a person to share stories, experiences, and knowledge with others. I believe that we use writing as a form of speaking to one another and our voices are heard from the words being read off the paper. I don't believe that a writing style is necessarily "good" just because there are no grammatical errors. I believe that a Style is developed through the author being sincere in the words written on the paper, and the reader being able to hear the voice of the author as if they were speaking to one another.
I also believe that Style is developed from the society and culture the writer is living in. I believe that the topics and issues written are developed from a person's surroundings, family, emotions, beliefs and life experiences as well. For example, we just finished discussing a selection from Plato's Phaedrus in class. In this reading, there were jokes about homosexual relationships between a younger boy and an older man. This was seen as normal during this era by the Greeks, which is viewed quite a bit different now, in several ways.
Writing Style is developed by the writer and is as unique as the sound of each person's voice.
I also believe that Style is developed from the society and culture the writer is living in. I believe that the topics and issues written are developed from a person's surroundings, family, emotions, beliefs and life experiences as well. For example, we just finished discussing a selection from Plato's Phaedrus in class. In this reading, there were jokes about homosexual relationships between a younger boy and an older man. This was seen as normal during this era by the Greeks, which is viewed quite a bit different now, in several ways.
Writing Style is developed by the writer and is as unique as the sound of each person's voice.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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