Overall, I really enjoyed this online English 103 course. I had never taken an online class before, and I was not sure what to expect or exactly how this was going to be conducted. The college grapevine says that “online classes are easy,” so I came into this online class with some of these expectations. I mean, not entirely “easy”. I don’t expect anything that requires some work to be easy, but I was under the impression that the course overall would be slightly more relaxed as compared to a face to face course. Well, I have to say that the grapevine was completely misleading, at least about this course. I have never been assigned so much work in my life! Many long nights with late hours were the scenario throughout this semester, and I missed a lot of sleep over the work load that this class required. However, even though I hate missing sleep, I am sure that this course will prove to be beneficial to me when I am able to graduate and transfer from AVC to a four year university where the work load will be heavy like this, maybe even heavier. I will benefit from not only just the intense work load, but also the depth of each assignment that was extremely challenging and educational. The reading material that was required for each assignment was very interesting, educational, and informational. I actually enjoyed and looked forward to the reading for each writing assignment, and I think that this is what kept me tuned in.
I got off to a good start, but the first group assignments were a little confusing to me at first. Peer Draft Review? Are you telling me that I have to read other students work, and critique it? I had never done this before, not in this way. I have helped teachers correct fellow student’s homework or tests in the past, but this was for assignments that used either multiple choice, true or false, or single answers that were either right or wrong with no room for discussion or comments. But the Peer Draft Reviews were different because you get to objectively offer your opinion, and this experience will help me a lot when I become a teacher. As a matter of fact, I will incorporate this type of work for my own students when I am teaching a class of my own.
This initial confusion with the group assignments, as well as a few personal life situations, forced me to miss a couple of assignments, and this threw me off track temporarily. However, my one on one meetings with Jennifer really helped me get back on track, and without being able to meet with her in person, I may not have been able to hang in there. Thank you Jennifer, for the assistance as well as the overall positive experience that this course has given me. Good luck to everyone in this class, especially to those in the Pardis group that gave me all the good advice.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Growth and Development
As I look back at all of assignments that I have completed this semester, I feel that my writing has improved tremendously as a result of taking this English 103 course. Prior to starting this course, I thought that my writing was much better than it actually was, but my experiences with this course have shown me that I had a lot of room for improvement. I think that my level of critical thinking is pretty good, I am fairly well read on most subjects, and can understand and respond intelligently to different perspectives and opinions. However, being a good critical thinker or speaker is not the same as being a good critical thinking writer, and like I said, this challenging course has shown me that I need a lot of work.
This semester’s experience has helped me in many ways. One of the main reasons that I think that I have gained so much this semester is the material that we were assigned to read and write about. Almost everything that I have read has been based on extremely interesting topics, and has been very informational as well. The material has been the kind of stuff that I would probably read up on anyway, so it always kept me focused, interested, and eager to get to work on the assignments. I admit that I was challenged by the weekly Exploring Language chapter questions, which were not as difficult as they were long, and sometimes a bit tedious. However, these assignments, combined with the other assignments that were due that week, really taught me how to buckle down and sweat when it comes to getting your all of your work done on time.
The various types of assignments required for this course has helped to enhance my writing ability in many ways. Also, the many of the assignments have been different and challenging, such as the blogs and responses, Peer Draft Reviews, and the specific style essays like Synthesis and Rhetorical Analysis. All of these were completely new to me, especially the blogs and responses, so I have definitely learned a lot from these writing assignments. Another area where I learned a lot is with properly the citing sources that I use, which is a mandatory and very important element to almost any paper or essay. I was setting up my quotes and sources completely wrong, in a way that was confusing to readers. The Peer Draft Reviews within my Pardis group, as well as coaching and assistance from our instructor, has helped me see this. Also, I have learned to put the punctuation marks inside of the quotes, instead of on the outside (duh). In addition to the proper format of quoting citations, I also feel that I am much better at incorporating the quotes or information that I get from my sources in a much more creative way, such as using box quotes, and cleverly weaving quotes into sentences. I'm glad that I took this class, and all of this experience will help me tremendously as a writer, and will be beneficial as I continue my education and in my future career as a teacher.
This semester’s experience has helped me in many ways. One of the main reasons that I think that I have gained so much this semester is the material that we were assigned to read and write about. Almost everything that I have read has been based on extremely interesting topics, and has been very informational as well. The material has been the kind of stuff that I would probably read up on anyway, so it always kept me focused, interested, and eager to get to work on the assignments. I admit that I was challenged by the weekly Exploring Language chapter questions, which were not as difficult as they were long, and sometimes a bit tedious. However, these assignments, combined with the other assignments that were due that week, really taught me how to buckle down and sweat when it comes to getting your all of your work done on time.
The various types of assignments required for this course has helped to enhance my writing ability in many ways. Also, the many of the assignments have been different and challenging, such as the blogs and responses, Peer Draft Reviews, and the specific style essays like Synthesis and Rhetorical Analysis. All of these were completely new to me, especially the blogs and responses, so I have definitely learned a lot from these writing assignments. Another area where I learned a lot is with properly the citing sources that I use, which is a mandatory and very important element to almost any paper or essay. I was setting up my quotes and sources completely wrong, in a way that was confusing to readers. The Peer Draft Reviews within my Pardis group, as well as coaching and assistance from our instructor, has helped me see this. Also, I have learned to put the punctuation marks inside of the quotes, instead of on the outside (duh). In addition to the proper format of quoting citations, I also feel that I am much better at incorporating the quotes or information that I get from my sources in a much more creative way, such as using box quotes, and cleverly weaving quotes into sentences. I'm glad that I took this class, and all of this experience will help me tremendously as a writer, and will be beneficial as I continue my education and in my future career as a teacher.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Balance...
Our English class has been assigned the task of writing a lengthy research paper, and for me personally, a responsibility like this could not have come at a worse time. The first draft is due on Sunday, and I am doing my best to get this completed on time. Aside from all of the other general issues that are involved with my life, such as raising four teenagers, I have a total of five classes this semester and the work load is heavy on all of them. I am extremely happy that Jennifer Gross, our instructor for this course, has graciously lightened some of the other assignments that would normally be due in order to give us time to work on this research project. Even with that said, this research paper is a major balancing act for me. However, school overall is a major balancing act, as is life in general, so I keep on pushing.
I began writing the outline for this essay a couple of weeks ago, and I have completed a few draft pages over the past weekend and last few days of this week. It is coming along good, but the topic that I am writing about is very detailed, and I do not want to miss anything. I have to have an area to work in where I can concentrate and dedicate completely myself to researching and writing, and with four teenagers this is a big challenge. The phone rings frequently, and even though it is rarely someone calling for me, this is a big distraction. I have to drop them off and pick them up from their schools, which are on different sides of town, which takes up time as well. Also, I have to stop working frequently in order to tell them to clean up their room and finish their chores and homework, etc. This takes up quite a bit of my time, because when I have to stop working on this project to deal with them, I have to use some time in order to refocus and be able to pick up where I left off. Actually my kids are great and are pretty self sustaining, but they do need various things from me from time to time, and this is the balancing act.
I am very critical of, and take personal pride in, all of the work that I do, so I want this to come out correct for reasons that do not involve a grade. Even if I get a good score on an essay, such as, let’s say, 95/100, I always want to know why I didn’t get the additional 5 points so that I can make sure to fix this on future projects. A good example of this is with making sure that I cite all of my sources correctly, which has been challenging on other papers or essay that I have completed for this course. I guess I’ll finish up this blog and get to work on my research project, since no one is home and I can finally concentrate.
Good luck to all my class mates on this research project!
I began writing the outline for this essay a couple of weeks ago, and I have completed a few draft pages over the past weekend and last few days of this week. It is coming along good, but the topic that I am writing about is very detailed, and I do not want to miss anything. I have to have an area to work in where I can concentrate and dedicate completely myself to researching and writing, and with four teenagers this is a big challenge. The phone rings frequently, and even though it is rarely someone calling for me, this is a big distraction. I have to drop them off and pick them up from their schools, which are on different sides of town, which takes up time as well. Also, I have to stop working frequently in order to tell them to clean up their room and finish their chores and homework, etc. This takes up quite a bit of my time, because when I have to stop working on this project to deal with them, I have to use some time in order to refocus and be able to pick up where I left off. Actually my kids are great and are pretty self sustaining, but they do need various things from me from time to time, and this is the balancing act.
I am very critical of, and take personal pride in, all of the work that I do, so I want this to come out correct for reasons that do not involve a grade. Even if I get a good score on an essay, such as, let’s say, 95/100, I always want to know why I didn’t get the additional 5 points so that I can make sure to fix this on future projects. A good example of this is with making sure that I cite all of my sources correctly, which has been challenging on other papers or essay that I have completed for this course. I guess I’ll finish up this blog and get to work on my research project, since no one is home and I can finally concentrate.
Good luck to all my class mates on this research project!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I'm not feeling you...
We need to use email, etc. as a way to enhance our communication, not as a replacement for face to face communication. Let us not allow advanced technology, as cool and convenient as it can be, to replace the natural human ways of communicating. There is no equal substitute for face to face communication and personal social interaction. Email, chat rooms, instant messaging, and Facebook have partially replaced the social interaction that has been essential to human growth and development, and I think that this may have the potential to not serve us so well in the future. Communication is not just about words and language. Non verbal communication is a huge part of how we interact and understand each other, as well as a way to gauge and get to know our selves. When we restrict ourselves to the use of virtual methods to communicate, we miss out on the facial expressions, hand gestures, certain tones of voice, and body language that always take place during communication. How can we really express ourselves online with the same level of sincerity as if we are face to face?
We are replacing these essential parts of communication with other various ways to convey the same messages, such as emoticons and text slang (LOL, SMH, etc.). Instead of sitting with a friend and sharing a joke, and getting to exchange that feeling in person, my friend will now type “LMAO” and I replay with “ROFL”. BORING! Virtual flowers are not as effective as bringing them to a loved one yourself, and neither is an email kiss for a way to say “thank you”. I want to feel that kiss so that I know that it is real and that it is really coming from the person that I think it is. What’s next? There is already online dating, and this is a major way that people initially become aware of each other these days. But the entire relationship cannot be conducted online. Suppose you have a serious connection and feelings for this person, and marriage becomes a possibility. Eventually you will have to meet this person, unless technology comes up with a way to carry out a wedding ceremony online. “Click here for I do”. And please, I am certainly not willing to consummate my marriage via email. Then, will parents raise their children online? Send Lil Johnny an update at the end of the day with a checklist to make sure that he did his chores and goes to bed on time? We will be a world full of emotionless robots.
One of the main ways that I think that online interaction can be potentially damaging is for the education of young people, especially high school. Don’t get me wrong: I feel that online classes and distance learning can be a diverse, interesting, and beneficial way to learn, and can be a good experience when it is added to the standard curriculum. However, the same thing applies just like with other communication experiences, education through email and online education should not be a total substitute for in-class learning.
We are replacing these essential parts of communication with other various ways to convey the same messages, such as emoticons and text slang (LOL, SMH, etc.). Instead of sitting with a friend and sharing a joke, and getting to exchange that feeling in person, my friend will now type “LMAO” and I replay with “ROFL”. BORING! Virtual flowers are not as effective as bringing them to a loved one yourself, and neither is an email kiss for a way to say “thank you”. I want to feel that kiss so that I know that it is real and that it is really coming from the person that I think it is. What’s next? There is already online dating, and this is a major way that people initially become aware of each other these days. But the entire relationship cannot be conducted online. Suppose you have a serious connection and feelings for this person, and marriage becomes a possibility. Eventually you will have to meet this person, unless technology comes up with a way to carry out a wedding ceremony online. “Click here for I do”. And please, I am certainly not willing to consummate my marriage via email. Then, will parents raise their children online? Send Lil Johnny an update at the end of the day with a checklist to make sure that he did his chores and goes to bed on time? We will be a world full of emotionless robots.
One of the main ways that I think that online interaction can be potentially damaging is for the education of young people, especially high school. Don’t get me wrong: I feel that online classes and distance learning can be a diverse, interesting, and beneficial way to learn, and can be a good experience when it is added to the standard curriculum. However, the same thing applies just like with other communication experiences, education through email and online education should not be a total substitute for in-class learning.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
It’s just entertainment, right?
Editorial or political cartoons play an important role in American culture and communication. An important statement or perspective can be shared through these kinds of cartoons, and Americans have used cartoons to share opinions and perspectives for decades. One reason that cartoons have been successful for so long is because they can provide a relatively safe way to discuss serious issues without stepping directly on anyone’s toes or overly offending them. Cartoons are a form of comedy and entertainment and are presented using a medium that is there to be laughed at and not taken so seriously, even though it may address a very serious topic or situation. This is why comedians such as Bill Maher, George Carlin, and Chris Rock can have so much important social and political content within their routines and not be taken as seriously as if a politician made the same point with or without comedy. Both cartoons and stand-up comedy provide a safe way to openly address important issues without getting too much flack. After all, it’s just entertainment, right?
However, political cartoons may be going out of style as more and more Americans seem to devote much more of their interest and time to TMZ and American Idol than they are in most social or political programming. This seems to be true with most of the younger generation today, but many “grown ups” are paying less attention to social or political issues within entertainment. Overall, Americans seem to be less and less politically aware and more focused on celebrity topics and TMZ-esque topics. This is not restricted to political cartoons, as art that is delivered through other forms of media are also lacking any real social or political value. This is true with much of the music of today, which is also reflective of this kind of diversion away from paying attention to social or political issues. In previous generations, serious social and political debate and expression would take place within music, going back to Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger in the 60s, Edwin Starr, James Brown, and Gil Scott Heron in the 70s, and hip hop artists such as Run DMC, Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, Public Enemy, and NWA in the late 80s and early 90s. But those days are gone now; instead of important social commentary being infused into music and lyrics, most music today is just about partying, the opposite sex, and bragging and boasting.
Also, the types of political cartoons that are produced for print, like newspapers or magazines, are becoming somewhat of an endangered species these days. Printed medium in general is becoming extinct, and as more kinds of animated cartoons with political content are produced for the cable television and Internet mediums, this is where many people will be going to get their cartoon and comedy fulfillment, as well as to address political and social topics. We can say goodbye to the Sunday newspaper’s editorial cartoons, and welcome social and political topics to be discussed on (adult swim), The Boondocks, South Park, and Family Guy.
Tattoos are sometimes being used these days as political cartoons. Many tattoos use drawings that are cartoonish in style, sometimes even using detailed and unique characters. And they quite often tell stories as well as make statements at the same time, sometimes stories or statements that are quite controversial. Maybe this is the next medium for social and political commentary.
However, political cartoons may be going out of style as more and more Americans seem to devote much more of their interest and time to TMZ and American Idol than they are in most social or political programming. This seems to be true with most of the younger generation today, but many “grown ups” are paying less attention to social or political issues within entertainment. Overall, Americans seem to be less and less politically aware and more focused on celebrity topics and TMZ-esque topics. This is not restricted to political cartoons, as art that is delivered through other forms of media are also lacking any real social or political value. This is true with much of the music of today, which is also reflective of this kind of diversion away from paying attention to social or political issues. In previous generations, serious social and political debate and expression would take place within music, going back to Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger in the 60s, Edwin Starr, James Brown, and Gil Scott Heron in the 70s, and hip hop artists such as Run DMC, Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, Public Enemy, and NWA in the late 80s and early 90s. But those days are gone now; instead of important social commentary being infused into music and lyrics, most music today is just about partying, the opposite sex, and bragging and boasting.
Also, the types of political cartoons that are produced for print, like newspapers or magazines, are becoming somewhat of an endangered species these days. Printed medium in general is becoming extinct, and as more kinds of animated cartoons with political content are produced for the cable television and Internet mediums, this is where many people will be going to get their cartoon and comedy fulfillment, as well as to address political and social topics. We can say goodbye to the Sunday newspaper’s editorial cartoons, and welcome social and political topics to be discussed on (adult swim), The Boondocks, South Park, and Family Guy.
Tattoos are sometimes being used these days as political cartoons. Many tattoos use drawings that are cartoonish in style, sometimes even using detailed and unique characters. And they quite often tell stories as well as make statements at the same time, sometimes stories or statements that are quite controversial. Maybe this is the next medium for social and political commentary.
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