Collaborating and Communicating
Reflecting on what this class has meant to me and how it has changed me, brings two words to mind; unforgettable and bittersweet. I say unforgettable because I’ll always remember what I learned, namely, that there are many different paths I can take to deliver the same message. I’ll remember how much I learned about myself as a writer, how much I need to rely on the suggestions of my peers, and how much research strengthens and supports a paper. On the other hand, I use the word bittersweet for the purpose of conveying both the sigh of relief finishing this class means, and how dearly I’ll miss it. I’m happy to have the stress and load off my back of having to perform at such a high level, consistently, for several months. However, I’ll sorely miss the lengths to which this class pushed me. It expounded my versatility, honed my writing skills, empowered my convictions, and broke the boundaries of what I was able to previously accomplish through writing. One segment of the class in particular, embodied both the unforgettable and bittersweet feelings of this class: the magazine project. This group endeavor changed my perception of team work, and what it means to accomplish something as a unified assembly of aspiring writers.
At the beginning of this semester, I feared this class would be just another 4 months of writing that I had to get through in order to receive the credit I needed to move on in my pursuits of my desired degree. That insight quickly changed. From the onset of the class and initial writing assignment, I learned that I would indeed be challenged and changed as a result of my efforts in this class. You see, I can’t just…do something and be done with it. My step-father always raised me with the ideology that “you do it right, or you don’t do it at all”. I’ve applied that inspiration to everything I’ve ever done since then. This class was going to be no different. I was going to do, and have done, everything in my power to produce the highest of quality from my papers. If something wasn’t just right, or exactly how I wanted it, I changed it or I discarded it, and started over. With that in mind, this class truly stretched my capabilities and helped me reach new heights, both as a writer and as a person. I learned, through this class, that to effectively convey your feelings in a manner that will reach those whom you’re addressing, you must consider their perspective, convictions, and beliefs, respecting them to the highest degree. If you don’t do this, you won’t reach them and have the desired effect you’ve been searching to achieve. When I considered the presence of my readers, and TRULY wanted that they be changed in some way after having read my work, it changed my approach to how I wrote. I incorporated their suggestions when it came to the revision process, realizing that by not doing so you won’t garner their respect. This is so because, if you only produce a piece of writing that is purely a reflection of your feelings, with no regard to others perspectives and opinions, they’ll never admire your work or cite it as credible.
Now I’m not saying you can’t be passionate, or opinionated, or evoke emotion in your writing, because trust me, if I weren’t allowed to do that I probably wouldn’t be writing at all. As a writer, I rely most heavily on the appeal to pathos. However, as this class has gone on, I’ve learned that I need to do so tastefully, and at the right time, also incorporating ethos and logos in order to achieve the ‘bigger picture’ of kairos within my writing. Without thorough, well vetted sources, accompanied by sound reason, papers will not stand the test of time nor keep readers engaged throughout the duration of your work. This class taught me to find the balance, ensuring that my readers would feel represented, acknowledged, and respected as I attempted to drive home my point. Overall, this class was a real eye-opener when it came to how I can improve my writing and draw out real, lasting change from my readers. Writing now, for me, is a means by which I can convey my deepest convictions with eloquence, sophistication, and power. I know that I will use what I’ve learned in class long after it is over. I now know how to better express how I feel about a particular topic or subject, and being able to deliver my message effectively is helpful in any setting.
As far the individual writing assignments within the spectrum of the class, I learned a great deal from each one. My memoir was a great opportunity to portray my connection to the issue and how I was initially inspired to research and develop the issue throughout the semester. Reflecting on past memories serves as a starting point and foundation, allowing you to build on something from deep within you that is woven into who you are as a person. I have found with my writing that I can’t just…start pouring words on to a page and expect them to have a profound effect upon my readers. I have to deliberately select them and find a beginning from which I can progress into the climax of my paper. My memoir was a great learning experience on how to find that beginning, and build on a foundation. For this reason, I made my memoir my adaptation. I wanted to revisit the ‘launch of my issue’ and re-establish my connection to it in a visually vibrant and appealing way.
My profile was initially my weakest paper of the 4 genres we focused on this semester. I struggled to grasp the concept of a profile, how to structure it, and how to give it relevant meaning. At first I thought it was just a biography of sorts, with an established timeline in the subject’s life. I found this to be quite erroneous. I discovered that to properly profile someone you have to go much deeper than just a timeline. You have to find a particular moment in their life, or a point in which your two lives connected, and hone in on that. Put that moment under a microscope. For example, I didn’t draw heavily enough upon my interview with Dr. Bowles in the initial and first revision of my paper. This made my paper seem incomplete, splotchy and incoherent. With the help of my peers, fabulous educator Kati, and group members, I was able to cut out the irrelevant and expound on the key points of the paper. I relied heavily on the interview that took place and added in vivid detail of other memories or experiences that were pertinent and succinct. By achieving this balance and creating a ‘snap-shot’ within my profile, I was able to make it a much stronger paper, one that I felt comfortable showcasing in the group magazine. I displayed it because I wanted to show my improvement, and establish credibility for a frequently used source throughout the semester: Dr. Bowles. I’m very pleased with what I’ve accomplished with my profile. It went from my worst paper, to my most improved paper.
The position argument paper that I wrote was definitely my favorite paper of the semester. Not only did it allow me to just scream pathos and vehemently defend my stance on my issue, but it turned out to be the strongest paper I put forth this semester. This was the second paper that I chose to include in the magazine. I incorporated it because it was the strongest ‘me’ I could put forth and knew it would best represent my talent, persuasions, and skill as a writer. Also, we as a group decided to all include our positions for the sake of showing how truly passionate we are about our issues. We want to voice our stance, with power and emotion, of how our issues deserve more awareness. We all felt it would be befitting of a ‘promoting social awareness’ group to include our most dominant, and representative of how we truly felt, papers of the semester.
The report genre for me was very…blah. Don’t get me wrong, I learned to greater extent the importance of sources, credible sites, being unbiased and representing all sides with equal regard...but a report also requires you to be neutral. And I’m not a neutral guy. I feed off of emotion and passion, and I live with my heart on my sleeve. The report genre truly had the feel of watching the 9 or 10 o’clock news. Some person standing there in their monotone…everyone can identify it…reporter voice accompanied by their terrible outfit that makes you wonder if a colorblind person who was drunk picked it out. The report genre and I are sort of each other’s nemesis. Although I put forth a strong paper and am satisfied with the outcome, it is not a form of writing that I intend on visiting frequently.
Genre writing was one of the key concepts of this whole semester. I’m glad that I was able to experience and learn about how to portray myself and my issue through different forms. It has taught me that certain things are more effectively told in varying ways. I will most definitely employ these genres throughout my life outside of the classroom.
The last, and most important, thing I want to touch on is the magazine group project. I confess I was dreading this part of the class all semester, only because in the past I’ve had the worst experiences with groups. I always turn out to be the person who does all the work, gets little credit, and earns everyone else’s grades for them. No matter how much I tried to delegate responsibility, I struggled to come up with group members who were willing to step up to the plate. This class was truly my first good group experience. I was audacious enough to make a request to my instructor concerning the members I’d like to have in my group. She graciously obliged. I was subsequently blessed with a group that was determined, outgoing, inclusive, respectable, engaged, honest, contributed thoughtfully, was trustworthy, dependable, helpful, friendly, courteous, selfless…and you get the point. The list could go on and on. I’m thrilled with the group that I was placed in. We all complimented each other so nicely. We brought unique qualities to the group that we needed to accomplish a great magazine. Heather was astounding in her ability to construct such an attractive website. Raevynne was very proactive in helping members within the group correct papers and make them as grammatically sound and clean as possible. Aubrey was so prompt and organized with the works cited page. She was constantly updating it and asking for suggestions and feedback. I, as Editor-in-Chief, did the best I could to involve everyone and assist in any way possible. I followed up with the group almost daily, asking if there was anything they needed. I provided suggestions, respected their contributions, and delegated fairly. I was the best leader that I could be, and showed sincere interest in my members.
I am so proud of the work this group has put forth. We published a beautiful magazine worthy of anyone’s attention. We’re proud to have our names attached to this project. Our magazine is sophisticated, chic, classy, succinct, navigable, sexy, innovative, and professional. I’ll be so bold as to say it is unparalleled with regards to how it was designed. Our content is inspiring, and the layout of our magazine is very clever, inventive, and original. We came together as individuals, and then cohesively merged our aspirations into one, creating something truly magnificent; H.E.A.R. Magazine. This project serves as the culmination of our mission which we undertook the first day of class: alter the perception of our issue, promote increased social awareness through credible research, and invite our readers to be inspired-and thereby changed- forever.
At the beginning of this semester, I feared this class would be just another 4 months of writing that I had to get through in order to receive the credit I needed to move on in my pursuits of my desired degree. That insight quickly changed. From the onset of the class and initial writing assignment, I learned that I would indeed be challenged and changed as a result of my efforts in this class. You see, I can’t just…do something and be done with it. My step-father always raised me with the ideology that “you do it right, or you don’t do it at all”. I’ve applied that inspiration to everything I’ve ever done since then. This class was going to be no different. I was going to do, and have done, everything in my power to produce the highest of quality from my papers. If something wasn’t just right, or exactly how I wanted it, I changed it or I discarded it, and started over. With that in mind, this class truly stretched my capabilities and helped me reach new heights, both as a writer and as a person. I learned, through this class, that to effectively convey your feelings in a manner that will reach those whom you’re addressing, you must consider their perspective, convictions, and beliefs, respecting them to the highest degree. If you don’t do this, you won’t reach them and have the desired effect you’ve been searching to achieve. When I considered the presence of my readers, and TRULY wanted that they be changed in some way after having read my work, it changed my approach to how I wrote. I incorporated their suggestions when it came to the revision process, realizing that by not doing so you won’t garner their respect. This is so because, if you only produce a piece of writing that is purely a reflection of your feelings, with no regard to others perspectives and opinions, they’ll never admire your work or cite it as credible.
Now I’m not saying you can’t be passionate, or opinionated, or evoke emotion in your writing, because trust me, if I weren’t allowed to do that I probably wouldn’t be writing at all. As a writer, I rely most heavily on the appeal to pathos. However, as this class has gone on, I’ve learned that I need to do so tastefully, and at the right time, also incorporating ethos and logos in order to achieve the ‘bigger picture’ of kairos within my writing. Without thorough, well vetted sources, accompanied by sound reason, papers will not stand the test of time nor keep readers engaged throughout the duration of your work. This class taught me to find the balance, ensuring that my readers would feel represented, acknowledged, and respected as I attempted to drive home my point. Overall, this class was a real eye-opener when it came to how I can improve my writing and draw out real, lasting change from my readers. Writing now, for me, is a means by which I can convey my deepest convictions with eloquence, sophistication, and power. I know that I will use what I’ve learned in class long after it is over. I now know how to better express how I feel about a particular topic or subject, and being able to deliver my message effectively is helpful in any setting.
As far the individual writing assignments within the spectrum of the class, I learned a great deal from each one. My memoir was a great opportunity to portray my connection to the issue and how I was initially inspired to research and develop the issue throughout the semester. Reflecting on past memories serves as a starting point and foundation, allowing you to build on something from deep within you that is woven into who you are as a person. I have found with my writing that I can’t just…start pouring words on to a page and expect them to have a profound effect upon my readers. I have to deliberately select them and find a beginning from which I can progress into the climax of my paper. My memoir was a great learning experience on how to find that beginning, and build on a foundation. For this reason, I made my memoir my adaptation. I wanted to revisit the ‘launch of my issue’ and re-establish my connection to it in a visually vibrant and appealing way.
My profile was initially my weakest paper of the 4 genres we focused on this semester. I struggled to grasp the concept of a profile, how to structure it, and how to give it relevant meaning. At first I thought it was just a biography of sorts, with an established timeline in the subject’s life. I found this to be quite erroneous. I discovered that to properly profile someone you have to go much deeper than just a timeline. You have to find a particular moment in their life, or a point in which your two lives connected, and hone in on that. Put that moment under a microscope. For example, I didn’t draw heavily enough upon my interview with Dr. Bowles in the initial and first revision of my paper. This made my paper seem incomplete, splotchy and incoherent. With the help of my peers, fabulous educator Kati, and group members, I was able to cut out the irrelevant and expound on the key points of the paper. I relied heavily on the interview that took place and added in vivid detail of other memories or experiences that were pertinent and succinct. By achieving this balance and creating a ‘snap-shot’ within my profile, I was able to make it a much stronger paper, one that I felt comfortable showcasing in the group magazine. I displayed it because I wanted to show my improvement, and establish credibility for a frequently used source throughout the semester: Dr. Bowles. I’m very pleased with what I’ve accomplished with my profile. It went from my worst paper, to my most improved paper.
The position argument paper that I wrote was definitely my favorite paper of the semester. Not only did it allow me to just scream pathos and vehemently defend my stance on my issue, but it turned out to be the strongest paper I put forth this semester. This was the second paper that I chose to include in the magazine. I incorporated it because it was the strongest ‘me’ I could put forth and knew it would best represent my talent, persuasions, and skill as a writer. Also, we as a group decided to all include our positions for the sake of showing how truly passionate we are about our issues. We want to voice our stance, with power and emotion, of how our issues deserve more awareness. We all felt it would be befitting of a ‘promoting social awareness’ group to include our most dominant, and representative of how we truly felt, papers of the semester.
The report genre for me was very…blah. Don’t get me wrong, I learned to greater extent the importance of sources, credible sites, being unbiased and representing all sides with equal regard...but a report also requires you to be neutral. And I’m not a neutral guy. I feed off of emotion and passion, and I live with my heart on my sleeve. The report genre truly had the feel of watching the 9 or 10 o’clock news. Some person standing there in their monotone…everyone can identify it…reporter voice accompanied by their terrible outfit that makes you wonder if a colorblind person who was drunk picked it out. The report genre and I are sort of each other’s nemesis. Although I put forth a strong paper and am satisfied with the outcome, it is not a form of writing that I intend on visiting frequently.
Genre writing was one of the key concepts of this whole semester. I’m glad that I was able to experience and learn about how to portray myself and my issue through different forms. It has taught me that certain things are more effectively told in varying ways. I will most definitely employ these genres throughout my life outside of the classroom.
The last, and most important, thing I want to touch on is the magazine group project. I confess I was dreading this part of the class all semester, only because in the past I’ve had the worst experiences with groups. I always turn out to be the person who does all the work, gets little credit, and earns everyone else’s grades for them. No matter how much I tried to delegate responsibility, I struggled to come up with group members who were willing to step up to the plate. This class was truly my first good group experience. I was audacious enough to make a request to my instructor concerning the members I’d like to have in my group. She graciously obliged. I was subsequently blessed with a group that was determined, outgoing, inclusive, respectable, engaged, honest, contributed thoughtfully, was trustworthy, dependable, helpful, friendly, courteous, selfless…and you get the point. The list could go on and on. I’m thrilled with the group that I was placed in. We all complimented each other so nicely. We brought unique qualities to the group that we needed to accomplish a great magazine. Heather was astounding in her ability to construct such an attractive website. Raevynne was very proactive in helping members within the group correct papers and make them as grammatically sound and clean as possible. Aubrey was so prompt and organized with the works cited page. She was constantly updating it and asking for suggestions and feedback. I, as Editor-in-Chief, did the best I could to involve everyone and assist in any way possible. I followed up with the group almost daily, asking if there was anything they needed. I provided suggestions, respected their contributions, and delegated fairly. I was the best leader that I could be, and showed sincere interest in my members.
I am so proud of the work this group has put forth. We published a beautiful magazine worthy of anyone’s attention. We’re proud to have our names attached to this project. Our magazine is sophisticated, chic, classy, succinct, navigable, sexy, innovative, and professional. I’ll be so bold as to say it is unparalleled with regards to how it was designed. Our content is inspiring, and the layout of our magazine is very clever, inventive, and original. We came together as individuals, and then cohesively merged our aspirations into one, creating something truly magnificent; H.E.A.R. Magazine. This project serves as the culmination of our mission which we undertook the first day of class: alter the perception of our issue, promote increased social awareness through credible research, and invite our readers to be inspired-and thereby changed- forever.