As this is the last blog post of all the blogs, it will be me reflecting upon my experience in the class from midterm to present day. In my reflection I will be covering four different topics, author identity, theories of writing, growth as a writer, and transfer. I will elaborate more on each topic throughout my reflection.
First, author identity. Coming into this class, I had never written a blog. I was unsure of what the exact meaning of a blog was. All I knew about a blog was that it is some kind of writing submitted online. Now, after writing a blog for every week of the semester, I believe I have a strong understanding and foundation of what a blog is and how it should be. Receiving feedback on every blog from my professor and classmates “Discourse Community” helped me better the next blog after that. Also, my process and relationship has developed tremendously. when I used to write in my other English courses, I wouldn’t have as much emotion going into my writing as I do now. I had trouble starting out papers because it wasn’t about me. Now, most blogs are about me, which helps write more efficiently. Also knowing that your writing will be read by more than one person other than your professor helps me do better, and is used as motivation. Second, theories of writing. We learned during the semester about “who’s DAT scene?” which stands for, description, action, and theme. I was able to use this in my Memoir “Attending College” and helped me get my point through to the reader. I look forward to using it in future courses as it helps organize and describe the scene to the reader. I also learned the importance of revision and how it differs from editing. Revision, is making significant changes. For example, changing the placement of a paragraph, adding or deleting a paragraph, those are all examples of revision being made to the paper. However, editing is making minor changes. For example, fixing grammar or spelling. As a class, each writer had to do revise and edit their drafts. Third, growth as a writer. I have developed a lot as a writer since the first day of class. Doing research through the semester, writing assignments, has all enhanced my knowledge. I have become a much more detailed writer by focusing on things like description, sitting, to persuade or inform the reader. Also I think we can all agree, a big part of our growth throughout this semester was due to the interactions we had on each other’s blog posts by giving feedback. Each writer had the chance to read the feedback and develop upon it in the following blog to show progress in the process. Last but not least, knowledge transfer to future writing situations. The knowledge I gained in this course, can be used in most of my upcoming courses. In fact, I was able to put what I learned to use in my History class in the same semester. I believe I will use more of what I learned specifically after I transfer to a four year university. I also gained a tremendous amount of experience which is gained by making mistakes, that now I am more than happy I made.
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At this point, my first draft of the last formal assignment in this course “Formal Assignment #3: Research Project” is complete. I have found multiple sources and quotes that provide the reader with relevant and trustworthy research to backup my claim. I am awaiting a response from my professor for corrections and tips on revising my draft and handing in my second draft. I have also revised my preface as we were told so in the class. I finished the paper with over one thousand words, three quotes, linking to three previous blog posts, and comparing to the films we watched. All this gives the reader a strong believe that the author has done his research and the persuasion will be much more effective. It will also give me the thought of what to write about and filling my first draft.
In this paper, I did not hold back on my first draft like I always do. I usually tend to hold on to my thoughts and words in my first draft to try and keep it as clean as possible. However, in this draft I did otherwise. It helped a lot and I was able to get most of the thoughts on the paper. After that I just read over it and cleaned it up. As soon as I get my corrected draft back, I will be able to organize it. Finishing off my paper, I stated "In conclusion, social media does influence toxic behaviors in our teenage boys by connecting them with toxic examples through social media. However, eliminating teenage boys from consuming toxic information off social media is not impossible, although it does require change from the parents. American teenage parents need to change the way of raising their teenage boys and adapt to new ways of raising them in this new world, the social media world." I believe this conclusion leaves my readers, who are American parents of teenage boys, wondering how they should change their interactions and teachings with their kids to prevent toxic behaviors that can be easily taught by bad role models on social media. This will complete my point as I have convinced or persuaded the reader to change and adapt to the new way of raising American teenage boys. My reflection on my third and final formal assignment of the course so far is positive. I have been enjoying the research I have been reading and collecting to answer my research question. So far I have found interesting information that will help me persuade the reader. For example, finding this quote “Teens only become more aggressive as a result of exposure to violent games and television programs when they are also exposed to aggression in their social environment, such as conflict in their family or aggressive behavior among friends. This means that most parents need not directly worry about negative effects of media violence on their children’s behavior.” helped backup my claim. It states facts that was found by research which in the eye of the reader looks trustworthy. It also shows an example or provides a further explanation for the reader to understand and catch the entire picture.
I have been enjoying the digital media citation that I am using in this paper. Now, it is much easier for me to cite unlike before with MLA citation. Finding the quote from a reliable source and linking the source directly to the website is much easier and accessible in my opinion. Now that I am about half way through my research paper, I am finding it quicker and easier to complete the paper because I have my foundation set. Also, I will be stating a counter argument to show the reader what might be said from the other side and how I would respond to it. This will help me persuade the reader easier with the points I am making. Finally, I plan on covering what I have yet to cover from the points or claims I made in the introduction to finish off my paper. In this blog post I will be writing about my research project. As we just have started to work on our project, the information I will be able to share with you will be very broad. I have decided to do my research project on a question that I am very interested in which asks “How does social media animate toxic behaviors in teenage girls/boys?” To narrow down and focus my research a little more, I only picked boys. This way I can provide more of my own experience to the project. The genre I chose to do is “Op-Ed”. This genre is basically providing an argument and proving yourself by providing information to back it up. This genre requires me to use the citation style “DMC” which stands for Digital Media Citation, which I prefer over MLA style. The primary audience I am targeting will be America parents of teenage boys, and my secondary audience is people who visit my website and are not aware of the research project.
My introductory so far "However, the technological advancements have also had a negative impact on teenagers. It took a big part in reshaping teenage boys behaviors and what their parents think their behaviors should be. Social media influences toxic behaviors in American teenage boys by presenting them with bad role models, negative actions, and false expectations of life." has been introducing and preparing the reader with background details or points to smoothly understand my points throughout the research paper. I plan on narrowing down each paragraph to one point to keep the reader entertained and to keep my writing simple, persuasive, and informal. Also, since I am writing an Op-Ed, I have to have a counter argument. I plan on writing about the counter argument mid paper to break the difference between the two sides as it is a controversial topic. So far, this is where I have reached to in my research project. In this blog post, I will share my thoughts and answers on the film “The Mask You Live In” that we watched on our own. In a society where media is one of the most effective/persuasive factors on us, the message we receive behind this film is that a man’s masculinity lie in his actions like violence which is harming our generations to come.
How does the argument in the film make you feel (impact on your being)? As a male, I can relate to this video much more than the previous video “Miss Representation”. As a freshman in college, I can relate more of this video to my middle school and high school days rather than to my current situation in college. Through my grade school days, I heard a lot of “man up” and “be a man” phrases being used between friends, to star fights, or to even peer pressure someone into doing something. Also, as a student athlete, I can recall my coaches using those phrases in talks before games. Therefore, I think it can be used negatively in some situations but also positively in other situations. Of course, using those phrases to start up a fight is a negative use, however, boys and men, usually still fall in that trap. They feel like their manhood is on the line if they don’t “man up” and fight or do what’s being demanded from them they will lose that manhood or status. How does the argument in the film make you think (impact on your knowing)? The statistics in the film completely stunned me from the knowing perspective of the story, similar to the film “Miss Representation”. I did not think there were that many young men in the United States significantly affected by this cause. Expressing emotion should not be a shameful thing. All humans have emotions, whether it is expressed in private or public, whether it’s kept inside or shown. Young men, tend to think that expressing emotions is something that will take from their manhood or masculinity. This leads to unwanted negative results. According to the film, “Less than fifty percent of boys and men with mental health challenges seek help.” As a young man, I was unaware and did not expect the numbers to be this high. Also, according to the film, “Everyday three or more boys commit suicide in the United States” Surprisingly, this was lower than my expectations. It is something I am happy about but also sad because it is still occuring. This could easily be stopped by starting from the youngest of our boys and girls. How does the argument in the film make you want to make change (impact on your doing)? There is so much I would like to change after the negative information I consumed from this video. I did not feel like my close friends were suffering from these kinds of emotions. However, this video made me unsure because some people might keep their emotions inside and completely refuse to share or talk about it with their close circle due to fear of their reaction. I hope to see in the future, specific hotlines and programs specifically for early grade schools to help aid students and reduce the overwhelming effects of this case. In this blog post, I will share my thoughts and answers on the film “Miss Representation” that we watched in class. In a society where media is one of the most effective/persuasive thing on us, the message we receive from the film a message that states a woman’s value lies in her youth, beauty, and body rather than in her capacity as a leader.
How does the argument in the film make you feel (impact on your being)? The argument in the film impacts my being in many ways. Watching the film gave me a whole other side of view on the media nowadays. I think I can relate more on social media specifically because of the amount of usage I spend on my phone rather than what I spend on Television. After watching the film, I started to realize and relate more things to what I consumed from the film. For instance, how this video with a pretty lady got more views than this man. I started to connect things back to the film which started to make more sense to me. I also believe this plays a role on men. Some of my close friends look at social media and “want to be” like that or this. I think people start to value themselves differently without realizing it. You choose how to look at people in the media and how you value them and yourself. How does the argument in the film make you think (impact on your knowing)? The argument in the film had an astonishing impact on my knowing. I did not think there was that much context behind it. The film even showed how it affects politics which I never thought it did. Also the statistics that were stated in the film, were tremendously surprising. “Seventy eight percent of girls hate their bodies by the age of fifteen. Sixty five percent have an eating disorder. Seventeen percent cut themselves, and the number of cosmetic surgeries quadrupled on women ages seventeen from 1997 and 2007 and have increased six fold since. Woman are fifty six percent of the population, yet only seventeen percent of Congress, and only one women is on the board of Fox News out of fifteen.” If I was to guess some statistics on this topic before watching the film I would be completely wrong. How does the argument in the film make you want to make change (impact on your doing)? The impact this film makes me want to change is to make sure I don’t do the same. I plan on being much more careful around my surroundings in terms of giving everyone the same value as much as I am capable of. Valuing people differently based on certain circumstances is a big part of this argument. This plays a big role in society and will affect many generations to come. I do believe it is slowly changing for the better which is still not acceptable. It should not take us this long to learn to not value people based on their body, beauty, age, etc. My blog posts have a variety of different focuses. First, it’s for us writers in the class to express our emotions and memories through our writings and share it within the discourse community. Also how these three texts What is Literacy? (James Paul Gee), We Are Many (Pablo Neruda), and Our Discourse Community Values speak to the identity of our discourse community.
During my reading on “What is literacy? (James Paul Gee)” it stated that “Discourses are inherently “ideological”. They crucially involve a set of values and viewpoints in terms of which one must speak and act, at least while being in the discourse; otherwise one doesn't count as being in it.” From this quote, I learned that it relates to the identity of our discourse community in many ways. Our discourse community is very similar to this. When we get in groups in class and discuss a topic together as each person shares his or her point of view is being part of a discourse community. When a student posts their blog posts on their website, at least four other people will be able to read it and respond to it by relating, agreeing, disagreeing, or even complementing. That is also being involved in a discourse community. However, if you don't post, you won’t count as being in the discourse community because there is no sharing between you and the community. As I was reading “We Are Many” (Pablo Neruda) The following two sentences stood out to me. “While I am writing, I am far away; and when I come back, I have already left. I should like to see if the same thing happens to other people as it does to me, to see if as many people are as I am, and if they seem the same way to themselves.” This quote shows how important and effective our blog posts. Each student can check another student's work at anytime. This helps the student out significantly. If I get stuck on something while writing, I can go check what my other classmates did and I can do the same in my way. This is a great way to enhance the discourse community and enhance the skills of the writers in the class. The last reading I did was on the text “Our Discourse Community Values” which sets down the basics and gives an example of relatively how the discourse community should be like in the classroom and on our websites. During my reading of the values, this specific value stood out to me the most “Conceptualize discourse communities as social networks that frame the ethics, expectations, and exigencies of stakeholders who use situated languages to bond with others and to make meaning” In other words, a discourse community contains a group of people that are involved with one another and contribute to the community to make meaning. This relates to our class and how each individual takes part in the discourse community by posting blogs, attending class, posting blog assignments, and even communicating through blog comments or verbally in class. Home Page Well-Being Assessment: Functioning
Why Assessment Summary: First, my quote needs to be fixed. Second, I need to upload a picture of myself involved in some sort of writing. Last, I need to change my third intrinsic goal. How Assessment Summary: I intend on fixing my home page by 3-15-19. About Page Well-Being Assessment: Functioning/Flourishing Why Assessment Summary: First, I need to upload a picture. Second, I have to change my link to my blog post page. How Assessment Summary: I intend on fixing my home page by 3-15-19. Contact Page Well-Being Assessment: Flourishing Why Assessment Summary: I have completed all of the requirements on this page. How Assessment Summary: Completed. Narrative Project Well-Being Assessment: Sustaining. Why Assessment Summary: I need to space my paragraphs, link my blog posts #3,4,5,7, and talk a little bit about each post. I also need to include a sentence to introduce my draft. How Assessment Summary: I will complete my changes by 3-15-19. Research Project Well-Being Assessment: Suffering Why Assessment Summary: I need to type a 250 word preface, upload a picture, and put a quote. How Assessment Summary: I will complete this page by 3-15-19. Blog Page Well-Being Assessment: Functioning/Flourishing. Why Assessment Summary: I have completed all of the assigned blog assignment. I only need to add an image to the page. How Assessment Summary: Mostly done, only need to upload a picture by 3-15-19. In blog assignment #7, I will be doing a midterm reflection through the video below on my first half of the semester, in my English Composition 1 class. I answered questions that have to do with reflective writing and how it changed my writing so far in the course. In this blog post I will be taking you through a Wizard-of-Oz journey through my Narrative Project. In the following videos Wizard of Oz: If I Only Had The Brain, Heart, Nerve Wizard of Oz: Meeting the Wizard Wizard of Oz: You've Always Had the Power I was able to relate my narrative scene to the videos by going back in time and capturing important moments in the past where I had to take life changing decisions that have an effect on my life to this day.
How does your narrative allow you to travel into your brain (mind) then and now? My narrative scene allows me to travel back in time to a point in my life where the decisions I took is the reason I am here right now. It brings me back to a time where I was lost and had to find my own pathway. I did not know if my choices were going to result in a negative or positive output. However, I indeed learned from the decisions I took and will have experience in future cases to make the best decisions for myself. How does your narrative allow you to explore your heart (emotions) about the event then and now? My narrative allows me to explore my emotions due to the fact that it has an extreme effect on my future in the long run. It makes me realize how much of an impact it truly had on future, today. In the past, during the event, I was completely lost. I didn’t have a clue on where my decisions would take me. However, today I am capable of looking at how far I have came and how much your actions affect your future. How does your narrative meet the nerve (high-stakes) element of meaningful storytelling? I think my narrative storytelling is meaningful to me and others because of what it represents. Almost all readers are able to relate to my decisions in some way or another as they, at one point, had to make the same decisions. How does your narrative enable you to re-examine the power (agency) you have in authoring your life-story? My narrative scene enables me to re-examine the power I have in authoring my life-story by being honest and relatable to by the reader. It is meaningful to me to have people read about my life changing story and how I am here where I am today. What shapes our sense of identity: Life events or the stories we tell ourselves about life events? I believe our sense of identity is mainly shaped by our life decisions/actions that we take everyday. We each have our own point of view of certain events. Having a different people tell the same story shows the different perspectives and point of views from each side. |
AuthorMustafa Al-Qaraghuli “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
- Louis L'Amour Archives
May 2019
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