Summary

This semester of college writing was a good experience for me. I feel that I really explored what I can do as a writer. I have never written so many different essays or entries in such a short amount of time. I liked the setup of the class; the never ending cycle of writing. In my high school English classes, the focus was not only on writing, but also in literature and grammar as well. Because there were so little writing assignments, when we had one, the topic was pretty narrow and the amount of room we had for originality was condensed. The open ended writing topics in this class allowed me to explore myself and think deeper than what was necessary for prior essays. The challenges I had to face and surmount made me realize a lot about my writing style. I had never viewed myself as a writer until we discussed the purposes and uses of writing. Writing itself is open for anyone and everyone and I now see how much I can do with what I have to say. This class allowed me to explore that.

Also, I liked the learning environment. I am good with computers so the role that technology played in the classroom was beneficial. The fact that everything was available on vista helped. It is difficult for me to keep track of things, especially the numerous papers that I receive daily from every class. Having everything available on vista helped me keep up in the class; it was extremely convenient.

Extra Credit Blog

I had a good time with this class. The discussions were my favorite part of the class. Discussions are always my favorite part because it gives everyone a chance to make the class more comfortable.

The blogs were always the hardest part for me. For some reason I hated getting started on them. Once I did get started though, I always ended up finding them interesting. I liked seeing what other people chose out of the reading to really focus on and write about.

I really enjoyed the papers. The prompts were easy to think about and write about and they allowed strong opinions of course. I was really happy with the first I wrote was the first one about perceiving communication. The percentage on how you look and sound as compared to what the message actually is. I also liked the final essay. I was so excited to have the option to use a different medium especially with a topic in which I am very interested.

Overall I was very happy with the class, and I learned some good ways to make my writing better and stronger.

extra credit blog

I remember on the first day of this class being extremely nervous thinking we were going to have a paper due like once a week and the class was going to be impossible with the many papers we were going to have to write. To my surprise the class was the total opposite. The work load was completely manageable and I thought the class was very easy. With me still being in high school I had my doubts whether or not I could handle it, but I did. Our discussions were also at times amusing and I enjoyed those, when we discussed current topics such as texting and Lady Gaga. I enjoyed our group assignments over lecture days. I found to start to enjoy group activities over doing them on my own. I also had to learn how to use a blog, keep up with it, and write in it weekly. I enjoyed the fact that there were people of multiple levels when it came to writing. The different levels helped class discussions that way everything didn't go over my head and I could also put in my thoughts without feeling like I was sounding dumb. I am going to miss this class because of the people I met in there and I don't really think classes can become any simpler than ours was, plus our class was fun. I never dreaded coming to our class because there was never anything bad to look forward to, other than that fear you get in your stomach when our papers were getting handed back.

Extra credit Blog

When I first entered this class I truly thought it was going to be so so different then it really turned out to be. I thought it was going to be a normal boring writing class that I hear all college students complain about. I was most definitely wrong. This class was honestly my most fun class this semester. I loved how you tied everything we learned into youtube videos or good articles. It made my learning experience way better and actually helped me understand the material better since I am a visual learner. Another thing i liked a lot were the group projects we did. I love working in groups and the last group project we had to do was really fun. The one where we had to make up a skit. I will always remember that. Also I really enjoyed the topics we had to write on this semester. The learning styles essay made me realize more about myself and the analyzing music video essay made me see music videos in a different way now. The last essay about technology was interesting as well. I thought it was somewhat hard but I felt proud of myself after I finished it and i actually learned a lot from it. The last thing i really appreciated was how we got s second chance on all of our papers and we got a chance to revise each one. I learned a lot from the first draft to the next and I definitely took advantage of that opportunity to revise. I feel I have improved writing since the beginning of the semester. All in all, this writing class has been a success for me. :)

extra credit blog

This writing class has been a lot different than I originally expected. Before the class I had never blogged before or really had an idea of how it worked. After doing so many through class I think I have a firm grasp at the whole blogging thing and I actually ended up enjoying doing them. Getting a chance to voice my opinion about things going on in class is not something that I'm normally used to and I'm glad we got the chance to. I also liked that we went over many topics for papers instead of just one theme the whole time. The topics that we did discuss were all for the most part modern and up to date even the readings, except for a couple, were all about modern topics and stuff that I could relate to not just boring stuff. My least favorite papers were the final essay because I didn't like the topic and i thought five pages dragged on and also the personality paper because I was tired of the topic. My favorite paper was the music video paper because I love music and it was just easy and fun to write. I loved that we got not only a grade but feedback of what we did right and wrong. I'm used to just getting a grade with no feedback so i liked getting a chance to see what I need to improve on. Overall, I enjoyed the class a lot more than I thought and it made me not as stressed out for college writing 2.

EXTRA CREDIT - JK

This class really surprised me. It being just a writing class, it could have went into so many directions. I really enjoyed a lot of the topics discussed. I also enjoyed a lot of the readings we had to do. I think this class was extremely modern and up to speed with what's relevant today. I thought this class was going to be like a typical English class, but we got to write about ourselves a lot more and that, to me, makes it so much easier to write in the style I'm best at. I used to love writing, but somewhere in High School I started dreading writing assignments and they made me feel like I was an awful writer. This class made me like writing again. I actually remember what it's like not to dread doing a five page paper. I also liked doing the blogs. I liked how we really could just go off on tangents on the blog. After reading something that you like it's easy to just talk about, and the blog allowed us to do that. I also liked all the clips that were played in class. All really went along with what was being discussed and I think they helped me better understand, not to mention funny. I really hate peer editing. I don't really find it helpful only because they just show you the spelling and grammar errors. I just really hate it. I really loved that we could turn in a our papers and then re-turn it in after you checked it. Since your opinion is the only one that really matters, it's nice that you offer that. Overall, I really enjoyed your class ! Good luck next semester.

Extra Credit - TH

While reflecting back on our writing class, a lot of things come to mind. First off, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the class and all the different discussions. To tell you the truth, I actually enjoyed doing the blogs once a week. I liked the blogs because you could see how other interpreted the information compared to your own views. I noticed that most of the time I had very different interpretations than my classmates. The best part in my eyes of the class was watching the different YouTube videos randomly throughout the year. I really enjoyed these because if you wouldn't have shown us these videos in class, I would have never watched them. The best video of the year was the British comedian that sang the national anthems. As far as the papers go, I feel that the last paper of the class was the hardest by far. The topic was rather easy but it was tough to find credible information that was usable. My favorite paper by far was the one about learning styles. I feel that with this paper I could write all day because it was all mostly based on your personal experiences. Also while doing this paper I realized some different learning styles that I never thought I had. I feel that in this class I learned a great deal of information that will benefit me throughout my college years. Finally, I just want to thank you for answering my emails so quickly, you’re the only one out of all my professors that even answers.

Extra Credit Blog (BG)

As my experience in college writing comes to an end, i like to think it was a success. the class really had me thinking the entire semester and it kept me interested in everything we did in class, read, blogged about, all of it. I really enjoyed the class because it was relaxed and that helped the learning process for me. I liked doing the blogs. At first i didn't think i would like them, but it was a lot of fun and easier than writing out the assignments on paper and turning them in. there were always questions that had me thinking and i really liked that. I am going to miss this class. It really has taught me a lot that i will take with me to my other classes. My favorite part was our discussions, especially the cat vs dog argument. our discussions were always fun but always stuck to the message in the end. This was an awesome class and i am really going to miss it. Maybe i will have the same professor down the road, that be awesome. :) But time will tell, and i cant wait to take what i have learned and put it to work in my other classes.

Extra Credit Blog

Overall I think my College Writing experience was a success. I like the way the class was set up and the laid back atmosphere. The topics we had to write about in the papers were manageable. They made you think, however I did not have much trouble starting them. I really was surprised when I got my first paper back with an attached report on what you liked and did not like. It was constructive criticism that I really appreciated. That was the first time a teacher or professor took the time out to do that for every student. Next are the blogs. At first I was a little sceptical given the fact I have never written on a blog before, but I got use to it and enjoyed the creative way of earning points. It also exposed me to a different way to write. This definitely helped me because I just received a job at the campus BURR as a online writer and blogger. So not only do I feel comfortable with my tasks, but I have experience.
I also enjoyed group work. I learned and made friends at the same time. My table was fun and made me enjoy the class even more. I can probably say that this class was my favorite this semester. I liked the way you related and had discussions with the class and now am actually looking forward to College Writing 2.

extra credit

I was very interested in a lot of the topics we discussed in this class, and the whole aspect of media's influence on the world, and our society today was different, and fun to write about. There was focus with our assignments but also a good amount that we got to decide on our own which is a nice change from the classes I took in high school. It was nice to actually enjoy writing sometimes. Especially with the final, which was a lot of work, and hard because i was using a program i never worked with, but not something i dreaded using, and im happy i know how to use imovie now. After talking to people in other college writing classes I am even more pleased with the focused theme we had in this class because other classes seemed to have either very random topics, or just plain boring ones. I am happy with my performance in the class and feel that i learned a lot, improved and have more confidence in my writing.

Final Paper

While starting my final paper, I have come across a few challenges. One of the biggest challenges I have encountered so far is the part of finding reliable sources to use within my paper. When searching for sources I found many opinions rather than proven information. So, you have to be careful because no one cares about someone's opinion unless they back it up with facts. Another problem i have had is that I have to decide which topics I would like to use and which I would not. I think my paper would be more effective if I go into depth with information on less topics rather than just brush over many topics. Overall, this paper isn't too challenging it just takes time to find credible sources, which is a lot different than our previous papers where it didn't involve research. At the point that I'm at now, I feel that I have found enough information to complete my paper. All I have to do now is figure out how to structure my essay.

Obstacle in Writing

I would have to say my biggest obstacle in doing this final paper is finding sources that I want to use and incorporate into my paper. Valid sources at that. I’m looking for someone, other than an opinionated regular citizen, who agrees with my point of view. I chose to write about whether I think that certain ways we communicate with each other is still considered writing. Most scholars think that writing has taken a turn for the worst in terms of communication. Another difficulty that is perhaps evenly matched is that is, that I cannot seem to get my paper to the page limit without those extra sources and content to talk about. One cannot write a lengthy paper without enough content.

complications with paper

I would say that right now my biggest difficulty with this paper is getting the motivation to get into it. It's not a subject that's particularly interesting to me it's kind of a tiring topic. I'm also just very bad at procrastination as it is so although I have done a little bit of work on it, I always have difficulty working on a paper when it's not the last minute when I know it must be done. Since this is a paper that requires much research and planning, it would be very difficult and un-wise to choose to wait last minute. Also, doing all the research is seeming a bit overwhelming it's hard to pick the perfect credible sources and citing is not fun for me. I would say my main struggle is just the type of paper and keeping an interest while writing it so I can maintain a solid argument and not be too focused on just getting it over with.

Biggest Obstacle

I would have to say that my biggest obstacle in writing this final essay would have to deal with my thesis statement. I chose to talk about the question asking if electronic media will ever replace the written word. I have had trouble with my thesis statement because I want to completely agree or disagree, but I also want to take both sides. I am finding it very hard to try and agree or disagree without mixing in both. Another obstacle that I have run into is trying to break up my thoughts. I tend to write a paragraph, but the paragraph is a page long. I need to figure out how to slipt my paragraph up so it is not a long boring essay. I would much rather someone read multiple paragraphs instead of having to read one long reading.

paper

Well this is kind of embarrassing but i honestly have not yet started this paper yet. I have somewhat of an idea of what I am going to write on but have not yet fully developed my ideas. The biggest of my problems is figuring out everything I am going to write. I have to brainstorm my ideas or else I will not have enough to write about. Starting the paper is THE hardest part for me. Another thing I have trouble with is finding sources for my paper. I want the sources to be good ones so I always have a hard time finding them. Developing my main ideas I know is what I have the most trouble with. I plan to start on this paper this weekend. I know I should have started it earlier and I highly regret waiting. I just need to find reliable sources and I will feel better.

Final Essay

My final essay/project is actually coming along quite well. I've almost finished the video taping and it went smoothly. I just need one other person and then myself. With each person it was a little awkward at first because not many people are used to talking to a camera, but eventually each person loosened up and made some very thought provoking points.

I thought the hardest part was going to be tying everything together into one thesis statement but I've got some ideas. Everyone was pretty much on the same page with interviews so I think it will be pretty easy. What I'm not looking forward to is the editing. I've used MovieMaker twice before but never like this, I'll probably get the hang of it but it will be time consuming. Another hard part is knowing that I don't have all of the time in the world. I keep wanting to interview everyone I see! However, I know that I won't have enough time to edit it all and put it together. So I'm tyring hard to keep it small. I'm also trying to keep a narrow enough focus but incorporating many ideas. With a topic like this, alone I could probably talk for hours but I would probably get off track.

Overall I'm very excited about the project. I think the work will turn out to be worth it because it's something I'm interested in and talk about all of the time with my friends.

road block in final paper

This essay I would have to say has been the hardest essay to write and come up with ideas for. When I picked this essay topic I was going to write about I was very excited because it was an interesting topic that I kind of always wondered about. My topic was about " will electric media replace the written word as the go to sources of information and entertainment". I would have to say yes and no. I really don't have too much trouble with this paper in the beinning it is mostley for our next part that is due on friday. I really just don't understand what all of what I want to say for this essay and how I am going to word it really. I know that is supposed to be an argument and I have a good argument about it, but I just don't know how I can take the argument statement and turn it into something grand and well written persay. I am a person who loves to argue and loves to express her own oppinion, but when it comes to writting essays about my oppinion it kind of tends to drift off of the argument and doesn't sound as forceful as I would like it to be portrayed. I had done a paper like this in high school with an argumentive statement and had thought it was great then turned it in and got a really low score because she said my thoughts were not clear enough to see what I was arguing and that I think is where I need the most help and need to stress more.

Roadblocks on final paper

I'm actually kind of excited about this final paper because the medium I chose should be nice break in the old type and hand in way. I chose to do the audio essay where you speak your essay and record versus writing it on paper. There is only a few difficulties I foresee in this project. The first of which would be finding the right topics to talk about that have to relate to the question I chose. Another difficulty I see is using the sources in the paper. My guess is that Im just going to say something like "according to blah blah 60 percent of people believe this" or something along those lines. Another possible problem I see is getting my audio essay to work on other peoples computers. Not that it is a huge problem, it is just something that could be time consuming or tedious.

Project

My project is coming along so far. I am doing a power point instead of a paper. The only thing I am unsure of is how to incorporate modalities. I understand what they are, but I am unsure on how you want them put into the project. I am also a little concerned on length. As of right now I have about 17-18 slides. I seemed to have answered the questions with supportive sources, but I am thinking maybe I should add more. Lastly, since it is not a paper, should I physically hand you a junk drive or email the final product to you? Overall, I feel like it will be a persuasive argument with pictures and video to help support.

Last essay (Kyle Baker)

So far I haven't gotten much progress on the final essay. Part of my problem is i'm not to clear on the sources that we have to give. I'm n ot completely sure whether i just pull qoutes out of convergences that agree with the fact that I'm arguing. Despite me not beginning the essay i have began to brainstorm quite a bit on the direction of where my paper is going. I also have a couple question as to how you want the set up. Are we supposed to give a qoute and the direction that it's going and some background and then relate it to what our argument is? Other than that most of the ideas that I'm going to be arguing are pretty clear.

Final Paper Issues

I think my biggest obstacle will be finding enough to write about. I think this class has allowed me to see that one of my greatest challenges with writing is knowing how much to say. I either know what I want to say and have trouble expanding on it or I write and write to the point where my thought gets lost a big mess of unnecessary words. For this paper, I'm pretty sure of the arguments I want to make but am uncertain of my ablities to stretch those ideas to fit the page requirement. I'm not too worried though because usually while writing papers I'll get new ideas to expand on. I'm also worried about finding enough time to write the paper in the way that I'd like because, of course, finals are coming up and I want to make sure I have time to study and sleep. But again, I'm really not too worried and if worse comes to worse there's always coffee.

Final Paper-Greg Knapp

To be honest I haven’t really thought too much about this paper. However, I did come across some problems when doing part 1. I am worried about sounding crazy in my paper. What I mean is that I know that we have to do a preemptive strike, but when thinking of arguments, I thought I sounded like I was talking to myself. I need to figure out to make it sound like I am not arguing with myself. I also found trouble in answering the questions listed at the bottom. I am not really sure if you want us to simply answer them with a paragraph or throughout the essay. So far these are the only concerns that I have. I think that once I start doing more in depth research on my topic, things will become clearer to me.

In Class Blog (Kevin Farr)

For our final paper I came across two main roadblocks, procrastination and coming up with a good thesis statement. When working on our first part of the paper, the one page summary, I had so many thoughts in my head of which was i wanted to take the paper and what essay topic out of the three I wanted to choose. As i started to write i couldn't come up with a clear thesis, I have many thoughts of which way to take my paper but after i sit down this weekend and work on it a little i should have a better idea of how i want my paper to go. This leads into my second problem, procrastination. I haven't really worked too much of the paper so far and this weekend i am really not looking forward to getting a head start on it. With two weeks left in the semester all i can think about is getting home to some of my mom cooking and not having to shower with sandals on anymore. I hope that my preparation for my other finals, which i am starting this weekend, will also include me writing some of this final paper. It all depends on how i feel this weekend, which i hope is ready to work, but most likely ill be sleepy all weekend and have to push through it to get my work done.

Struggles with the Final (BG)

So far the final essay i have had little struggles. but i have the feeling that iam going to struggle with not being repetitive. its been a problem in my past essays and iam still trying to get the hang of it. other than that the only other thing that might be an issue is grammar. i tend to not look at grammar or i look over it when reading a paper. i don't know why but ive never given it thought. these things i hope to be very cautious on in my final since theres really no do overs this time. i plan to look back on my essays and see where i have the most troubles in grammar and re read my paper many times to make sure i don't sound very repetitive. i might struggle with some citations but i think these are all little things that i can be aware of.

FINAL In-Class Blog

Well considering the only part that I've done for this final paper is part 1 I still have a lot of work left to do. I haven't begun to think about how I'm going to start it. I do know I have ideas formed from the first part. Earlier today I made up a schedule of how I'm going to deal with both of my final papers for 2 of my classes, both due next Friday. I guess that's a good start, better then nothing. I hope that I can make this paper my best one yet even though it's the hardest one and will probably be graded pretty strictly, seeing as how this is a writing class and this is our final paper. I hope my sources don't cause me a lot of trouble when I begin the paper. Those are probably the main concerns I have about the paper at the time. I'm sure more issues about it will pop up and then I'll be able to know what I'm going to have trouble with.