Thursday, February 25, 2016
Practice Write 2/25/16
As of right now I am not entirely sure on what visual I plan to use for my second essay. However since my research will involve a lot of statistics I plan to use a visual to represent these statistics in an interesting and convincing way. Much like the "Cowspiracy" video, the visual I end up choosing to represent my topic will hopefully put into perspective how much standardized tests affect the students. I also plan for my visual to answer my inquiry question in some way.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Video Visual Analysis Blog
The "Cowspiracy" video provided a lot of information regarding the growing problem of raising cattle to slaughter and how this impacts our environment. The video provided a lot of spoken facts from the people featured in the film and a lot of persuasive visuals. Although the facts they presented were interesting and came from reliable sources, they did not catch my attention as mush as some of the visuals they were presenting.
One visual that stood out to me the most was the pyramid showing that raising cattle produced more green house gasses than; cars, trucks, ships and planes combined. The fact they showed this in a pyramid style is what really opened my eyes. Most people believe, judging by the size of transportation vehicles, that these vehicles would produce a lot of greenhouse gasses. However, cattle produce 5% more greenhouse gasses than transportation vehicles. I used my past knowledge of vehicles and their impact on environment to analyze this picture. Any type of transportation that involves gas heavily impacts our environment in a bad way. The fact that this image showed that raising cattle in the United States is much worse than that really shows just how hurtful cattle raising is.
Another visual that also caught my attention was the kiddie pool being overfilled and eventually flooded the entire neighborhood. The father was mindlessly filling up his sons' kiddie pool which ended up overflowing and flooded the entire neighborhood. This was equal to about 660 gallons of water which is the equivalent to one hamburger. Not only did this affect me, but I believe this visual appeals to everyone of all ages. It's fairly simple to understand and involves both children and adults. It also puts into perspective how much water is being wasted when making or consuming one hamburger. I think if the editors of the film were to just put the amount of water in a container and label it, it would not have the same effect on the viewers.
One visual that stood out to me the most was the pyramid showing that raising cattle produced more green house gasses than; cars, trucks, ships and planes combined. The fact they showed this in a pyramid style is what really opened my eyes. Most people believe, judging by the size of transportation vehicles, that these vehicles would produce a lot of greenhouse gasses. However, cattle produce 5% more greenhouse gasses than transportation vehicles. I used my past knowledge of vehicles and their impact on environment to analyze this picture. Any type of transportation that involves gas heavily impacts our environment in a bad way. The fact that this image showed that raising cattle in the United States is much worse than that really shows just how hurtful cattle raising is.
Another visual that also caught my attention was the kiddie pool being overfilled and eventually flooded the entire neighborhood. The father was mindlessly filling up his sons' kiddie pool which ended up overflowing and flooded the entire neighborhood. This was equal to about 660 gallons of water which is the equivalent to one hamburger. Not only did this affect me, but I believe this visual appeals to everyone of all ages. It's fairly simple to understand and involves both children and adults. It also puts into perspective how much water is being wasted when making or consuming one hamburger. I think if the editors of the film were to just put the amount of water in a container and label it, it would not have the same effect on the viewers.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Practice Write 2/23/16
Analyzing the rhetoric of an ad is very important. To completley understand the main points of an and the message they're trying to convey, you have to analyze what the ads are trying to persuade you to think. If you can understand the message a rhetoric ad is trying to convey then you can understand what it is exactly in the ad that makes you feel a specific way. This applies to academic writing because it is possible to use some of the visual aids to persuade people in your writing. You can also find a way to manipulate words to gain more interest from your readers by using some of the techniques the rhetoric ads use.
Monday, February 22, 2016
"What Does this Picture Say? " Blog
Summary: In "What Does this Picture Say?", the author talks about how we interpret different images and what factors help contribute to the way we think about these images. The author talk about the key concept to interpreting images, intertextuality. Intertextuality refers to the way the viewers of images interpret images based on other images that are being put alongside of it. In other words, the interpretation of images are being influenced by other contributing factors such as; location, framing or other images alongside. With intertextuality, people are able to appreciate and critique images and their affects.
Quote #1: "Human experience is more visual and visualized than ever before. In many ways, people in industrialized and post-industrial societies now live in visual cultures to an extent that seems to divide the present from the past" (Pg 1).
I believe that the author just described the purpose of his writing. His purpose is to help people to understand images and their context because the society we are living in today is increasingly becoming more dependent on visual images to portray messages. I agree, today's society is highly depending on images to portray their message to the audience.
Quote #2: "From newspapers to billboards to school textbooks, viewers interpret what they see in the light of what surrounds or is referenced. There is no pure self-referential image free of context or unattained by other images" (Pg 1).
This is basically the definition of intertextuality, determining the meaning of an image by referencing other images that are related or are being put alongside of that image. Every time we see a rhetoric image, we reference our surroundings and what we already know. There is not a single image that can stand on its own or will create it's own opinions without the help of other images.
Quote #3: "Within the give-and-take of discussion, interpreters have the opportunity to clarify their purposes and provide evidence, and to learn open-mindedness in the light of other interpretations. Meanings are thereby enriched as intertextuality is engaged" (Pg 11).
Peoples' different interpretations of images and meaning only enriches the images even more. Using different kinds of intertextuality opens the door for more discussions and different opinions.
Questions:
1. What is the difference between intertextuality and implications?
2. Do you have to use intertextuality to analyze all images?
Quote #1: "Human experience is more visual and visualized than ever before. In many ways, people in industrialized and post-industrial societies now live in visual cultures to an extent that seems to divide the present from the past" (Pg 1).
I believe that the author just described the purpose of his writing. His purpose is to help people to understand images and their context because the society we are living in today is increasingly becoming more dependent on visual images to portray messages. I agree, today's society is highly depending on images to portray their message to the audience.
Quote #2: "From newspapers to billboards to school textbooks, viewers interpret what they see in the light of what surrounds or is referenced. There is no pure self-referential image free of context or unattained by other images" (Pg 1).
This is basically the definition of intertextuality, determining the meaning of an image by referencing other images that are related or are being put alongside of that image. Every time we see a rhetoric image, we reference our surroundings and what we already know. There is not a single image that can stand on its own or will create it's own opinions without the help of other images.
Quote #3: "Within the give-and-take of discussion, interpreters have the opportunity to clarify their purposes and provide evidence, and to learn open-mindedness in the light of other interpretations. Meanings are thereby enriched as intertextuality is engaged" (Pg 11).
Peoples' different interpretations of images and meaning only enriches the images even more. Using different kinds of intertextuality opens the door for more discussions and different opinions.
Questions:
1. What is the difference between intertextuality and implications?
2. Do you have to use intertextuality to analyze all images?
From Inquiry Pg 32; 36-38; 236-241 Blog
Pg 32
Summary: This section of the book discusses how to analyze an authors argument and responding to that argument with a rhetorical analysis. They provide three ways to help you understand a writers argument; picking out and numbering the main points, identifying the authors motivation and making a personal connection to your own experiences. After understanding an authors argument, you respond with a rhetorical analysis which is a response to an an already talked about subject in which you include views from other authors and add your own information
Quote: "By understanding the authors' arguments and making these connections, the student begins the writing process" (Pg 32).
If you aren't able to understand an authors point of view or argument, you will not be able to write a rhetorical analysis. Therefore, you can not start the writing process. Understanding an authors argument is critical to gaining a better concept of a topic. Also, understanding the authors motivation will make it easier for you to read because it makes the readers more interested.
Question: Can you still write a rhetorical analysis if you disagree with the author?
Pg 36-38
Summary: In this section of the book we learn about the steps to creating a rhetorical analysis. The first step is to identify the situation. This is the motivation behind the writing. Identifying a problem topic and explaining why this is a situation. The second step is identify your purpose. Your purpose is what you're trying to accomplish with this essay. It can be responding to a situation or adding new information to a developed topic. The third step is to identify your claim or thesis statement. Your thesis/claim is the controlling idea that crystalizes your main points. Authors must justify their claim with reasons and evidence. The final step is to identify your audience. In order for the audience to be engaged in your writing, you have to write in specific ways that will interest your audience. You can do this by manipulating language in a way that will grab the attention of the readers.
Quote: "Notice that his thesis also points to a solution: making cultural literacy the core of public school curricula" (Pg 37).
The author writing this thesis statement points out not only what the situation is, but also what he believes the solution is. This tells the reader that he will be talking mainly about this solution throughout his writing. The authors solution is also his thesis or main claim.
Question: What is the difference between your purpose and your thesis statement?
Pg 236-241
Summary: In this section of book we learn about how to analyze visual rhetoric. Visual rhetoric images portray an argument that is supposed to move the audience to think or act in a specific way. The first step in analyzing visual rhetoric is to pay attention to where the ad appears. You have to notice how the position of these images affects who views these images the most. The second step is to identify what part of the image draws your attention. There may be some things in the images that are bigger or brighter than other things to draw your attention even more. The third step is reflect on what draws your attention. Question why certain things draw your attention the most and what those images make you feel. The next step is to consider the ethos of the image. In other words consider what the purpose of this image and why did the creator make it that way. The next step is to analyze the pathos in the image. In this step you will analyze how the visual rhetoric makes you feel and how you react to that image. The final step is to understand the logos of the image. This is understanding the logical since of this image. Consider if you are able to make sense of the entire ad as a whole and how things relate to each other.
Quote: "Everywhere we are confronted by visual images that aim to persuade us" (Pg 237).
I find this statement to be extremely true. Living in a society with rapidly growing technology only makes communication even easier and faster. This gives more opportunities for companies to show their ads almost everywhere. Learning how to analyze these rhetoric ads can help us understand these ads and determine how we feel about them.
Question: Can visual rhetorics appear anywhere in other forms other than ads?
Summary: This section of the book discusses how to analyze an authors argument and responding to that argument with a rhetorical analysis. They provide three ways to help you understand a writers argument; picking out and numbering the main points, identifying the authors motivation and making a personal connection to your own experiences. After understanding an authors argument, you respond with a rhetorical analysis which is a response to an an already talked about subject in which you include views from other authors and add your own information
Quote: "By understanding the authors' arguments and making these connections, the student begins the writing process" (Pg 32).
If you aren't able to understand an authors point of view or argument, you will not be able to write a rhetorical analysis. Therefore, you can not start the writing process. Understanding an authors argument is critical to gaining a better concept of a topic. Also, understanding the authors motivation will make it easier for you to read because it makes the readers more interested.
Question: Can you still write a rhetorical analysis if you disagree with the author?
Pg 36-38
Summary: In this section of the book we learn about the steps to creating a rhetorical analysis. The first step is to identify the situation. This is the motivation behind the writing. Identifying a problem topic and explaining why this is a situation. The second step is identify your purpose. Your purpose is what you're trying to accomplish with this essay. It can be responding to a situation or adding new information to a developed topic. The third step is to identify your claim or thesis statement. Your thesis/claim is the controlling idea that crystalizes your main points. Authors must justify their claim with reasons and evidence. The final step is to identify your audience. In order for the audience to be engaged in your writing, you have to write in specific ways that will interest your audience. You can do this by manipulating language in a way that will grab the attention of the readers.
Quote: "Notice that his thesis also points to a solution: making cultural literacy the core of public school curricula" (Pg 37).
The author writing this thesis statement points out not only what the situation is, but also what he believes the solution is. This tells the reader that he will be talking mainly about this solution throughout his writing. The authors solution is also his thesis or main claim.
Question: What is the difference between your purpose and your thesis statement?
Pg 236-241
Summary: In this section of book we learn about how to analyze visual rhetoric. Visual rhetoric images portray an argument that is supposed to move the audience to think or act in a specific way. The first step in analyzing visual rhetoric is to pay attention to where the ad appears. You have to notice how the position of these images affects who views these images the most. The second step is to identify what part of the image draws your attention. There may be some things in the images that are bigger or brighter than other things to draw your attention even more. The third step is reflect on what draws your attention. Question why certain things draw your attention the most and what those images make you feel. The next step is to consider the ethos of the image. In other words consider what the purpose of this image and why did the creator make it that way. The next step is to analyze the pathos in the image. In this step you will analyze how the visual rhetoric makes you feel and how you react to that image. The final step is to understand the logos of the image. This is understanding the logical since of this image. Consider if you are able to make sense of the entire ad as a whole and how things relate to each other.
Quote: "Everywhere we are confronted by visual images that aim to persuade us" (Pg 237).
I find this statement to be extremely true. Living in a society with rapidly growing technology only makes communication even easier and faster. This gives more opportunities for companies to show their ads almost everywhere. Learning how to analyze these rhetoric ads can help us understand these ads and determine how we feel about them.
Question: Can visual rhetorics appear anywhere in other forms other than ads?
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Practice Write
I'm my last English class, we would do peer revision groups. Some people would give me good feedback regarding the actual content rather than just analyzing the grammatical error. How're R there were others who did not care as much and just told me my paper was good without giving me any real feedback. We would also do partner revising which I like a lot better. I feel like it's less awkward to give people their critiques and less stressful.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Practice Write 2/16/16
I feel pretty strongly about my inquiry question. I'm glad that I changed my topic to something that actually interests and concerns me. This topic will make it easier for me to actually do the research and write the paper because I am genuinely interested in finding out more. I feel pretty strongly about my idea draft as well. I got the main points that I plan on including in my first essay across. However there are some things that I am a little unsure about such as occupying the niche. I think doing a little more research will help resolve this problem.
Book club blog "Island"
Aldous Huxley, the author of "Island", is commonly known for his unique style of writing. He writes about new world scenarios and different unique ways for looking at life. Because of my familiarization with his past novels, I believe "Island" will be quite similar to this style. I believe this book will be about an alternate living style that will prove to be unmanageable for some and great for others. Also by reading the back of this book, I believe this story will be about a fully developed colony living on a remote island. However, this colony is different from the "normal" world. There will most likely be an encounter between the real world and the colony living on the island. This encounter will either be beneficial for the both of them or end in a rather abrupt way.
Idea Draft
Inquiry Question: Is the increasing dependency on standardized testing scores hurting or benefiting students in todays society?
Why the readers should be interested in this topic: Everyone has been affected by one form of standardized tests in their life wether it's the SAT or the Star Test. These tests results are used so heavily in determining the future success of students in college or in their life. All students are being held to certain standards they are required to meet in order to be considered successful or intelligent. However, are the standards students are required to meet benefiting their schooling experience or hurting it? The readers that will come across this paper will either have had a bad or good experience with standardized testing. Either way I will provide research that will interest the readers with good or bad experiences with these tests.
Why this topic is important to me: I am one of the many unlucky students who have had countless bad experiences with standardized testing. My below average scores would result in me being put in lower level classes that didn't challenge me. I have always wanted to know if standardized testing scores we're actually beneficial to students across the country. I have also wanted to know if there were other who have had the same experience with standardized testing as I.
Establishing a territory: Last semester for my oral communications class, i researched a topic very similar to this one. My topic last semester was whether or not standardizing testing was an accurate measure of student intelligence. Although my inquiry question this semester is not quite the same, I did find a lot of research regarding how standardized testing is affecting the students. There are many scholarly published who have wrote about this topic already. Each of them provide different points of views and different evidence to support their claim. This topic is very much talked about especially in todays society because there are more standards being created that students must meet.
Establishing a niche: Since I have already done some research on this topic, I do know the basics os standardized tests and why we are required to take them. However, I still want to find out more of the student perspective to see if these tests benefit or hurt their performance in school.
Occupying the niche: To gain different perspectives, I will interview various different students around campus. I will choose students who have received good test scores and students who have received bad test scores. I will ask them questions such as whether or not they believe they have benefited from the standardized test scores and whether of not they believe these tests are fair.
Why the readers should be interested in this topic: Everyone has been affected by one form of standardized tests in their life wether it's the SAT or the Star Test. These tests results are used so heavily in determining the future success of students in college or in their life. All students are being held to certain standards they are required to meet in order to be considered successful or intelligent. However, are the standards students are required to meet benefiting their schooling experience or hurting it? The readers that will come across this paper will either have had a bad or good experience with standardized testing. Either way I will provide research that will interest the readers with good or bad experiences with these tests.
Why this topic is important to me: I am one of the many unlucky students who have had countless bad experiences with standardized testing. My below average scores would result in me being put in lower level classes that didn't challenge me. I have always wanted to know if standardized testing scores we're actually beneficial to students across the country. I have also wanted to know if there were other who have had the same experience with standardized testing as I.
Establishing a territory: Last semester for my oral communications class, i researched a topic very similar to this one. My topic last semester was whether or not standardizing testing was an accurate measure of student intelligence. Although my inquiry question this semester is not quite the same, I did find a lot of research regarding how standardized testing is affecting the students. There are many scholarly published who have wrote about this topic already. Each of them provide different points of views and different evidence to support their claim. This topic is very much talked about especially in todays society because there are more standards being created that students must meet.
Establishing a niche: Since I have already done some research on this topic, I do know the basics os standardized tests and why we are required to take them. However, I still want to find out more of the student perspective to see if these tests benefit or hurt their performance in school.
Occupying the niche: To gain different perspectives, I will interview various different students around campus. I will choose students who have received good test scores and students who have received bad test scores. I will ask them questions such as whether or not they believe they have benefited from the standardized test scores and whether of not they believe these tests are fair.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Practice Write 2/11/16
A topic is a subject people can discuss whether in person or in writing. A subject is not necessarily a debatable issue. However, it is more of a conversation starter between people with different view points. On the other hand an issue is a subject that is currently relevant in society and is debatable. There will be people with different opposing view points trying to argue why they believe their opinion is right. The issue I plan on focusing my essay on is the increasing amount of small businesses being over run by big corporations. I will talk about how this is affecting society and potentially how small businesses can sustain their work. As of right now, I have not done any reseated on this topic. However, I do believe I will find a lot of information about this because of its relevance to most societies and growing concern.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
The Say I Say chapter 7 2/10/16
In this chapter of "They Say I Say" the author discusses the importance of including why the topic your writing about is important and why people should care in your writing. People won't give your writing the time of day if you don't give them a reason on why what you have to say is important. You can do this by including other authors who are also writing about your topic in your writing and adding to what they have to say. You can also include people who should care about your writing. For example if you're writing about a new finding in the cure for diabetes, you should probably mention what past scientists have said about diabetes. Now that you've established who should care, you have to establish why others who are not scientists should care. To do this, you must link your argument to a larger conversation. For example, if you're writing about standardized testing in public schools, you should link that topic back to how standardized testing affects students in the future.
Quote #1: "If you take it for granted that readers will some how intuit the answers to "so what?" and "who cares?" on their own, you may make your work seem less interesting than it actually is"
(Pg. 100).
I have a tendency to do this in my writing. I believe that everyone reading my work shares the same interest in the topic as I. By believing in this, I forget to mention the reasons behind talking about this topic and simply list out a bunch of facts and view points. Letting people know why they should care will make my writing more interesting and easier to understand and relate to.
Question #1: How specifically should I tell my readers why my writing is so important?
Question #2: If I don't mention who should care, will my readers lose interest?
Quote #1: "If you take it for granted that readers will some how intuit the answers to "so what?" and "who cares?" on their own, you may make your work seem less interesting than it actually is"
(Pg. 100).
I have a tendency to do this in my writing. I believe that everyone reading my work shares the same interest in the topic as I. By believing in this, I forget to mention the reasons behind talking about this topic and simply list out a bunch of facts and view points. Letting people know why they should care will make my writing more interesting and easier to understand and relate to.
Question #1: How specifically should I tell my readers why my writing is so important?
Question #2: If I don't mention who should care, will my readers lose interest?
From Identifying Issues to Forming Questions Blog 2/10/16
In this reading, the author discusses techniques to help people guide their reading and writing. When you start your writing you have to identify the issue. You have to establish what you will be talking about. You can do this by using personal experiences to strengthen your view point and and get the readers to relate to your writing. You also need to establish the different point of views on your topic. Presenting the reader with conflicting points of views can make a topic more clear for the reader. Pointing out different points of views regarding your topic will help the reader understand the complexity of the issue. The reader will then understand how important and complex the issue is. Your writing should build upon other authors writing and ideas. In your writing you are supposed to extend authors idea which extends your ideas as well. Lastly, you should build a frame when you're writing. A frame will help you organize your argument and clearly get your point across. Organizing a frame will help the readers understand the most important points of your argument.
Quote #1: "You may have been taught that formal writing is objective, that you must keep a dispassionate distance from your subject, and that you should not use I in a college-level paper"
(Pg. 75).
Although I have been taught many times to not use the word I in my academic papers, I have always been taught that showcasing your passion in your writing is a good thing. I believe drawing from personal experiences actually helps gets my point of view across and establish a relationship between the reader and the author. However, I also believe you shouldn't include your own bias opinions. Including your opinions can make you seem like and unreliable source.
Question #1: Do I have to follow the steps provided in this exact order to write an effective paper?
Question #2: Wouldn't showing how complex an issue is only complicate the readers understanding?
Quote #1: "You may have been taught that formal writing is objective, that you must keep a dispassionate distance from your subject, and that you should not use I in a college-level paper"
(Pg. 75).
Although I have been taught many times to not use the word I in my academic papers, I have always been taught that showcasing your passion in your writing is a good thing. I believe drawing from personal experiences actually helps gets my point of view across and establish a relationship between the reader and the author. However, I also believe you shouldn't include your own bias opinions. Including your opinions can make you seem like and unreliable source.
Question #1: Do I have to follow the steps provided in this exact order to write an effective paper?
Question #2: Wouldn't showing how complex an issue is only complicate the readers understanding?
CARS Model of Research Blog 2/10/16
According to the CARS Model of Research Introductions, there are 3 "moves" that most research writers use in their introductions. The first move is to establish a territory. In other words, they portray the topic they are about to talk about in their writing. They do this usually by giving background information and establishing the larger conversation. The author will take information regarding the topic from various other authors and relate them to each other and the information they will provide. The next move is to establish a niche. In this move, the author points out missing information or a missing point of view and fills it in with their input. The author can do this by either refuting an authors claim, pointing out missing information from an argument or questioning previous research. The third move is to present the reader with the information you're bringing into the larger conversation. In this step you will provide the missing information, proving why you believe an author is wrong or answering unanswered questions.
Quote #1: "Identifying these moves in introductions to the articles you read in this book will help you understand the authors' projects better from the outset" (Pg 6).
After reading about these moves and how academic writers use these moves to form their introductions I can now understand challenging introductions when I read them because I can identify when an author makes these 3 moves.
Question #1: Does the introduction serve as a summary for other authors work and the information the author is about to provide?
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Practice Write Transcommunality 2/8/16
To be quite honest, I did not read Transcommunality yet. I had a misunderstanding on when this assignment was due and therefore did not finish this blog assignment. However I do have a process on how to understand difficult texts. My process is to reread the parts I felt were especially challenging. After re-reading a specific section a couple times I like to read the context around it. The context around a specific passage usually gives me more insight about what a passage is talking about. If I still do not understand something it's usually because there are vocabulary words that I do not understand. To fix this problem I look up the words I don't understand either on a dictionary or online.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
February 4, 2016 Practice Write
When I am first given a topic for an academic writing assignment one of the very first things I do is to research the topic. Especially if it is something I'm not familiar with. I will do research on a computer or read articles regarding that topic. When I feel that I have done enough research I will then proceed to establish my stance on that topic. I will decide what view point I want to take and how I want to deliver my point of view in my writing. Afterwards I like to start writing up my idea draft. An idea draft helps me organize my thoughts and organize my paper in the best possible way.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Starting with Inquiry Pg 1-14
Quote 1: "Any initial difficulty you have with academic writing will pay off when you discover new ways of looking at the world and of making sense of it. Moreover, the habits of mind and core skills of academic writing are highly valued in the world outside the academy" (Pg 2).
In this quote, the authors explain the importance of learning how to become an academic writer and how this acquired skill will benefit you in more ways then one might think. I've never been a big fan about scholarly writing whether it would be reading or writing it. It was always very hard for me to understand the concepts authors were trying to portray. However, I do recognize the importance of this writing skill. Academic writing opens up the door between different people with different view points. It serves as a communication tool between professionals and students or students and students. I believe this book will help me understand how to read academic writing and change my way of viewing certain topics.
Quote 2: "When you consider a variety of factors-the quality and functionality of the item you plan to buy, how it meets your needs, how it compares to similar items before making a shopping choice-you are conducting an analysis. That is, you are pausing to examine the reasons why you should buy something [...]" (Pg 3).
I have never realized how much we us critical thinking in our daily lives. I always believed critical thinking is something you use in school when your writing a response or argumentative paper. Using analytical skills in activities such as shopping as the quote describes is a great example of when we are using our critical thinking skills. I really like how the book is connecting academic writing to the real world. I believe this connection will help me to further understand academic writing and how I can become better at this.
Quote 3: "Academic writers usually study a body of information so closely and from so many different perspectives that they can ask questions that may not occur to people who are just scanning information" (Pg 4).
In my last English class, I was taught how to interpret different authors perspectives on certain subjects and how their information adds to the larger conversation. The scholarly authors I have read in the past were experts in their field and knew exactly what they were writing about. I've always questioned how I can one day become like these authors and analyze bodies of information to com up with new perspectives.
In this quote, the authors explain the importance of learning how to become an academic writer and how this acquired skill will benefit you in more ways then one might think. I've never been a big fan about scholarly writing whether it would be reading or writing it. It was always very hard for me to understand the concepts authors were trying to portray. However, I do recognize the importance of this writing skill. Academic writing opens up the door between different people with different view points. It serves as a communication tool between professionals and students or students and students. I believe this book will help me understand how to read academic writing and change my way of viewing certain topics.
Quote 2: "When you consider a variety of factors-the quality and functionality of the item you plan to buy, how it meets your needs, how it compares to similar items before making a shopping choice-you are conducting an analysis. That is, you are pausing to examine the reasons why you should buy something [...]" (Pg 3).
I have never realized how much we us critical thinking in our daily lives. I always believed critical thinking is something you use in school when your writing a response or argumentative paper. Using analytical skills in activities such as shopping as the quote describes is a great example of when we are using our critical thinking skills. I really like how the book is connecting academic writing to the real world. I believe this connection will help me to further understand academic writing and how I can become better at this.
Quote 3: "Academic writers usually study a body of information so closely and from so many different perspectives that they can ask questions that may not occur to people who are just scanning information" (Pg 4).
In my last English class, I was taught how to interpret different authors perspectives on certain subjects and how their information adds to the larger conversation. The scholarly authors I have read in the past were experts in their field and knew exactly what they were writing about. I've always questioned how I can one day become like these authors and analyze bodies of information to com up with new perspectives.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
February 2, 2016 Practice Write
In my opinion, sustainability means to be able to continue on with something even if it's a hard task. I also believe it means to be able to commit yourself from the very beginning. Sustainability can also mean the the ability of something or someone to last or live. Some topics that interest me are the medical field, the arts and different cultures.
Monday, February 1, 2016
They Say I Say Preface and Introduction Annotations
They Say I Say
Quote 1: "We proceeded from the premise that all writers rely on certain stock formulas that they themselves didn't invent-and that many of these formulas are so commonly used that they can be represented in model templates that students can use to structure and even generate what they can say" (Pg 20).
From this quote I can understand that this textbook will most likely be a compilation of what authors Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein believe to be the best writing tools used by other professional writers. The only question/concern I have with this statement is that will these tools be as beneficial for the students as it is for professional writers? I believe students have very different processes when it comes to writing. Sticking to specific formulas of writing can possibly hinder students writing ability rather than help them.
Quote 2: "Yet despite this growing consensus that writing is a social, conversational act, helping student writers actually participate in these conversations remains a formidable challenge" (Pg 18).
I agree with this quote. I strongly believe that writing can be used as a tool to converse with the rest of the world on topics important to you. Writing can also be used to establish a conversation and get the rest of the world interested in what you have to say. I believe that writing is important and is one of our languages most useful tool. However, I can also understand why it is challenging to engage students in academic writing. It always depends on the topic when it comes to writing. A topic of interest will draw in the students and irrelevant topics will just increase students unwillingness to write.
Quote 3: "And if we are right that effective arguments are always in dialogue with other arguments, then it follows that in order to understand the types of challenging texts assigned in college, students need to identify the views to which those texts are responding" (Pg 22).
In this quote Graff and Birkenstein explain that in order for students to understand academic work in college, they first need to understand the how the author views a specific type of situation and what they are contributing to the conversation. I believe this is really important because I wouldn't be able to respond to an authors work if I don't understand what their view on a subject is.
Quote 4: "If there is any one point that we hope you will take away from this book, it is the importance not only of expressing your ideas ("I say") but of presenting those ideas as a response to some other person or group ("they say")" (Pg 31).
I agree with this quote. It it always important to include your own views and what you have to say about a topic. However, you will not be taken seriously if you do not include any other views from other writers. You should always present your views as if you were entering into a larger conversation. Your adding what you have to say and possibly new information to an already started conversation.
From this quote I can understand that this textbook will most likely be a compilation of what authors Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein believe to be the best writing tools used by other professional writers. The only question/concern I have with this statement is that will these tools be as beneficial for the students as it is for professional writers? I believe students have very different processes when it comes to writing. Sticking to specific formulas of writing can possibly hinder students writing ability rather than help them.
Quote 2: "Yet despite this growing consensus that writing is a social, conversational act, helping student writers actually participate in these conversations remains a formidable challenge" (Pg 18).
I agree with this quote. I strongly believe that writing can be used as a tool to converse with the rest of the world on topics important to you. Writing can also be used to establish a conversation and get the rest of the world interested in what you have to say. I believe that writing is important and is one of our languages most useful tool. However, I can also understand why it is challenging to engage students in academic writing. It always depends on the topic when it comes to writing. A topic of interest will draw in the students and irrelevant topics will just increase students unwillingness to write.
Quote 3: "And if we are right that effective arguments are always in dialogue with other arguments, then it follows that in order to understand the types of challenging texts assigned in college, students need to identify the views to which those texts are responding" (Pg 22).
In this quote Graff and Birkenstein explain that in order for students to understand academic work in college, they first need to understand the how the author views a specific type of situation and what they are contributing to the conversation. I believe this is really important because I wouldn't be able to respond to an authors work if I don't understand what their view on a subject is.
Quote 4: "If there is any one point that we hope you will take away from this book, it is the importance not only of expressing your ideas ("I say") but of presenting those ideas as a response to some other person or group ("they say")" (Pg 31).
I agree with this quote. It it always important to include your own views and what you have to say about a topic. However, you will not be taken seriously if you do not include any other views from other writers. You should always present your views as if you were entering into a larger conversation. Your adding what you have to say and possibly new information to an already started conversation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)