Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

In this post I will answer questions about my writing experiences this semester.

Cacophony. "Landscape Arch" June 12 2009. CC. 

1.What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?

Overall my biggest challenges were completing all the coursework on time and making sure my final drafts were how I wanted them to be. Also I really struggled with getting the aesthetics right on my final projects (Project 1 & 3).

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time managment, writing and editorial skills?

I learned that I actually have really good time management skills. In the beginning I struggled because I wasn't used to the workload but throughout the semester I really improved. As for writing and editorial skills, I think I have strong skills in both. I consider myself a good writer but when it comes to editing I have trouble editing my own work, but can edit others just fine. I could still improve in my personal editorial skills.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.

I know so much more about the concept of genre than I did at the beginning of the semester. I've learned how important understanding the genre you're writing in is because it really determines the effectiveness of the piece you're writing. If you don't completely understand the genre you're writing in before you write then your work will turn out very poor no matter how good the content of it is.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?

I think this course has helped me become a lot more technologically savvy and I've learned how to research different topics in certain genres depending on the type of content I'm looking for. I've also learned how to effectively use my time and plan out projects through the course of multiple weeks. These new skills will be extremely helpful for the next few years of college.

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H? 

My most effective moment was the weeks when we were completing project 2 because I knew the genre very well so creating the project wasn't as difficult or time consuming and by that time I was already used to the amount of work we were expected so it wasn't difficult at all to complete all the tasks I needed to.

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H? 

My least effective moment was the weeks we were creating project 1. College was very new to me and I had never even heard of a QRG before and I just felt very lost and stressed about english and everything else in my life. The coursework was a lot for me in the beginning and I felt like I didn't know what I was doing.

Revisiting My Writing Process

In this post I will reflect on how my writing process has changed throughout this course.

Rossana Ferreira. "Revisit" 2 Feb 2014. Creative Commons Attribution.  

Throughout this course my writing style has become more organized and structured. I've figured out how to effectively use my time and plan out when and how I will complete everything I need to. I still consider myself to be a sequential composer because I never procrastinated or too heavily planned and I think this will continue to be successful for me especially since it's stayed the same throughout this course. The use of outlines in this course has really made my final drafts of projects go much smoother and quicker. I think I'm a bit more of a revisor now also. I never stayed true to the calendar I made but because I knew what was expected of me I was able to plan and finish my work accordingly. The overall structure of this course has really made me a more efficient writer.

Because of these things I see myself being successful in the rest of my writing career if I continue to stay organized like this and plan out when I am going to complete things.

Reflection on Project 3

Below I will reflect my thoughts on my experience with Project 3.

Liz West. "Lythrum Salicaria" July 26 08. Creative Commons Attribution.

1. What specifically revised from one draft to another?

From my original draft I added in more sources and other stories that involved experiences in physical therapy. I also added more factual information.

2. How did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

I really just ended up changing the genre before I began my draft. I switched from more of a scientific journal to an article on a common website.

3. What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A change in purpose?

My strongest argument lies within my personal experience with the topic and I think an article was a much better route to go than a scientific journal. I realized this would pertain to my audience much more and make my argument much for effective and the new genre would fit much better.

4. How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

I don't know if it affects my actual credibility as much as it just fits my credibility more. I think I have more credibility writing in my article genre over the scientific journal.

5. How will these changes better address the author or venue?

It will address me as an author much better because a large part of the article is about my personal story. If I were to do a journal my opinion really wouldn't be part of my project at all.

6. How did you reconsider sentence structure and style? 

I tried to keep it pretty formal without being too serious. The language I use is easy to understand because my audience is very broad so it fits the general public but also isn't very informal.

7. How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

I think this change will drastically assist my audience in understanding my topic because some people will actually be able to relate and also see other instances where the therapy has worked. I think this makes my audience much larger and pertains more to my focus.

8. Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

I did a bit. I know articles usually have many visual aspects and my article is mostly content focused and doesn't necessarily need that convention of the genre but I think for my audience having that visual element is really helpful.

9. How does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

I think it strengthens my identity as a writer because it makes me really look back at my work and really realize what my process was throughout creating my project and seeing how far I've come from the beginning.

Publishing Public Argument

In this post I will be posting my final draft for Project 3.

ForestWander. "Purple Pansy Spring Flower" 23 Apr 2009. Creative Commons Attribution. 

HERE is my final draft.

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watcing/hearing your argument) below:

←----------------------------------------------------|--x------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly 

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←--x--------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument etablishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument prooposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         ____x___ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         _______ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation: My project has a main focus on my personal experience with my topic. Because of this in no way does it simply restate info from other sources. My personal opinion on the topic is a large part of my argument.

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument below: I'm using logic and emotional appeals to convince my readers that electrical stimulation is an effective treatment. 

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    ___x__ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

                    ___x__ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    _____ Employing carefully chosen key words or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    ___x__ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    _____ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    _____ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    _____ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    _____ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    _____ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    ___x__ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture 

                    ___x__ Employing the repetition of key words or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact 

                    ___x__ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    _____ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    _____ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    _____ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    ____ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    ___x__ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    _____ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    ___x__ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc. 

                    ___x__ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    ___x__ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    _____ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    _____ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

                    _____ Other:


Examples of My Genre
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

In this post I will discuss my thoughts on my Project 3 draft and the peer reviews I conducted.

 Polimerik. "Reviewer at American National Institutes of Health."   Aug 22 2005. Public Domain.

I reviewed Jessica's draft and Dylan's draft. The hyperlinks are the peer review sheets I did for both of them. 

1. Who reviewed your project 3 draft?

Kelly and Kyle reviewed my project.

2. What did you think about the feedback you received?

I think it was accurate and helpful. I liked Kyle's idea of adding in other personal experiences and Kelly helped me with choosing where to reword some things. Both of them were a bit unclear on my genre due to the fact that I changed it last minute. But overall the advice was helpful.

3. What aspects of project 3 need the most work going forward? How do you plan on addressing these areas?

I really just need to add more content containing information on the treatment itself and try and make my personal story more concise and purposeful in terms of my argument.

4. How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week? 

I feel pretty good about everything right now. I know where I want my project to be when I'm done and I know pretty much how to get there. It's just a matter of fixing it and reviewing it and I think I'll be set.

Draft of Public Argument

In this post I will discuss my draft of project 3.

Reneman. "Draft" Feb 24 2013. Creative Commons Attribution.

HERE is a link to my draft of project 3. 

My draft still needs a lot of work before I finally turn it in. I really focused on my personal experience and still plan on adding more factual evidence. I'm also aware I still need to properly caption and cite my photo of the graph. When reading my draft, try to think of ways I could make my final draft more aesthetically pleasing and fit the convention of an article more. 

Considering Visual Elements

In this post I will discuss the types of visual elements I'll be using in my Project 3.

che. "Human Eye" Nov 30 2005. CC.

1. What color choices best reflect the visual-rhetorical tone of my project?

I should probably use lighter colors. I was thinking light blues and cool colors to make it less dark. I think this would best reflect the visual-rhetorical tone to encourage my readers not to be afraid of e-stim.

2. What color is the most appropriate or visually engaging for my project?

Most likely light blues.

3. How might I vary the fonts used in my project for emphasis, such as in the title and the body   of my project? 

I think making my title and subheadings bolder and bigger than my actual content will probably make my visual strategy most effective.

4. Do the headings used in my project stand out and break up text clearly? Should other fonts or colors be used?

Yes, because I'm going to be separating my text with different subtopics and therefore I'm going to need the headings to stand out. I'm still debating on using other fonts because I'm not sure my visual-rhetorical strategy will call for it.

5. Is the feeling or tone that the image invokes appropriate to the visual-rhetorical tone of my argument?

Yes, it will be. I'm going to use images of the therapy itself which will be appropriate for what I'm arguing.

6. Do your eyes move easily from section to section in the order that you intended?

Yes, I'm going to order my argument strategically and separate the content with subheadings in order to make it easily scannable and understandable.

7. From your outline, is the visual-rhetorical tone of your project consistent? 

Yes, I'm going to make sure that my visual-rhetorical tone is consistent throughout my whole project.

Project 3 Outline

In this post I will compose an outline of my argument for project 3.

Koperczak. "Roses Over Crossed Canes" Dec 31 1881. Public Domain.

Introduction

• Thinking about the situation 
• I'm going to force my readers to think a certain way about my argument after briefly introducing what my article is going to address. 
• Talk about how I'm going to discuss how and why electrical stimulation will be used.
• Define any terms that readers might be unaware of and should know before reading my article

Body

• Major Supporting Arguments
• Studies that have been done
• Show evidence from outside sources that show it works effectively
• Previous success stories with the use of the treatment
• Use article from Project 2 to show how Gad Alon uses it successfully
• My personal experience
• Talk about my arm and how I used it to break down bone and regain motion
• Supporting opinions of other medical professionals
• Source from project 2 that listed actual physical therapists opinions of the treatment
• Major Criticisms 
• The treatment doesn't work under certain conditions
• It is somewhat time sensitive
• Must be used correctly and at the right time for the situation it's being treated for
• There have been issues with insurance
• Patients might have to pay out of pocket (me)
• Talk about the reasons why it might not cover
• There is not a lot of information about the treatment so physical therapists are hesitant to use it 
• Key Support & Rebuttal Points
• Most Important and Relevant Points
• My personal experience will probably my strongest argument for this project
• Previous stories with the treatment will support this as well
• Solid evidence and facts
• Rebuttal Points
• Time sensitivity 
• talk about how that was an issue for me
• Insurance
• also address how this was an issue for me
• Topic Sentences
• Topics for Key Support
• "Due to the fact that I have been in the patient position of electrical stimulation, I can supply first hand information on the effectiveness of the treatment."
• Talk about what I needed it for and how it worked for me.
• "There have been many previous cases where electrical stimulation in physical therapy has been used successfully. "
• Provide examples of this in a paragraph focusing on success stories of it
• "Not only do other patients and physical therapists support the treatment, there are multiple sources of facts and evidence that support this claim as well."
• Paragraph about the studies that have been done that actually prove it's effective in certain cases.
• Topics for Rebuttal Points
• "The time sensitivity of the treatment is and has been an issue in need of discussion. The solution is simply that physical therapists qualified to use the treatment must know how to properly apply it in certain situations."
• Talk about how time sensitivity will always be a factor in the treatment but the therapists should have this knowledge and know when the timing is right to use the treatment. It will not always be right for every case, like any other type of treatment.
• "Although in the past the issue of insurance has caused some patients to opt out of electrical stimulation, some new policies have been changed in order to allow coverage for the treatment."
• Talk about how we had to pay out of pocket for a while
• Talk about what I read in "Stimulating Controversy"
• Gathering Evidence
• I will be using my personal experiences for a lot of the article
• I will be using sources that I have found in the process of completing Project 2
• Map of my Argument



Screenshot take 11-4-15

• 
  

Conclusion

• Future
• I can show that the use of electrical stimulation in the future will be successful in treating patients of their issues
• Create technology advances in the future, etc.

Reflection

I reviewed Morgan's post on her outline. She really seemed to know what the structure and content of her argument will look like and was able to display it well. Her argument is pretty different from mine in the sense that it appeals heavily to the emotion of her readers rather than factual information. Although mine does appeal to the emotion of my readers, it is not based off of that.

I also reviewed Alyssa's post on visual elements. Her genre is a video and therefore her visual-rhetorical tone is very important in the overall presentation of her project. She wasn't able to completely answer a lot of the questions because she hasn't made a lot of decisions for her project yet but she is definitely headed on the right track.

Reading my peers blog posts made me realize that we are all on very different tracks and working at different paces as well. There is so much variety and it's cool seeing all the different directions everyones taking.

Analyzing Genre

In this post I will analyze the genre I have chosen for Project 3. I have chosen to create an informative article discussing electrical therapy as a treatment in physical therapy.

Someone35. "Autumn in New Hampshire" 9 Oct 2009. CC 3.0

Examples of my Genre

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Example 5

Social Context

Where is the genre typically set?

The genre is typically seen on websites that contain articles containing factual information, studies, and past experiences with the topic they discuss. They are set to websites that provide information to people. 

What is the subject of the genre?

The subject of the genre in my case is the use of electrical stimulation as a treatment in physical therapy.

Who uses the genre?

There is a wide variety of people that use the genre. People looking for information on certain specific topics typically use it. 

When and why is the genre used? What purposes does the genre serve for people?

Informative articles are used because people seek information about certain topics. They are created to inform people.

Rhetorical Patterns of the Genre

What type of content is usually included and excluded?

Factual information and results of studies and personal experiences is typically information that's included. Things that would be excluded include unproven facts and unrelated issues to the specific topic being discussed (or topics slightly related but irrelevant).

What rhetorical appeals are used most often? Logos, Pathos, Ethos?

Typically logos is the rhetorical device that the genre is based off of. In my case and many other cases ethos is also included to appeal to the culture in which the topic is discussed. Pathos usually isn't used as much because the genre is informative.

How are the texts organized? What common parts do the samples share?

Since it's an article, the text is broken up into smaller, scannable paragraphs to allow skimming and the separation of different subtopics. The articles will usually open with and introduction to the topic and a description of any subjects the readers may not know about prior to reading the article. They conclude with a very short sentence or two recapping the points that were made in the article.

Do sentences in the genre share a certain style?

Yes the sentences usually share the same style. Because it's informative there is a lack of exclamation marks/question marks throughout the text. There are a combination simple and complex sentences that contain both factual information and analysis of the information. They are typically more active sentences.

What type of word choice is used?

The overall tone is pretty formal throughout the article. There is no use of slang. 

What Patterns Reveal About Social Context of the Genre

Who does the genre include and who does the genre exclude?

The genre includes most people that are looking for information on a certain topic. In my case, this includes anyone looking for information on treatments in physical therapy, patients, actual physical therapists, etc. It excludes people that have no idea what physical therapy is because the article would expect the readers to have some knowledge on that topic already.

What roles for writers and readers does the genre encourage?

It encourages the writers of this genre to have a lot of credibility with the topic they are writing the article on. Either that or the writer has done a lot of research and includes the sources on which the information they discuss came from. As for the readers, it requires that they have a little bit of prior knowledge of the topics being discussed. This is because the topics of these article are pretty specific and therefore prior knowledge of the general subject is encouraged.

What values and beliefs are assumed about or encouraged from the users of the genre?

The values of the genre should be synonymous with the values of the culture that the genre is written in. 

What content does the genre treat as most valuable? Least valuable?

The genre treats factual information and the most valuable and opinions as the least valuable.

Reflection
I reviewed Kelly's post and Morgan's post. Kelly is working on a magazine article and Morgan is also working on an article. I think that both of the genres my peers chose fit perfectly for their topic, argument, and audience. From seeing what my other peers are working on for Project 3 I realized just how much the projects will very from student to student. I think there is going to be a lot more variety of genres than I thought and that independently researching new genres will help us learn a lot in the process.