Reflection on Open Letter Draft

In this post I will discuss the peer drafts I reviewed and the comments I received on my draft.

Bert Kaufmann. "Misty Winter Afternoon" Dec 20 2010. Creative Commons Attribution.

Reflect on Peer Feedback

One thing both of my peer reviewers agreed on was that my thesis was a little unclear. I think in my revision I am going to make a bolder statement on what I am writing about. I liked the advice Morgan provided about contrasting this course with previous courses that I've been in to show just how challenging and different it has been for me. I think I'll add that into my final draft. I enjoyed the specific comments on what I did well such as my transitions to new topics and the organization of my draft. Some of my comments aren't applicable to my draft anymore because I wasn't finished with my draft when both of them started reviewing but I still use the comments as a guide to make sure I'm completing all the necessary criteria. 

What I've learned about my draft

I've learned that the evidence in my draft could be a bit more developed. I do include stories but the only solid evidence I provide are hyperlinks to previous blog posts. I might use quotes from a conversation I've had or specific quotes from my projects. I think I have a good amount of sensory details but I feel as it won't hurt to go through and add a bit more. I could also add more specific adjectives to make my stories more effective and descriptive. I do think I did a good job of keeping my draft structured and keeping my purpose in mind. The only challenges I really faced were trying not to repeat myself and coming up with a structure and tone that I liked.

Revision

• I think I did demonstrate an ability to think about my writing and myself as a writer because I actually formulated an outline with the project guide open in front of me and that showed that I am a planner and sequential composer. 
• I did provide analysis of my experiences, I discussed how they changed me and compared them to my previous experiences. 
• I provided concrete examples of my own writing my hyperlinking blog posts. I think I'm going to provide more for my final draft but the descriptions I have provided already are adequate. 
• I don't think I explained the choices I made enough because I felt as though they were obvious. I think I might add a bit more to this section.
• I did use specific terms and concepts. Things like rhetorical situation, audience, purpose, etc. 

Also, I peer reviewed Kelly's and Kyle's open letter drafts.

Draft of Open Letter

In this post I will discuss the draft I've composed for my open letter.

Centpacrr. "Air Mail Service" 20 July 2008. Public Domain.

The draft of my open letter can be found HERE.

I am still unsure of how I want my letter to be structured. This is a pretty rough draft, but I still put a lot of thought into it. When revising my draft, please pay attention to the tone as I really am struggling to find the balance between casual and formal. Also, please give me your full feedback on whether or not you think I followed the project guide correctly and answered the initial questions. Thank you!!

I peer reviewed Kyle's draft and Kelly's draft.

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.