I thought my informal summary was pretty good. I like working with a group if I trust that they know what they are doing. Nazim could write well so I thought together we did a good job. The only thing I don't like about working in a group is that if I don't agree I don't want to offend the other person but on the other hand they sometimes bring another element that I don't see.
My writing skills are getting better. I took an English 101 telecourse and to be honest I thought it was kind of silly to go into a writing class when I could do it at home, but I was wrong. I am already learning so much more than I expected.
The mistakes that I see on the informal summary are that we put our opinion in a couple of times. ITS SO HARD NOT TO DO! It was Nazim's idea to put in the definition to "looting" and I thought that was a great addition.
I don't feel like I was as prepared as I could have been. The next time I write on an article, I am going to read through the whole article a couple of times so I can get an idea of the whole gest of the article. Just trying to pick things out that I think are important works but could be done better.
I think writing is a process and I will learn as I go.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
2nd blog post
I found this essay a little difficult to write. It definitely took a lot of thinking. There are so many aspects that come into writing. You have to think about what you want to write about, what details to add, put them in the correct order, and make sure grammar and punctuation is correct. On this essay, there were a few areas that could be improved. My punctuation was pretty bad. When I look at my paper, this is the biggest problem I see. I definitely need to go back and proofread carefully. I also used "you" and I know better than that. Ha, ha. My thesis sentence could have been more thought out and written better. It was too brief and didn't sum up what the essay was going to be written on. There were also some positives. I believe the content was good. The information was clearly written and properly organized. My use of questions brought a little bit of interest and curiosity to the writing. My conclusion was a good ending. Overall, I think it was good but as in all writing it takes awhile to make it how it should be. Revise, revise, revise.
When writing, I think it is important to think for a few days about what you want to write about. When a detail comes to mind, write it down and then when sitting down to write the paper there are many details to collage and organize. Just sitting at a computer and expecting to come up with a great paper is not feasible. It won't turn out good. It is an ongoing process.
Also, it is a good idea to give it to another person to read. Sometimes, people see details that the writer may not see. They may think of a better word choice, wrong grammar or punctuation, etc. These are some ideas I will use next time I write a paper.
When writing, I think it is important to think for a few days about what you want to write about. When a detail comes to mind, write it down and then when sitting down to write the paper there are many details to collage and organize. Just sitting at a computer and expecting to come up with a great paper is not feasible. It won't turn out good. It is an ongoing process.
Also, it is a good idea to give it to another person to read. Sometimes, people see details that the writer may not see. They may think of a better word choice, wrong grammar or punctuation, etc. These are some ideas I will use next time I write a paper.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Kendra's 1st Blog Post
Hi Kristen,
Hope I am doing this right!
Kendra's 1st blog on readings from Everything's an Argument and A Writer's Reference.
Our assigned reading were based on how to write on arguments. I had no idea there were so many aspects of arguments that could influence writing. There are arguments using emotions that influence people's feelings to convey a point to the reader. Writers can use emotions to feel connected with the readers especially with topics that are sensitive. The reader wants you to feel what they are feeling. A writer needs to anticipate how the reader will feel when reading the document.
I thought it was interesting that the writer has better luck trying to persuade the reader rather than trying to argue with the reader. When someone argues, they are trying to convict someone into taking action. When persuasion is used, it makes the reader want to take action. According to A Writer's Reference a writer needs to establish the purpose for writing before starting.
Another way to connect with the reader is to use humor. Humor makes a subject that could be controversial or sensitive a little lighter. Sometimes, serious writing doesn't work and won't get through to the reader or may offend the reader but when humor is used it makes the point without being offensive. The writer has to be careful because if humor is used in poor taste it discredits the writer.
People many times base their opinions on what others say about a topic. For example, if the writer is speaking of an opinion of a doctor from Loyola in comparison of an opinion from a doctor at Mercy Hospital in Aurora, the reader will probably side with the doctor from Loyola. This is because people know that Loyola is a respectable hospital and his opinion is more credible. A good example from the Everything's an Argument was how people would believe Consumer Reports regarding SUV statistics rather than an article in People Magazine. This is because Consumer Reports has a good reputation for doing the research on items and the consumer won't trust a magazine like People for buying a car.
Writers need to establish credibility with their readers. Another way to do this is to let your reader know what you don't know. It helps the reader to understand that the writer is down to earth and admits that they don't know everything about a certain topic, so the reader trusts that he/she will only tell what they do know.
My preference with writing arguments would be to use facts and reasons. I don't like to feel like I am being manipulated by a writer. If the writer gives facts, that is something to grab a hold of. The writer needs to document where the facts came from for credibility and plagarizing reasons.
This reading was interesting. I think it will help me think before I write a paper about which angle I want to use before I start writing.
Hope I am doing this right!
Kendra's 1st blog on readings from Everything's an Argument and A Writer's Reference.
Our assigned reading were based on how to write on arguments. I had no idea there were so many aspects of arguments that could influence writing. There are arguments using emotions that influence people's feelings to convey a point to the reader. Writers can use emotions to feel connected with the readers especially with topics that are sensitive. The reader wants you to feel what they are feeling. A writer needs to anticipate how the reader will feel when reading the document.
I thought it was interesting that the writer has better luck trying to persuade the reader rather than trying to argue with the reader. When someone argues, they are trying to convict someone into taking action. When persuasion is used, it makes the reader want to take action. According to A Writer's Reference a writer needs to establish the purpose for writing before starting.
Another way to connect with the reader is to use humor. Humor makes a subject that could be controversial or sensitive a little lighter. Sometimes, serious writing doesn't work and won't get through to the reader or may offend the reader but when humor is used it makes the point without being offensive. The writer has to be careful because if humor is used in poor taste it discredits the writer.
People many times base their opinions on what others say about a topic. For example, if the writer is speaking of an opinion of a doctor from Loyola in comparison of an opinion from a doctor at Mercy Hospital in Aurora, the reader will probably side with the doctor from Loyola. This is because people know that Loyola is a respectable hospital and his opinion is more credible. A good example from the Everything's an Argument was how people would believe Consumer Reports regarding SUV statistics rather than an article in People Magazine. This is because Consumer Reports has a good reputation for doing the research on items and the consumer won't trust a magazine like People for buying a car.
Writers need to establish credibility with their readers. Another way to do this is to let your reader know what you don't know. It helps the reader to understand that the writer is down to earth and admits that they don't know everything about a certain topic, so the reader trusts that he/she will only tell what they do know.
My preference with writing arguments would be to use facts and reasons. I don't like to feel like I am being manipulated by a writer. If the writer gives facts, that is something to grab a hold of. The writer needs to document where the facts came from for credibility and plagarizing reasons.
This reading was interesting. I think it will help me think before I write a paper about which angle I want to use before I start writing.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
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