SLO: 3

Looking back to my first post ever generated I can identify that personality was hidden. Fior quite a while I would stick to answering the criteria or subject without including inferences or opinions that I possessed. Until recently discovering my identity in my essay, I was completely unaware of this. However, since that point on, I began to really introduce my concept of how I view things. It began to generate a more personal feel and in my opinion better and more easily related with people viewing my blog. The progression I have made in this class is tremendous in my ability to think logically and academically investigate. I would just like to say thank you to Professor Thompson and the invested interest she has shown.

SLO #2

Critical Thinking: This is something I would say that I struggle in. It is the ability to stay within a topic consistently throughout a paper. Also, points must be relevant and supportive of the main idea. Many times I find that I add a lot of un-essential pieces to my paper that appear as filler. They just are there but remain unconnected from my topic and the argument that I present. This is an area I have been working on.

Writing: This is also a difficulty I have. For me it is hard to stay within the page limit for essays and research papers. I usually exceed the amount due to either being too wordy or adding a lot of extra parts. What I try and do, and what is appreciated by teachers, is to cover the topic and stay within the amount of pages. Still, I haven't been within a page limit in my last ten essays I would say. Something has gotta give!

SLO: Close reading and research

Close reading: Close reading is something that takes a lot of practice before it is mastered. I compare it with note-taking because you have to pick out the important parts of a literary text as you do when you take notes. I learned to read in an academic manner while in my college prepatory class in high school. The whole semester was geared toward that type of reading as it prepared me for college. I usually read important parts of a text and try to get the main points. I don't want to say I skim but I suppose it is correlated with that.

Research: Research is something I do all the time and am familiar with. Especially in regards to essays, I research thoroughly. Not just for sources to use, but for pertaining information on my topic or its evolution. Research provides you with the opportunity to not make an inference, but to make an argument that is well thought out, backed, and methodical. It is just as important as revising because without the necessarry research to create a context or position, there really is no point to whatever it is you are involving yourself in.

Both close reading and research are something I emphasize. I apply them to many things I involve myself in rather than just academics. In my opinion, close reading is a characteristic of research. It allows you to find and document crucial segments of text that add to the paper or assignment. In itself, that is a form of research. It is giving you a better understanding, and preparing you for the task ahead.

Revision and its legitimacy

Many people don't understand this but revision is an imperative part of growing as an individual whether that be related to studies, sports, or any aspect of life. We are constantly evolving and as we evolve we change. Sometimes for the worst but we generally adapt and modify for the better. There is always something you can improve on and when you revise yourself or are revised by a pier, you are given the chance to make an impact. In regards to wrtiting and the writing process, revision is criticial. Not only do I revise myself, but I have my piers and superiors (teachers) revise me as well. There are certain flawed aspects of my writing that I won't be able to pick out. Or it may sound good to me, but improper to those reviewing it. Reasons like that entail necessarry review by others. But looking at the big picture, I associate revision with all areas of my life. Looking to become always, and more wise, revision is the tool I use to go about that task. Revision is something everybody should be comfortable doing....after all, everone can improve....no one person is better than another. I was watching a television seminar that really impacted me. It demonstrated how people are afraid to be crtiticized or revise themselves. They become intimidated. And it was told to all that we are all equal. Nobody is better than another; we are all the sons and daughters of god.

Laura:

You have in-depth description of each step you took to discover your identity and this is really good. It enables the reader to see how you examined yourself and the results that came about. In your intro you tell exactly what you are going to do in intricate explanation and I feel that is a bonus because some people forget to inform the reader. I like that you incorporate sources that directly influenced and helped you and quote the most impacting areas from those sources. It seems that your original perception of yourself as a blogger was incorrect and suprisingly mine was of myself as well. You have spot-on sentence fluency and the organization of the paper is overall satisfactory. Good work!

Michael:

After reading your essay I got the notion you have a clear understanding of your topic and you stay within it throughout the essay. Many times you reference the similarity between you and West, as you both are reviewing the identity within blogs. I too found this an imperative aspect of the essay. I appreciated your concluding paragraph when you stated the difference which to you was the ability to have "farther insight." I never really looked at it that way and that would be something you should mention before the conclusion as one of your main points in your comparison to West. There were fragment errors both those are easily fixable and I know you are on your way to writing a great paper. If you would like more extensive comments then feel free to contact me.

Readers Reveiw

You may have already been informed but my power was out until this morning....really unhappy about that. So anybody wanting to reveiw my essay just let me know and I will send it to you I have already spoken to our professor and she is aware of our situation. I need two essays to review myself and would be very appreciative if you guys could sent your drafts to my e-mail. My e-mail is alexaj4@u.washington.edu. Thank you for the understanding of this inconvenience.

State of emergency

My second essay is evolving on paper, but as for electronically I cannot attest to that. My house still has no power and the problem is still unknown. So as it may seem that I could still have done it but I was already well progressed on my home computer. Right now as we speak I am at a freind's house just so I can get this blog done. As soon as my house's power is revuvinated, I will be able to finish it and submit. And when I say finish it that is because I haven't had power since the heavy snow came which didn't allow me proper time to finish it in the first place. If any of you are having this ridiculous problem as well, give me an Amen!

Where I plan to go with my essay

This essay is one in which I will focus on my own identity that I put forth into my weblogs. The sources I have found are really helpful. West's article demonstrates how to study identity and logic in blogs and its importance. However, I found an even bette source that pertains to my essay. A site with a blogger named Yang who works for BBC; and Yang posts on the importance of blogging on his life and the people that inhabit society. I have found that blogging is a huge fad and will continue to become increasingly popular. Through looking at my blog, I have found that most of my posts stick to the criteria and inform. I tend to remove myself from going in-depth on what impacts me. I am trying to change this habit as I feel that using identtiy will better represent who I am as a person.

Relations Made

There are many relations to Kathleen C. West's article and my essay as they both illustrate identity through the analysis of blog posts. Within my own blog posts I will be examining my writing and initially uncovering my personal identity. Applying what West mentioned and provided throughout her article, such as the table of the three chosen students, and the results of each, will guide me through my process of self identity. The three relations she expressed the most that will become a useful tool in my opinion will be the discussion of the literate verse the casual side of the student and the idea of the serious student. This is because in the end I will eventually categorize myself.

West's Essay compared to essay 2

West's essay outlined the importance of identity in blogging. West intricately covered the topic and directly linked identity with three students. The background information helped me to visualize what a good foundation is to set your paper up. I really appreciated the fact that it was relayed on how each student used academic rationality and logic, yet incorporated modern day lingo from the younger generation. As a result of the essay, I was able to infer that identity was shown in opposing ways by each student yet the support and detail remained one focused on sholarly detail. This essay is a huge help. I know what I have to do for essay 2, and this essay is a format I will closely relate with. If you think about it, West follows the same format but goes much more in depth on certain points such as background information and her coverage of each student. I could see the voice in the essay as well as relate with each of the students. Being able to connect with the examples in the essay demonstrated the importance of a successful essay and how to make yourself relatable. I have a lot of work to do, but this essay will really help.

the article and how it impacted me

The article we were assigned to read goes in depth on the literary technique and identity exuding from the blogs of three documented students. The author goes in depth and reveals a hybrid of academic logic and detail infused with modern day lingo used by the younger generation. This article really hit home because I too studied the identity of a blogger and could relate on many different points. The article really works as a guide as it is a topic similar to mine that studies more than one blogge and the impact of identity. I like the fact that each student was covered extensively and related with the other students. This author really investigated the topic and it was revealed how all students used appropriate school-taught rationality yet connected linguistically in different ways. It just really solidifies the fact that identity can be visible through many different techniques; yet all are effective in their own way.

Essay One and its impact

Essay One vastly helped me to grow as a writer. I gained experience not only on the writing process, but also in the discovery of how to spot identity and the impact identity has on the people it is relayed to. Now that my first essay is done, the second essay will be easier to right. I look foward to the second opportunity to hone my skills and really impact my audience through the text. Another majow focal point that was improved was my overall concept of blogging. Before this essay and the book, I had absolutely minimal knowledge on what blogging is and how it creats impact. Now, I realize that blogging is a valuable tool that enables one to connect to a wide audience through the internet. It is a modernized communication on the social media that allows any type of person with any type of message to relay facts, or what they feel. This essay was definitely beneficial.

They say i say

This book will be a great way for me to enahance my paper. Through reading this book, I will be able to have a better grasp of my topic and thus be able to add supporting detail in my paper directly from the book. This is beneficial for me.

presentation

I feel I did well in my presentation. I made eye contact, focused on both the blog and the paper, and relayed to my piers the stage in which my research is. It was a good experience for me to get this opportunity to present and I feel my paper will be stronger as a result.

Correlation between the research paper and the book on blogging.

I felt that there were an array of instances in which the blogging book influenced my paper; for this reason, it is hard to just stick to a specific one. Throughout the blogging book, the facts and claims were supported with direct examples. As I read, I realized the significance of supporting what you state. As a direct result, I used examples and quotes to enhance my facts with concrete detail. This made the overall piece more effective and was a time when the book came into play with my essay. In the last chapter of the book, the content really focused on the effectiveness of blogging and whether it was considered a form of journalism. In my writing piece, I demonstrated the effectiveness of blogging and the individual blogger. I also related blogging with journalism. So in essence, the subject discussed toward the end was a critical thinking point in my essay. I felt overall that the blogging book drastically impacted my essay. This is because I really had zero knowledge of blogs and what they were all about before I read the book. So the book enabled me to successfully write an essay on blogging, and how in my case an individual blogger established an identity in his posts.

Revisions to my paper (from the writing conferences)

The writing conferences were extremely beneficial as they gave me the opportunity to have my piers and my professor critically analyze the paper I had put together. From the conferences, I was able to realize the fact that my basis of identity hadn't been correct. I was focusing on identity in individual blogs rather than lookin at the big picture. And the big picture was the blogger I was following connected identity with every single post through different techniques such as humor, relation, and opinion. I am very happy that the writing conference brought about a positive change in my paper; one that was more concise and apt for success. From now on, I plan to do a writing conference for every paper I write whether it be organized, or me just asking family members and friends to edit my essays. The writing conference aslo revealed the fact that I needed to back up my claims with more detail, and that is exactly what I did. Now, every statement in my essay is well supported; and ultimately, that is a grave improvement in itself. Initially, I felt the writing conferences were just a big waste of time, but now I realize the severity of impact that they create on a writing piece.

Research for the paper

My research paper is coming along quite well. My topic is in order and now I am in the process of finishing my last bit of research and starting the rough draft. So far, the blog itself has given me a lot of useful information. The blogger that I am following tends to use personality in his posts; as a result, my ability to see the voice invoked is quite easy. A difficulty I have had so far is solid information that will remain a constant throughout the entire paper. To fix this burden, I plan to scour for the last bit of info that I need to truly solidify my content. Researching the subject for my paper has never been easy for me. I tend to overthink and try too hard to find extra unnecessary detail rather than intricate fact that will support the plot. This research paper assignment will give me the opportunity to work on my ability to answer the question, rather than simply elaborating. I will also be able to practice my researching and critical thinking skills.

Blogging: Digital Media and Society Series

Currently in my core class, I have been reading a book entitled Blogging: Digital Media And Society Series written by Jill Walker Rettberg. The book focuses on the incorporation of blogging into modern day society and how it impacts the world as a whole. A technique the author uses that I really appreciate is examples. She supports her claims of blogging and its importance by using direct individuals who have changed their lives and the lives of many through their blogs. Before this book I never really grasped the concept of blogging, and honestly never thought I would be blogging at any point in my life. I do not believe blogging is a revolutionizer, however it has pioneered the ability for people to express beliefs or guide others just by its easy access and the vast majority of people it reaches. My main focal point of this book was the overall concept of bloggers and how to become one. At one point, the author refers to bloggers as "independent journalists," as if they have assumed the role of informing the public. If you think about it, a blogger sort of is an independent journalist as he/she is relaying information to a group of people through textual form. A quote that I found particularly interesting was; "Blogs and social networking sites are persistent in that the information you enter is recorded and can be accessed later." This demonstrates the severity of what you post and how it is easily viewable. It goes on to explain that what you write can't easily be erased and it takes work to remove all of it. The fact is, this book shows how bloggs can positively influence many, yet if not used properly, bloggs can become a burden. I felt the book was a great tool to becoming a blogger, as it revealed the process of blogging, and even had recommendations to being a successful blogger.

The blog that piques my interest

Well, since I am a sports fanatic, I would have to say a spors blog would be the type of blog I would like to pursue. To be more specific, I will probably follow a blog on football's greatest every; Brett Favre. Initially, all of this blogging seemed unimportant and boring. However, I am somewhat motivated to blog as it really isn't as bad as i first viewed it.

Who am I as a writer????????

Definitely through a writing standpoint, I feel I am above average. My college prepatory class in high school enabled me to decipher what  college level writing is all about. As a result, I feel that I have a leg up on most of the incoming freshman. However, I still have a lot to learn. Writing research is a whole different aspect of writing and it is one that I struggle with. Also, formatting citations gives me a hard time. My favorite type of writing would have to be expository as it allows me to expound on a topic. Much to the dismay of those who hate writing, I write for fun and it is a hobby of mine. It seems that all I need is a pen and paper, and out will transform a story. Pretty much WRITING IS LEGIT!!!!!!