English 1010 Intro to Writing
"As a writer, learner and communicator, I have several goals. My first goal was to refine my skills as a writer. The second goal is to improve my communication skills through writing. Third goal that I have is to learn to focus on a subject of interest and write a concentrated response of purpose to enhance my understanding and maybe someone who happens to read what I write. My fourth goal in taking a writing class is to accomplish credits towards a degree."
Matthew Felsted. April 28th, 2011.
As a writer, learner and communicator, I have several goals. My first goal was to refine my skills as a writer. The second goal is to improve my communication skills through writing. Third goal that I have is to learn to focus on a subject of interest and write a concentrated response of purpose to enhance my understanding and maybe someone who happens to read what I write. My fourth goal in taking a writing class is to accomplish credits towards a degree.
The first paper I wrote was the reflective paper. I chose to write it on California. I remember the “golden state” and the good times I had there. My reflection was mainly positive. Writing the paper gave me a feeling of nostalgia. To summarize I wrote about the weather, people, housing, and culture. For in class participation I wrote on the advertisement and described the various elements the advertiser used to maximize the message. I wrote about balance, contrast, color scheme, font, background and foreground elements, and demographics. The next paper was a knowledge paper. I started writing about higher dimensional geometry but decided to change it to memory instead. I wrote a reasonably good essay on the mind and memory. It included references to popular culture, ancient mythology, ancient history, biological store houses of brain function and memory, physical equivalents, and the multiple different types of memory. Memory and learning are linked as learning requires some form of change in memory. Reviewing a subject that you have learned helps in the consolidation phase of memory formation. My next paper was my evaluation paper. I chose to write a glowing review of Lord of the Rings. I structured it to be similar to the role of a movie critic. The evaluation came complete with a grade and recommendation. This assignment was probably the most exciting. Finally we came to our position papers. We had to choose a controversial issue. The problem is, most controversial issues have been argued for so long that there is some definite conclusion that has put the issues to an end. I chose to write about the controversies of stem cell research. The topic has mainly come to equilibrium with mutual agreements on both sides. Yet there is still contention because experts argue the need for study of embryonic, fetal, and adult stem cells, where the research might actually require the destruction of the subject of study. This would require the destruction of life. This is probably the last remaining controversy over stem cell research.
Time constraints and outside issues interfered but for the most part I was able to participate every day. MLA format is a difficult standard but with references to cite a paper is always more professional. It shows that you are not just making things up or plagiarizing someone else. It gives a formalized way to inform the reader about other author’s research and work in a relevant manner. I didn’t like MLA at first, but with practice it feels more professional.
This class allowed me to write with feedback and direction. Having the opportunity to review other students and have others students read what I wrote helped with feedback. The class introduced me to weebly, a user friendly platform for publishing on the web. I would love to continue learning to refine my writing skills, to improve my communication skills, and to improve concentration.
Before taking this class I sometimes would write the essay the night before it was due. In this class I felt a pace that encouraged me to write the essay over multiple writing sessions. I felt comfortable participating in class. The pace was just right. Asking us to hand in our in class participation helped to cajole us to do it constructively. I think I did well in this class.
I’m glad I took this class. It helped me feel more comfortable with learning about a topic and writing about it. I did get a chance to accomplish my goals for writing and has given me the confidence needed to write more professional and meaningful papers. Each writing assignment helped us gain healthy habits for writing. Our in class assignments helped because the classroom enables near instant feedback. Despite obstacles I think I did well.
As a writer, learner and communicator, I have several goals. My first goal was to refine my skills as a writer. The second goal is to improve my communication skills through writing. Third goal that I have is to learn to focus on a subject of interest and write a concentrated response of purpose to enhance my understanding and maybe someone who happens to read what I write. My fourth goal in taking a writing class is to accomplish credits towards a degree.
The first paper I wrote was the reflective paper. I chose to write it on California. I remember the “golden state” and the good times I had there. My reflection was mainly positive. Writing the paper gave me a feeling of nostalgia. To summarize I wrote about the weather, people, housing, and culture. For in class participation I wrote on the advertisement and described the various elements the advertiser used to maximize the message. I wrote about balance, contrast, color scheme, font, background and foreground elements, and demographics. The next paper was a knowledge paper. I started writing about higher dimensional geometry but decided to change it to memory instead. I wrote a reasonably good essay on the mind and memory. It included references to popular culture, ancient mythology, ancient history, biological store houses of brain function and memory, physical equivalents, and the multiple different types of memory. Memory and learning are linked as learning requires some form of change in memory. Reviewing a subject that you have learned helps in the consolidation phase of memory formation. My next paper was my evaluation paper. I chose to write a glowing review of Lord of the Rings. I structured it to be similar to the role of a movie critic. The evaluation came complete with a grade and recommendation. This assignment was probably the most exciting. Finally we came to our position papers. We had to choose a controversial issue. The problem is, most controversial issues have been argued for so long that there is some definite conclusion that has put the issues to an end. I chose to write about the controversies of stem cell research. The topic has mainly come to equilibrium with mutual agreements on both sides. Yet there is still contention because experts argue the need for study of embryonic, fetal, and adult stem cells, where the research might actually require the destruction of the subject of study. This would require the destruction of life. This is probably the last remaining controversy over stem cell research.
Time constraints and outside issues interfered but for the most part I was able to participate every day. MLA format is a difficult standard but with references to cite a paper is always more professional. It shows that you are not just making things up or plagiarizing someone else. It gives a formalized way to inform the reader about other author’s research and work in a relevant manner. I didn’t like MLA at first, but with practice it feels more professional.
This class allowed me to write with feedback and direction. Having the opportunity to review other students and have others students read what I wrote helped with feedback. The class introduced me to weebly, a user friendly platform for publishing on the web. I would love to continue learning to refine my writing skills, to improve my communication skills, and to improve concentration.
Before taking this class I sometimes would write the essay the night before it was due. In this class I felt a pace that encouraged me to write the essay over multiple writing sessions. I felt comfortable participating in class. The pace was just right. Asking us to hand in our in class participation helped to cajole us to do it constructively. I think I did well in this class.
I’m glad I took this class. It helped me feel more comfortable with learning about a topic and writing about it. I did get a chance to accomplish my goals for writing and has given me the confidence needed to write more professional and meaningful papers. Each writing assignment helped us gain healthy habits for writing. Our in class assignments helped because the classroom enables near instant feedback. Despite obstacles I think I did well.