Overview of Class Post #42

Now that I have completed all of the work for composition two I feel that I have improved and learned new writing strategies. As time went on my projects each improved little by little. I now know more about rhetorical knowledge, what it takes to become a better critical thinker, reader, and writer, the composing process, and knowledge of conventions. After each paper writing a reflection on the project helped me to see the break down of my project. I feel that the reflections help to sum up the project and give a basic overview and a breakdown of what the project was about. I plan to carry all that I have learned through out the semester with me throught the rest of my college and lifetime writing.

Last Class Post #41

The last class on Thursday was pretty much a wrapping up class. We peer reviewed final portfolio reflections and then went over everything for the final showcase to make sure we had all of our projects. We did several evalutations on the class and and the professor. Over the past 16 weeks I feel that the class has helped me develop in certain aspects of writing. I hope to carry what I have learned in writing here with me to furture writing projects.

Showcase Post #40

Over the weekend, I have gone over everything and edited any remaining projects. I feel that I am ready for the Showcase. My projects have all be completed and my profile looks nice and neat. Everything together and prepared to be graded. My profile for the showcase projects my work over the past semester and how I have advanced over the past 16 weeks. The showcase will be a great presentation of my work.

Final Portfolio Reflection Post#39

Tuesday night I sat down and wrote out my final portfolio reflection. I ended up writing four pages not double spaced. I feel that my reflection was written nicely and did a good job on reflecting back the work I have done this past semester. I posted the final portfolio reflection in my portfolio. Now my course portfolio is complete.

Editing Papers Post #38

Yesterday I found out that Natalie Heredia had also volunteered at Habitat for Humanity. I asked her if she would answer a few of interview questions and of course she was happy to do so. Here's the interview:

Me- How did you find out about Habitat for Humanity?
Natalie - I found out about Habitat for Humanity through my leadership group. We had to volunteer for the class.

Me- As a volunteer what kind work do you do(bring in supplies, build, etc.)?
Natalie - As a volunteer, I went with 4 of my other group members and we layed sod down in a backyard and front yard. It was a lot of work starting at 8 in the morning.

Me- How many houses have you yourself helped build or renovate?
Natalie - I have helped renovate houses my parents have had in the past, but as far as volunteering with an organization, I have only had the opportunity to volunteer and help build at one.

Me- How long have you been a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity?
Natalie -I have only volunteered at one house in St. Petersburg, but I would like to start volunteering more often.

Me- How do you feel as a volunteer about this organization?
Natalie - I think it's a really good thing to get people to volunteer for a good cause. I didn't know much about Habitat for Humanity, but while we were working, we worked with a woman who was going to be living in the house we were getting ready for. It was cool to be able to learn more about the organization because H4H doesn't just give away houses, people have to do a certain amount of community service house within the organization to be approved and they have to be able to pay for the house at a lower renting rate.

Natalie's interview helped add a volunteers perspective to my writing to explore paper. I am glad that she was able to answer all of my questions with specific and detailed answers. I put questions and answers one, three, and five into my paper.

Meeting Post #37

Yesterday I had my meeting with Jill. We didn't talk about much other than how everything was wrapping up. I told her that it was all coming along nicely. All I had to do was add an interview to my writing to explore, do some more blogs, and write my final profile reflection. She said well that's good and see you in class tomorrow. The meeting was not all the helpful just because I didn't have any questions to ask her so it was just a basic how's it going and what do you have left to do.

Editing Papers Post #36

Today I reread all of my papers and fixed any and all grammatical errors. On Tuesday I will be interviewing Chance to add a volunteer's perspective to my writing for a civic agency paper. I also have a meeting with Jill at 12:15 on Tuesday to discuss my papers and my progress in the class. This will be the second time I have met with her this semester. I hope that I will receive good advice and comments to help better my papers.

Editing Papers Post #35

We are now going into the last week of the semester and have begun to do the final edits of all our projects. I have made a basic outline of what projects I am going to edit and what I am going to edit in them. I plan on editing my writing for a civic agency and writing to evaluate. I want to add an interview to my civic agency and change some paragraphs in writing to evaluate.

ReMEDIAtion Reflection Post #34

Now that we have finished the final remediation project, we have started working on the reflection. I feel that my reflection came out well and gives a great sense to how my project works and the basic outline of it. We have written reflections for every writing assignment now and I feel that they have been effective in helping understand the projects assigned. I hope that anyone who reads my papers and then reads the reflections has a clear understanding of the audience and purpose, what I did to prepare for the paper as well as my composing techniques, and the editing process.

ReMEDIAtion Project Post #33

On monday my group and I completed our ReMEDIAtion project. We designed three posters. We used pictures, quotes and statistics to design our project. I think our project turned out well. Everyone participated and we were able to get it down a couple days before it was due. I hope that all our effort gets us a good grade. All in all i would say that the reMEDIAtion project went very smoothly and was successful! :)

ReMEDIAtion Project Post #32

The reMEDIAtion project is coming smoothly. My group has decided to make a poster and convince teens to stay away from drugs. This weekend we are all coming up with ideas and designing drafts of the poster. On monday we will meet and decide which one we like best and then make changes to it as we wish. On this poster there will be a catchy saying and some scary/shocking statistics as well as a designed background. We hope that this poster will help us prevent and decrease the number of teens using drugs.

Ch.19 Post #31

Summary:
After reading chapter nineteen I am now able to find and evaluate information from resources more effectively. Conducting effective research you should start by writing research questions. You are likely to find most information from the library. You can use catalogs and online databases to help find information. Another popular form of finding resources is the World Wide Web. The internet is the top resource with the numerous amounts of search engines to look for information. Other forms of resources are books, academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. You could also use field research to help gather information. Human subjects are great resources but make sure to get consent before getting interviews or making observations. All of these ways are great and effective for find and evaluating information from resources.

Reaction:
My reaction to this reading was it gave me a better idea of the resources that were available and could help me write and effective paper with a tremendous amount of information.

3 Questions:
1. What are the best resources?
2. How do you decide which ones to use if they all are a great source of information?
3. What makes one resource better than the other?

Ch.18 Post #30

Summary:
After reading chapter eighteen I have learned more efficient ways of communicating with designs and visuals. There are certain principles of design you should take into consideration for your document. Proximity, contrast, alignment, and repetition are all very important. The common kinds of visuals are tables, bar and line graphs, charts, photographs, drawings, diagrams, maps, and cartoons. Each one has their own way of giving the document more effectiveness. When using a visual be sure to have permission. All of these elements are very important to have an effective way of communicating with designs and visuals.

Reaction:
My first reaction was this chapter could also help me with the remediation project. It can help me to design a better more effective visual.

3 Questions:
1. Why are the principles of design important?
2. What do they do?
3. How do you go about getting permission to use a visual?

Ch.17 Post#29

Summary:
After reading chapter seventeen I now have a better clarification on how to choose a medium, genre and technology for my communication. Choosing the right form of technology can have great effectiveness. The medium or method of delivery is also important. Technologies for computer-mediated communication have quite a few ways you can communicate. Through email, threaded discussions, synchronous charts, blogs, and Microsoft software to name some. It is very important to pick the correct form of communication because if you don’t then it will not be as effective.

Reaction:
My first reaction to the reading was it would help me greatly with my remediation project.

3 Questions:
1. How do you know what form of communication to use?
2. When choosing a technology what should you take into consideration?
3. How do you define the medium and genre?

Election Results Post#28

After watching the Presidential Election Results last night I am upset with the way things turned out. I was expecting it to be a closer race in delegates at least but it wasn't. Even though the results didn't turn out the way I would have liked I still know that I made a difference in this election and that I used my freedom with pride yesterday just by voting. I hope that every voted and feels proud to be an american for expressing their freedom.

I - Search Research Post#27

I have done a great amount of research for my i-search paper but kept forgetting to blog about it. For my final version of my i-search paper it came out to be 11 pages and 40 sources. I think that I did very well on my paper and a good job of showing that I did follow throughout the whole project and did my research. I hope that I get a good grade on this as I have put in so much effort into making this project successful!

I-Search research update Post #26

I have currently found two more sources for my I-search paper. One is a pamphlet that was sent to my mom about what’s at stake for RN’s. In this pamphlet they talk about both John McCain and Barack Obama’s healthcare plans and goals to improve the healthcare system. The second was a magazine called Nursing Spectrum the October issue. There was an article about Florida primary care failing to meet children’s health needs. This article talks about what we need to do to improve children’s healthcare. The article also gives statistics that I can use to support my research.

Ch. 14 Post #25

Summary:
After reading Ch. 14 Using Strategies for Argument I know have a better understand arguments and what they are used for. To be an effective arguer you must get to know your audiences enough to understand their response. Argument is somewhat different from persuasion. When you persuade you convince but when you argue you present your side of the problem. Having an appeal means convincing your audience o agree with your argument. There are three types of appeals that will help making your writing more effective. Logical appeals are appeals made through use of solid reasoning and appropriate evidence. Ethical appeals focus on character. Emotional appeals can help readers connect with and accept your argument. There are also three approaches to argument. Classical is by listening to effective public speaking. Toulmin you use because statements to provide support for the assertions. Rogerian has a point of departure the observation that at times we will inevitably take perspectives on issues that are different from those of the people with whom we have important relationships. There are also many common flaws in arguments.

Reaction:
My first reaction to this reading was it was very informative and it helped me better understand the purpose and different types of arguments.

3 Questions:
1. How do you know when to use a different form of argument?
2. What makes argument writing effective?
3. What should argument writing include more of, research or opinion?

Presidential Debate 3 Post #24

After watching the third presidential debate I thought that I was boring. I really didn’t get into it that much. During the debate the candidates were asked about healthcare. “Given the current economic situation, would either of you now favor controlling health care costs over expanding health care coverage?” John McCain responds to the question as it is a terribly painful situation.

They're seeing their premiums, their co-pays go up. Forty-seven million Americans are without health insurance in America today.
And it really is the cost, the escalating costs of health care that are inflicting such pain on working families and people across this country. And I am convinced we need to do a lot of things.
We need to put health care records online. The V.A. does that. That will -- that will reduce costs. We need to have more community health centers. We need to have walk-in clinics.
The rise of obesity amongst young Americans is one of the most alarming statistics that there is. We should have physical fitness programs and nutrition programs in schools. Every parent should know what's going on there.
We -- we need to have -- we need to have employers reward employees who join health clubs and practice wellness and fitness.
But I want to give every American family a $5,000 refundable tax credit. Take it and get anywhere in America the health care that you wish.

McCain states that “The average cost of a health care insurance plan in America today is $5,800. I'm going to give them $5,000 to take with them wherever they want to go, and this will give them affordability.”

McCain also said “I want to leave money in your pocket. I want you to be able to choose the health care for you and your family. That's what I'm all about. And we've got too much government and too much spending and the government is -- the size of government has grown by 40 percent in the last eight years.”

Ch. 11 Post #23

Summary:
After reading chapter 11 in The McGraw Hill book I now have better understand of the rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, reading and writing, the writing process, and conventions of writing to solve problems. In rhetorical knowledge I found out that my audience is readers who view this subject as a problem or issue and who are interested in my solution. The purpose is to convince the readers of solutions to the problem. The rhetorical situation is where I stand in relation to the subject. As for my voice and tone I should be persuasive and my tone needs to engage the readers. In critical thinking, reading and writing the learning inquiry is when I propose a solution to the problem but I will first have to convince my readers that the solution will work by the kind of evidence is present. My responsibility is to consider others solutions. Reading and research is to help support my solution so that way my readers are more convinced. Going into the writing process the inventions I will continue to use are listing, brainstorming and free writing. Before I begin to write it will be best to organize my main points and what kind of evidence I will need to support them. As for my conventions I ill need to rely on outside sources and make sure to use the appropriate documentation. I now have a better understand of what is expected in writing to solve problems.

Reaction:
My first reaction was wow this is going to be a little bit difficult but then as I started to read more I got a better understanding of how the paper is supposed to be done.

3 Questions:
1. What kind of context would help make a better writing to solve problems paper?
2. How will organization of main points help write a more effective paper?
3. What specific types of outside documentation could best be used?

Presidential Debate 2 Post #22

Watching the second presidential debate I was not very impressed by the way the candidates performed. In this debate the topic of healthcare is brought up a great deal. All of this information from the debate was very helpful. During the debate John McCain was asked to put healthcare, energy, and entitlement reform: social security and Medicare into an order of priorities. He replied back saying that all three of them could be worked on at once and that the reform of our entitlement programs was very important. He says “As far as health care is concerned, obviously, everyone is struggling to make sure that they can afford their premiums and that they can have affordable and available health care. That's the next issue. But we can do them all at once. There's no -- and we have to do them all at once. All three you mentioned are compelling national security requirements.” Barack Obama is then asked to for a comment and he says that healthcare is his second priority “because that broken health care system is bad not only for families, but it's making our businesses less competitive.” McCain later says that healthcare and energy can be dealt with at the same time with the participation of all Americans working together to solve the problems. John McCain is then asked about his two years for reform of entitlement programs. He says that social security is not tough because we know what the problems are and how to fix them. He then talks about Medicare which is a little tougher. Its tougher because of the very complex and difficult issues. He says that with Medicare we have to have a commission, the smartest people in America, come up with recommendations and then base-closing commission idea and have Congress vote up or down. The question on whether or not healthcare should be treated as a commodity came up. McCain says “And we need to do all of the things that are necessary to make it more efficient. Let's put health records online, that will reduce medical errors, as they call them. Let's have community health centers. Let's have walk-in clinics. Let's do a lot of things to impose efficiencies.” Following this questions they are asked if healthcare is a privilege, right, or responsibility. John replies with, it’s a responsibility because we should have available and affordable health care to every American citizen, to every family member.

John McCain Post #21

In today’s New York Times I found an article about American businesses and their John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s healthcare proposal. They talk about the differences that John McCain and Barack Obama have. Obama says that McCain’s plan would accelerate the erosion and do little to reduce the number of uninsured Americans. While McCain says that Obama’s would undermine employer coverage by mandating the medium and large companies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/us/politics/07health.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Another debate between the two presidential candidates will take place tonight and there are some questions I have before the debate starts. What will they say about healthcare? Will this be a topic they spend a decent amount of time on? How would John McCain’s plan in his eyes help improve our healthcare system?

VP Debate (10-2) Post #20

After watching the debate between the two vice presidents I didn’t really feel that one side was better than the other. They were both equally argumentative and had good points, opinions, and reasons. When watching the debate I was listening for their comments on healthcare. While talking about Wall Street running wild senator Biden brought up McCain’s healthcare reform saying that he wants to deregulate it and let the free market move. Governor Palin comes back with information about the largest tax increase that Obama and Biden supported. During the debate Governor Palin is asked if she wants to defend Senator McCain’s healthcare plan and she says yes. She says that he has a “good plan and it is detailed.” He’s proposing a $5000 tax credit for families so they can purchase their own coverage. She says Obama’s plan to mandate coverage and have a universal government run program will cost money and is only satisfying if you like how the government has been run lately. McCain also wants to erase the lines between states so that way if a better plan is offered somewhere else you could cross state lines for it. Affordability and accessibility are the keys to healthcare reform.

John McCain Post #19

Reading through more articles from the University of Florida’s online library, I found another article on the candidate’s stances regarding adjusting tax code insurance. In the article “Check the right box” from Modern Healthcare on April 14, 2008 they say John McCain is the only one left who has signaled his flat tax credits might replace the entrenched tax preference extended to employer-sponsored premiums, a notion likely to inspire fierce resistance. Barak Obama is going under income-based credits. Major healthcare stakeholders are coming up with their own healthcare tax code coverage instead of following a candidates’. Their tax code encourages employers to drop coverage even while helping more people get coverage in the non group market is a decidedly mixed bag for all of them.

John McCain Post #18

After looking through the University of Florida’s library I found an article about what people should take into consideration about healthcare and the plan to fix it. The article “A Business Proposal” from Modern Healthcare on August 4, 2008 gives Andrew Webber’s opinion about healthcare reform. He talks about how candidates should look to businesses for a part of the solution. Investing in technology, re-engineering, and workforce productivity could lead to improvements in product quality at a lower cost and overall cost control. Healthcare reform shouldn’t just be looked at for universal coverage but for quality and affordability equally as well.
Key Reform:
* Providing consumers with the information they need on provider price and quality, as well as the comparative effectiveness, of medical services, so they can make wise choices and better navigate their healthcare journey. * Changing payments and incentives to reward both providers and consumers for achieving improved health outcomes. * Adopting health information technology and interoperable systems by all providers to include passage of legislation that creates uniform HIT standards to enable a fragmented healthcare system to become connected and support patient-centered healthcare. * Shifting greater focus toward health promotion, disease prevention, and primary and chronic-care management rather than the current system's orientation toward "sick care." This focus should be promoted by payment reform initiatives.

Presidential Debate 1 Post #17

After watching and reviewing the presidential debate I didn’t think one was better than the other. McCain and Obama discuss the economy, the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and energy (drilling-McCain and nuclear-Obama). As for my issue on healthcare, John McCain mentions that he doesn’t want to hand it over to the government. He wants to keep it between the people and their doctors. He talks about cutting spending and how Obama is planning on using $800 billion on spending programs. Reading through the debate I John McCain mentions situations and crisis’ he has gone through that in my opinion make him well qualified to be the next president. John McCain has been through a war and was a prisoner of war. He knows what it’s like and how it feels. He was also involved in virtually every major national security challenged in the past 20 some years. The debate all in all was a good one but it didn’t really answer any of my questions about healthcare. I hope the one on Thursday will do a better job.

John McCain Post #16

In the September Issue of Nursing Spectrum magazine I found an article on the candidate’s healthcare plans.

McCain vs. Obama:
Who Has the Better Health Plan?
By: Cathryn Domrose

McCain’s Vision: page 27/28 – left column
His plan features tax credits for individuals and families to buy health insurance, with any unused credits going into a health savings account.
McCain favors giving people money to buy their own plans and relying on the market to drive down costs rather than relying on insurance plans sponsored by employers.
Tax Credits - $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families – that would be paid directly to an insurer chosen by each recipient, including employer-sponsored insurers.
Will work with state governors to create guaranteed access plans, similar to the high-risk pools some states now have, to cover those with pre-existing conditions at affordable rates.
Believes competition among insurance companies will increase and prices will come down.
Plans to end tax breaks to employers who offer insurance, increasing the likelihood that some companies would stop offering insurance to their workers.

Need for Nurses: McCain – top left column of page 27
Encourage more public and private sector scholarship programs and loan repayment incentives.
Ensuring the workforce is diverse and equipped to provide culturally competent care.
Ensuring appropriate funding for programs such as the National Health Service Corps and HRSA Health Professions Programs to increase participation in areas of critical shortage, especially in rural areas.

John McCain and Barack Obama Similarities: page 28 – bottom of page
Both promise to bring health costs down and help pay for their plans by promoting increased competition among drug and health insurance companies.
Both support mental health parity and the need to make healthcare costs transparent.

John McCain Post #15

After reading through the New York Times on September 19th I see that John McCain is becoming more aggressive and scripted on the campaign trail. McCain was an easygoing, free flowing campaign presence but now has a more scripted look. He gave a few brief speeches often reading them from a teleprompter while in Ohio. I hope this doesn’t affect John McCain’s standings in the polls this November.

I read in the Chicago Sun Times today that John McCain is saying the Federal Reserve should stop government bailout. He says the fed should get back to what it’s called, ''Its core business of responsibly managing our money supply and inflation.'' John McCain says they need greater accountability in Washington.

Ch. 9 Post #14

Summary:
Reading chapter nine from the McGraw-Hill book I learned how to write an evaluating writing. Writing to evaluate will be used in professional, civic, and personal life. When writing an evaluative paper the rhetorical knowledge you should consider is your audience who will depend on your scenario, your purpose which is to evaluate your subject in terms of the criteria, and your voice and tone should more professional and effective. There are some qualities you should have to write an effective evaluative writing: clear defined and explained criteria, comparisons based on the criteria, evidence that supports your claims, and an analysis and explanation of how any visual elements affect your evaluation. As you read an essay take notes, jot down questions, and make observations about it. When beginning your writing process start by answering some questions and then move on to brainstorming or listing. After researching you should being writing your complete draft. Before writing make sure you emphasize what you want. If peers or your instructor have given you suggestions then consider their advice and try to incorporate it into your writing. Finally after your finished writing your first complete draft peers should read and help revise it. Take their comments into consideration because it can help make your paper better.

Reaction:
My first reaction to the reading was it was informative about writing an evaluation paper. Reading this chapter will help me better write an evaluation paper and be effective about it.

3 Questions:
1. What is the purpose for writing and evaluation paper?
2. When writing an evaluation paper how should you consider what your genre will be?
3. How effective is this writing process?

Appx.B (p.A13 - 22) Post #13

Summary:
After reading writing effective essay examinations I better understand how to write an essay exam paper. Writing an essay examination paper is different in several ways from writing an academic paper. When writing an essay exam you will rely on your memory, you will not have much time to figure out what you would say, you can’t get feedback from your peers or teacher, and you usually do not have much time for revision. To write an effective essay exam paper you will need to know and understand the information it will cover, be able to relate that information to other topics and ideas you have read about and discussed in class, analyze and understand the question(s) that you are asked, construct a thoughtful answer and get ideas down, deal with pre-exam stress, and deal with the examination scene. Getting ready and gathering information requires taking notes and reading chapters from the book. When considering and analyzing questions think back to class discussions and lectures and try to answer them as efficiently and effectively as possible. While in the constructing thoughtful answers process you should quickly jot down main ideas and then think of a way to organize them. After all of these steps comes the main drag, the examination scene. Here is where you will be given a time limit to write an essay examination paper. Some people do not perform well on tests. You should try to act as normal and comfortable as possible. You know the material and you shouldn’t freak out about. Just write the paper as you would normally do.

Reaction:
My first reaction to this reading was that it was informative about what it takes to write an essay examination and a way to deal with the examination scene. I myself have a hard time with taking tests and writing papers in a short amount of time. The page and a half about the examination scene was definitely a huge help.

3 Questions:
1. When gathering information, are their more ways then just taking notes and reading the book to gather information?
2. While writing this essay examination paper how much time should you use for each part of the paper?
3. When dealing with the examination scene, how should you approach the essay?

John McCain Post #12

After reading and watching about John McCain’s first speech in Tampa, Florida since the republican national convention, he promises to reform Wall Street by having more regulation and oversight. John McCain said “We are going to put an end to the reckless conduct, corruption, and unbridled greed that has caused so much destruction on Wall Street.” He also says that nuclear power and offshore drilling had to be part of the mix for energy independence. I agree with the plans John McCain has for set for these issues. I read and watched this information from the St. Petersburg Times Online and YouTube.

Republican National Convention Post #11

While watching Mike Huckabee’s speech during the Republican National Convention he greatly supports John McCain. He says “John McCain is a man with character and a stubborn kind of integrity that we need in a president.” Huckabee talks about gas costing four dollars a gallon and employees taking pay cuts and how this election is about the American people. The American people don’t want more government but less. He says he isn’t a republican who grew up rich but because he wasn’t waiting for government to rescue him. He talks about how John McCain is the most prepared, the most experience, and the most accepted. My favorite part of Mike Huckabee’s speech was when he brought up the story about Martha Cothern a teacher at Joe T. Robinson High School in Little Rock, Arkansas who took away all of the students desks from her classroom. She was determined to not let her students take their education or privileges as an American for granite. When the students walked into the classroom and asked “Ms. Cothren where’s our desks?” She replied back “You will get a desk in my classroom when you tell me how you earn it.” Throughout the day students did nothing but talk and wonder if she was crazy and by the end of the day there were news crews surrounding the school. At the end of the day over twenty veterans some still in uniform walked into the classroom carrying their desks and placing them neatly and quietly in rows she said “You don’t have to earn your desk, because these guys already did.”

Ch. 13 Post #10

Summary:
After reading chapter thirteen in The Guide and focusing on definition, description, classifications, compare & contrast, and writing a narrative I now have better understand of these specific topics. When writing narratives they need to be organized chronologically the beginning to the end of the event and you must have a specific point of view. You must also develop tension then the resolve it. While writing a narrative you must also create visuals for your readers. Writing descriptions you describe, sketch people, places, and things verbally. When you describe someone or something you should name that person or thing and its features. You should use a spatial approach. To describe something spatially you describe it in terms of both its own physical dimensions and its relationship to the objects around it. Incorporating visuals is also important because it helps your audience to see what you are describing. When writing definitions you need to make sure your audience understands the terms you are using. There are different types of definitions you can use such as synonyms, essential definitions, and extended definitions. It is important to use visuals and analogies to compare your writing.

Reaction:
My reaction to this reading was it was very informative and will help me to write my two writing to explore papers. It helped me to understand what I need to include when writing these papers to make them effective.

3 Questions:
1. When writing a narrative is there a specific kind of visual you should use?
2. How do you know what kind of visual to use for each specific topic?
3. What is the difference between these specific topics?

Ch. 19 Post #9

Summary:
After reading chapter nineteen in the guide I have a better understanding of how to find and evaluate information from sources and the field. When researching for a topic there are so many ways to find information. To conduct effective research you should write down research questions and then answer them based off the information you found. From the library to the internet you can find anything and everything. In a library you can use a book catalog or electronic databases. Databases are indexes of articles that are available in periodicals. Searching for information on the World Wide Web is also another form of researching. You can use different search engines such as Google, yahoo, Wikipedia etc. When selecting your sources for a specific topic you must take into considerations which one will be best for your writing situation. Books, academic journals, newspapers, popular magazines, trade or commercial magazines, public affair magazines, specialty magazines, and the internet of some of many different sources you could use for research. After finding your sources you should evaluate them using reporter style questions: Who is the author?, What is the text about? What is the quality of the information?, When was the text published or the web site last updated?, Why was this information published?, Where was the item published?, and How accurate is the information in this source? Sometimes the best kind of research is field search which is when you use human subjects to ask questions. You can make observations, interviews, and surveys and questioners.

Reaction:
My reaction to this reading was it was informative on conducting research and gave great examples and explanations of researching.

3 Questions:
1. How effective are these researching sources?
2. In what ways can a student use this information to their advantage?
3. How important are using a variety of resources?

Republican National Convention #8

After watching Sarah Palin’s speech at the Republican National Convention I see that she is ready to take the responsibility of help John McCain take on the country. Palin has some great experience in leadership. She started in her kids’ school PTA then moved up to mayor of her small town in Alaska, and now serves as the governor. She talks about the Iraq war and how John McCain served twenty two years for his country. He knows what it takes and been there with the troops. I agree with what she said and feel that he is well qualified to be commander and chief. When she begins to talk about Obama and what his plans are for this country everyone begins to boo. She gives great insight into what John McCain has done already for this country and what he plans to continue to do to help this country.

Writers Workshop Activity Post #7

1.What are your purposes of your two writing to explore assignments?
The purpose of my two writing to explore assignments is to learn and discover a particular situation either in college or in life.

2.Who is your audience for you I-Search project? Who is your audience for your Portfolio of a Local Agency?
The audience for my I-Search is my fellow peers and anyone interested about John McCain and his views on certain issues.
The audience for my Portfolio of a Local Agency is my fellow peers and anyone who wants to learn more about the local agency.

3.What is the rhetorical situation of your I-Search paper? What elements does it include? The Local agency profile?
The rhetorical situation of my I-Search paper is John McCain’s views on certain issues. The elements included are the Iraq War, The Economy, Healthcare, and the 2nd amendment.
The rhetorical situation of my Local agency profile is information about the agency. The elements included are what the agency does and how it works.

Invention and Revision Strategies Post #6

1. What are three invention strategies that you use?
Three invention strategies I use are listings, freewriting, and brainstorming.

2.Why are invention strategies important?
Invention strategies are important because they help to generate information and knowledge about your topic.

3.How can you incorporate invention strategies into your I-Search and Writing to explore assignments?
I can incorporate invention strategies into my I-Search and Writing to explore assignments by listing my issues and brainstorming them and then start freewriting my ideas.

4.What revision strategies do you use?
The revision strategies I use are to leave it alone for a while then come back to the paper and revise it and to let peers read and give feedback on my paper.

5.Why are these strategies important?
These strategies are important because they help you to edit and write a better final copy of your paper.

6.How can you incorporate them into your work?
I can incorporate them into my work by allowing peers to read my drafts of papers and taking their feedback and changing my paper.

Ch. 5 Reading Post #5

Summary:
After reading chapter five in the McGraw-Hill guide I got more of an insight on writing to explore. When using rhetorical knowledge they tell you to keep in mind how your exploration will help you gain some greater understanding and how you can help your readers understand your topic in a new way. When writing to explore in your college classes you will have many different types of papers to write and even though each situation is different you still have to communicate your ideas effectively. The book gives several different scenarios on writing for college and for life. These scenarios help to give a better understanding on what the paper should be written like. When writing for exploratory writing there are some considerations that should be taken in a count. You should write for an audience, a purpose, with voice, tone, and a point of view, and use context, medium, and genre. They also talk about when writing using critical thinking, reading, and writing to consider visuals to help enhance your writing. There are four qualities of effective exploratory writing. They are writing for a focus on a concept or question, and inquisitive spirit, a consideration of the range of perspective in a subject, and expansive coverage of a subject. When using research in your paper make sure to accurately and honestly represent your information. They say your writing process should consist of free writing, listing, or clustering, then researching your ideas and organizing them, then constructing a complete draft with an introduction, body, and conclusion paragraph, then having peers revise and edit your paper, and finally respond to reader’s comments by fixing your paper giving you a final copy. When using knowledge of conventions always remember your editing, genres, documentation, and format. Reading this chapter helped me to grasp a better and more in depth understanding of writing to explore.

Reaction:
My reaction to this reading was it was very helpful and was easy to understand. They explained the four goals very well and in great depth. They also gave good examples to help me see the way certain papers should be written.

3 Questions:
1. What are some ways to help writers give someone else’s view point in the goal area of critical think, reading, and writing?
2. How can you better understand what format to use when writing?
3. Does taking notes on research help with writing an effective paper?

Republican National Convention Post #4

After watching the Republican National Convention last night, I see that democrat Joe Lieberman supports John McCain. He endorsed John McCain’s campaign calling “it the real ticket for change.” Lieberman’s speech called for unity of the democrats and republicans while also saying that John McCain is standing against public opinion on the War in Iraq. He talks about how McCain helped fix the broken immigration system and helped with global warming. Lieberman says that John McCain is not another partisan republican. Lieberman also talks about McCain’s vice president Sarah Palin and how she is qualified to help John McCain “shake up Washington.” I agree with Joe Lieberman that John McCain has the upper hand in this election and will be a “president our ally’s trust and our enemies will fear.”

Random Post #3

This week in class I learned about what composition two is going to consist of. Reading the syllabus and writing a response helped to me to better understand what will be expected of me. I also learned about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I found my biggest strength to be rhetorical knowledge and my greatest weakness to be critical thinking, reading, and writing. We discussed our I-search papers and began to choose social issues and write questions about them. I feel that the I-search paper is going to be very interesting and help me gain a lot more knowledge of the presidential election. I am excited to be in composition two and look forward to becoming and better writer.

Assessing Your Strength and Weaknesses Post#2

I have many strengths and weaknesses in the four goal areas of writing. My strength in Rhetorical knowledge is being able to write to an audience using a specific format. My weakness is being very specific when writing. My strength in critical thinking, reading, and writing is I can persuade my audience to accept my point but my weaknesses is that I have a hard time seeing others prospective. My strength in the writing process is that I can follow and do the steps to writing an effective paper but my weakness is that I can’t write more than one draft as they say you should do. As for knowledge of conventions I know when to use the correct tone and grammar. My weakness however is that I have a hard time with placing some correct punctuation.

Reading Ch.1 - 3 Post #1

Summary:
After reading the first three chapters of The McGraw-Hill guide I got a nice introduction on what writing for college is going to be like. In chapter one they discuss the four writing areas of life. Writing as a college student, as a professional, as a citizen, and as a family member or friend. There are four learning goals in this course. Rhetorical knowledge is writing for a specific purpose or audience. Critical thinking, reading, and writing is when you examine the idea from many different prospectives. The writing process is learning how to write an effective paper through so many steps. First you generate ideas then relate them to the assignment, then research and begin writing an inital draft, finally ask for advice and revise, edit, and polish the paper. As for the knowledge of convertions, it's the table manners of writing. When to use the correct grammar and mechanics. In chapter two they talk how to help you better understanding of readings, visuals, and websites. By scanning or skimming the text before actually reading it can help give a better idea. To annotate a reading effectively you should underline the main point or thesis and the key supporting points using the margins. While reading visuals find words that can describe it and ask yourself questions and for reading websites make a journal and list questions from research and keep a summary of everything you have read. They also talk about steps to writing a good summary. To write a summary you first read the text quickly and get a good sense of what it's saying, then read it again and write down the main points of each paragraph, after label the major sections, then write a statement that captures the writer's main point or thesis, and lastly work backwards from step four, writing a paragraph in your own words. In chapter three they discuss ways to discover ideas for your writings and keeping journals. Using lists, freewriting, questioning, answering the questions, brainstorming, and clustering are all ways to help you come up with ideas for a paper topic. There are many different journals a writer can use while in the process of writing their paper. Using a dialectical journal can help you to write notes about the topic then on the facing side write questions and comments about the notes you took. A vocabulary journal is used to write down words and definitions that you discovered when reading. Using concept maps, flowcharts, timelines, and pedigree charts can help you to discover and learn more about your topic.

Reaction:
My reaction to this reading was that it was very informative and gives me ideas and ways to get started, draft, and revise and polish a paper. The concepts of these chapters gives me a good insight on what its going to be like in composition two.

3 Questions:
1. How did you come up with an effective writing process?
2. How well does the writing process you have talked about work?
3. What were the main reasons for coming up with the this writing process?

8/1 Readings

Summary:
Reading the article by Archie Zariski he discusses how a Professor Hibbitts has convinced him that technical obstacles to scholarly self-publication can be overcome but has left him with some doubts. Archie believes that knowledge is more of a matter of participating in relatively well-defined discourse sustained and enriched by debate. In which I have to agree. He gives a second theoretical reason for the demise of journals. Archie says that Professor Hibbitts is somewhat naïve and romantic. Hibbitt appears to believe that the web has some kind of democratic nature that may lead to a creative explosion of knowledge. Archie states that if the web is currently “undisciplined” it will have to become more so to live up to its potential revolutionary break through in the pursuit of knowledge. In the In the Basement of the Ivory Tower Article written by Professor X he discusses his job as an English professor at a small private college and at a community college. He teaches Introduction to College Writing (ENC 101) and Introduction into College Literature (ENC 102). His students are ones who didn’t plan on being there they were just thrown into college. He talks about how he teaches and grades his students. He says he feels bad for failing the students who put in the effort and just can’t pass but he can’t put that on the college. In my opinion I am wishy washy on this article but then again I see where he is coming from.

Reaction:
My reaction to Archie Zariski article was that I agree. You can better someone’s knowledge by using the web/internet but you can’t relay completely on it.
My reaction to Professor X’s article was that it was kind of wrong but then I can also see where he’s coming from.

3 Questions:
1. Why does Archie Zariski feel that the internet must come a long way if it wants to live up to its revolutionary break through of knowledge?
2. Why did Professor X write his In the Basement of the Ivory Tower Article?
3. What do you think is the reason why Professor X wouldn’t allow students who put forth the effort but couldn’t get the grade pass the class?

7/28 In Class Writing

Issue: The Parking on Campus
People involved: The USF Board

Parking at the University is a pain. The parking garage is a far walk to the campus and if you dont get there early enough you're not garanteed to get a spot. If you do get there late and there is parking left its usually on the seventh level. Its really expensive to park there. Its $137.50 for a year parking permit. They are also putting in more parking meters around the campus. This is makes it more difficult park because if you only have an hour class then you are wasting money on just an hours worth of parking. I think that if you pay tution or you work for the university, you shouldn't have to pay for parking.

Letter to the Editor Article

Los Angeles Times
July 23, 2008 Wednesday Home EditionMoceanu accuses Karolyis of abuse; Former Olympian says Martha Karolyi, now U.S. team coordinator, once slammed her face into a phone, and Bela Karolyi berated her.BYLINE: Diane Pucin, Times Staff WriterSECTION: SPORTS; Sports Desk; Part D; Pg. 1LENGTH: 981 words
Former U.S. Olympian Dominique Moceanu, who at 14 was part of the 1996 gold-medal team, said Tuesday night that USA Gymnastics team coordinator Martha Karolyi once grabbed her by the neck and slammed her face into a phone, and that former coach Bela Karolyi twice berated her about her weight in front of national teammates.
Moceanu, in a telephone interview with The Times, expanded on comments she made on an "HBO Real Sports" report that first aired Tuesday night in which she called for the Karolyis to be removed from their positions with the national team.
But other gymnasts who have been coached by the Karolyis or who were on the 1996 team with Moceanu said they hadn't seen the abuse Moceanu said she suffered.
"I never, ever objected to hard work," Moceanu said.
"What I objected to was Martha grabbing me by the neck, shoving my face into the phone and telling me to call my parents when I hurt my neck in practice. I objected to being told to jump onto a scale in front of the 1995 world championship team, of being forced to do 16 uneven bars routines in a row by Martha.
"I was completely embarrassed by Bela in front of the 2000 national training team at camp. He completely belittled me and my weight, singled me out and made me feel very small. It was unfair treatment. Martha's logic is so false but no one would listen to a 14-year-old. I was never allowed to speak out."
She failed to make the team and tried a comeback in 2006, but injuries got in the way.
Martha Karolyi, speaking on a conference call Tuesday morning, said, "I feel sad that a gymnast so accomplished as Dominique, being a part of the 1996 Olympic team and being the individual medalist in the 1995 world championships, can remember the harder days during the preparation. I feel sad."
USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny said, "I have not seen the [HBO] piece yet, so I am not in a position to comment. However, I do want to say that the Karolyis have contributed a great deal to the success of our athletes over the years and continue to do so."
Later Tuesday, USA Gymnastics spokesman Leslie King said the Karolyis and Penny were unavailable for comment about Moceanu's other accusations.
Moceanu said she spoke out now only because she was approached by HBO and said she hasn't spoken to the Karolyis since 2006.
"I have a nonexistent relationship with the Karolyis," Moceanu said in the phone interview. "I'm more mature now and able to articulate my feelings."
Kim Zmeskal Burdette, who was coached by Bela Karolyi when she won the 1991 all-around world championship and was a member of the 1992 Olympic team, said she was surprised by Moceanu's comments.
"I don't know where she's coming from," Zmeskal Burdette said. "From my personal experience, she's coming from a different planet. It's a difficult process and there are a lot of pieces to becoming the very best in the world.
"It's not a walk in the park. Bela was always very clear that if you want these results you put in this kind of work."
Zmeskal Burdette is a coach now and her 15-year-old student, Chelsea Davis, was one of 12 gymnasts who made it to the final Olympic team selection camp at the Karolyis' Houston-area ranch. Davis did not make the final cut, however.
The six-woman team was picked Saturday night after a nearly two-month process that included two rounds of national championships June 6-8 in Boston; two rounds of Olympic trials competition June 19-22 in Philadelphia, where all-around winner Shawn Johnson and runner-up Nastia Liukin earned automatic bids; and a final four-day camp at the ranch that ended Saturday.
On the HBO report, Moceanu said: "I think there's a better way to do it. Bottom line, I've had several coaches after the Karolyis. And I know it can be done in a healthier way physically and emotionally."
Moceanu, 26, who gained fame as part of that 1996 team nicknamed "The Magnificent Seven," is married to former Ohio State gymnast Michael Canales and is the mother of a 6-month-old daughter. On HBO, she said her sacrifices of living a spartan life, always watching her diet and enduring several injuries including a stress fracture during the 1996 Olympic year were not necessary.
She said the Karolyis showed "very little compassion" when she was injured and told a story of having an aunt smuggle her candy, mints and gum into the practice gym by hiding them in a teddy bear.
In response to poor performances by the U.S. team at the 1999 world championships, USA gymnastics began a system about six months before the 2000 Sydney Olympics in which athletes would come to the Karolyi ranch once a month.
Bela Karolyi was in the forefront of choosing the Sydney team, which won no medals. But since 2001, after Martha Karolyi became the national coordinator, the U.S. has won 13 gold medals at world championships and helped produce the 2004 Olympic all-around gold medalist (Carly Patterson), and the 2007 world championship gold medalist (Johnson) and the world championship gold-medal team.
Dominique Dawes, who was on the 1996 Olympic team with Moceanu and who was also on the 2000 team, said Moceanu had never talked about her unhappiness.
"Did I have any negative experiences," Dawes said. "Sure. Was it easy? No. But I always had a choice. No one was putting a gun to my head."
Dawes was personally coached by Kelli Hill but also participated in the Karolyi ranch experiences in 2000.
"The thing is, the kids understand the Karolyis," Dawes said. "No. 1, we had a choice. No. 2, we understood the political benefits to being a Karolyi athlete. The Karolyis have clout both at the national and international level."
Moceanu says she feels USA Gymnastics doesn't need the Karolyis any more.
"There are so many good coaches in the U.S. that could get the same results," she told The Times. "They are using an old way of overtraining. The results might be commendable, but it's not right."

7/25 Readings

Summary:
In the Project Muse reading the authors talk about the two important trends among America’s youth. The first trend they talk about is how America’s youth is increasing in amount of time they spend on electronic media and the second is how adolescents are engaging in number of unhealthy behaviors. Escobar-Chaves and Anderson have come up with five critical types of health risks in adolescents, obesity, smoking, drinking, sexual risk taking, and violence. All the statics in this article is both shocking and suprising. It seems to be that the five critical behaviors have been influenced by television, movie, video game, and music advertisements. If the government could control the advertisments then the five critical adolescent behavior statistics could be reduced. In the New York Times article they discuss how video games have both a cultural and historical significance. Games like Spacewar!, Tetris, SimCity, and Super Mario Bros. were part of the top ten most important video games. The article explains what the games are based off of and what they allow you to do. They say it’s going to be very had to preserve these games because of the technology we are faced with today.

Reaction:
My first reaction to the Project muse article was shocked. The statistics were crazy and some what scary to find out.
My first reaction to the New York Times article was kind of whatever but once I started reading it, I became more interested. I never really thought of video games that way and now that I know and understand a little more I find it interesting.

3 Questions:
1. Why did Mr. Lowood pick the video games he did for the top ten most important video games list?
2. What makes obesity, smoking, drinking, sexual risk taking, and violence the five critical behaviors in adolescents?
3. What causes adolescents to develop the top five critical behaviors?

7/18 Readings

Summary:
After reading the graphic novel it gave me a better perspective on everything that happened before, during, and after hurricane Katrina. In this graphic novel it gave a story of five people and their families. Leo, the Doctor, Kevin, Hamid, and Denise all had different plans and actions for surviving. It follows everyone and their families through the preparation, the storm, and the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.
I found that reading the interview with Satrapi between her and Robert Root was very interesting. It talks about all the different graphic novels she has published. Usually a graphic novel is scripted by a writer and illustrated by an artist however Satrapi does it all on her own. Root asks her specific questions and she really goes into full details with her answer. My favorite question was when Root asked Satrapi “Do you have any restraints that you put on yourself as an illustrator illustrating your own life? Any limits that you want to have, or even in how you portray that person physically?” Satrapi tells him that her limit is that she doesn’t want to use codes like the background and the color. She changes names and faces so she doesn’t hurt anyone. Her answer to this specific question was the best of all.

Reaction:
My reaction to the graphic novel was that it was interesting and gave a better perspective on what really happened. It makes me think about what I would have done if I was in their situation.
As for the interview with Satrapi my first reaction was it was informative and really gave an inside and thought into Satrapi’s mind and thinking. Some of the questions Root asked were interesting.

3 Questions:
1. Why did Robert Root want to interview Satrapi?
2. What gave the writer and/or illustrator the incentive for publishing the graphic novel?
3. What did Root think of Satrapi after interviewing her?

7/11 Readings

Summary:
Chute’s article about Satrapi’s Persepolis went into a great deal of detail and explanation on why Satrapi wrote her story the way she did. Chute talked about the reasons why her story was better written both verbally and visually. If it was written by just one or the other you couldn’t get the full affect of her writing. Satrapi used techniques to make you feel or see what she was. Chute says that horror can not be adequately illustrated by words or pictures. Everything is written out of a child’s view point. Satrapi did her best to explain her horrible childhood and traumatic history through this comic. Chute also brings up the layout of her story and how she uses it to call attention to what the readers “see” and don’t see of the subject. In the last chapter “The Cigarette” she talks about how Satrapi breaks it into three tiers. The first taking place in the basement, the second in the execution suite, and the third back in the basement. This shows her experience graphically divided by historical trauma. Chute article was written to help explain and summarize Satrapi’s story.

Reaction:
My reaction to Chute’s writing was it really put Satrapi’s story into a better perspective. There were some things Satrapi did that I didn’t understand why and Chute helped explain them. It was all in all a good and helpful article.

Questions:
What was the reason Chute wrote this article?
What made Satrapi write about her childhood experiences?
What did Chute get out of writing the article about Satrapi’s comic?

FSU Readings

After reading “Sing with Me Somehow” by Alison Slasurczyk I was very touched by the sisterly bond they held with each other. Alison’s memoir was very detailed and made me feel as if I was there with her. As I was reading I really wanted to help her through all of the hard times. Her story has really made me come to see that family bonds grow and get stronger no matter the distance or circumstances.

The memoir “Knocked Up” by Nicole Filmore was definitely not as interesting or detailed as Alison Slasurczyk’s “Sing with Me Somehow.” I feel that it was poorly written and almost childish. She didn’t give very much detail or much if any emotion to her writing. Not everyone has faced the topic of teen pregnancy so it was a hard narrative to read and understand everything she was going through unless you had been in that situation before.

7/2 Reading

Summary:
In “The Involvement of Art with Craft” Frank F. Mathias talks about his life as a young soldier during war in the South Pacific. He was really excited and eager to start writing his book. At first his writing was adequate but lacked character. He was now impaled on to what he calls Pogo’s “insurmountable opportunity.” Frank realized that the only way to grab people’s attention was through art with craft. In order to make his writing come alive he had to construct his personality and those of the men and women from the past. He used his memory as well as old letters he had written to his mother and his mother to him to help him remember. Frank also used dialogue to really bring out his writing. With his quotes he created amazing imagery that made you feel as if you were him and you could see his experiences happening before your eyes. His third book, GI Jive, An Army Bandsman in World War II, was written on his own time. Frank is one of the few veterans that can say he has actually written and published a memoir of his time at war.

Reaction:
My reaction to his writing was I thought it was very interesting. He definitely made me visualize and feel like I was right there with him. His writing was very carefully and well thought out.

Questions:
1. What really made Mathias want to join the army in the first place?
2. Why did the board not give him anytime to write his third book like they did for his first two?
3. Why did he have such a great urge to write a memoir of his time in World War II?

6/30 Readings

Summary
In these two stories the main points are the things that happen in life make you who you are and can help you see what you've become. In "Is writing a memoir therapeutic", Jerry Waxler talks about how his writing has helped him find himself from the past. He has studied and read from others books to help him understand the effects of memoir writing. After many hours of research he has now realized that the best way of healing his mind and answering his questions is by taking storytelling and turning it inwards into his own life. In the NPR listening, the aunt(Iriel) and niece(Antoinette) speak about their experience through Hurricane Katrina. The hardest thing for Antoinette was not knowing where her aunt, mom, and father were. After the most terrifying experience of her life, she has come to see that the ones she loves are the most important. Iriel's hardest time was when she saw the strongest two women she had ever known break down. At that moment she realized that she had to be the strong one and hold up those who couldn't hold themselves. Through these hard times in life they have found themselves and come to see that the little things are the most important.

Reaction
My reaction to the two stories were a bit different. The reaction I got from "Is writing a memoir therapeutic" was surprised. I always had a sense that writing your feelings and emotions down on paper helped but never really thought it could do as much as it did for Jerry Waxler. In the NPR listening my reaction was something I can't quite describe. I felt bad for their loses but at the same time happy because they all survived through something so horrible and tragic.

3 Questions
1. What made Jerry Waxler feel the need to research and find out if memoir writing was therapeutic?
2. What was Antoinette's first reaction to the series of events of Hurricane Katrina?
3. How could Jerry Waxler's self discovery help influence others to do memoir writing?