Have Come Along Way..

Fifteen weeks of school have flown by, and the end of the semester is approaching. I reflect back on my first blog about my course goals and how my writing has changed this semester. Also, what goals I have achieved and what goals I want to set for the new semester in the Spring.

My writing has changed since coming to college, because of this class. During this class we did a lot of writing. We worked on four major writing projects with revisions, and we have blog every week of school. We have learned different ways and techniques to write papers. Also by reading and using a rubric to grade other peers papers we are helping ourselves become better writers.

Reflecting on my goals from the first semester of English 101 which was to enhance my writing skills, and to become more confident in my writing. I believe as something I worked very hard for, my knowledge in writing has grown and I am more confident in my writing. For the next semester to come, I still plan on strengthening my writing skills. I plan on finding more creative ways of writing, and figuring out what I can do to make my papers better. I will work hard and effectively to attain my goals. I believe nothing is impossible and if your mind is set then the sky is the limit!

UNDERSTANDING GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES

Do we really see the world differently than older or younger generations do? On Wednesday November 18, 2009 at 7pm in Student Center, we discussed this question. The Excellence in Leadership Program, The Career Center, and Freshman Connections put together a session on Understanding Generational Differences to explore these very issues. The objectives of the evening were to be introduced to the four generations and to compare and contrast each generation. As an icebreaker we were all given an Intergenerational Dialogue, this was a sheet of paper that had 18 different small pictures on them. These pictures consisted of various famous people and objects throughout time. It was our job to look at them and decipher who and what they are. Some of these pictures were quit difficult because they were from a different generation then what we were familiar with. Some of these pictures included; Pong, World of War crafts, I love Lucy, South Park, and Twilight. After this exercise Mitch explained to us about the four generations which include; The Veterans (1922-1945), The Baby Boomers 91946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), and The Millennials (1981-2000). We then discussed and debated how each is different and how they change throughout the years. With there being a large amount of Boomers and Millennals in the room is was fun, and interesting to watch the debate of how the two different generations view life. One topic debated was how Boomers would prefer to call, and Millennas feel more comfortable texting.
I was very pleased I was able to attend this event. I now better understand the shared and diverging views and values, of each generations.

Critical Reading

During our previous class, we looked at a student example found in BallPoint. This type of work we looked at is considered "critical thinking," which is a skills we are learning and developing in class. When we participate in reading we are actively engaging ourselves with what we are reading. As a critical reader, I enjoyed this paper written by Pamela Gardner. It has great meaning behind her mission trip to Brazil. The paper goes into great detail about what she learns, and how this experience has changed her life. She tells us how she found who she is by traveling outside the United States, and truly making a difference in this world. After reading such a moving paper it makes you want to go and participate, and give back to the world. Besides having good content the paper itself was very good. According to the NWP Holistic Scoring Rubric that we discussed and learned in class, I would have to grade this paper with a six. We have worked with this rubric in class and have peer graded our own classmates using the scoring. This paper from start to finish consistently focuses on the purpose. Grammatically the paper is well written having very minor flaws. The sentences are sophisticated in rhythm and flow.

Sean Lovelace

On November 11 at 7:30pm Sean Lovelace was reading from his new chapbook, How Some People Like Their Eggs.. When I heard about this I thought it would be intreasting to attend because I did not get to attend when Ishmael Beah came to Ball State. But the first question I asked myself is, "who is Sean Lovelace?". After doing a little research I fought out, Sean Lovelace is an English professor at Ball State University. His publications include Tartts: Incisive Fiction from Emerging Writers, Grass: A Fiction Chapbook, and stories and essays in various literary journals, including New Orleans Review, Crazyhorse, Black Warrior Review, and Sycamore Review. His latest book is How Some People Like Their Eggs, and was the winner of the Third Annual Rose Metal Press Short Short Chapbook Contest. Not only is Sean a talented writer but also a great runner, and always seems to be pushing himself to go that extra mile.
Right before entering room 125 on Wednesday evening there was a table of refreshments, which included punch, Starbucks coffee, and cookies. As I walked in I noticed it was a full house but lucky I was able to find a seat near the back. Jill Christman is the director of creative writing, and told us about the upcoming reading/writing competition. Next she tells us how she first met Sean Lovelace, and gives a warm welcome as Sean walks up to the podium. I stopped to look around the room, there was a camera man, and two photographer. As Sean reads from his book he had everyone at the edge of our seat, we all felt as if we were a part of the story. All of his story's were every funny and had us all laughing. He is a very talented person, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to listen to him read parts of his masterpiece.

No Class

Well of course it's important to go to class, pay attention, and learn. Sometimes though it may be even more beneficial to have the non regular classroom setting. During a normal class you don't have that one-on-one interaction with your teacher. Plus with all the other students in the class you are more easily distracted. This week we only met one day instead of our regular three times a week. This was helpful, for it took a lot of stress off me and allowed me to focus and devote more time to other classes that need the extra help. Also meeting with your teacher is a perfect way to make sure you are on the right track in class. Everyone want to succeed and here is when you find out what you need to do to improve, or what you can do to keep your grade. This time also gives you the perfect opportunity to talk to the teacher, about any problems you may be having or to ask any questions you may not feeling comfortable asking in class. Although this method would be quiet hard to do for a larger classroom size, I found it very helpful and it should be done in more classes.

Timed Writing

When we came to class today we thought we knew exactly what to expect, but we were a little wrong. We have prepared tips and went over ways to successful go about our timed writing. We were told we would have forty-five minutes to write a response to the prompt about the common reader we read this first half of the mid term A Long Way Gone. With only forty-five minutes we knew we had to manage our time properly right? Not exactly. The prompt asked us to think what does a successful community consist of? And how it relates to the book. Throughout the whole book Beah describes being forced to move from one community to the next, just to stay alive. To me the most important way to benefit one community is by volunteering. Volunteering is the idea of people working without being motivated by financial or material gain. Just as we where deep into our writing we heard a loud noise over the intercom, and are told it is a fire dire and we are to exit the building. Not the greatest way to end a paper, but we are now a lot more familiar with timed writing.

Writing

I myself am not a huge fan of writing, but I can say my interest in the subject is increasing due to this class. After viewing the video "Why I hate writing", you really understand why so many students dread writing. Students think that writing is too time consuming, or that it's hard, or even that it's boring and pointless when you're forced to write about something you have no interest in. I was surprised when I saw the statics. 95% of people have negative view of their ability. You will never like something if you don't practice and give it a chance. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but the more often you write, the better and easier it will be to sit down and write. Not everyone can just sit down and take off writing a novel. Most of us need to brainstorm. It's important to jot down everything that comes to mind. You might want to think about the topic: your audience, what they need, what you can offer them, what's in it for them, etc. After you have come up will all your ideas and thoughts it's time to organize those thoughts into a rough outline, most important information first, and so on. For me brainstorm is the most difficult part, but once I have an outline of what I'm writing about its a breeze!