Post 14 - What Everyone Else Learned in English 1101

There are many similarities with my fellow colleagues about what we learned this summer. Most of us had the same struggles and found that simply practice make perfect. Writing is constant learning.

Madison Mitchell states "Clearly, we are not capable of eating an entire elephant in one bite, so why do we consistently expect perfection, when the point isn’t to be perfect, but to be better?" That is a great analogy to writing. We shouldn't expect to be masters from one English class, but to know that we have the knowledge to work toward something better than before.

Mark Valeich states "The only way to get better at writing is to keep on writing."  That's absolutely true. Even when we hate writing, the only what to become better is to practice. Practice often and you'll learn a tremendous amount in no time. We've been in this class 8 weeks and I'm confident that everyone has learned a thing or two.

Post 13 - What I've Learned in ENGL1101

What have I learned this term? Specifically, in Mr. Hamon's English 1101 class. I like to think my mind is a sponge that absorbs information and retains it. I've been out of a classroom setting for around 4 years and have never taken an online class before. I haven't taken an English class since high school. This summer class has been challenging and rewarding.

I have learned that writing is not perfect and take years upon years to master. I shouldn't beat myself up for not writing the perfect paper. That probably doesn't exist anyway. 

I've learned that your audience and purpose is extremely important to writing. You write for a targeted audience (teacher, kids, scholars, ect.) Your point has to be clear and concise. 

I've learned that MLA is a torn in my side. MLA is a format that most teachers want you writing in. Practice makes almost perfect. 

I've learned patience with reading academic writings. I read it more than once just so I know that I'm absorbing the information. It's also good to have no distractions.

This summer I've learned to navigate an online class. Trust me, day one had me thinking the worst. In these short 8 weeks, I now know that I would choose an online class over traditional class any day. Thank you Mr. Hamon for having a well structured online platform.

Post 12 - Ugh Politicians

If you could see my eyes right now they're are being rolled extra dramatically. I hate politics. A politician said something illogical. Would you imagine that. I have so much information to choose from. Maybe an example of both left and right wing politicians and their irrational thoughts will suffice. 

Example 1: Back in May, presidential nominee Joe Biden made a comment about "being black" and even if he was being sarcastic he never should have said that. He was being stereotypical and with today's world everything can come out as offensive. He was meet with much controversy for his comments in that interview. In the interview with Charlamange tha God on "The Breakfast Club" Biden states "Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." I really don't know what he could say to change that. Maybe he should watch his words more carefully.

Example 2: Okay President Trump should just stay off Twitter. It just gets him in trouble or makes him sound unsophisticated. Trump is a business man not a career politician. He's not the smoothest talker unless it is business. There is probably a dozen or more quotes I could use from his Twitter that he could have written better or more "presidential" sounding. Trump posted on Twitter 2 days ago "LAW & ORDER!" Does he care to elaborate? Shouting? I don't understand. He also said something along the lines of "if we did less COVID test, we'd have less cases." Obviously yes but that doesn't mean that its not spreading. I guess that is just a number thing.  

Post 11 - Text Message Arrangement

The way my text messages are arranged are simple. Honestly, I believe it is the iMessage default. The messages are organized by time and contact. I've never thought of arranging them any other way. As for conversations and attachments, I keep it simple. If it is a lot of information you're trying to give me, just call me. Attachments are usually pictures or videos and the occasional website link. I don't take the time to delete messages even if they are automated from work, school, or doctor's offices. Below are examples on how my messages are arranged and how I generally converse through text. The text message conversation was comparing our utility bills of summer 2019 to what they are running now then on to what's for supper and go by the hardware store.

 

Post 10 - Organization of Doc2

My organizational strategy for Doc2 mirrored, for the most part, my strategy for Doc1. I started on paper with an outline: Thesis or statement of what I was writing about, Main Point 1, Main Point 2, ect. I researched anything that I thought would be helpful to my paper. I saved articles I liked then narrowed them down to the ones I used in my paper. I did not write my draft on paper, though. Honestly, I waited until the night before peer review 1 to type it up. What can I say, life happens. My organization is usually all good points. I don't like to do pros and cons or question and answer. 

The only alternative strategy I would use would be pros and cons. I really don't like that idea much. In Doc 2, I'm trying to persuade someone to choose my major. You are pretty much selling them that. If I were selling someone something I wouldn't say "This is great! But sometimes not so great." For example: I'm selling my dirt bike. I tell the buyer it is an awesome ride but at 60 hours on the engine, it's going to need a top end. If I wasn't mechanically inclined or didn't want to put money into it, that statement would make me not want to buy the dirt bike. I guess some people wouldn't mind the pros and cons deal. Those people would be more of the no BS type.  

Post 9 - MLA Formatting

My struggle with MLA format is citations. I get mixed up about commas, periods, italics, parentheses, hanging indention's, ect. Even though we've been working with citations since class began, I still can't understand the order and have to refer back to notes constantly. Sometimes my hanging indention just looks weird. I was watching a lecture on citation format and it did not mirror the MLA citation format sheet. One used a comma and one used a period for the same space. That's confusing. It makes me second guess myself. 

I did ask Mr. Hamon for clarification and help with this issue. He was excellent help. He clarified matters to me and I feel like a little weight is off my shoulders about citations. MLA format is a tedious job and practice makes perfect.  

Post 8 - Troubles of academic writing

Academic writing can be troublesome because most often instructors give topics that a student doesn’t really know or care about. You can’t be passionate about something you’ve never given a second thought to. There is a certain flow to academic writing. It is not a simple conversation like everyday life. Academic writing has a designated audience and the audience deserves a good read. You write a paper and although it sounds convincing to you, there is the possibility that the target audience is bored or confused. 

Texting is easier than academic writing because it doesn’t have to have any structure. I can send a simple message to make sure my husband doesn’t forget his hair cut appointment. I can send an emoji and get my point across. Conversations can be over with yes or no. My spelling or punctuation doesn’t have to be correct. I don’t have a thesis statement in a text message conversation.