Reflect on the paper you just wrote. What was easy? What was difficult? What will you do differently for future papers? You can write about any point in the process, from the directions (what you might need from me), to struggles (help you could get from your peers), to just simple tasks like using the writing center or building an annotated bibliography.
200 words.
Due Monday Feb. 3 (I changed the date, because I forgot to post the blog. Apologies).
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ReplyDeleteI found writing the essay was the easiest part of the assignment. I had difficulty with the reading part, especially when it came to finding the main points that I wanted to use in my argument. For future assignments I will probably take more time to read and research the topic that I'm writing about. Going to the writing center was the most helpful and with the help that I got there, I was able to organize my thoughts better. I also was able to make sure that the format of my paper was correct, which I found out that I was seriously out of practice. With the directions that were given to us for the annotated bibliography, as well as from the LBH, it was fairly easy to do that part of the assignment.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that I would change for a similar assignment would be to look at more outside resources for my research. The readings for this essay only gave the perspective of the two authors, and looking at their sources may have given me more to work with. Also I need to make more time to work on assignments in the future so I have more time to know what I want to say in an essay.
As I reflect on the last assignment I think about what seemed easy and what seemed hard. Personally, I felt that the annotated bibliography was hard but once I went to the writing center it became very clear to me what needed to be done with both the annotated bibliography and the critical response. If I were to doing something differently I feel that I would have gone to the writing center before and after the essay was written. I would have also taken more notes on each article with page numbers and main ideas to better prepare for the essay. I enjoy learning but I am a little confused in this class about what exactly needs to be done and when it needs to be turned in. I check the blog and D2L every other day and write down what exactly needs to be done and when, but it always seems like I am missing something and have to rush to get it done. I feel that a better outline of assignments and blogs would help. Overall, I am enjoying the class and I am enjoying the experience but I believe I would feel better if I had a better grasp of what was needed to be done and when.
ReplyDeleteThis paper was a mixed bag in my opinion. While it did challenge me on how quickly I could research and throw a paper together, it did not really interest me in the slightest because unless it’s revolving around sports, my interest for things like what we wrote on is minimal at best. I personally think the topic of consumerism and commodity in our children’s literature is both overblown and over dramatized. So like I said, it did challenge me in that regard. So there was something that I could take away from a paper like this. The easiest, and most fun in my opinion, was deciding on how to format it. I love writing papers and I love the flow of words that hook your eyes to the point of almost hearing them. I am in love with writing papers, any paper, in that aspect. So even though I hated the content I did love writing this paper. I might not be the best at writing but I do love it. What I might do for future writings is probably learn to care a “little” bit more in the fact that I wrote this the day before it was due. However, I am aware that I can write about whatever I want from here on out and I relish the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI found in the essay that it was easy to see what the main points were for both the Hade and Teare articles. Though it was difficult to find the key points that I would use in my essay. I had to think about them for a bit longer than I think is absolutely necessary. It was also difficult to the really enjoy writing this essay because the subject of children consumers is not that very enticing to read or write about. For the next essay I write I will definitely need to take detailed notes while I am reading the texts. Also, I will write my essay in a place where I can better concentrate on what I am writing. Working on this essay in the kitchen, while everyone was constantly walking around me, was undoubtedly not the best place to write. My next writing assignment will need to have my full undivided attention instead of turning up the music on my devise and ignoring the sounds of my family. Plus, there were mistakes I made in making the essay however, the writing lab helped get those out and I will visit them again when the final paper comes.
ReplyDeleteThis week, I was assigned to write a synthesis and annotated bibliography on the two articles by Elizabeth Teare and Daniel Hade. I developed my thesis based on how I saw these two articles relate to each other: that they indicated internally and externally how commodity culture is revealed and utilized through the intentions of the authors and their books that these writers talk about. I honestly felt this was easy yet difficult and I realize what I need to do for future assignments. What I noticed was easier is that since we were doing blogs that gave us practice for understanding the articles and what to do in writing about them, I felt that it gave me a basis to build upon, and it also was like working on the assignment for two weeks, which is exactly what was going on. Therefore, this helped me get the assignments done a lot more efficiently. What I noticed was difficult about the assignments and the other assignments leading up to it was that I struggled with Teare's article when I first skimmed it because I was confused on what main points she was making throughout. Once I started really reading the details in the article, I understood the points and how they connected more. What I can do better for future assignments is use my days more proficiently so that I can get assignments done in time, yet not at the last minute. This is not to say that I didn't try doing this, because I did work on all these assignments in most of the time period given.
ReplyDeleteThe easiest part of the paper of writing the synthesis assignment was writing the beginning. I know how to setup a beginning and setup what I am going to write. The hardest part is using the supporting texts to back up my thesis. I also think I could have done better in the annotated bibliography for it didn’t seem up to standard to what I wanted to be and I was super sleepy; that is my fault. Next time I won’t write the paper all at once for it makes my thoughts jumble together and I end up losing track. I try to see if I can write the paper all at once so that I don’t have to write it all in sections and go by the template I had just written, but, that doesn’t seem to be working for me. The writing center was a great resource and helped to see the problems I needed to fix. The problem was I could only visit the writing center, literally, the morning of the 31st of January when the paper was due because I had prior duties to that took precedence over the course of the two week period of the assignment. My synthesis paper was not the best paper I produced but I will give more thought to my other papers in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest part of writing the essay for me was organization, and fully comprehending the article written by author Elizabeth Teare. I also had issues trying to keep the essay length at only two pages. I had so much to say and had everything I wanted in my head, but it was frustrating trying to put it in an essay. I did notice that my introduction came together well and thats because I spent a lot of time focusing and organizing it. I know if i take the time to dissect every paragraph and organize my thoughts more, I'll improve and do well on my next papers. As far as learning what was needed for the essay, I found the writing center and the directions given very useful and will look into doing that on my own more often. I really appreciated the feedback I was given as well as the constructive criticism. For the remainder of the semester, I would like the directions given to be clear. I am not an auditory learner and have a hard time with my hearing and listening to instructions can be difficult at times. I prefer and appreciate the handouts with clear directions listed in order.
ReplyDelete-Michaela Pakenham
2/03/14
I found the writing of the essay to be quite easy. Doing the summarization and contextualization exercises really helped in the process. I’m not sure why I never participated in these activities, other than sheer bull-headedness. After doing these two exercises, it was simply just cut and paste from the blog assignments to my essay with a few minor textual changes to ensure cohesion. The writing center was also very helpful; they were able to spot a few grammatical and mechanical errors that I had overlooked. I will most likely use them for most, if not all, of my future academic papers. Also, for future papers, I intend to keep a reading journal to help remember where I find information that I plan on using for the essay. The biggest challenge I faced in this paper was the length constraint of one to two pages. After I began researching the topic, the information I was finding that pertained to the subject started to increase exponentially. Before I knew it, I realized that I could have squeezed six pages just out of this synthesis, and I decided to write my research paper on the broader topic of advertising directed at children.
ReplyDeleteIn my essay, there were many things that I found rather easy as well as some things that were difficult. The body paragraphs flowed very nicely. However, I had a very difficult time beginning my essay. I wasn't sure how to grab the reader’s attention. Once I get my paper going, it is quite easy to keep my thoughts going. It is just the initial start that I struggle with. I also struggle with repeating myself. I tend to say the same thing over and over using slightly different word choices. I find it easy to understand the readings, but I have a hard time with keeping my opinion out of it. In the future, I will take more detailed notes as I am reading. I have a lot of thoughts while I’m reading, but I don’t write down enough information to remember what I was trying to say. The writing center helped me out a lot with my grammar and structure of the paper. The writing center asked me questions and gave me a different perspective. They gave me the other side of the argument so I could better understand the other person’s point of view rather than just seeing my perspective.
ReplyDeleteWith this paper the easiest part was analyzing the content and choosing the main points I wanted to mention. I had a difficult time with blending the evidence for my argument in a neat and understanding way. Also having difficulty with straying away from compare and contrast and yet not creating a dull and repetitive paper. I will definitely work on my time management, I had not realized that the time was flying bye. That was my own personal mistake of not checking dates and being unprepared. Overall I definitely need to work on my time management and pay attention to the structure of my paper. I blame myself for what happened with the writing center. Next time I plan on just going there in person. Again, that all went with the time trouble. To improve writing wise, I think i need to be more specific on my argument reasons, make notes when each time I read a text over, and reread over the assignment instructions to make sure i am staying on track.
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