Portfolio Time

For my portfolio, the essay of choice will be my media review essay. Not only do I think that is reflects some of my best writing for the semester, but I liked it. Of all the essays that I wrote this semester it had a lot of personal investment in it. As for the portfolio grade I am honestly not sure what grade I think I should receive. I do think that I have met the requirements of sufficient mastery, how well real depends on which essay. I feel very good about my media review essay and think would qualify in the superior to strong range. Where the reflection essay I do not feel as good about and may just be a competent essay. So it will mostly come down to how well my research essay does. I fairly good about it, I think that it is a good essay, I just don’t know how good. So all in all I would guess that I will fall some were in the strong range, but were I don’t know.

                I didn’t get the chance to look at to many portfolios, so I can’t give a good comparison of to many different portfolios. Though of the ones that I read I like Stephanie’s the best. She always had such descriptive writing that would draw you in to the work. I found this made her work very satisfying to read.

Portfolio Workshop

The essay I chose as part of my portfolio is "Success without Formal Education."  I chose this essay because the thesis is identifiable and somewhat arguable, and that it is also properly backed up with supporting detail and information.  With this essay I learned how to become a better writer.  I learned to keep track of the main idea without going off tangent with irrelevant information in relation to the thesis.  This essay also helped me understand how to use proper chronological order when including supporting detail and how to include in text quotations.  I also learned that I write best when I am passionate about something.

At the end of the semester I went back to compare and review all the essays and blogs I have written in this class.  I have definitely seen improvement in my writing.  I understand how to use commas better, focus on my grammar and understanding what a thesis is and how to support it correctly.  I have also seen improvement in my work cite using proper MLA format and in general how to place ideas correctly in words.  After looking back, and from the teachers feedback during the semester I feel I should receive a B.

I have not had the chance to look at other peers portfolios except for my English class partner Austin Hennigan.  I feel he has a strong point when he writes and gives a satisfying feeling when you are done reading.  He creates a good connection with the reader, and can express his thoughts through his work.

Portfolio Post Dec. 02

Final Portfolio

The essay that I chose for the final portfolio was my descriptive essay. I decided to include this essay in the final portfolio because I feel like it was one of the best essays I wrote, and where I got the best feedback from my classmates and professor. I learned that I need to watch my tenses, which I did not know that I was doing wrong.

Over the past four months I feel like I have become a better writer and have learned many new things about writing that I did not knew in the past. I have learned new writing skills that I will definitely use in future classes. Although I have learned new writing skills there are a few things I could have improved on, and worked on harder. I think that the grade I will get on this portfolio will probably be a “C” I think that my writing skills are still improving and are not yet at the level I wish they would be.

So far I have only looked at one of my classmate’s portfolio. I liked her portfolio because she chose the essays that she felt the most proud of. She is confident that she will get a good grade based on the choices that she made. Her writing was excellent and I definitely think she will do well in her final portfolio.       

-Cristina A.

Today in English our class is beginning to wrap up, and by Thursday with the handing in of our portfolios it will be over. For our portfolios we had to put in three different essays. One of the essays was our choice, and I chose to put my descriptive essay (I'm not sure that's what it was called now that I think about it). I chose this essay because I felt i accomplished describing something well, and I feel like I acquired a good grade on it the first time around.
 Now, about h portfolio in general I feel like I deserve a c or a b. I would hope for an A but I'm keeping myself more pessimistic because I can't handle disappointment very well and I know my essays are not as polished as they could be. They are a lot more polished than they were when they started though! So that's something.
 My favorite portfolio that I read is probably my group member Christine's. I read all of her essays as the year progressed and got to see the rough drafts and the finished products and can compare them, even if I didn't quite read the whole portfolio. I saw the drafts grow and change and so I feel like she definitely did self improvement and I hope she's satisfied with it.

The Portfolio Plan

1. What will I change in my research paper?

First of all, I need to make sure that my fonts, font size and line spacing is correct.  I should not trust the computer's default.

Placing commas and using parenthesis correctly.

The thesis in my research paper is good, but could be stronger. I need to address the thesis more directly and stick to one idea.  For example I am talking about how GMO's can have adverse effect on health (which is my F.P) but then I mention the pro's and con's of GMO's in our society.  I need to stick with my first F.P and not branch out.  Sometimes there is so much information on one topic that I need to filter it down and not get to excited writing random bits and pieces of information!

I will make sure that I do not address the public with YOU, US, WE and still make it persuasive.

There are some quotes I included that should be in block quote.

Joining certain paragraphs and avoiding the repetition or words or phrases.

Some of my cites may have been correctly misplaced, I need to make sure that all the information corresponds to the proper cites.

I would like to delve a little more on personal take.

Proper MLA citations and image should be in MLA caption.

I want to spend a little more time mentioning statistics and include more research on the labeling of GMO's.

More specific details on history of health and financial benefits or not of GMO's.


2. News report on reflective essay

F.P: Citations, MLA formats, block quotes and thesis's were unknown in my world.  These words were intimidating as well as mysterious. What are they and how are they used? After a semester with Jen Zuko, it all seems clear, for the most part.  The information I received in English 121 has not only helped me become a better writer, but I actually understand the steps involved to writing correctly.  I can put my words in order, find a main idea and support it correctly with detailed information.  After all, writing in my journal and spilling out words is not the same as academic writing.  These traits will help me in my career and become more professional with my words.

I will put some examples of previous work I have done and how I have been able to correct my mistakes.  I am still not a perfect writer, but I understand the structure better.

One mistake a peer noticed that I do, is I become to metaphorical and almost poem like in my writing.  I think this is because of spending years reading Spanish novels and most of them are like a sung story.  I will avoid doing so as it distracts my readers and does not seem academic.


3. Which essay I chose to add and why?

The essay I feel the most comfortable with is "Success without Formal Education."  I chose this essay as part of my portfolio because it is the paper that I can see the most improvement as a writer.  With this paper I learned to be more organized and it gave me a sense of how to write logically.  I made mistakes and was able to successfully correct them with the teachers guidance and my peers.

I have to make a few changes similar to the changes I will make in my research paper.

The Portfolio Plan

The Portfolio Plan

1.       Something that I have to change in my research paper is the use of “you,” this essay is more professional than other essays that we have done in the past and the use of the word "you" does not sound proffesionl in this essay A second thing that I have to change in my essay is support examples. My argument is good but I need more examples to support my argument. I will try to look for examples that support and clarify my argument.

2.       I still have to do this.

3.       The essay that I will be choosing to add to the portfolio will be the Exemplification essay. I think that this has been one of my best essays and I feel confident about putting this essay in the Portfolio.

Crstina Aguirre

Homophones

Paragraph From Essay

Dear Higher Education:

Enclosed please find my Bachelors Degree which I am returning to you for a full refund. I am completely unsatisfied with this product, and do not wish to exchange it for another item.

This item does not meet my expectations, or the description of the item that I ordered. I am very disappointed in this order.

Accept this item back, and issue a refund of the total purchase price back to me. If you need to contact me to arrange for a refund, my telephone number is (555)555-5555.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

College Graduate

Attack of the English Teacher

Class Blog Review 2
by Cristina Aguirre

Attack of the English Teacher, a blog from our English 121 class, is a blog that talks about the different assignments that are given to the class by our teacher. They do chapter reading responses, review other class blogs and any other assignments.

They have a good voice, they know what they are talking about. Something that I liked was that at the beginning of each post they have a clear statement about what that post will be. Which could be a good thing because they can catch the reader’s attention into reading their blog.

The structure of the blog is very good. Everything is organized, and posts are easy to find the visuals in this blog are interesting and go according to what the blog post is talking about. I liked the bookshelf background, it goes with most of the post which are about reading and English

In each blog they seem to know what they are talking about. They have good examples that support the main idea about the blog post. They have good examples and information.

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I chose this image from their post because it was interesting that they used this when they were writing about exemplification essays. The image goes well along with what the post is talking about.

Evaluating an Internet Source #2

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This is clearly a scholarly article both, the formatting and the language used indicate to me that the author is a credible source. Within the article the objective is clearly stated and then backed up with a clear methodology. We also found the article informative and useful.

When we compared the two articles we found the second one to provide much greater detail. With data to back up the statements made. Though, this detail did make the article very specific, making less useful for any subject that is not directly related to it. Such as, the first article stated that if you did not bathe then you would smell (Neer). This is a brood statement that can be easily related to by most people. Were the knowledge that only 37.1% of India’s rural youth bath daily (Singh, Gupta) would not ring home with many people in the US.

-Austin

-Stephanie

Reference

Dongre A  R, Deshmukh P R, Boratne A V, Thaware P, Garg B S, An approach to hygiene education among rural Indian school going children. OJHAS Vol. 6, Issue 4: (2007 Oct-Dec)

Works Cited

Neer, Katherine.  "What if I never took a bath?"  25 February 2008.  HowStuffWorks.com. 09 October 2014.

Singh, Akanksha, and Parmatma Prasad Gupta. "An Analysis Of Knowledge & Practices On Personal Hygiene Of Adolescents District - Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh." International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies 1.4 (2014): 65-72. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

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Prospectus

Austin Hennigan

Professor Jennifer Zukowaki

ENG 121-118

12 October 2014

1. Is higher education a commodity and should it be? I am not sure which side I am on yet, we will see were the research will take me.

2. With the rising cost of higher education students are having to incur more debit than any time in the past. This is partly do to a reduction of funding of public colleges by the states forcing them to make up more of their budget with student tuition. This is reacted the point where the tuition fees, which were once highly subsided are sometimes now paying more than a students' education. Along with the rise of for profit schools, this has led to the increase of education is being treated like a commodity. Which conflicts with the more traditional view that higher education's goal to not only train but expand the horizons of students. Is this a good or bad thing for colleges, students and the county at large? Will it lead to more effective schools that can uses resources more efficiently? Or, create institutions with only teach to the profit margin.

3. Well I do know that education is being treated more like a commodity than it has been in the past and that many people are consented about this trend. I don't know to what degree that this has happened or what real world effects this has had.

4. When did this trend start?

What is a commodity?

What is the purpose of college education

If higher education is a commodity can it be sold, traded, returned, etc?

What long term effects could this have on the US education system?

Will this change responsibilities of colleges?

5. President of Front Range Community College - Andy Dorsey

Economics Professor Front Range Community College - Glenn Locke

Education Professor Front Range Community College - Alison F Thielke

6. Fennell, Marylouise, Dr., and Scott D. Miller, Dr., eds. Responding to the Commoditization of Higher Education 2012-2013 (2012-13): n. pag. 2012-2013. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Kishtainy, Niall. The Economics Book. New York: DK Pub., 2012. Print.

Bienefeld, Stefan. "Higher Education Is a Human Right- Not a Commodity!" Thesis. ESIB the National Unions of Students in Europe, 2003. Higher Education Is a Human Right- Not a Commodity! European Higher Education Area LIBRARY. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.

Blog Review # 2: Attack of the English Teacher

Review of Attack of the English Teacher

                
After evaluating the blog, Attack of the English Teacher - Evaluating Internet Sources Part 1, we gave it an 8/10 rating because it fell into our Quality Criteria list in certain ways, and they had good blog post structures. Our Quality criteria list is as follows: Voice, Expertise, Clarity and Organization, Aesthetically Pleasing, User Friendly, and Original.

               
In voice, they knew what they were talking about. One of the many good things they did was clearly stating their thesis within the first sentence of their blog post.  The thesis talks about a computer company, IGN,  that writes reviews and sells video game products.  This was a very helpful way for them to tell us exactly what they were with enough supporting examples.

                 
In expertise, they seemed to know the information and facts they wished to present, and had enough examples to support its thesis.

                
In clarity and organization, their blog has a clear set up that makes it very easy to navigate. The bar on the side with blog posts clearly organized by month and year which makes it accessible for all.
The visuals of this blog make it not only easy to use but give me a sense of intention and the voice of the author. The background of books on shelves, also gives a clear idea of what the blog is, full of- reading, and English related criterion.

The Visual Component is of two video game consoles that is part of IGN company. It seemed relevant to the post.

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-Austin
-Jasmine
-Stephanie
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Blog Review #2: All class blogs

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Attack of the English Teacher

            This blog is simple and straight forward with good clear information. (8/10)

Unconventionalenglish

            We found this blog to be a mix of good and bad, it is very original but hard to use. (6/10)

Give Me a Minute

Give Me a Minute had a good voice to it but lacked in the technical area. (7/10)

Drunk Writer Talk

            This blog also had a good voice and very original, but the formatting made it almost unreadable. (6/10)

First Blog Ever

Was clear and well organized making easy to use, though it was a little sparse. (7/10)

- Austin

- Jasmine

- Stephanie

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Evaluating an Internet Source

Austin Hennigan & Stephanie Schraeder

Professor Jen Zuko

English 121

09 October 2014

Evaluating Internet Resource

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We chose to evaluate an internet post called “What if I never took a bath?” by Katherine Neer.  The post is part of the website “How things Work.”  The article is an informative piece about bathing. This post includes both text and images giving it a professional look. The image, a woman washing herself, clearly represents the main subject. When we look at the URL and the presence of advertising we would judge this website to be fairly accurate, though the body of the post does lack in-depth information.

The facts presented in the post cite links to other articles within how stuff works domain, creating a reciprocal citation record.  In spite of this, the information provided does conform to standard opinion on the subject. There for, we would consider the information valid but may not be good for an academic source. It does include eye catching facts such as, “An average person can sweat something like 1 to 3 liters per hour depending on the surrounding climate” (Neer).

Works Cited

Neer, Katherine.  "What if I never took a bath?"  25 February 2008.  HowStuffWorks.com. 09 October 2014.

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“insert unrelated quantity here.”

You are wrong because “insert unrelated quantity here.” Most people would read this last sentence and think to them self’s that that is silly no one would really fall for something so silly. How could you show something to right or wrong with an unrelated statement? Well I have bad news for you it is done all the time and people fall for it. Take for example how many people have had to resign from their job because of a personal scandal, one that had no bearing on their ability to do a good job. Yet they were run though with the words such as you can’t do job because you were bad at being a parent, father, wife, etc… This mud racking is one of the most common examples of the logical fallacy “ad hominem” which is Latin for “to the man.” Or for all the non-Latin scholars this refers to an attack on someone about a subject which has no relation to the one at hand. If you are still having problems with this it is political campaign session right now and this is a favorite of attack ads. Just wait for one to come on the radio or TV and then pick its logic apart. I can almost guarantee that this fallacy will come up. Just be careful, the people who write the ads are quite good at it and it is not always so clear

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A way to avoid this is to talk about the issue at hand. That may sound hard, but there are a few questions to ask yourself when making an argument against someone or someone else’s ideas. First, ask yourself “What is my opponent arguing about? What are their main points and facts?” Then ask if what you want to say next is related to your opponent’s argument, or just your opponent. If your argument has nothing to do with your opponent’s arguments, and is designed to turn the audience against them, it is probably an ad hominem and should not be used. 

- Austin

- Jasmine

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