As an online course, the writing that we do in English 305 is substantially different from a face to face course. As such, it is imperative that you understand the course style from the start. Nearly all of your work in this course will be posted on the course blog. EACH WEEK YOU WILL HAVE THREE BLOG ASSIGNMENTS: 1. A BLOG ENTRY, 2. A READING, AND 3. A WRITING ABOUT THE READING.
Your reading and writing on the blog must be completed by the Friday (by midnight) of the week in which the reading falls. You have all week each week to complete the reading and writing for that week, but there are no late assignments accepted, so be sure to be disciplined about the work from the start. Let me re-state that point; if you do the assigned work before or during the week it is due, you will receive full credit. If you do the work after the Friday of the week it is assigned, you will get zero credit for that week.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
WEEK NINE BLOG ENTRY:
What was your best writing of the quarter...this could be a blog, an essay for this or another class, a note to a friend, a grocery list, or anything.
I am currently taking Religion, Ethics, and Sexuality. In the class we have to do a blog post each week covering an article we read. This week I read an article by Christian Scharen. He is a Christian ethicist and his article “Experiencing the Body: Sexuality and Conflict in American Lutheranism” made the argument that of the four sources, scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, experience should be considered the most important. Scharen when on to argue that there are two forms of experience: unconscious experience and conscious experience. Unconscious experiences shape our normative values. Conscious experiences are those that create a discrepancy between what we believe and what we experience. Conscious experience is where change in normative values occurs. We return to the other three sources to understand or reinterpret what we experience. What I liked most about the article is what I ultimately wrote about in my blog. Scharen’s notion of loyal dissent really resonated with me. Loyal dissent, according to Scharen, is our ability to believe deeply in our faith and act against it to right injustices that we see. As a political science major this idea brought to mind the Declaration of independence. I wrote in my blog that the founding fathers believed in government and rule of law, but based on their experience here in America they felt compelled to change the government structure to something that better fit how they viewed government’s role within society. The founding fathers returned to their texts and tradition, reasoned through the problems, and took action to remedy the problem. I truly enjoyed writing that blog. Scharen pointed out an element that is lacking within our society. Many people acknowledge the existence of social injustice but few act to try and fix it. Experience may bring the acknowledgement of social issues to our conscious thought, but we should not let it stop there. I wrote on this article because I was inspired by what Scharen had to say and I was surprised at how easy it was to let my words flow onto the page.
I enjoyed reading your post about your blog. It sounded like an interesting article and an interesting class. You seem to know what you are talking about and what you believe in- both very important. Thanks for your post!
I have some friends in that class! I love hearing about the articles they read and what they discuss. I'm glad that you found something that inspired you!
My best writing of the quarter was actually the essay written for this class. I did not have any writing assignments in any other classes, and my Facebook musings really do not count as great pieces of writing. My grade for it was a humble above average score, however, I had a great time writing the essay. I have always been a person who would prefer to enjoy the experience rather than the result, and this is a prime example of that. I was actually very much surprised that I enjoyed writing the essay so much. In retrospect, I had not written a timed essay in such a long time, and so it seemed that I felt the urge to finally write one. I am having a difficult time finding more things to say, so I will go onto my next best piece of writing, which is a summary of the Khan method of teaching for a Psychology class of mine. It deals with a radical, new way of teaching that gets rid of the professor and whiteboard. Instead, students are hunched over laptops, learning at their own pace from YouTube videos. Its quite an interesting way to learn, and it seems to be proliferating to certain parts of the United States.
I would have to agree with you because I also found the in class essay to be my best form of writing for this quarter. I thought the topic given to us was something I could talk a lot about and it was somewhat fun.
I agree with all of you! The in class essay was a pretty cool experience. At first I was not sure what to expect. I'm not going to lie, I felt somewhat intimidated. Once I got going I felt like I could of taken the topic in different directions. It was a great experience :)
I think my best writing of the quarter was my movie review. I thought it was very well written and analytical. I feel it was articulate without being overly verbose.I think my writing I was able to give my analysis of the plot, the acting, the actors themselves and the overall themes. I also gave my critique on the film. It also allowed to me to step out of my comfort zone, when it comes to movies. So from now on I won't be as quick to rule something out as a good film. I will say, in terms of this class, the blogs further gave me more confidence that I can sufficiently write on any topic as long as I adequately apply myself.I think that since taking this course and even transferring to CSUB, my writing skills have definately improved. I have noticed that I still need work as a writer. I make minor punctuation errors in my essays and it is a tough habit to break. In general, I think I am better at organizing my essays so that it flows and provides support for whatever argument I am trying to make.
My best piece of writing this course was the blog which I wrote about my spiritual hero pope Shenouda (III), pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. It was very challenging for me to write about someone is unknown to most of the readers, classmates. However, I think I wrote a very nice article in a struggle to summarize pope Shenouda rich life and to honor his countless contributions to the church and to the country as well. He has enriched the church faith with over a hundred spiritual and dogmatic books he wrote, and thousands of sermons he had delivered in various occasions. He also helped in protecting the country by being “an advocate for unity and reconciliation” as president Obama said, and by promoting religious tolerance and dialogue. Although there are numerous accomplishments he had achieved during his eighty-nine years lifespan, I successfully pointed out the main lines of his life in an inspiring way. I stared with giving a brief bibliographic background about him, and then I mentioned some of the struggles he had gone through and how he encountered them with faith and love. I really enjoyed writing that article in honor of my beloved pope Shenouda and it was a great opportunity to edify others about his great achievements.
I am absolutely sick of writing. In fact, I would rather take a test any day over writing, I am that burnt out on writing. So, since I have to pick my best writing of the quarter I am going to pick the one that I enjoyed and meant the most to me. My best writing of this quarter was the blog about who we consider our hero to be. It may have not been the most impressive, creative, or of best quality, but it was the most meaningful. It was the first time I have actually written down how much my husband means to me, and what an impact he has made on my life. Not only that, but to express it on a public forum was my way of opening up and telling the world. I have told him that I wrote about him as my hero, but have yet shown him the writing. With these blogs, I feel it has been a way to express our feelings, opinions, and who we are. These blogs have made us open up to others who have no idea who we are, but are supposed to open up our minds to these strangers. That is why not only am I choosing a blog entry, but I am choosing one that had the most meaning to me and opened up how I felt the most. Like I said, I am sick to death of writing, I will be glad for the day that I will no longer have to write another paper. I feel I am so burnt out on writing that I am not at the top of my game with writing capabilities. So with that being said, it is the writing that I enjoyed most – my hero blog that was my best writing for this quarter. I bid you all adieu!
I love your honesty, writing can be draining and yet liberating at the same time. Your husband will be pleasantly surprised to know that he was a topic of a "blog".
I also love your honesty. The sad truth is I'm burned out. I graduate in a few weeks and I can't wait to be done!!!My life doesn't belong to me anymore. I work two jobs, have a two year old, and go to school full time. I used to keep a personal journal but that is a luxury I don't have at this time. I know all the hard work is worth it but right now all I want is some sleep!!
I would have to agree with the previous post, I am also sick of writing, however, my best writing this quarter would have to be my reflection paper for the MSW program. I put a lot of work into that paper and it required a lot of hours. It was a reflection of the program itself, the curriculum, and our field work. We had to incorporate many competencies into the paper which was time consuming. I can not complain much because it is much better then doing a Thesis! I enjoyed writing about myself and what I felt, this has been a long journey for me, and now that it's almost over, it's good to reflect back and incorporate what I have learned in my future endeavors. I had to include what specific assignments or projects I enjoyed and what clinical approach I will be utilizing into my practice. This paper truly captured what I've learned from the MSW program and prepared me to become a confident social worker.
For some reason, I have had great difficulty writing in this class. Perhaps because it is an online class without the professor in front of me. For that matter, my best writing has to be the movie review essay. I knew exactly why the movie was so great, but I had a hard time putting it into words. I had to rewrite that essay about three times before I turned it in. I could not find the balance between critiquing the paper and analyzing the paper. When I turned in the paper, I was not sure what to expect. To my surprise, I did not fail the assignment. I actually did pretty well. Due to the amount of effort that I put into the movie review assignment and being validated that I actuall turned out a decent paper, I feel that it is my best writing this quarter.
I honestly believe that the best thing I wrote this quarter were two blog entries that were really easy to talk about, the one about family history and personal habits. I am a very open and outspoken person and it was easy to talk about my family and personal beliefs. I am very family oriented and thus I know EVERYTHING about my family and I also make it aware to all my friends and family of my personal habits because I'd be there for all of them and because I hate littering. I also choose to not drink or smoke and make it well aware to my friends and family because I do not deal with peer pressure because in the end it is my choice to do what I want to do in MY life. Thus, I believe and know that all my mistakes were all made on my own and that is why I choose my actions wisely. Thus, those two blog entries were the only interesting I wrote about this quarter because since I am a nursing major most of our papers are about facts of nursing care and are a little more difficult to speak freely about.
I also really enjoyed having the opportunity to write about my family on this blog. Like yourself, I am very family oriented and therefore liked sharing a little bit about where my family came from and the sacrifices they’ve made to ensure that I have a better life. For me, that post was the most enjoyable writing experience on this blog.
Jocelyn, I noticed you are outspoken and this is a very good habit to have. You gave me good tips on my movie review essay. Thank you. I want to add that I agree with you when you say that some of these writing assignments allowed us to be free and open about ourselves. I thought it was nice to be able to write about something we enjoy.
I have to say that my favorite blog for this quarter has to be, my hero blog. I wrote from the heart on that blog. ALl the other blogs were okay but that one inspired me to write what I felt. I am not a fan of writing, but some blogs were interesting to write, as they were to read. I like how the entire class has different views and writes what they think. I would have to say I enjoyed writing all blogs.
Me too! I felt I truly opened up a part of me, that I normally do not open up about. I am sick of writing myself, so it was pulling teeth for me this quarter! However, the hero blog I felt passion about. I agree that I enjoyed reading more than writing, and yes, I like to see everyone's different opinions. Thanks for your post!
I enjoyed the personal blogs simply because it was easier to talk about myself since it was a topic I was familiar with. It wasn’t something I had to think too much on like on some of the other blogs. Probably week 3, was one of my favorite topics to discuss on because using technology is something I do daily. My best writing for this quarter though, I think would have to be the in class essay. Even though it was a timed written test I really enjoyed the topics that we had the opportunity to choose upon for discussion. The topics that were given were easy for me to come up with a response. Perhaps, it was knowing that you really had to do well in the essay to pass the GWAR or maybe because it was timed that got my brain going with ideas to talk about because I was able to write a lot without struggling. I found it harder to do the blogs even though we had a longer time to complete them. I did very well in this in class essay, even better than the restaurant and movie review which was a bit surprising since it’s been a while since I’ve had to do one. Another interesting writing I have done this quarter would have to be for my terrorism class. Those discussions really challenged me and made me think in a deeper level because you define and discuss what you think motivates a person to act in terroristic acts.
I also liked the in class essay. I think the reason I liked it was because I disagreed. I have noticed that when I disagree with someone or something I could write or argue so much better than when I agree. I guess I just love to argue. When I did the in class essay I had so many thoughts that the hard part was organizing my thoughts. I had so much to say, I did pretty good but I would have done better if I had time to organize my thoughts.
Honestly, I don't think I did as much writing during this quarter as in others, also I was taking classes all for a minor this quarter, so nothing pertained to my true interests. That being said, I think I actually enjoyed these blog entries most of all. I feel like I can take a step back from all the research and boxed frames that my other papers have to fit into and just type exactly how I would talk to someone in normal conversation. I know I'm not alone with this thought because others seem to express themselves the same way, with normal speech. The blogs kept our writing casual, but also allowed us to be a bit more creative and expressive in our writing. It is rare that we actually get to express true opinions and feelings in writing for classes. Normally we have to do whatever will earn the grade, even if it may go against how we really feel or how we would really word something. So I guess I would definitely agree with others in saying that the blogs were may favorite writing of this quarter
Yes, I agree! As much as I am sick of writing, I have to say at least this class was not as bad. It was more enjoyable because of the fact it wasn't reserached based and we were able to write what we thought, and not have to support it with research - which usually takes awhile to find. Thanks for your post!
I, like Jessica, am in the MSW program. I have been writing more in the last three years than I think I have my entire life. My best paper so far has been my portfolio paper that I wrote for my practicum course. This paper required much thought and planning and consumed most of the quarter. This was a cumulative paper that incorporated all of my courses from the MSW program. These courses included research analysis, human behavior, practice analysis, and policy. The objective of this paper was to reflect upon the assignments and projects that I had completed over the course of three years. When I began organizing my papers and projects, I had forgotten how much work that I had done. There were papers about statistics, for which I am still confused. I re-read the group paper about advocating for under-represented population, and realized that I really enjoyed that project. I realized that I write well, I am precise and to the point. Many times when a professor would state that a paper needed to be certain length, I would panic. Once the panic subsided, I would begin writing and before I knew it, it was at least the requested length, if not longer. Therefore, back to the question at hand, my best paper was my portfolio paper.
To be honest, I have not been very impressed with my writing this quarter. At the beginning, I was in an early western literature class but I decided not to stay in it because the reading was very difficult. Most of what I’ve written this quarter I’ve gone back on and felt like it was not very good. It’s not for lack of trying, but I am more accustomed to writing either research papers or literary analyses. If I had to choose one piece of writing, it would be the movie review. I’m generally a good writer—I am an English major. For some reason the writing felt disjointed and like I could never flow well. I would most likely benefit from locking myself away in the office while I write, like I used to do. I have written some short stories on the side for fun, which definitely flowed better than my papers.
Oh, same here! I keep telling my husband how my writing with every paper has been horrible! I honestly can say, that my CJ term paper was probably the worst writting I have ever done. I feel so burnt out, that I can't put fourth the 110% effort that I normally do. I felt I could not flow well either, and I had trouble linking my research findings to my opinions. At this point I am just crossing my fingers.
My best writings for this quarter was the movie review and restaurant review. I really enjoyed writing these 2 essays.I am not a big fan of the traditional research essays, but writing about the movie review and restaurant review was engaging for me. Somewhere around the essays, I was lost in the moment, and that usually never happens when I write essays. For the first time in my college years, I actually enjoyed writing.
I know what you mean those two assignments where my favorite also. I think it’s because those assignments are bases on your actual experiences and not something you just read.
Writing on this blog for me was a completely new and interesting experience. I have never been a part of MySpace, Twitter, Facebook or any other social networking sites. Therefore, I have never put my thoughts out on the internet. With that being said it was difficult at first for me to make my thoughts public on a blog like this. I struggled at first but eventually got the hang of it. For the most part, the topics that we had to write about were not hard to discuss. Perhaps the most enjoyable topics for me to write about came in the posts for weeks four and six. I enjoyed writing the post of the fourth week because it gave me the opportunity to discuss where my ancestors were from and the struggles they went through to ensure that their children and grandchildren could live better lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this post and the post about who my heroes are. Like I said, I had never participated in something like this before and I liked the fact that I had the chance for the first time to express how I truly felt about my parents with other people. In this post I tried my best to express how appreciative I am for having them. So for me these two posts were the most enjoyable writing experiences for me this quarter. I enjoyed letting people know about my family, where they came from, and how lucky I am to have such an amazing family.
I also liked the blogs; like you I have never put my information online so at first I felt a bit self-conscious but I got over it. The blog about our ancestors inspired me. When I originally did that blog I didn’t know much about how my parents came to this country I only knew that they were the first to come here. After that blog I went to my parents and found out some interesting information. So even though the blogs were not by best writing assignments I really enjoyed writing them.
I also liked writing the blogs, because I too have never shared my thoughts online for others to read. I also felt a bit uncomfortable putting my thoughts out there for everyone to see but as the weeks went on it became much easier.
When I first read this assignment, I thought, "Are you kidding me." Now we have to write about what we wrote. As soon as I got pass my initial reaction, I began to think about what I would really like to write. Thinking back on this quarter I realized that I have done more writing than usual. As a mental health case manager, I have to write notes to bill for all the services that I provide. The billable notes are not just simple notes; all notes have to follow the Medi-Cal and Kern County Mental Health documentation guidelines. As a student, I often have writing assignments to complete to meet course requirements. This quarter has definitely been a challenging one since I had to take this class on top of two other program courses. Having weekly blogs and writing about our weekly reading, I did find myself struggling to start writing at times. I will say that I mostly enjoyed writing the weekly blogs (e.g., who is my hero, my favorite movie, restaurant experience, and today's use of technology) and the restaurant review paper. The reason I enjoyed the paper is that I felt free to note every detail of my restaurant experience and was able to relive that special experience. I enjoyed the blogs because at times they seemed so simple but allowed me to think through what I wanted my response. This class has definitely provided me with several writing opportunities and allowed me to be more creative when writing. I have learned new things but I am still work in progress.
My best writing is definitely in this class because the other classes I have are math. I really enjoyed writing all of the blogs and the essays. If I had to pick I guess I would pick the movie review. I always go to movies and maybe summarize for a friend but not in writing. This time when I went to watch the movie, I paid more attention to everything. I wrote my essay right after and since I enjoyed the movie I was very excited to write the review. I wrote down everything I liked about the movie, and it just felt great to get everything out. I usually go to the theaters with my husband and he is the one I talk to so, since he watches the movies with me I can’t really tell him my insights because he was there. When I first wrote the review I was very excited so I wrote too much, I think I originally wrote about five pages. I put the review aside for a day and when I went back to look at it I noticed I was describing too much of the movie. I cut down most of the summary and I was still left with enough writing, I really liked the way it turned out. The review was my favorite writing but I honestly enjoyed all of the writing and reading assignments. I have realized that I enjoy writing/typing, it gives me a chance to express so much even when no one is around.
My best writing this quarter was probably the in class essay for this class. I’m not a strong writer, so to have gotten the score I got with no preparation before hand was good. I usually take a long time to write an essay, because I don’t want to rush threw it and get a bad grade. This quarter I didn’t write as much as I usually did for previous quarters, which wasn’t so bad since I had the blogs for this class to keep me from forgetting everything I know about writing. I also liked my work on the blogs. They were fun to write and reading my peers’ blogs was always an interesting experience. I liked being t get a little insight from the other people in the class.
My best writing for the quarter would have to be the movie review. The main reason I feel the movie review was my best writing, is because it consisted of a concept that was broad. It was entertaining to watch a new movie and critique on whether it was of good quality or not. Also, this assignment made me focus on small details that I probably would not have noticed at another time. Although this writing assignment allowed me to paid attention to detail and analyzed a movie, I feel that my writing could have been better. Even for the other assignments, I did not focus on writing as strongly as I should have.
My best writing this quarter was a report I had to write for work. I write about 4-5 reports per month, which isn't bad compared to other jobs. The reports are about progress clients have made during the past quarter. Often times the reports can be redundant, with little to no progress from month to month. This particular client was making significant progress toward her goals. I have been diligently working with her for the past year, and found myself really getting into writing her report. I was proud of her progress and wanted it to reflect in my report. I spent more time than I usually do on the report, trying to perfect it. I knew at a later date I would have to present this normally dry report to a group of professionals. I felt proud upon completion of the final draft;I happily signed my name to the document. This report was definitely turned out to be my best writing however, the most interesting writing I did this quarter was the movie review for this class. I am used to doing the report writing, the movie review brought out a more creative side of me and presented more of a challenge that I enjoyed.
My best writing of the quarter is a work in progress for my senior sem class. It is on the sexualization of women's jobs. It is not due till Wednesday so I anticipate it will dominate my life for the next several days.
I really have not liked much of my writing this quarter, in or out of school. I had to write an artist's statement last quarter that I did a little revising of this quarter. I had to shorten it to one page. I liked it better last quarter. I liked it because I got to write about art and family in one paper. It was enjoyable. Out of all of the blogs from this class, I enjoyed the "favorite movie" the most. I don't think it was my best work necessarily, but it was fun. I had four classes this quarter with surprisingly little writing. There was not a lack of work, just writing. I don't mind writing in journals or letters. Writing papers, on the other hand, is difficult for me. I usually do okay, but I stress out so much. Writing papers is something I will not miss when I am graduated. However, I hope to exercise my writing muscles even when I am out of school...just with subject matter that I choose.
Normally, my favorite types of essays to write are the ones that explore abstract philosophical or existential concepts and develop a case based on a combination of research and reasoning. What intrigues me most about these topics is that they allow me to transcend my daily worries and alleviate some of my own binding fear by addressing the mysterious and unknown. Writing about life's larger questions therefore, is an escape for me, from the mundane struggles of everyday life. However, this quarter I discovered a use for writing that does just the opposite - it forces me to address my problems and solve them - that is just as satisfying and more productive than the escape alternative. I have been involved with the Miss America Organization for a few years now, and am currently running for the job of Miss California for the second time. Part of the initiation, as I see it, to be recognized as a contender for the title is to sell three full page ads for the Miss California annual publication at $350 in grayscale or $500 in color. Combine the fact that businesses are struggling in this economy with the negative stigma about Miss America as a result of it being often confused with Donald Trump's controversial Miss USA pageants, and my endeavor to sell these ads becomes a significant challenge. The fact that I use a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation to save money made the task of driving around in professional attire, making long-winded speeches and hearing one rejection after another especially stressful. So I took to writing a six-page, single spaced essay on the importance of the ad sales to the contestants's scholarship funds, the mounting student loan debt and waste of financial aid spent on those who are not serious about their education in this country that this organization provides a healthy alternative to. I even highlighted ten reasons why purchasing an ad benefits the business and not just the obvious beneficiary. I leaned so much more through this writing process about why I was doing what I was doing, and that motivated me to push through the rejection and keep trying. I sent this essay out to many businesses and colleagues, and even though many of them probably didn't read it, I learned immensely from it, was rejuvenated, and was also able to convey my passion for the program through my writing in a way that was more genuine than a typical sales pitch. I actually ended up getting a few businesses on board, as well as friends and family who helped me meet my deadline and meet my money raising goal.
My favorite piece of writing this quarter was an essay I did for one of my other English classes. We had to research a topic relating to a work we read and write a paper on it. As we were reading Marlowe's "Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" in the class, I kept making notes in the margins of everything else the play reminded me of, and I had the most comparisons to Bram Stoker's Dracula. I ended up re-reading Dracula for my research paper and comparing the two anti-heroes, and then ended the paper with the argument that Faustus may have been one of Stoker's inspirations for Dracula. I love when I am able to make connections like this because I know that I am retaining details from books I have read before, and it continually reminds me that, hey, I'm not as clueless as I think I am sometimes!
I really enjoy writing and I enjoyed many blogs in this class. I really enjoyed writing about the hero blog. In this blog I wrote about my dad. He is my hero and it was very easy to write about why he is my hero. I also enjoyed writing about the movie review paper. The reason I enjoyed writing this paper is because I love the movie Cast Away. I wrote about my favorite movie. I was actually excited when I did these assignments. It's hard for me to get really excited about schoolwork at times, but these were fun writing assignments for me.
I am currently taking Religion, Ethics, and Sexuality. In the class we have to do a blog post each week covering an article we read. This week I read an article by Christian Scharen. He is a Christian ethicist and his article “Experiencing the Body: Sexuality and Conflict in American Lutheranism” made the argument that of the four sources, scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, experience should be considered the most important. Scharen when on to argue that there are two forms of experience: unconscious experience and conscious experience. Unconscious experiences shape our normative values. Conscious experiences are those that create a discrepancy between what we believe and what we experience. Conscious experience is where change in normative values occurs. We return to the other three sources to understand or reinterpret what we experience. What I liked most about the article is what I ultimately wrote about in my blog. Scharen’s notion of loyal dissent really resonated with me. Loyal dissent, according to Scharen, is our ability to believe deeply in our faith and act against it to right injustices that we see. As a political science major this idea brought to mind the Declaration of independence. I wrote in my blog that the founding fathers believed in government and rule of law, but based on their experience here in America they felt compelled to change the government structure to something that better fit how they viewed government’s role within society. The founding fathers returned to their texts and tradition, reasoned through the problems, and took action to remedy the problem. I truly enjoyed writing that blog. Scharen pointed out an element that is lacking within our society. Many people acknowledge the existence of social injustice but few act to try and fix it. Experience may bring the acknowledgement of social issues to our conscious thought, but we should not let it stop there. I wrote on this article because I was inspired by what Scharen had to say and I was surprised at how easy it was to let my words flow onto the page.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post about your blog. It sounded like an interesting article and an interesting class. You seem to know what you are talking about and what you believe in- both very important. Thanks for your post!
DeleteI have some friends in that class! I love hearing about the articles they read and what they discuss. I'm glad that you found something that inspired you!
DeleteMy best writing of the quarter was actually the essay written for this class. I did not have any writing assignments in any other classes, and my Facebook musings really do not count as great pieces of writing. My grade for it was a humble above average score, however, I had a great time writing the essay. I have always been a person who would prefer to enjoy the experience rather than the result, and this is a prime example of that. I was actually very much surprised that I enjoyed writing the essay so much. In retrospect, I had not written a timed essay in such a long time, and so it seemed that I felt the urge to finally write one. I am having a difficult time finding more things to say, so I will go onto my next best piece of writing, which is a summary of the Khan method of teaching for a Psychology class of mine. It deals with a radical, new way of teaching that gets rid of the professor and whiteboard. Instead, students are hunched over laptops, learning at their own pace from YouTube videos. Its quite an interesting way to learn, and it seems to be proliferating to certain parts of the United States.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, you are so right. Facebook writing is not great pieces of writing. SO Glad I could practice my writing here, because I sure need it.
DeleteI would have to agree with you because I also found the in class essay to be my best form of writing for this quarter. I thought the topic given to us was something I could talk a lot about and it was somewhat fun.
DeleteI agree with all of you! The in class essay was a pretty cool experience. At first I was not sure what to expect. I'm not going to lie, I felt somewhat intimidated. Once I got going I felt like I could of taken the topic in different directions. It was a great experience :)
DeleteI think my best writing of the quarter was my movie review. I thought it was very well written and analytical. I feel it was articulate without being overly verbose.I think my writing I was able to give my analysis of the plot, the acting, the actors themselves and the overall themes. I also gave my critique on the film. It also allowed to me to step out of my comfort zone, when it comes to movies. So from now on I won't be as quick to rule something out as a good film. I will say, in terms of this class, the blogs further gave me more confidence that I can sufficiently write on any topic as long as I adequately apply myself.I think that since taking this course and even transferring to CSUB, my writing skills have definately improved. I have noticed that I still need work as a writer. I make minor punctuation errors in my essays and it is a tough habit to break. In general, I think I am better at organizing my essays so that it flows and provides support for whatever argument I am trying to make.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree as well :)
DeleteMy best piece of writing this course was the blog which I wrote about my spiritual hero pope Shenouda (III), pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt. It was very challenging for me to write about someone is unknown to most of the readers, classmates. However, I think I wrote a very nice article in a struggle to summarize pope Shenouda rich life and to honor his countless contributions to the church and to the country as well. He has enriched the church faith with over a hundred spiritual and dogmatic books he wrote, and thousands of sermons he had delivered in various occasions. He also helped in protecting the country by being “an advocate for unity and reconciliation” as president Obama said, and by promoting religious tolerance and dialogue. Although there are numerous accomplishments he had achieved during his eighty-nine years lifespan, I successfully pointed out the main lines of his life in an inspiring way. I stared with giving a brief bibliographic background about him, and then I mentioned some of the struggles he had gone through and how he encountered them with faith and love. I really enjoyed writing that article in honor of my beloved pope Shenouda and it was a great opportunity to edify others about his great achievements.
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely sick of writing. In fact, I would rather take a test any day over writing, I am that burnt out on writing. So, since I have to pick my best writing of the quarter I am going to pick the one that I enjoyed and meant the most to me. My best writing of this quarter was the blog about who we consider our hero to be. It may have not been the most impressive, creative, or of best quality, but it was the most meaningful. It was the first time I have actually written down how much my husband means to me, and what an impact he has made on my life. Not only that, but to express it on a public forum was my way of opening up and telling the world. I have told him that I wrote about him as my hero, but have yet shown him the writing. With these blogs, I feel it has been a way to express our feelings, opinions, and who we are. These blogs have made us open up to others who have no idea who we are, but are supposed to open up our minds to these strangers. That is why not only am I choosing a blog entry, but I am choosing one that had the most meaning to me and opened up how I felt the most. Like I said, I am sick to death of writing, I will be glad for the day that I will no longer have to write another paper. I feel I am so burnt out on writing that I am not at the top of my game with writing capabilities. So with that being said, it is the writing that I enjoyed most – my hero blog that was my best writing for this quarter. I bid you all adieu!
ReplyDeleteI love your honesty, writing can be draining and yet liberating at the same time. Your husband will be pleasantly surprised to know that he was a topic of a "blog".
DeleteI agree and what is sad is the fact that I use to love to write in a Journal. I haven't touched one in years.
DeleteI also love your honesty. The sad truth is I'm burned out. I graduate in a few weeks and I can't wait to be done!!!My life doesn't belong to me anymore. I work two jobs, have a two year old, and go to school full time. I used to keep a personal journal but that is a luxury I don't have at this time. I know all the hard work is worth it but right now all I want is some sleep!!
DeleteI would have to agree with the previous post, I am also sick of writing, however, my best writing this quarter would have to be my reflection paper for the MSW program. I put a lot of work into that paper and it required a lot of hours. It was a reflection of the program itself, the curriculum, and our field work. We had to incorporate many competencies into the paper which was time consuming. I can not complain much because it is much better then doing a Thesis! I enjoyed writing about myself and what I felt, this has been a long journey for me, and now that it's almost over, it's good to reflect back and incorporate what I have learned in my future endeavors. I had to include what specific assignments or projects I enjoyed and what clinical approach I will be utilizing into my practice. This paper truly captured what I've learned from the MSW program and prepared me to become a confident social worker.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your accomplishment. Hopefully the writting days are over for you!
DeleteFor some reason, I have had great difficulty writing in this class. Perhaps because it is an online class without the professor in front of me. For that matter, my best writing has to be the movie review essay. I knew exactly why the movie was so great, but I had a hard time putting it into words. I had to rewrite that essay about three times before I turned it in. I could not find the balance between critiquing the paper and analyzing the paper. When I turned in the paper, I was not sure what to expect. To my surprise, I did not fail the assignment. I actually did pretty well. Due to the amount of effort that I put into the movie review assignment and being validated that I actuall turned out a decent paper, I feel that it is my best writing this quarter.
ReplyDeleteI honestly believe that the best thing I wrote this quarter were two blog entries that were really easy to talk about, the one about family history and personal habits. I am a very open and outspoken person and it was easy to talk about my family and personal beliefs. I am very family oriented and thus I know EVERYTHING about my family and I also make it aware to all my friends and family of my personal habits because I'd be there for all of them and because I hate littering. I also choose to not drink or smoke and make it well aware to my friends and family because I do not deal with peer pressure because in the end it is my choice to do what I want to do in MY life. Thus, I believe and know that all my mistakes were all made on my own and that is why I choose my actions wisely. Thus, those two blog entries were the only interesting I wrote about this quarter because since I am a nursing major most of our papers are about facts of nursing care and are a little more difficult to speak freely about.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed having the opportunity to write about my family on this blog. Like yourself, I am very family oriented and therefore liked sharing a little bit about where my family came from and the sacrifices they’ve made to ensure that I have a better life. For me, that post was the most enjoyable writing experience on this blog.
DeleteJocelyn, I noticed you are outspoken and this is a very good habit to have. You gave me good tips on my movie review essay. Thank you. I want to add that I agree with you when you say that some of these writing assignments allowed us to be free and open about ourselves. I thought it was nice to be able to write about something we enjoy.
DeleteI like your honesty!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that my favorite blog for this quarter has to be, my hero blog. I wrote from the heart on that blog. ALl the other blogs were okay but that one inspired me to write what I felt. I am not a fan of writing, but some blogs were interesting to write, as they were to read. I like how the entire class has different views and writes what they think. I would have to say I enjoyed writing all blogs.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I felt I truly opened up a part of me, that I normally do not open up about. I am sick of writing myself, so it was pulling teeth for me this quarter! However, the hero blog I felt passion about. I agree that I enjoyed reading more than writing, and yes, I like to see everyone's different opinions. Thanks for your post!
DeleteI enjoyed the personal blogs simply because it was easier to talk about myself since it was a topic I was familiar with. It wasn’t something I had to think too much on like on some of the other blogs. Probably week 3, was one of my favorite topics to discuss on because using technology is something I do daily. My best writing for this quarter though, I think would have to be the in class essay. Even though it was a timed written test I really enjoyed the topics that we had the opportunity to choose upon for discussion. The topics that were given were easy for me to come up with a response. Perhaps, it was knowing that you really had to do well in the essay to pass the GWAR or maybe because it was timed that got my brain going with ideas to talk about because I was able to write a lot without struggling. I found it harder to do the blogs even though we had a longer time to complete them. I did very well in this in class essay, even better than the restaurant and movie review which was a bit surprising since it’s been a while since I’ve had to do one. Another interesting writing I have done this quarter would have to be for my terrorism class. Those discussions really challenged me and made me think in a deeper level because you define and discuss what you think motivates a person to act in terroristic acts.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the in class essay. I think the reason I liked it was because I disagreed. I have noticed that when I disagree with someone or something I could write or argue so much better than when I agree. I guess I just love to argue. When I did the in class essay I had so many thoughts that the hard part was organizing my thoughts. I had so much to say, I did pretty good but I would have done better if I had time to organize my thoughts.
DeleteHonestly, I don't think I did as much writing during this quarter as in others, also I was taking classes all for a minor this quarter, so nothing pertained to my true interests. That being said, I think I actually enjoyed these blog entries most of all. I feel like I can take a step back from all the research and boxed frames that my other papers have to fit into and just type exactly how I would talk to someone in normal conversation. I know I'm not alone with this thought because others seem to express themselves the same way, with normal speech. The blogs kept our writing casual, but also allowed us to be a bit more creative and expressive in our writing. It is rare that we actually get to express true opinions and feelings in writing for classes. Normally we have to do whatever will earn the grade, even if it may go against how we really feel or how we would really word something. So I guess I would definitely agree with others in saying that the blogs were may favorite writing of this quarter
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree! As much as I am sick of writing, I have to say at least this class was not as bad. It was more enjoyable because of the fact it wasn't reserached based and we were able to write what we thought, and not have to support it with research - which usually takes awhile to find. Thanks for your post!
DeleteI, like Jessica, am in the MSW program. I have been writing more in the last three years than I think I have my entire life. My best paper so far has been my portfolio paper that I wrote for my practicum course. This paper required much thought and planning and consumed most of the quarter. This was a cumulative paper that incorporated all of my courses from the MSW program. These courses included research analysis, human behavior, practice analysis, and policy. The objective of this paper was to reflect upon the assignments and projects that I had completed over the course of three years. When I began organizing my papers and projects, I had forgotten how much work that I had done. There were papers about statistics, for which I am still confused. I re-read the group paper about advocating for under-represented population, and realized that I really enjoyed that project. I realized that I write well, I am precise and to the point. Many times when a professor would state that a paper needed to be certain length, I would panic. Once the panic subsided, I would begin writing and before I knew it, it was at least the requested length, if not longer. Therefore, back to the question at hand, my best paper was my portfolio paper.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I have not been very impressed with my writing this quarter. At the beginning, I was in an early western literature class but I decided not to stay in it because the reading was very difficult. Most of what I’ve written this quarter I’ve gone back on and felt like it was not very good. It’s not for lack of trying, but I am more accustomed to writing either research papers or literary analyses. If I had to choose one piece of writing, it would be the movie review. I’m generally a good writer—I am an English major. For some reason the writing felt disjointed and like I could never flow well. I would most likely benefit from locking myself away in the office while I write, like I used to do. I have written some short stories on the side for fun, which definitely flowed better than my papers.
ReplyDeleteOh, same here! I keep telling my husband how my writing with every paper has been horrible! I honestly can say, that my CJ term paper was probably the worst writting I have ever done. I feel so burnt out, that I can't put fourth the 110% effort that I normally do. I felt I could not flow well either, and I had trouble linking my research findings to my opinions. At this point I am just crossing my fingers.
DeleteMy best writings for this quarter was the movie review and restaurant review. I really enjoyed writing these 2 essays.I am not a big fan of the traditional research essays, but writing about the movie review and restaurant review was engaging for me. Somewhere around the essays, I was lost in the moment, and that usually never happens when I write essays. For the first time in my college years, I actually enjoyed writing.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean those two assignments where my favorite also. I think it’s because those assignments are bases on your actual experiences and not something you just read.
DeleteWriting on this blog for me was a completely new and interesting experience. I have never been a part of MySpace, Twitter, Facebook or any other social networking sites. Therefore, I have never put my thoughts out on the internet. With that being said it was difficult at first for me to make my thoughts public on a blog like this. I struggled at first but eventually got the hang of it. For the most part, the topics that we had to write about were not hard to discuss. Perhaps the most enjoyable topics for me to write about came in the posts for weeks four and six. I enjoyed writing the post of the fourth week because it gave me the opportunity to discuss where my ancestors were from and the struggles they went through to ensure that their children and grandchildren could live better lives. I thoroughly enjoyed this post and the post about who my heroes are. Like I said, I had never participated in something like this before and I liked the fact that I had the chance for the first time to express how I truly felt about my parents with other people. In this post I tried my best to express how appreciative I am for having them. So for me these two posts were the most enjoyable writing experiences for me this quarter. I enjoyed letting people know about my family, where they came from, and how lucky I am to have such an amazing family.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the blogs; like you I have never put my information online so at first I felt a bit self-conscious but I got over it. The blog about our ancestors inspired me. When I originally did that blog I didn’t know much about how my parents came to this country I only knew that they were the first to come here. After that blog I went to my parents and found out some interesting information. So even though the blogs were not by best writing assignments I really enjoyed writing them.
DeleteI also liked writing the blogs, because I too have never shared my thoughts online for others to read. I also felt a bit uncomfortable putting my thoughts out there for everyone to see but as the weeks went on it became much easier.
DeleteWhen I first read this assignment, I thought, "Are you kidding me." Now we have to write about what we wrote. As soon as I got pass my initial reaction, I began to think about what I would really like to write. Thinking back on this quarter I realized that I have done more writing than usual. As a mental health case manager, I have to write notes to bill for all the services that I provide. The billable notes are not just simple notes; all notes have to follow the Medi-Cal and Kern County Mental Health documentation guidelines. As a student, I often have writing assignments to complete to meet course requirements. This quarter has definitely been a challenging one since I had to take this class on top of two other program courses. Having weekly blogs and writing about our weekly reading, I did find myself struggling to start writing at times. I will say that I mostly enjoyed writing the weekly blogs (e.g., who is my hero, my favorite movie, restaurant experience, and today's use of technology) and the restaurant review paper. The reason I enjoyed the paper is that I felt free to note every detail of my restaurant experience and was able to relive that special experience. I enjoyed the blogs because at times they seemed so simple but allowed me to think through what I wanted my response. This class has definitely provided me with several writing opportunities and allowed me to be more creative when writing. I have learned new things but I am still work in progress.
ReplyDeleteMy best writing is definitely in this class because the other classes I have are math. I really enjoyed writing all of the blogs and the essays. If I had to pick I guess I would pick the movie review. I always go to movies and maybe summarize for a friend but not in writing. This time when I went to watch the movie, I paid more attention to everything. I wrote my essay right after and since I enjoyed the movie I was very excited to write the review. I wrote down everything I liked about the movie, and it just felt great to get everything out. I usually go to the theaters with my husband and he is the one I talk to so, since he watches the movies with me I can’t really tell him my insights because he was there. When I first wrote the review I was very excited so I wrote too much, I think I originally wrote about five pages. I put the review aside for a day and when I went back to look at it I noticed I was describing too much of the movie. I cut down most of the summary and I was still left with enough writing, I really liked the way it turned out. The review was my favorite writing but I honestly enjoyed all of the writing and reading assignments. I have realized that I enjoy writing/typing, it gives me a chance to express so much even when no one is around.
ReplyDeleteMy best writing this quarter was probably the in class essay for this class. I’m not a strong writer, so to have gotten the score I got with no preparation before hand was good. I usually take a long time to write an essay, because I don’t want to rush threw it and get a bad grade. This quarter I didn’t write as much as I usually did for previous quarters, which wasn’t so bad since I had the blogs for this class to keep me from forgetting everything I know about writing. I also liked my work on the blogs. They were fun to write and reading my peers’ blogs was always an interesting experience. I liked being t get a little insight from the other people in the class.
ReplyDeleteMy best writing for the quarter would have to be the movie review. The main reason I feel the movie review was my best writing, is because it consisted of a concept that was broad. It was entertaining to watch a new movie and critique on whether it was of good quality or not. Also, this assignment made me focus on small details that I probably would not have noticed at another time. Although this writing assignment allowed me to paid attention to detail and analyzed a movie, I feel that my writing could have been better. Even for the other assignments, I did not focus on writing as strongly as I should have.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy how much more engaged in the details of the movie that became knowing that I had to review it.
DeleteMy best writing this quarter was a report I had to write for work. I write about 4-5 reports per month, which isn't bad compared to other jobs. The reports are about progress clients have made during the past quarter. Often times the reports can be redundant, with little to no progress from month to month. This particular client was making significant progress toward her goals. I have been diligently working with her for the past year, and found myself really getting into writing her report. I was proud of her progress and wanted it to reflect in my report. I spent more time than I usually do on the report, trying to perfect it. I knew at a later date I would have to present this normally dry report to a group of professionals. I felt proud upon completion of the final draft;I happily signed my name to the document. This report was definitely turned out to be my best writing however, the most interesting writing I did this quarter was the movie review for this class. I am used to doing the report writing, the movie review brought out a more creative side of me and presented more of a challenge that I enjoyed.
ReplyDeleteMy best writing of the quarter is a work in progress for my senior sem class. It is on the sexualization of women's jobs. It is not due till Wednesday so I anticipate it will dominate my life for the next several days.
ReplyDeleteI really have not liked much of my writing this quarter, in or out of school. I had to write an artist's statement last quarter that I did a little revising of this quarter. I had to shorten it to one page. I liked it better last quarter. I liked it because I got to write about art and family in one paper. It was enjoyable. Out of all of the blogs from this class, I enjoyed the "favorite movie" the most. I don't think it was my best work necessarily, but it was fun. I had four classes this quarter with surprisingly little writing. There was not a lack of work, just writing. I don't mind writing in journals or letters. Writing papers, on the other hand, is difficult for me. I usually do okay, but I stress out so much. Writing papers is something I will not miss when I am graduated. However, I hope to exercise my writing muscles even when I am out of school...just with subject matter that I choose.
ReplyDeleteNormally, my favorite types of essays to write are the ones that explore abstract philosophical or existential concepts and develop a case based on a combination of research and reasoning. What intrigues me most about these topics is that they allow me to transcend my daily worries and alleviate some of my own binding fear by addressing the mysterious and unknown. Writing about life's larger questions therefore, is an escape for me, from the mundane struggles of everyday life. However, this quarter I discovered a use for writing that does just the opposite - it forces me to address my problems and solve them - that is just as satisfying and more productive than the escape alternative. I have been involved with the Miss America Organization for a few years now, and am currently running for the job of Miss California for the second time. Part of the initiation, as I see it, to be recognized as a contender for the title is to sell three full page ads for the Miss California annual publication at $350 in grayscale or $500 in color. Combine the fact that businesses are struggling in this economy with the negative stigma about Miss America as a result of it being often confused with Donald Trump's controversial Miss USA pageants, and my endeavor to sell these ads becomes a significant challenge. The fact that I use a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation to save money made the task of driving around in professional attire, making long-winded speeches and hearing one rejection after another especially stressful. So I took to writing a six-page, single spaced essay on the importance of the ad sales to the contestants's scholarship funds, the mounting student loan debt and waste of financial aid spent on those who are not serious about their education in this country that this organization provides a healthy alternative to. I even highlighted ten reasons why purchasing an ad benefits the business and not just the obvious beneficiary. I leaned so much more through this writing process about why I was doing what I was doing, and that motivated me to push through the rejection and keep trying. I sent this essay out to many businesses and colleagues, and even though many of them probably didn't read it, I learned immensely from it, was rejuvenated, and was also able to convey my passion for the program through my writing in a way that was more genuine than a typical sales pitch. I actually ended up getting a few businesses on board, as well as friends and family who helped me meet my deadline and meet my money raising goal.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of writing this quarter was an essay I did for one of my other English classes. We had to research a topic relating to a work we read and write a paper on it. As we were reading Marlowe's "Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" in the class, I kept making notes in the margins of everything else the play reminded me of, and I had the most comparisons to Bram Stoker's Dracula. I ended up re-reading Dracula for my research paper and comparing the two anti-heroes, and then ended the paper with the argument that Faustus may have been one of Stoker's inspirations for Dracula.
ReplyDeleteI love when I am able to make connections like this because I know that I am retaining details from books I have read before, and it continually reminds me that, hey, I'm not as clueless as I think I am sometimes!
I really enjoy writing and I enjoyed many blogs in this class. I really enjoyed writing about the hero blog. In this blog I wrote about my dad. He is my hero and it was very easy to write about why he is my hero. I also enjoyed writing about the movie review paper. The reason I enjoyed writing this paper is because I love the movie Cast Away. I wrote about my favorite movie. I was actually excited when I did these assignments. It's hard for me to get really excited about schoolwork at times, but these were fun writing assignments for me.
ReplyDelete