Course Reflection

I have accomplished so much in this course in just a few months. It has been awhile since I have taken an english class, so while it took me a little time to get back into the "swing of things" in regards to writing, I was able to do a ton of great projects. This course allowed me to take on new projects that I have never attempted before. Whether it was the digital narrative as our first assignment, a class ad creation and presentation with analysis, a website analysis, class blogs, or creating an e-portfolio, all of these assignments were new to me and that's why I feel they were the most challenging and rewarding parts of the class. Through these assignments along with everything else we accomplished in class, I truly learned to appreciate technology more as a valuable resource in writing. There were so many things that technology allowed us to do, whether that is the simple blogs, e-portfolios, photoshop, etc. By taking this course I learned to truly understand how influencial technology is in my everyday life and by integrating technology into our class, I learned so many new ways to express myself as a writer for the future!

In closing on my final blog, this class was a very rewarding experience. It was very different compared to my other courses that I take which is why I feel it was not only refreshing but actually valuble for me to take. From taking this course I learned to use technology as an aid in writing almost anything and that's why I feel that the lessons and skills learned in this class will assist me in my future endeavors. Thanks again RUBY!!!!

Writing the Research Project

My understanding of a research proposal is that it is a very effective tool in the research paper stages. I feel that a research proposal is a way to collect all of you research and format your ideas in such a way to make an argument and use those sources to make your case. By submitting a research proposal, you are keeping up with your work load in finishing your research paper on time. I believe that research proposals allow writers to narrow their thesis effectively so that they can trim out all of the unnecessary information and writing that would diminish the effectiveness and quality of the paper along with the main idea or arguement. By taking advantage of research proposals in class, it will allow us to become more effective writers and at the same time, make our writing experience much easier.

Research Paper

In order to effectively write a good research paper, one must have a plan on how to approach the research aspect, as well as the writing aspect of the paper. My plan for writing this research paper involves defining my specific topic in relation to the increase of violence on college campuses in the United States today. In order to generate sources for my paper I will use the available tools at the library to search journals, articles, books, etc. for reference in my paper. Once I have completed the research aspect of the paper, I will need to sit down and just come out with an outline with the sources and once I have effectively tackled the body of the paper and have used relevant and required number resources I will then write the paper. During this process If I have any questions I will either get in contact with Ruby for clarification and help and our a outside resource such as the writing center or library staff.
What I want to achieve in this paper, is being able to effectively create a great research paper from start to finish. By this I mean, coming up with an idea and then doing all the research and writing the paper. I want to increase my research paper skills by writing this paper, so I can take what I have learned and apply it for future use in my studies. My main concern would probably be not defining my topic too much and having it too broad of a topic and not being able to write about the topic effectively.

Hass "In your facebook"

I thought the reading assignment of Hass "In your facebook" was one of the most interesting readings so far in the class. It was fun to read because all of us as college students and facullty can relate to the impact of facebook on college campuses. The technology that facebook was composed of has changed the way we communicate on college campuses today. Not only can you express yourself over the web, but you can "keep tabs" on what all your friends are doing even if they are on the other end of the country. Facebook allows for a discourse communities of all natures (for example BGSU students) to come together and share ideas and personal experiences and network. While facebook has changed college life for the better, there are still some concerns involving its privacy and safety. I loved the example of how the students were having a party and posted it on facebook and then got caught; but to get back at the cops, they staged a fake party and embarrassed the cops. I loved reading about that but it draws up a good point on how what you release on facebook can be used against you whether its from cops, faculty, or even potential employees. The issue of privacy and identity rights are always a hot debate in relation to facebook. While I know I love facebook and use it all the time, I feel the author makes a good point! Mainly if you use facebook, then be smart about it. Make sure that you know whatever you put on facebook can be used against you and also that your privacy rights can be infringed upon by others so make sure to use the site wisely.

Effective Website

I feel that there are many aspects to what an effective website really is. I believe that the most important aspect of an effective website is knowing who your audience is. When you consider creating a website it is very similar to writing a paper, you think about your target audience and what you want to accomplish at the beginning will guide you in your decision making process of constructing your website. I feel that an effective website makes it obvsious to its visitors on how they might use the website. That could mean a variety of things such as visitors simply reading texts, navigating around the website, sending an e-mail etc. I feel that the best web sites show care with the small details, including careful attention to the writing. For example, I website that has unorganized text or even misspelled text turns me off from visiting the website again or finding it appealing to visit. I believe that an effective website has a consistent look and feel that makes the Web site appear unified and supports the content. You don't need a loud background or fancy images to a visual theme, instead using simple colors or text that go well together would work even better. I also feel that a website should be easy to navigate through and its really great if there are links to take you back to the top of the page or back to a prior section instead of having to scroll up and down and clicking a bunch of times to get to the specific place in the web site that you want. I also feel that a text should be readable, if its too long I along with many others don't want to take the time to read all of it and with that i'm ending my post!

Faigley "Analyze Images and Other Kinds of Visual Texts

After Reading Faigley's "Analyze Images and Other Kinds of Visual Texts" I learned the true importance of text in advertisements and what its roles can be changed too. While we all too often think of text as just words, the reading gave us an example of how a vehicle design (while it may not be in words), can still be analyzed for its meaning and rhetorical strategies. I thought it was interesting how the reading went into detail on what SUV's are manufacutred to do, while most people who own them don't even take them off road. I thought it was also interesting that they are one of the least safe vehicles you can drive, but we still buy them for their looks and the perception that they give to their owners. It was cool how the reading related a SUV's front end for a Dodge Durango to an animal with a big jaw, while the minivan who has the soccer mom image has a grill that looks like a smile. I thought it was a really good reading that showed you the importanace of using images as a form of text or "communicating" in advertisements.

Advertisement Assignment

The advertisement assignment that we have been working on in class has been very fun. I have never worked on anything in my college career that has ever been quite like this. Coming up with an advertisement with the rationale behind it is pretty cool. I personally feel that the challenges with the ad would have to be creating the actual image in photoshop, because have never actually worked with photoshop this is all new to me and it has taken some time to familarize myself with the program. The only way to tackle or overcome such problems would be to get any help in and outside of class from individuals who are knowledgeable with photoshop to assit you and educate on how to use the program efficiently. While that was the hardest part, the easiest part for me would be generating the idea for the ad. I have always felt that I am a creative individual and I feel that with this assigment my creativity allowed me to have a fun and easier time with that aspect of the assignment. I think that the assignment has impacted my understanding of visual rhetoric because it allows me to see howthe use of visual aids in advertisements can be aimed toward a specific audience with an intended message. So many factors go into creating effective ad's and visual rhetoric allows me to see the importance of communication in creating advertisements.