The podcast was a project that I had a little bit of difficulty with. I had never written a podcast before so the format, writing style, and consideration of the audience had a slightly different feel than the previous two projects that we worked on. Nevertheless, I approached this podcast as best as I could. What worked well for me was actually sitting down and writing my story from my observations. I can incorporate this by including everything I saw, felt, smelled, tasted, and heard in future projects in order to paint a clearer picture of the scene for my audience. On the other hand, I struggled with note-taking for my podcast. It was my first time conducting research so when I looked back at my notes, they seemed scattered and jumbled. In the future, I plan to make my notes more focused by focusing on a specific aspect of what I am researching rather than every single aspect surrounding it. Through my experiences with the podcast project, I was able to enhance my skills in research and processes. First, I advanced my skills in research through the podcast project. This project was the first time that I conducted my own kind of research so I faced some struggles with collecting data. While I was making notes on my observations of my surroundings, I wrote down every little thing that I saw, heard, felt, tasted, and smelled. However, while taking my notes, I did not focus them on answering my research question. I took notes on everything that happened, but that made me lose time sorting through all of my notes and seeing which ones were relevant to answering my research question. Thus, I learned that for adequate research, I need to take notes that were not only detailed, but also relevant to the research that I was conducting. In addition, this project helped me strengthen my processes. By writing the script for my podcast, I had to consider a totally different way of writing than I normally would. Usually, I would set up a scene if I was telling the story and make it as descriptive as possible to make the readers feel engaged – as if they were there in that very moment themselves. However, with the podcast, I also had to write as if I was having a discussion with the audience. I had to pretend that they were sitting in front of me and I was reading to them what I experienced. I had to explain carefully so the audience would not be confused or have any questions at the end of my story. From the podcast project, I improved my ability in research and processes – both of which I can apply to my future classes and career. For my classes, I can use what I learned for researching and apply it to any labs that I will need to conduct in the future. Also, I will need to consider the audience and the way in which I will be delivering the my observations while writing them down – whether or not I will be turning in a research paper or presenting my findings to an audience. These abilities can furthermore be applied in my future career as a sports medicine doctor. With my strengthened note-taking skills, I will be able to write down excellent observations that will help me determine a suitable recovery plan for my patient. Once I have the diagnosis and plan from my research, I would then have to use the processes I learned in order to properly convey my findings to my patient and how we will move forward towards his or her full recovery from injury.
The Wikipedia Entry was a project that I had a lot of fun writing. It provided me with an opportunity to write about something that I am really passionate about that not many other people wrote about before on websites like Wikipedia for general audiences to read. Aspects of my writing process that worked well were finding reliable sources through my research to incorporate into my writing. I will look to further use the research skills I learned from the Wikipedia project to other projects I will have in the future as I research background information on my topics that I will be writing about. Aspects of my writing process that did not work as well initially was pulling information from the scholarly articles. In the future, I will look to understand the gist of the article rather than getting lost in all of its complicated technical terms and equations. From this project, I expanded my knowledge on researching tactics and writing processes. First, I improved my researching skills through the Wikipedia Entry project. Initially, I struggled with finding scholarly articles and determining their reliability. I would find an article, but I did not know whether or not it was a reliable source. However, from doing the Wikipedia Entry project, I learned that a source can be deemed credible by the credentials of the author, the kind of study that was used in the article, how long ago the article was published, and what my audience considered as a reliable source. I also improved my research process by learning how to cite my secondary sources in different ways. Through the learning journals for this project, I used MLA citation; and for the Wikipedia article, I learned how to use and create footnotes. In addition, I strengthened my writing processes with this project. For instance, I learned to sort through the suggestions from my peers carefully. Instead of incorporating every piece of advice to my paper, I weighed each and chose the ones that helped advance my paper in the direction that I wanted it to go. Moreover, I expanded my writing processes by learning how to write to a different community and genre. With the Wikipedia community, the tone I took in the article was more objective and less personal than that of the living picture narrative. Also, the audience was a little more formal so I had to consider different styles and conventions while writing my article. I will transfer the new skills I learned to different classes through my enhanced research and writing process skills. I will use what I learned in order to find reliable sources for my paper and utilize those sources in order to compose a strong research paper. I will also use my writing processes in order to revise my paper in order to bring it forward in the direction that I want it to go in through the suggestions from outside perspectives. Furthermore, I will use these skills in my new career through research of different diseases, studies, and treatments. As a doctor, I would need to know the information found from studies of different diseases so I can properly diagnose and treat my patients. Also, as a doctor, I will be getting a lot of advice on how to treat my patients from my colleagues. I will need to use my writing processes skills and filter through their advice, choosing the ones that I feel will best fit the situation.
Step 2
This week, I learned that it is good to have one paragraph focus on one topic so the reader is not too overwhelmed with all of the information. For example, one paragraph could talk about the reasons why something happened and another paragraph could talk about how I felt when that happened instead of having it all in one big paragraph. In addition, I learned that I need to use footnote citation for the Wikipedia article. This means that I need a superscript number enclosed in brackets as my citation and that my works cited should be numbered so my readers can easily find the sources being used. If one paragraph is using a source, I would just put the footnote citation at the end of the paragraph rather than at the end of every sentence and quote that was included in that paragraph. By doing so, the paragraph will look more organized and professional. Step 3 Personally, I like revision because it gives me the chance to improve my writing and enhance it so my words on paper can come as close as possible to matching the words in my head. From prior experience, I learned that during the revision process, it is imperative to get advice from other people in order to have outside perspectives. Thus, we should not take the suggestions and comments of others personally, and to hear out what they have to say. Nevertheless, the comments are suggestions, so we do not have to implement every revision that they give us – only the ones that we feel will advance the paper in the direction that we want it to go. From Donald Murray’s essay, “The Maker’s Eye,” I learned that when revising, it is a good idea to read the paper to yourself. This way, you can ask yourself if something sounds off as it comes off your tongue. Sometimes, when we are writing something, it might sound fine in our heads; but when we say it out loud, there is some kind of error in how it sounds. From Brock Dethier’s essay, “Revising Attitudes,” I learned that it is good to pat yourself on the back while revising and although it is good to be nitpicky, to not be too harsh on yourself. Step 4 Based on the feedback that I received for my living picture narrative, I will need to go through my essay again and make sure that all of my ideas flow properly. There may be some places where the picture does not match the ideas of the paragraph it is paired with or a certain paragraph may have too many points. Thus, I would have to split up the paragraph in order to create a main focus for each rather than having a single paragraph where my ideas are all over the place. With the feedback that I was given by others for my living picture narrative, I will need to have a descriptive revision plan where I will go through and summarize my paragraphs. This way, I can discern if one has too many points if it is too hard to create a short summary for the paragraph. I can also make sure the main points flow and connect by putting the summaries together. Step 5
Step 2 This week, I learned that are different ways in which one can conduct primary research. A really good way to start is to have a table divided into two columns with one being observations and the other for thoughts. While writing down observations of what you are studying, it is important for the notes to be detailed so when you look back at them, you will remember what was happening at the time of observation. It is also important to take notes based on all of the senses, not just sight. Recording details about the smell, taste, touch, feel, and noises heard during your observation are also critical to the research towards your question. Finally, I learned that for the podcast, it is important to think about the kind of audience you will have. This way, you will be able to keep that audience engaged by keeping in mind the vocabulary, events, and descriptions that would best keep their interest in the topic high. Step 5
Steps 7 & 8 Outline
Step 14 I had a lot of fun making observations for my research project. I felt that it was really enlightening to be sitting on the sidelines and watching how everyone interacted rather than being part of it. It certainly gave me a different perspective of what I was witnessing while I was recording my notes. Before I started, I wish I would have known the extent to which I wanted my notes to be in detail. When I first started, I was being really cautious and taking note of everything that happened. However, when I looked back at my notes, some of those events were negligible and could have been left out. Nevertheless, this experience will definitely help me plan out my process the next time I have to conduct primary research myself. Tips I would give to other people are to always keep your research question in mind. That way, you will be writing down notes that will be significant to answering your question, mapping out your answer instead of being all over the map. Know what you want to take note of, and to observe with all five of your senses, not just one. Step 2 In class this week, I learned that a discourse is a discussion or writing about a certain topic, and that a discourse community is a group of people who converse about a topic. In that discourse community, there can be experts in different fields of the topic, providing and expanding the knowledge of other people in the community. From this lesson, I will determine the discourse community and audience of my Wikipedia article. This way, I can pull research from experts of the discourse field of the article to build upon own knowledge of the field and the knowledge that I pass on to the audience. I also learned through researching different Wikipedia articles, there is organization, an introductory overview, subtopics and subtopics for the subtopics, a table of content, relevant images, and footnote citations for outside sources. Thus, these are some elements that I need to incorporate into my own Wikipedia article to make it successful, informational, and organized. Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Citation Works Cited Fleming, David. "Sports' Perfect 0.4 Seconds." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 01 Apr. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/10703246/golden-state-warriors-stephen-curry-reinventing-shooting-espn-magazine>. Haefner, Jeff. "Site Search." Proper Basketball Shooting Technique, Fundamentals, Form, Mechanics. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <https://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/fundamentals/shooting-technique.html>. "Is Having a Textbook Shooting Form Overrated?" RealGM - Index Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1443287>. Knudson, Duane. "Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance." Biomechanics of the Basketball Jump Shot-Six Key Teaching Points: Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol 64, No 2. N.p., 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07303084.1993.10606710>. Oudejans, Raôul R.D, Rolf W. Van De Langenberg, and R.I (Vana) Hutter. "Aiming at a Far Target under Different Viewing Conditions: Visual Control in Basketball Jump Shooting." Aiming at a Far Target under Different Viewing Conditions: Visual Control in Basketball Jump Shooting. N.p., Oct. 2002. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167945702001161>. Previous, Next, Kobe Bryant, Kirk Goldsberry on December 6, 2012, 2015 October 28, 2015 October 21, 2015 October 13, 2015 September 30, 2015 September 3, 2015 October 29, 2015 September 4, 2015 July 2, 2015 May 21, 2015 October 27, 2015 October 20, Bill Barnwell, Ben Lindbergh, and Brian Phillips. "The Kobe Assist." Grantland. N.p., 06 Dec. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <http://grantland.com/features/how-kobe-bryant-missed-shots-translate-new-nba-statistic-kobe-assist/>. Satern, Miriam. "Strategies." Performance EXCELLENCE: Basketball: Shooting the Jump Shot: Strategies: Vol 1, No 4. N.p., 25 Jan. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08924562.1988.10591612>. ShotMechanics. "How to Shoot a Basketball Better for Beginners." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Oct. 2016. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxmToMe_Po>. ShotMechanics. "One Motion Shot Vs Two Motion Shot: How to Shoot a Basketball." YouTube. YouTube, 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 Feb. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMKl4zR5GlE>. Step 7
When writing, I have sometimes encountered some struggles with citations. I may not know how to write the citation, what is required, and what is too excessive. I have fixed these problems usually by going onto online sources such as OWL Purdue to discover the proper citations for the different circumstances of my writing (whether it was for an essay, a project, an image, etc.). In the past, I have faced some of the problems that Kyle D. Stedman discussed in his essay, “Annoying Ways People Use Sources.” For example, I faced the problems of “I Can’t Find the Stupid Link” and “I Swear I Did Some Research” that Stedman emphasized as annoying in his essay. For “I Can’t Find the Stupid Link,” it was usually a problem that occurred with different instructions and expectations from my teachers in the past. For instance, one teacher wanted only page number citations while the other wanted both the page number and the author’s last name. I also encountered this problem when one of the sources I used did not name the author, so I had to use the first part of the citation. For “I Swear I Did Some Research,” I was still learning citations and just started using parenthetical citations without quotations when summarizing my source. However, I did not properly separate my thoughts and those of the source until my teacher pointed it out to me. I intend to work on these problems while working on the Wikipedia entry by keeping my audience in mind and the writing style that they would prefer. I would also need to consider how I lead the readers into the quote and how I explain the significance of the quote to my Wikipedia entry. Coming into the Living Picture Narrative, I was really excited. I really liked having the opportunity of writing about something that I was passionate about and familiar with. Even with the familiarity I had with my topic, it was still a bit difficult to plan out the essay and figure out how I wanted it to sound. The thoughts in my head felt jumbled at the beginning; and during my revision process, I felt like I was being pulled in every direction. Nevertheless, with the help of the resources we were provided and the advice from peer revision, I was able to overcome these obstacles. From my experiences writing the Living Picture Narrative, my writing and revision processes grew and developed. First, writing this paper advanced my writing process. Before taking this class, I usually just tried to brainstorm and map out my essay in my head before writing the first draft. However, this was inefficient because I would sometimes become overwhelmed by the numerous ideas that popped up in my mind. In class, we were introduced to Anne Lamott's article, "Shitty First Drafts." From Lamott, I learned that a good method to start an essay is to free-write a poor first draft. This way, I can get all of the ideas in my head onto paper and actually have them solidified. After putting all of my thoughts to paper, I read the draft and looked for any ideas that I liked. If one idea worked, I would expound on it to form my next draft that was more focused. For future projects, I plan to incorporate free-writing as my way to brainstorm ideas and see which ideas appease the prompt instead of staring at my computer and mentally formulating a plan for my essay. By free-writing, I save more time, efficiency, and brain power. In addition, the Living Picture Narrative strengthened my rhetorical knowledge processes in revision. While writing the paper, I had to revise my drafts many times and take into consideration the reviews I received from my peers on how I could potentially improve my essay, and what parts were confusing and needed more context. Having the perspectives from my peers really helped me edit my essay. By bringing in an outside point of view, the quality of my revisions grew. Moreover, I improved my skills in revision by taking more time in-between each draft to myself. I discovered that by giving myself more time between each draft, my head was more clear, effective, and aware while I was reading over the draft. With my improved skills in the revision and writing processes, I plan to incorporate them with my other classes if I ever have to write a research paper for them. I will also be able to use these skills to help me with writing my own thesis if I go to graduate school. This way, I can hopefully have a better time coming up with a topic to write about for my other classes. Finally, I will use these skills in my future career to help perfect my resume, write email notifications to communicate with my team, and coordinate and plan company presentations.
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