good enough getting the writing done and letting it go Blog Post

While reading this article i found myself realizing that i write in a manner very similar to the way the author writes. She is always procrastinating but once she sits down to write the paper, things get going rather smoothly. I learned that writing a crappy rough draft is okay and writing my paper in individual sections could help. We are currently writing our research paper in individual sections. She also talked about writing in her backyard as being one her best times writing. This could be worthwhile to try sometime when the weather gets nicer. Finally i learned that no ones writing is ever perfect and spending endless hours on a paper could end up being a real waste of time.

living sources interviews and surveys

This reading was very helpful to me because i had been wondering the proper way to conduct an interview before i read this.  I learned that while conducting an interview over the phone is more personal and will more likely yield better results, an email interview can also be helpful for writing a research paper.  The list of interview questions was really helpful and i will most likely use some of those.  I think the multiple choice surveys would be great for large audiences to fill out however i do not think i will choose this method. I also liked the tips on questions to avoid asking, such as loaded questions that will make the interviewee uncomfortable or force them to answer in your favor.   I plan on conducting at least one phone interview and a few email interviews and will likely refer back to this reading.

Blog reflection on lit review

1.) I learned writing a literature review is no easy task.  All 8 sources and maybe more must be talked about all while maintaining the tone and opinion of your own research papers argument. Writing in paragraph form is more difficult than listing each source and talking about it.
2.) A research paper needs a literature review because it further validates your opinion and shows other people think the same way you do and convinces the reader the stuff your talking about isnt all made up. 
3.)The research i made fits in with my opinion  for the most part, however some findings talked about a specific piece of land such as a specific park instead of all lands in the U.S.  and some were only concerned with one discipline of OHV such as only talking about snowmobiles or jet skis and not dirt bikes and ATV's.
4.)I want my research paper to contribute to more of why keeping these lands open is so important to peoples health, sanity, and well being and an article anyone can read and try to convince them on my opinion instead of an article written only to be read by OHV users or only by some of the environmentalists arguing this problem.

quotation

Graff states " Since quotations do not speak for themselves, you need to build a frame around them in which you do that speaking for them." (Graff 2011).  I agree with this statement because in most people writing, a quote will be added and then not followed up with the writers opinion on that quote.  It will usually be left to the readers interpretation.  The reader cannot always correctly interpret one quote becasue they did not read the entire article the quote came from.  That is why when using a quote you must state what the author is intending to say and follow up on your take on the quote so as not to leave the reader hanging.

They say I say

These two chapters were crammed with useful information. I liked the lists that summarized what the text explained and was easy to find when referencing for future use. It offered good advice about just the right amount of quotations and how to follow up on a quote and how to summarize properly.  A good article i will take many good tips from to use in future papers.

question review

I think my question would definetely lead into other questions when talked to people that are opinionated on the topic. Yes i feel strongly about it and it is directly relevant to my discipline.  Yes it will be a challenge and social change is in fact involved.  As far as interviewing people, most people do not know about this issue and might not have a developed opinion.

Question

Should off highway vehicles be allowed on government owned lands and on trails upkept by the department of natural resources? Why or why not?

Researching one in 6 million. blod entry

I enjoyed this article thoroughly, how she was determined to find out about her beloved grandmothers past. She didnt even know where to start researching and many people turned her down. But little by little information  came threw. I just wished the article was longer and talked about how if she ever made it to Israel and what she found out about her grandmother.

HOW I FELL IN LOVE WITH POST IT NOTES blog entry.

While reading this i found myself wondering why in the world this was published.  I found myself writing WTF in the margins as she said she did when she didnt understand someone elses writing.   I felt the article should of been more to the point and less going off on tangents. Too many adjectives and synonyms lead to be confusing and the long extensive examples from  "pretty and the beast" were, in my opinion, unnecessary and confused me even more. The paper was almost too tongue in cheek to understand. A more formal, to the point article would of helped me more. In my opinion this article should be removed from the book.

linguistic landscape project

For my project i would like to discuss land use related to ORV access and how it is diminishing.  The government is restricting the use of off road vehicles to government owned land across the country.  I would like to elaborate on this topic and further explore the arguments on both sides.  The best place to display this would be on the internet forums for land use and ORV forums or at motorsports dealerships and riding areas themselves.

Reading Visual Texts: A Bullet for Your Arsenal personal take

I enjoyed reading this prompt it was a fun read with her over analyzing the seemingly simple ipod ads. I think someone in this class analyzed an ipod ad already.  I liked how she talked about  the different clashing colors they used in every single ad and also how she talked about the placement of the ad, whether in a magazine or on a billboard it made a big difference.  However i wished she would have tied her examples back to us and how we write. After each example maybe talk about how this relates to our writing.  Otherwise i liked it.

political graffiti

I liked these two graffitis because they have  both have a strong political meaning that isnt too hard to understand. the top one is talking about Obamas "change" campaign.  the artist is a promoter of obama and saying keep the money he wants a social change. The second picture is large and easy to understand he is pretty much saying that a conservitive government are con men. He even made the S in conservitive a money symbol to further imply the fact that they are con men.  It is nice and big so people driving to work would understand the artists view with just  a quick glance.

Language interview with nicole nischbach

When interview Nicole about her language i found someone who is very centralized in the U.S. and speaks english and only english.  Her great grandmother and grandfather came from Germany however they speak english around the family and you wouldnt know they were foriegn if you met them.  Nicole speaks english but took 4 years of spanish in high school so she wrote spanish for school purposes.  Nicole encounters mostly english speaking people and when she talks to her parents and elders she talks to them with more respect than her friends and takes criticism constructively rather than backtalking.

email to irene getting personal

Dear Irene I like the point you make on the second page of your article “Getting Personal” when you quote “Under the Influence” saying “He would rather not write about himself, but the form demands it.” I really liked this example you used because I realized how a quiet Midwestern man would not want to write about himself personally, it just isn’t his character.  I feel like my grandfather would feel writing about himself personally would make him feel uncomfortable and in this way I could relate to what your article was all about, writing exposed and open for judgment while saying the truth and not what will make one look better for the audience.  I feel that your article will help me in papers to come because I understand that through your experience writing in an unexposed form come the best, most pure pieces of work.

Getting personal

I enjoyed reading this piece of writing and it is not a guideline as she explains, on how to write a personal essay but more of tips from her personal experience on how to  successfully write a personal essay.  She explains how you have to put yourself out there in the open and not be afraid of what other people will think and to pour your heart into it.  The best pieces of work will result from this.

Critiquing and Changing Genres

When reading this article, i found the recognition of the words "critiquing" and "critically" and how they are different was interesting.  The fact that critiquing a piece of writing is actually questioning and using judgement on whether or not the paper is right.  Reading a prompt critically is digging  deeper to find further understanding of the text. Also, they explain how when evaluating a prompt the way someone reads/writes it is completely different person to person, and that people put effort into making well written pieces of work. It doesnt just come to them.

blogging about your languages

The languages spoken in my household and family are standard english. There is little to no slang i know of.  I feel attached to standard english because it is the only language i speak fluently.  I grew up learning this and that is probably where it came from.  However speaking with different people with different backgrounds i do change the way i speak. Im not going to talk to an eighteen year old friend the same way i would talk to my grandmother or my boss.  I worked at lowes and met many different people from many backgrounds and ethnic groups and i would change the way i talked depending on what would be appropriate and try to relate to each individual person.  Yes standard english is obviously standard here at ISU. Yes school assignments are written in standard english they are not written in slang as that would confuse some people.  Most everyone who is fluent in english, slang aside, will understand standard english just fine and that is why it is used in assignements.

From outside in

1)Mellix's title describes her looking at proper english as almost a second language. Something that she does not use as much as slang. and vice-versa.
3) The way blacks talked in the south was the way she learned to speak primarily.  Speaking proper english formally was not the norm for her and it took her some time to adjust.

From outside in

1)Mellix's title describes her looking at proper english as almost a second language. Something that she does not use as much as slang. and vice-versa.
3) The way blacks talked in the south was the way she learned to speak primarily.  Speaking proper english formally was not the norm for her and it took her some time to adjust.

Why and when we speak spanish in public discussion questions

1.) Marquez explains the reason why her and her family havent adopted english as their primary language because she feels it would disrespect her culture and family values.  If i was in a group of three people and the other two started speaking spanish, a language i do not understand, i would consider that very rude. I was left out of the conversation abruptly and they could be talking about me.
2.)I feel the U.S. was careful not to make a national language from its beginning to further reinforce the fact that our country was meant to be diverse and promote people from all walks and cultures to feel welcome to america.  I do not feel there is any need for such legislation today for the same reasons there has never been a national language.
3.)  I feel what made this article powerful was the personal examples used and her actual life experiences she has had with speaking spanish in public. She was speaking from the heart and that's what made her article a unique one.
4.)  This type of genre is important here in america because america is probably the most diverse country in this world so these types of genres add to the diverse feel.

3 ideas i learned from the assigned readings.

One idea i learned when reading the prompts was that using quad charts could really be an advantage over someone using a regular power point presentation when presenting information. Quad charts are to the point yet carry the same information a power point does, making it easier to read and make decisions with.  Another idea i learned from the readings was when making a flyer to make the important information in a bigger font will attract the reader to that info telling them whats necessary.  This is important because if the reader is getting on a train or walking by and cannot stop, they can catch whats necessary, make a mental note, and keep moving on. Finally using pictures helps people understand what is to come in readings because it may visually attract someone to the reading or possible give insight into what the book or reading holds.

how i read genres textbooks vs. food menu vs. fairy tale

When reading a textbook i analyze the text more thoroughly and read all of the captions under pictures if i am studying.  I try to draw as much information as possible from the text as most of it is new information.  When looking over a food menu i may skip to breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on the time of day and what I am in the mood for.   I may already know what I am looking for or narrow the options down to a few select meals then debate between the two on which to choose. This usually does not take more that a minute and i choose my meal. However, when reading a fairy tale, i already know it is all fiction and i am usually reading for pure pleasure so I will usually read it at a normal pace. I wont analyze specific sentences like i would in a textbook or skip to certain parts like on a food menu.

Picture description

• Motocross is a passion that started in my life at the young age of nine years old when i got my first dirt bike. The picture i chose is the first corner in a motocross race. All of the bikes are funneled into one tight turn causing crashes and victories. This is where many people say the race is either won or lost because if you emerge at the front and do not crash, your already set up to win the race. This image can be related to life and more specifically college life. The hardest part is the first corner everyone is funneled into , like college, but if you successfully maneuver your way through and make it out, your set up to go out in the world and start a good life. On the other hand, motocross and power sports in general is a passion for me and i will hopefully land a career in the industry some day in the future. The reason i chose this picture was because it shows the fierce competitiveness in every race. This competitiveness is also seen in finding a job in the industry because its usually who you know and not what you know, its very hard to meet the right people and do the right things. Furthermore, the mecca of motocross is in southern California, thousands of miles away. This makes it even harder because the people that want to be high up in the industry have lived there their whole lives to educate and get more hands on experience with the business side of motocross. This image shows the struggle of life and getting off to a good start can set one up for success. After the first corner is done, the race is certainly not over and there are thousands of chances to crash and fall behind, much like life. It takes hard work and determination to finish in first place, however, once achieved is the greatest success of some peoples lives. This picture relates to my love for motocross and the hard work and determination needed to succeed in the sport and industry as a whole.

My first post

English 101 first post!