Reflection on Open Letter Draft

Reflection on Open Letter Draft

In this blog post, I will reflect upon my draft of my open letter using the bulleted list on Student’s Guide page 253-6 to explain what I’ve learned about my draft from the peer review process. 

I revised Joki Potkonjak's and Lia Ossanna's Draft of Open Letter.

Did you demonstrate an ability to think about your writing and yourself as a writer?

Yes, I demonstrated an ability to think about my writing and myself as a writer. I made sure to reflect on what I did in the past including all of my struggles, lessons learned, and challenges in high school that helped me in college this course. I think that this helped me to think deeper about myself as a writer because I had great English teachers in the past that taught me a lot that I was able to apply to this course.

Did you provides analysis of your experiences, writing assignments, or concepts you have learned?

Yes, I provided analysis of my experiences, writing assignments, or concepts I have learned. I mostly focused on my time management and my writing process. I think that these were the most impactful on me because I finally was able to change my writing to be more planned and less of a procrastinated mess.

Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing (either quotes from your writing or rich description of your writing process)?

I provided concrete examples from my own writing because I described it thoroughly. I also provided some direct quotes from my past posts. I think that this benefitted my letter because it gives the reader a better understanding of my experience and my learning process. 

Princess Theater. "APPLAUSE." 5/13/09 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether the choices were effective?

I explained why I made certain choices and whether the choices were effective. I did this because I knew that I needed to explain myself in order for other people to better understand me. For example, I tried to explain why I decided to schedule my time better. I thought that doing that would allow the reader to get a better insight from my experience and not only just read what I have to say.

Did you use specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process?

I used specific terms and concepts related to writing and the writing process. For instance, I mentioned specific writing styles or genres. I also tried to mention how I would not plan as much of my writing out prior to this course. This course taught me that my writing process has improved majorly due to my change in my writing process. Therefore, I needed to use the concepts in order to explain how my writing process had changed.

In what ways did your personal or reflective writing engage these habits of mind?

My personal and reflective writing engaged these habits of mind in the ways that revolved around procrastination. Both my personal and reflective writings used to involve procrastination which is a bad habit of mind and that I used in the habits of mind mentioned in the previous questions. I think that this allowed me to definitely understand my downfalls. Not only was I able to understand what I was doing wrong, but I learned how better manage my time. This has helped me as well.

What challenges did you face in your personal or reflective writing assignment?

I found it challenging to reflect on this post the most. I think that writing while reflecting is usually not hard. Writing about the challenges and successes that I faced allowed me to keep an interest in my writing since it was focused on me. Overall, I never had any huge challenges. I think the most challenging things that I experienced would be referring back to my old blog posts and to actually sit down and connect my new experience to my old. I think that this was the most important part about my letter. Focusing on the conventions and genre was a struggle, but it was enjoyable.

What did you learn about yourself in this assignment? What did you learn about your writing process?

I learned that my writing is continuously changing. Earlier in the year, I thought that I had no hope in this course. However, I realized that I adjusted my poor writing habits to be better through managing my time. This helped the most because I think that I genuinely do not procrastinate with my writing as much now as I did before this course. This assignment allowed me to reflect back on my experience and to see it written down. This helped me actually believe that I improved because I had evidence from my Calendar Reflection and other posts that highlighted this.

How can you use the skills and strategies you learned in this chapter in other writing assignments?

I can use the skills and strategies learned in this course in other writing assignments. I know this for a fact because we focused a lot on genre and conventions. I felt like we did this in high school as well. However, we learned more writing genres than I ever learned previously. I think that this was the most effective skill that can be applied in the future because it is important to write a genre properly that appeals to your audience.

Draft of Open Letter

Draft of Open Letter

In this blog post, I will provide the link of my Draft of Open Letter at the end. In the beginning, I will tell my peer reviewers whatever I think that they should know about my draft of my letter that they'll be reading over. I will also address any specific things that I would like my peer reviewers to focus or that I need help with.


In my letter, I have connected my high school writing experiences to my writing experiences in this course. Basically, I wrote about how the struggles and lessons learned benefitted my writing in this course. I also related it to the struggles that I faced in this course, and how my past experiences helped pull me through the struggles in this course.

Francis, Felix. "Candle in the Wind." 12/16/06 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

I think that I need to to elaborate more on some experiences. Do I need more examples/experiences or do I need more elaboration? I tried to make it very personal. However, I was not sure how far to take it.

I also want to make sure that I properly related my experiences enough to the course. I think I might have talked more about my current experiences than I talked about the past. I don't know if this is good or bad. I think that it might be more important to focus on this course than my past, but that is where my peer reviewers will hopefully help me out. I would like to know whether I should add more about this course or take away/add some of the detail about my past courses/experiences... I think that I talked more about my past experiences in the first half of my paper but not so much in the second half.

Lastly, I am concerned about the length of my paper. I think that my letter needs more, but it is long for a letter.

Here is the link to my Draft of Open Letter.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

In this blog post, I will provide short but detailed responses to the following 6 items on pages 251 & 252 in Student's Guide. I will number my responses and look back over all the writing I have done in the course as I respond - my blogging, comments I have left for peers, drafting, notes & planning, email correspondence, major projects, etc. Additionally, I will quote directly from my own work or the course materials where appropriate and illustrative. Lastly, the picture of the cat curled up in a ball illustrates my warm attitude toward my writing experiences.

1. What were the biggest challenges you faced this semester, overall?

Overall, the biggest challenges that I faced this semester was time management and maintaining my health. I made it a priority to do well in school but to also focus on my health. Freshman year of high school was very difficult for me because everything was different. There was more homework, more studying, more notes, and more papers. Unfortunately, I managed my time poorly, and I would not workout due to this. Since I did not workout, I gained twenty pounds. This experience made me never want to fall into this dreadful downfall of poor time management because my health suffered. I knew that freshman year of college would be different because I would have more time during the day to fit it in. After creating "Calendar Reflection", I was able to create my priorities and schedule out my time better. Therefore, this blog post was very helpful because it allowed me to see my schedule as a whole in front of me. For a few weeks, I admit I did become overwhelmed once the first set of exams rolled through. After tackling these exams, I was able to designate time to workout. Also the first few weeks were tough with making the deadlines for this course. Because I tried to workout a lot, I always pushed the blog posts last minute. Eventually, I was able to balance it all out.

2. What did you learn this semester about your own time management, writing and editorial skills?

This semester I learned that I have very good time management. I think the blog posts helped improve my time management because they forced me to work ahead of time so that I wouldn't be trapped inside my dorm working on them all of Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, this was the case for a few dreadful weekends. However, these experiences taught me to manage my time better. Eventually, I started doing blog posts the Sunday before they were due. This felt so rewarding. The cluster maps helped encourage me to work ahead because I basically planned my paper in them In the "Cluster of my Controversy" post, I created a cluster map in order to further express my controversy. This helped me in the writing process because I did not have to think back too far since it was already there for me. In high school, I used to always wait last minute to write essays. I would stay up until four in the morning some nights. It was terrible, but I could never break that habit. I think the fact that the weekend are bustling here motivated me to get my work done so that I was not confined in my dorm on the weekends. I wish I had learned to manage my time better earlier, but I am glad that I finally am able to.

This semester I learned that I do have very good writing and editorial skills. In high school, rhetorical analysis discouraged me as a writer because it was hard for me to ever get the grade that I wanted. In this course, I also received a low grade for my rhetorical analysis. However, my other writings received better grades. This feeling was so rewarding for me. The best part was whenever the blog posts would be graded, and I would receive many 100 percents. The feeling of success is great, and I think that is what motivated me to put forth my best efforts in this course. Unfortunately, my lower grades with rhetorical analysis in high school would discourage me to the point where I would barely revise my papers. I received the same low grade every time. This course helped me see my true writing potential that I haven't seen rewarded for years.

3. What do you know about the concept of 'genre'? Explain how understanding this concept is central to being a more effective writer.

I think the concept of genre assisted me in improving my writing. In order to better understand genre, the blog posts "Analysing My Genre" and "Analysing My Audience" helped the most. These helped the most because the first post helped me analyze my genre and better understand it. By doing this, I was able to look more in depth about the conventions of my genre and how it functioned. In order to make sure that my genre was suitable for my audience, the second post that I mentioned helped analyze my audience and helped me get a better understanding about the genre that would be best to convey my message.

Petful. "Cat Curled Up in a Ball. So Cute." 6/6/14 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

4. What skills from this course might you use and/or develop further in the next few years of college coursework?

I think there are many skills from this course that will be applied in my future. The post that sticks out to me is "Narrowing My Focus" because I need to narrow my focus on my major as time goes on. This blog post could be applied to my actual life because I need to narrow down to a concentration in my nutrition major. This blog post taught me pick something and to expand on it. In my future studies, I know that this will be expected in writing as well.

Also, "Questions About Controversy" post allowed me to further explore my topic. In school, we are taught that students who ask questions learn the most. Therefore, I think the skill of questioning for a better understanding was a very useful skill to reinforce here. In the future, I will have to use this in order to decide the outcome of a possible essay, discussion, or even a master's thesis.

5. What was your most effective moment from this semester in 109H? 

The most effective moment from this semester in 109H was receiving my grade for Project 3. To know that I finally was able to receive an A on a project in this class was beyond rewarding. This is my most effective moment because it was so good to know that my hard work this semester in this class has paid off. I think that I feel more motivated to do well in the final project because of the grade I received for the past project. This is good because by this time in the year students are typically burnt out. Therefore, my newfound motivation should help me to get a good grade on the final project.

6. What was your least effective moment from this semester in 109H? 

I think the least effective moment from this semester in 109H was to practice paraphrasing and summarizing in "Practicing Paraphrase & Summary" blog post. Through all my years of schooling, teachers in elementary school and middle school loved to emphasize the importance of these two writing skills. I think that writing this blog post was ineffective for me because I had already been taught this and have practiced it meticulously.

Revisiting My Writing Process

Revisiting My Writing Process

In this blog post, I will reflect on what I wrote in Blog Posts 1.10 & 1.12 and explain how my perspective on my own writing process and time management habits have or have not shifted during my experience working in the course. I will be specific and detailed. Later, I will address how my skills have changed due to this course specifically and how this experience will help me in life and in my career. In addition, I used a picture of a ghost below in order to illustrate me revisiting my writing process. In comparison, ghosts revisit the world and represent the past. Likewise, my previous writing strategies have altered, and I am revisiting them like a ghost.

Has Anything Changed?

For “My Writing Process”, I mentioned that I use the Heavy Reviser approach because I focus on editing my work for a substantial amount of time.  That being said, I have noticed that I am not as much of a heavy reviser anymore. I think this applied a lot in the first project. As the projects have progressed, I have noticed that I use this skill less which is bad. Revision allows the writer to correct any errors. Whether the errors are small, large, grammatical, organizational, etc., it is a crucial time for the writer. I think I revise my writing now more as I go along than all at the end.

For my “Calendar Reflection”, I noticed that I dedicated a lot of my free time to homework, working out, and my boyfriend, I still use majority of my free-time for this. I have noticed that I do not get as much sleep at night. I still aim for 6-7 hours. However, I snore (according to my roommate), and she wakes me up if she can’t sleep. It disturbs my sleep so I do not feel as well-rested. In addition, I think that my wake up time at 6AM was UNREALISTIC. There is no way that I could do that because I cannot go to bed by 11PM because my dorm is LOUD. It does not get 100% quiet almost ever. Lastly, I just dropped my chemistry class because of some personal issues that I have been having. Therefore, I do not have to wake up for a 8AM 3 days a week.

Dita. "Ghost Lake." 1/12/12 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Has anything NOT changed?

It is still hard for me to write about certain punctuation because some of the things I had already knew. It was hard for me to transfer to my judgement calls onto my writing. If anything the punctuation posts made me continue to stress.

Homework allotment strategy tended to be on the weekends so that I could focus more on this class. I noticed that I wanted to do that in my calendar.

I do not throw away all my drafts at once or even large chunks. I try my best to incorporate it unless the teacher tells me otherwise.

Moving Forward

I think this course has helped me plan out my writing better and ahead of time. I have noticed that I also procrastinate less because I know it is hard to focus on the weekends doing homework when people are loud. That being said, I try to get my work done ahead of time. This will benefit me in the long run because working ahead will give me more time to do other assignments. Therefore, I will not be overwhelmed as much as I was in the beginning of the semester. 

This course will help me in my career because I will need to write and plan things out as a dietician or as a French Teacher. Considering that I have decided to change my major, I think that me being able to plan better will be more beneficial to my career. It is important as a teacher to plan the lessons ahead of time. Also, it is important to teach planning ahead to my students in order for them to be successful in their studies as well. I know that time management is easier said than done. Especially if procrastination is a learned habit, time management is hard to adopt. However, I hope that my experience in English 109H will help me and my future clients/students as well.

Reflection on Project 3

Reflection on Project 3

In this blog post post, I will provide short but detailed answers to the nine items in the numbered list on Writing Public Lives page 520, and I will directly quote from your project where appropriate.

What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

I mostly revised my visual elements between drafts. For my rough draft, I was presenting in front of a blank wall. It would be more beneficial and personal if I filmed in a more personal space. This works better for my final draft because it allows the reader to feel as if I am just like them. Additionally, I added questions to appear on the screen that were the same questions that I posed to the audience. I think this was a good addition because in case the viewer missed hearing me say that, it is provided for them. It also provides some visual variety. For this same reason, I added graphs and images related to childhood obesity in order to break up the video. I felt like the reader might get bored or distracted from my video if they only had to pay attention to me talking the entire time.

Point to global changes: how did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

I did not need to reconsider my thesis. I think I needed to focus more on organization. Due to the limited visual elements that I provided, I think I needed more in order to improve my organization. I think my visuals help with the organization because it breaks up my video into segments instead of it being one video of me only talking.

What led you to these changes? A reconsideration of audience? A shift in purpose?

I reconsidered my audience because I pretended to be them. As I watched my video, I realized that my personal story stands out the most. However, I got bored of just staring at myself talking. The addition of my visual elements helps with my organization and helps keep my audience's attention.

How do these changes affect your credibility as an author?

These changes emphasize my credibility as an author because not only do I have experience in childhood obesity, but these changes help my video look more professionally done. Due to the professionalism of my video, the audience could deem me as even more credible. I think that this helps my credibility as well because if the video is well put together then it is also easier to focus on the information that is provided.

Auregann. "OpenYourMind.png" 6/9/12 via Wikimedia Commons.
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Point to local changes: how did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

I had to reconsider the length of my video. My video was almost three minutes long, and I felt as if the video was strenuous to watch. In order to make it less strenuous, I made my wording more concise and I added the visual elements which acted like a page break. This gave my video spacing and allowed for better transitioning.

How will these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

These changes will assist my audience in understanding my purpose because they will be able to maintain focused on the context. The shortened video will keep their attention, and the transitions/pictures will create a variety of visual elements for the viewer which will hopefully better hold their attention.

Did you have to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which you are writing?

Yes, I had to reconsider the conventions of the particular genre in which I am writing. I had to reconsider how I needed to add the questions to appear on the video. I was unsure how to do this in my previous draft, but I made sure to add it in the final draft. Lastly, I needed to change my background to something more personal. In the first example of my genre, the woman is in a clothing store. Even though this doesn't relate to her topic, it provides the audience with a better insight on her own life. It is almost as if she is inviting us in for a sneak preview. I also wanted to convey this in my work. Therefore, I recorded myself in an everyday surrounding.

Finally, how does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

The process of reflection helps me feel more confident. The fact that other writers also have to answer these questions is so reassuring to me. I feel like everyone has edit their work, but reflecting helps me grasp why I did everything that I did. Sometimes I think that people edit their work without purpose, but reflection helps you reevaluate your own editing. This helps in the long run because if you don't think that it helped your writing in any way, then there if more work to be done. Overall, reflection gives me more confidence as a writer because it helps me consolidate in myself that I do write with purpose, reason, and appeal to an audience.

Publishing Public Argument

Publishing Public Argument

In this blog post, I am going to review my own final draft of my Project 3: Public Argument.

You can access the final draft of my Project 3: Public Argument on YouTube HERE.

McCracken, Nicole. "Fight Childhood Obesity." 3/2906 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

1. Mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience currently stands on the issue (before reading/watching/hearing your argument) below:

←-------------------------------------------------x---|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree                                                                                                                          disagree

2. Now mark with an "x" where you feel your target audience should be (after they've read/watched/heard your argument) below:

←---------------------x-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------->

Strongly                                            Totally neutral                                                    Strongly

agree     

                                                                                                                    disagree

3. Check one (and only one) of the argument types below for your public argument:

         _______ My public argument establishes an original pro position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument establishes an original con position on an issue of debate.

         _______ My public argument clarifies the causes for a problem that is being debated.

         ___x____ My public argument proposes a solution for a problem that is being debated.

         _______ My public argument positively evaluate a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm supporting).

         _______ My public argument openly refutes a specific solution or policy under debate (and clearly identifies the idea I'm refuting).

4. Briefly explain how your public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources, but provides original context and insight into the situation:

My public argument doesn’t simply restate information from other sources because I use my own personal experience of childhood obesity as the main focus of my public argument. I think that my experience connects the real world to the context and that it gives insight in the reality of childhood obesity. I hope that parents are able to take my personal experience and struggle into consideration as they view my video. I think that my experience gives me credibility as well.

5. Identify the specific rhetorical appeals you believe you've employed in your public argument below:

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

                    ___x__ Telling personal stories that establish a credible point-of-view

                    ___x__ Referring to credible sources (established journalism, credentialed experts, etc.)

                    __x___ Employing carefully chosen keywords or phrases that demonstrate you are credible (proper terminology, strong but clear vocabulary, etc.)

                    __x___ Adopting a tone that is inviting and trustworthy rather than distancing or alienating

                    ___x__ Arranging visual elements properly (not employing watermarked images, cropping images carefully, avoiding sloppy presentation)

                    ___x__ Establishing your own public image in an inviting way (using an appropriate images of yourself, if you appear on camera dressing in a warm or friendly or professional manner, appearing against a background that’s welcoming or credibility-establishing)

                    ___x__ Sharing any personal expertise you may possess about the subject (your identity as a student in your discipline affords you some authority here)

                    _____ Openly acknowledging counterarguments and refuting them intelligently

                    __x___ Appealing openly to the values and beliefs shared by the audience (remember that the website/platform/YouTube channel your argument is designed for helps determine the kind of audience who will encounter your piece)

                    _____ Other: 

Emotional appeals

                    __x___ Telling personal stories that create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Telling emotionally compelling narratives drawn from history and/or the current culture

                    _____ Employing the repetition of keywords or phrases that create an appropriate emotional impact

                    __x___ Employing an appropriate level of formality for the subject matter (through appearance, formatting, style of language, etc.)

                    __x___ Appropriate use of humor for subject matter, platform/website, audience

                    ___x__ Use of “shocking” statistics in order to underline a specific point

                    ___x__ Use of imagery to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __x___ Employing an attractive color palette that sets an appropriate emotional tone (no clashing or ‘ugly’ colors, no overuse of too many variant colors, etc.)

                    _____ Use of music to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    _____ Use of sound effects to create an appropriate emotional impact for the debate

                    __x__ Employing an engaging and appropriate tone of voice for the debate

                    _____ Other: 

Logical or rational appeals

                    _____ Using historical records from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    __x___ Using statistics from credible sources in order to establish precedents, trends, or patterns

                    _____ Using interviews from stakeholders that help affirm your stance or position

                    __x___ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

                    __x___ Effective organization of elements, images, text, etc.

                    __x___ Clear transitions between different sections of the argument (by using title cards, interstitial music, voiceover, etc.)

                    __x___ Crafted sequencing of images/text/content in order to make linear arguments

                    ___x__ Intentional emphasis on specific images/text/content in order to strengthen argument

                    ___x__ Careful design of size/color relationships between objects to effectively direct the viewer’s attention/gaze (for visual arguments)

                    _____ Other: 

6. Below, provide us with working hyperlinks to THREE good examples of the genre you've chosen to write in. These examples can come from Blog Post 11.3 or they can be new examples. But they should all come from the same specific website/platform and should demonstrate the conventions for your piece:

• Example 1
• Example 2
• Example 3

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

In this blog post, I am going to reflect on my Project 3 Draft. 

I peer reviewed Jovanka Potkonjak's and Carrie Belle Kent's rough drafts.

1. Who reviewed your Project 3 rough draft?

Jovanka Potkonjak and Carrie Belle Kent reviewed my Project 3 rough draft.

2. What did you think and/or feel about the feedback you received? Be explicit and clear.
Tell me what helped or what confused you about the feedback you got.

Joki's feedback helped me open up my eyes. I think that her comments were very straightforward in how she openly told me that I seemed unsure of what to say for certain things. In these places I think that I could provide some logos in order to fill in the gaps and explain my points more clearly. I could even give a picture of a graph to break it up and so I don't just pause out of nowhere. I really liked how she made little comments like that that could help me add more information to support my argument.

I really liked how Carrie Belle Kent had a lot of positivity. I think that she helped me very well with my questions that I had asked on my blog post. The things that she mentioned, I had already planned on adjusting because they seemed to lack in this category. I liked how she offered me many creative ways to approach my project. I thought this was very helpful because I tend to limit my creativity sometimes because I think that it is a school project so that it needs to be more serious.

Frost, Jim. "Flickr - jimf0390 - JimF 04-27-10-0021a reflection.jpg." 4/27/10 via Wikimedia Commons.
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

3. What aspects of Project 3 need to most work going forward [Audience, Purpose, Argumentation, or Genre]? How do you plan on addressing these areas? 

I need to work on my argumentation and genre the most. My argumentation is just missing some of the gaps. For instance, Joki said that I wasn't sure what to say for some things. In this case, I could add some logos (information) in order to fill the blank space. I also think that the visuals could help here as well that might also add some logos. For instance, I think that graphs would be suitable because I could provide information and give a change of visual from merely myself.

As for Genre, I need to totally fix my background, sounds, and visuals. Firstly, I need to YouTube "How to add words to iMovie" because I want to have the questions that I address come across the screen. Moreover, I need to change my location to something more personal than a wall. I think that my dorm room or outside on steps or sitting would be lovely because this could create a more personal connection with the viewers than just a blank wall. I also want to add pictures and graphs about childhood obesity to come across the screen. I think that this would help develop my genre because it would make it more visually appealing to the audience.

4. How are you feeling overall about the direction of your project after peer review and/or instructor conferences this week?

I am feeling very confident. I think that Carrie Belle said something along the lines of my project being almost perfect. It is on the verge of being great, and it just needs some minor adjustments. From our conference, I feel like my project has a very strong foundation. I think that I just need to add a few minor details that will make my project seem great! I hope that these adjustments will be enough. However, I think that the adjustments that I make will have a great impact on my project. 

Draft of Public Argument

Draft of Public Argument

In this blog post, I am going to provide the link to my YouTube of my advice column video on childhood obesity.

The video can be accessed here. I noticed that it is not playing for some reason. I tried reuploading it, and it still didn't work so please let me know if you have that issue as well. I also added the script further down so that you can at least see the content of my work. I also asked some questions about my personal appearance and background, which you can see if you open my video even if it doesn't play.

I would like to know if I did a good job explaining each of the questions thoroughly. I want to make sure that I give good answers to the questions that are posed, but I do not want to make it too long or too elaborate.

I want my audience of parents to feel at ease while watching my video. I do not want them to feel as if I am telling them that everything that they are doing is wrong. I want them to know the alternatives in their ways in order to help the cause of childhood obesity.

Sutherland, Zen. "graffiti under patton bridge obese." 4/5/09 via flickr.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

I was confused in how to introduce and conclude my video. I was not sure if my introduction might serve as a better conclusion or my conclusion might serve as a better introduction. I tend to have this issue a lot so I want to make sure that I do it.

In the video, I presented off of my computer with a green wall behind me. I also wore glasses and no makeup. Do I need to dress up fancier?

I also was unsure if I should add the questions on the screen? I think it would be best to add them, which I need to figure out how to add them on iMovie.

I also want to know about music. Was it too distracting to play during the entire video? Should I only play it in the beginning and have it fade in and then and the end and fade out.

Do I need to had an intro slide at the beginning? As in make a title/introduction slide?

I want to add more researched information, but I don't know how much that I can add because my video is already almost 3 minutes. Do I need to shorten my video? HELP PLEASE :)

These questions are common questions that seem to have appeared in the research that I have done. Should I maybe interview parents and get their insight instead of basing the questions off of my research? Also, is the order of my questions good?

My questions that that I will be addressing are listed below. Here is also a link to the script I used for my video.

1. If there are limited resources available to our community, how can I provide my family with healthier options?
2. How does what my husband and I eat impact my child’s diet?
3. How can I still cook ethnic cuisine, but make it healthier for my child?

Considering Visual Elements

Considering Visual Elements

In this blog post, I am going to utilize the book in order to help me consider the best visual elements for my genre of an advice column video on childhood obesity.

The background for my project be plain white wall because it is more important to hear the content that I am discussing. I do not think that I need to be anywhere specific because I think that it is more important for my audience to pay attention to me and not get distracted by the background. In an example that I watched of my genre, the woman talking was in a clothing store. She blurred the mannequin so that it would not be a distraction. However, I prefer the white wall because it will guarantee that the viewer is only looking at me. There is somewhat of a limitation with my visual choices because of the genre I'm writing in. I feel like it is important to hold the audience’s attention.

It will be useful to include graphs or even though they weren’t included in the examples that I watched. I think it would be useful to include graphs because it will be important to show how childhood obesity has skyrocketed. Also, I could use these graphs to show the correlations between childhood obesity and other instances/situations that I will address.

Watz, Marius. "Live visuals, Club Transmediale." 2/5/05 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

Pauses in my voice will function as blocks of text because I am creating a video. The pauses in my voice will allow the reader to collect their thoughts and possibly form their own opinion based on the information that I provided prior to the pause. If I did not include a pause in my voice, then the audience might feel overwhelmed by the content that I am providing them.

The images will be in very close proximity to the argument because they are sources of evidence. For example, the graphs are evidence and support to my argument. Also, myself as an image provides the ethos to my argument. Lastly, the images that I create verbally will help appeal to the viewer’s pathos.

At this point, I have not totally thought about image sequencing, but I just plan on putting them right before, during, or after discussing the topic that the image relates to. I think that it would be very important to add images in the beginning and the end of my video because it will leave a mark on the viewer. In the beginning, it will draw the viewer’s attention. At the end, it will leave the reader an image to remember my argument and to keep them thinking about my argument.

The theme produced by the images could be relevant to the theme as a whole depending on what images I decide to use. If I use graphs, that would help appeal to logos because it is informational. If I use images of obese or ill children, then it will appeal to the pathos of the audience. If I just focus on myself, then I will appeal to the audience’s ethos. However, my main appeal is pathos because I think that my opinions on this will bring about emotions of change and urgency.

Reflection

I read Lia Ossanna's blog post. I also was unsure of some small detail. For example, I was not sure about the amount of images I should use or how I should be presented. I think that the visuals she chose work best for her because newspapers can be creative but they have a pretty standard format to follow. Overall, good job explaining what she intended to use her visuals for.

I read Jovanka Potkonjak's blog post. I think that she did a very thorough job explaining each visual element. I like how she mentioned about the blank space helping to break up your text. For instance, I used pauses between my sentences in order to space out my sentences. I like how there is a similar connection between our visuals so I know I am doing something right. I think her project is going to be hard to do on a computer. It would be so cool if she wrote out an actual letter and maybe made it look like a legit hand-written letter? That might give it some deeper depth. She could do this if you scanned it maybe?

Project 3 Outline

Project 3 Outline

In this blog post, I am going to create my outline for Project 3 with the guidance of Writing Public Lives.

Introduction

I think framing the consequences will be the best way to approach my introduction. I want my audience to feel a sense of urgency. I want my audience to not want their children to have to suffer with obesity. Therefore, framing the consequences will serve as an attention getter and influencer for the parents to tune into my argument!

Supporting Paragraphs

Major Supporting Arguments

• Child obesity leads to a variety of chronic disease
• Obese children are more likely to be bullied
• Obese children are more likely to remain obese at an older age
• Low-income families with less resources are more likely to have obese children
• Parents' eating habits influence their children's eating habits

Major Criticisms

• Many unhealthy foods are cultural and traditional
• Not all healthy food resources are available to everyone

Key Support & Rebuttal Points

• Child obesity leads to a variety of chronic diseases.
• Parents' eating habits influence their children's eating habits
• Many unhealthy foods are cultural and traditional
• Not all healthy food resources are available to everyone

Tentative Topic Sentences & Evidence

• Child obesity leads to a variety of chronic diseases, and I know parents do not want to jeopardize their own child's health.
• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes

Corps, Robin. "Mr America." 12/20/06 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

• It is important to cook healthy meals because parents' eating habits influence their children's eating habits.
• Maternal representations of their children were associated with feeding beliefs; Balanced mothers were most likely to demonstrate high authority in child feeding; Distorted mothers were least likely to demonstrate confidence in child feeding; Disengaged mothers were least likely to demonstrate investment in child feeding; Balanced mothers were least likely to pressure their children to eat.
• Familial characteristics varied according to obesity status in the expected direction with a greater proportion of obese children in lower income/education households, and in households with 2 obese parents (defined using BMI or waist circumference). 

• Due to many unhealthy foods being cultural and traditional, it is hard to completely remove them from our diets. However, it is possible to eat them in moderation.
• Replacing sugary drinks with milk can help decrease the chance of children developing obesity


• "Hispanic children are disproportionately burdened with obesity and related risk factors by early childhood, with non-exclusive breastfeeding, early introduction to solid foods, insufficient sleep, increased screen time, and higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages contributing to racial/ethnic differences in childhood obesity prevalence."




• Some communities do not have all of the resources, such as, fresh produce convenient for them, but there are other methods and options that can be implemented.
• Obese children more often lived in neighborhoods characterised by high disadvantage and by the proximity to ≥1 convenience stores.

Map of My Argument

The map of my argument can be accessed in the link above or here.

Conclusion

For my conclusion, I will use a call to action because I want to explain to my reader how they can address this issue of childhood obesity. For example, I will give an image of a fat America. More specifically, I can use an example of Walle the movie where everyone was obese. Furthermore, I could make it more personal and create an image of their obese child. By appealing to pathos in my conclusion, I will bring the parents to action in order to prevent childhood obesity from increasing!

Analyzing My Genre

Analyzing My Genre

In this blog post, I am going to analyze my genre by addressing questions about social context, rhetorical patterns of the genre,  and then I will analyze these patterns and context. Below are five examples of my genre.

• Example 1
• Example 2
• Example 3
• Example 4
• Example 5

Social Context

My genre of an advice column video is typically set on Parents.com. The subject of the genre is parenting that revolves around childhood obesity. This genre is used when parents or people in general are in need of help. In this case, this genre would help parents that are unsure of how to properly rear their children. This genre is used because parents/people need advice sometimes in order to proceed with life. A lot of people want others' help in order to approach a situation because they are not sure if their method is the right method. The purpose of an advice column video is to inform, advise, and assist people in ways to approach a situation.

Rhetorical Patterns of the Genre

The content included in this genre is typically questions from the parents, researched information, and personal advice, opinions, and approaches to the questions that are posed. The content that is excluded is a lot of research information. I have noticed that a lot of people who have created these videos do not only state typically only information. Most include opinions too. Therefore, I need to make sure I do not only write about researched information.

Pathos is used most often because the person speaking is trying to appeal to the parents' emotions in order to draw them to take action for their children. Also, ethos is used because by presenting myself in the video as knowledgable and well-dressed person comfortably talking about the topic will build my ethos. Lastly, I will use logos by stating some doctors' claims or some shocking statistics in order to convince the reader that there is researched information in order to support my opinions.

Giannuzzi, Stefania. "CIA DE FOTO" 10/31/08 via flickr. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Most of the videos introduce the speaker, address questions, give their voice on theses questions and utilize scientific information to support it. They all conclude by giving the parents some motivation and confidence to help their children.

I do not think the sentences in this genre share a certain style. However, I feel like they are active because they want to advise the audience to DO something. Also, there is an abundance of questions because the parents pose the questions, and the questions are later addressed.

The word choice is casual and informal. The word choice should not make any parent feel dumb or uneducated because they might feel that they just do not want to listen to it in effect to that. I think that it is important to address everyone and make everyone feel comfortable. I do not want to sound too formal or academic because I might bore others.

Analyze What those Patterns Reveal about the Social Context of the Genre

The genre includes parents and children. The genre excludes people that do not associate with children or people that will not be looking to have children. This advice column video encourages people to take action and to address their child-raising strategies. I think this genre is looking to help people that are struggling in their current situation. It is assumed that they are parents that are concerned about their children. This genre is looking to address the issues that parents are having with their children nutrition. It is assumed that these parents care about their children's health. Lastly, the genre treats experiences as the most valuable because people can learn from what other people have gone through. If people can share their experiences, it makes it easier for others to follow it because they know that it has worked for someone. I think that it least values scientific information because scientists can provide that almost everything we do is unhealthy. However, it is important to address this genre while appealing to the interests of the audience and not only science.

Reflection

I read Jovanka Potkonjak's blog post. Even though hers seemed very simple and straightforward, she seems to have it put together how she is going to set it up rhetorically. I like how she broke apart the letter into separate components and described how and why. I never looked into a letter so thoroughly prior to reading her blog post. However, I noticed that she accomplishes a very successful method and genre in creating her argument. My own post seems to be detailed in the same sense as hers because we both are choosing simple genres, but we are both going to effective description.

I read Austin See's blog post. His genre is a little different than I expected only because a lot of people are doing videos or different creative things. However, I think that his genre suits his topic best! He is taking this project in a very direct approach which I think could be easier for him because like he said in his reflection that the creative ideas were "rather hard". I agree with him there because I actually have to dress up and look nice. Whereas, he could be writing his genre while in your pj's. Overall, I think his genre will be effective for his political topic! 

Considering Types

Considering Types

In this blog post, I am going to explain which types of argument from my reading that I'm considering for my Public Argument project by addressing the information "Five Basic Types of Public Argument" in Writing Public Lives.

Which types of arguments are you considering for your Public Argument Project?

I am considering position argument the most because I want to develop my own defenses on my position. I think this is important because I feel passionate about childhood obesity. I once was obese. Therefore, I want people to be aware of how to stop it and prevent it. I also am considering a casual argument because I do not want to be too formal. This issue also occurs in society which is what this type addressed. I think it would be good to show my audience the potential solutions as well because I do not want childhood obesity to continue!

Which argument types would best fit your project? Why?

I basically mentioned this above, but I think that position and casual argument would be best for my project because it helps develop and idea for my audience. The casual argument will give my readers some advice in order to fix childhood obesity. Whereas, position argument will allow me to develop my own ideas further. I need to look more closely to what these two arguments have to offer before I make my final decision. As of now, I am leaning more toward position argument because I think it would benefit my audience if they were to know a developed explanation for the data and information I provide to them.

McGuire, Ryan. "Argument Conflict Controversy Dispute Contention." 10/20/14 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain License.

Why wouldn’t some of them work?

Evaluative argument would not work because it talks about the successfulness of something specific that had been proposed. It could work, but I am not trying to prove that child obesity exists. I am trying to give explanations for why it exists and not how successful it is. By no means is childhood obesity successful. Additionally, the proposal argument wouldn't work either because to me it seems to be a very instructional format. I am not telling people how to save the environment or to eliminate some small thing. Childhood obesity is too complex for that type. Lastly, the refutation argument will not work because it is refuting an argument. I am not going against the existence of childhood obesity because it exists.

Reflection

In Lia Ossanna's "Considering Types" post, I think it made sense for her not to use the proposal argument because like she said she does not have enough experience or knowledge on the manner. I agree with her that a refutation argument would be the best because she is going against the current drought plan. It seems as if she has everything pretty well thought out. In her "My Rhetorical Action Plan" post, I honestly really liked her idea of a genre of creating a letter to the city council! I think that it is so creative, and it made me rethink my own genres. I think I personally could do something more creative as well. I think the letter would be very successful in carrying out her argument because she said in your "Considering Types" post that she wanted to do a refutational argument. I think a letter would be the best way to express this. I really really like the creativity on her part for that. I learned that I was thinking way too narrow-minded on this argumentation genre decision. However, the letter goes outside the box. Therefore, I want to research more creative possible genres for myself.

After reading Olivia Wann's "Considering Types" post, I really feel as if I am lacking creativity in this project. I have read hers and Lia's and so far mine seems SO boring. I love her idea of a cooking show! I love to cook so I don't know why I didn't think of that. I feel like I might create kind of like a campaign video or shocking news video on childhood obesity, but I am unsure still. I think your proposal argument is that best way to help people with diabetes because you would give them a proper solution to deal with their disease. After reading her "My Rhetorical Action Plan" post, I realized that I love her idea and this argument of hers will be so easy for her to carry out. It will be almost as if it was natural because cooking shows are fun. It seems to me as if I am creating something that is not creative, and I envy your ability to think so creatively on this. I lacked that. I need to rethink this because I think I am creating a harder project than it needs to be. I need to let my creative juices flow more!! Her plan of action seems to be well thought out. However, I think it would be good for her to consider the harms of artificial sweeteners because there are some important harms. I think it would be good to let her audience know this or have it be in a caption or something.

My Rhetorical Action Plan

My Rhetorical Action Plan

In this blog post, I am going to provide concise and specific details to answer the questions from "Developing a Rhetorical Action Plan" in Writing Public Lives.

Audience

The audience already knows that childhood obesity is becoming a huge issue in America due to fast food. They know this because the news emphasizes it. Michelle Obama even created a plan to reduce it. I think that my audience might believe that every child goes through a chubby stage before puberty. However, this is not the case for everyone. Therefore, they need to be informed more on the topic.

I believe that a lot of Americans teach their children to clean their plates and leave no food. This value was created because back in the Great Depression, food was scarce. Therefore, whenever food was available, people during that time period were told to finish whatever they had. Now that food is more readily available, they teach their younger generations to eat up because you never know when there won't be food available. This notion leads to childhood obesity because every child has a different energy need, and if their plate has too much food on it, they will gain weight.

I think research of statistics, personal stories, obesity rates, and pictures will help my argument's persuasiveness. In order to do this, I plan to create a QRG because this mean has some opinion, but it is mostly information. It also makes use of the spacing of the paper with subtitles and images which will keep the audience engaged.

As I mentioned above, I think subtitles and images of graphs and obese children would work best in this public argument. The subtitles will break apart the text and allow the reader to be guided more easily. Images of graphs will provide statistics and trends that will hopefully shock my audience. The images of obese children will open their eyes because a lot of people do not realize the comparison of an obese child to a healthy-weight child.

I want my audience to feel compelled to reduce childhood obesity. By providing an argument that will connect to my audience on a personal level, I think that I will be able to motivate them to change the rates of childhood obesity. I think this because their children and grandchildren are at risk. Childhood obesity brings along many struggles in life socially, mentally, and physically. Therefore, my audience will feel compelled to make a difference.

Genre

I will use a QRG as my form of writing. The QRG functions to inform, persuade, and to give some bias on an issue. I chose it because I want to express my sentiments toward the topic. However, I also want to inform my readers, too. Examples of QRGs that are about nutrition can be found here and here.

The setting of my genre could be in a newspaper, journal, blog post, or video. I think this would be the best setting because it will appeal to my audience. Also, these settings could allow it to be more widespread and not only for my selected audience. A huge variety of people skim through these settings. I think that they might be drawn in if I use enough visuals.

I will definitely use ethos, pathos, and logos to appeal to my readers. I will use ethos because I am a Nutritional Science major. I have been passionate about nutrition for about ten years now. I once was an obese child, but I taught myself the proper ways to lose weight and keep it off. Therefore, I can provide insight into being an obese child. I will use pathos because I want my reader to feel bad for these obese kids because they do not always have the upper-hand in deciding whether or not they want to be obese. Sometimes it is the parents at fault. Lastly, I will use logos by providing a lot of information and statistics about childhood obesity.

Altman, Gerd. "Business Idea Planning Business Plan Business." 3/29/15 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain License.

I will use pictures of obese children to startle my audience, and images of graphs that have giant spikes. These images will shock my audience. Not only will it capture their attention, but it will make them understand my topic better.

I want to write something informal and conversational. I want my audience to feel comfortable in listening to what I have to say because I think they need to be comfortable with this topic. This could be classified as a sensitive topic for many people because many people do not want to admit that their child is obese. The word "obese" has been made into a negative word, an insult, because many people use it to make fun of people. I want the audience to know that I was also uninformed once, but I want to help them understand the severity of this topic!

I could also use a Research Paper as my genre for writing. A research paper functions to inform and persuade the audience. Examples of research papers can be found here and here.

I could see this second genre being used in schools, journals, or databases. I think I could see children learning the most from it and utilizing it in order to help them with their own writing.

I will mostly use logos because I think that research papers mostly contain information and facts. However, I will use real life examples that will hopefully appeal a bit to pathos. Lastly, I will use some ethos while I discuss certain studies and credible sources.

On my cover page, I will find a picture that relates to childhood obesity. Research papers do not contain images within them typically.

I would use a formal style because that's how research papers tend to be written. However, I would like to be casual in how I write because I do not want the audience to be intimidated by me. Therefore, I will find a middle ground for that.

Positive Reactions

• Decline in Childhood Obesity
• Decrease in Happy Meal purchases
• Increase in homecooked meals

Negative Rebuttals

• Continue to feed Child Unhealthy Foods because part of culture
• Inform parents/grandparents that culturally unhealthy food can still be eaten in moderation
• Reject modifications about culture cuisine
• Even though people have been around for a long time
• Ignore my entire public argument
• It is their own children's lives at risk. It would do anyone good just to listen.