Reflection on Open Letter Draft

Molina, Marcos "Mirror" 08/27/2009 via Flickr CC BY NC SA 2.0

I peer reviewed Brandon and Jayni's letter drafts.

Mehruba's feedback on my draft was brief, but useful. Essentially, she recommended that I add more specific examples and work on my transitions.

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

Yes. In my draft, I metacognitively considered my writing process.

2. Did you provide analysis of your experiences, assignments, or concepts you have learned?

I was not very specific in this part of the draft, but I did reference the quick reference guide.

3. Did you provide concrete examples from your own writing?

I did not provide examples in this draft, but I have a good idea of what sources from past assignments I should quote from.

4. Did you explain why you made certain choices and whether those choices were effective?

I incorporated this type of discussion to some extent, but I will be able to add more when I add more specific examples.

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

 

Yes.

Draft of Open Letter

Here is the link to my first draft of the open letter.

Pestana, Madelena "Letters" 08/21/2007 via Flickr CC BY 2.0

My analysis section is not comprehensive yet and I still need to add several more examples. I am primarily concerned with the writing style at this point.

Reflecting More on My Writing Experiences

Reflecting on the specific strategies that I used for my writing throughout the semester will help me hone my writing skills for future assignments.

Campbell-Jones, Andi "Reflected in the Raybans" 08/27/2013 via Flickr CC BY-BC-ND 2.0

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

My biggest challenges this semester were adhering to the course structure by completing process work in blog posts before composing drafts for major projects.

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

I learned that I am fairly good at estimating how long it will take me to complete an assignment. I often have difficulty motivating myself to start work on an assignment, but once I start I tend to complete a large portion of it at once. My first drafts have been generally effective, but I learned that structured editing and revision is necessary for me to compose A level work.

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

Genres are part of the rhetorical situation of a piece of writing. They dictate the format and style of a text. Understanding how to identify conventions of a genre allows a writer to be versatile and able to adapt to any type of assignment or work.

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

My time management skills, ability to use rhetorical strategies, and ability to adapt to different genres have improved the most significantly. I will be able to apply these skills to my future coursework and career.

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

My rhetorical analysis for project two was particularly successful. Out of the three projects we have done at this point, I had the most prior experience with the type of work needed for project two. I am used to doing rhetorical analysis.

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

My quick reference guide was not quite as effective as my other two projects. I had a lot of difficulty condensing the vast amount of information that I collected in my research.

Revisiting My Writing Process

Since the start of the course when I wrote the My Writing Process, and Calendar Reflection posts, I have had to adapt my writing process to be successful in this course.

George, Geoff "assembly line" 04/28/2009 via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0

At the beginning of the semester, I related components of each of the four types of writer to my writing process. However, I said that I most closely fit into the sequential composer category. I still believe that my writing process includes a mixture of strategies.

The structure of this class has required me to cut back on procrastination. However, I did not stick to the plan that I laid out in the Calendar Reflection post. I still found myself doing most of the work each week all at the same time, even when I reviewed the deadline early in the week.

Although I did most of the work all at once, the process work in the blog posts, and the structured revision processes required me to incorporate more elements of sequential composition and heavy planning into my writing process. I am now more confident in my ability to use time efficiently.

Reflection on Project 3

Project three is over, and at this point I am quite tired of reading about my controversy...

Gwynydd, Michael "3 for me" 01/14/2007 via Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

1. What was specifically revised from one draft to another?

I generally tried to make each section of my argument more thorough. I also tried to incorporate more evidence from credible sources, although most of the evidence I found was in relation to the F-35's failures rather than the causes. To account for this, I provided analysis of the causes through the context of the failures. I identified the two main causes that I wanted to discuss in my argument and stayed focused on those. I also added a bit of an emotional appeal by incorporating the safety of American soldiers.

2. How did you reconsider your thesis or organization?

My focus on concurrency and commonalities necessitated some reorganization. I tried to minimize reorganization by writing more transitions.

3. What lead to those changes? Different audience? Shift in purpose?

I needed to make it more clear that I am making a causal argument.

4. How did these changes affect your credibility as an author?

I believe my credibility benefited from the changes, mostly due to the increase in credible sources and evidence.

5. How will these changes better address the audience?

I now have more basis for my argument. My interpretations are good, but without support they may seem too biased.

6. How did you reconsider sentence structure and style?

My structure and style remained mostly the same, but I attempted to make questionable technical terms more understandable. I also provided more context.

7. How did these changes assist your audience in understanding your purpose?

Some of the comments I got from my peer reviewers indicated that the technical language made the argument less relatable for them. I believe that this issue was largely caused by a lack of background knowledge on the subject. Providing more context should make the argument more understandable for general readers.

8. Did you have to reconsider the particular genre in which you are writing in?

No.

9. How does the process of reflection help you reconsider your identity as a writer?

I am honestly surprised by how much I added and changed in my revisions. With many assignments, I usually forego the revision process aside from scanning for grammatical errors. This reflection made me realize that taking a second look at my writing helps me identify content gaps.

Publishing Public Argument

Here is the link to my final version of project three.

Gibbison, Teresa "Wharfedale Printing Press" 03/12/2011 via Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I am making a causal argument, so I expect my audience to already have a negative viewpoint on the F-35. My goal is essentially to clarify the causes of its failure to discourage the funding of similar programs in the future. For one and two below, I would identify the issue as the following:
Concurrency and commonalities are effective strategies for engineering design in the defense industry.

In the science and technology community, opinion on the issue varies depending on each reader's experience with the design strategies being analyzed.

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.

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

         _______ 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 emphasis on the strategies used in the program, rather than the capabilities and politics of the program provides a new perspective on the program as a whole. The identification of causes offers an explanation behind the failures, which most authors simply rant about. It also offers a look at the future of defense design and examines the lessons that can be learned from past failures.

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

Ethical or credibility-establishing appeals

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

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

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

                    _____ 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)

                    _____ 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)

                    _____ 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

                    _____ 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 key words 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.)

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

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

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

                    _____ 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

                    _____ Using expert opinions that help affirm your stance or position

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

                    _____ 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

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

                    _____ 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:

America Doesn't Do Enough To Protect Its Innovative Designs 

What We Can Learn From the Epic Failure of Google Flu Trends 

We Should Have Seen This Refugee Crisis Coming

Reflection on Project 3 Draft

I peer reviewed Brandon and Mehruba's drafts.

Badzo, Bill "Mirror and Relectioned Infinitely 2004 ~ Milwaukee Art Museum ~ Milwaukee Wisconsin" 09/12/2009 via Flickr CC By-NC-SA 2.0

1. Morgan and Mehruba peer reviewed my draft.

2. Overall the feedback was helpful. I was aware of many of the issues that Morgan and Mehruba discussed. Their suggestions gave me a better idea of how to fix the issues.

3. I need to work more on both purpose and argumentation. Although my peer reviewers both gave me high scores for purpose, one of them read my draft as a position argument. I will have to make it more clear that I am making a causal argument. I have some good points in my argumentation, but to support my logos, I have to add statistics and references to credible sources.

4. At this point, I know what I need to do to improve my project before final submission. The conference last week and the peer reviews were very helpful. I know that I need to make my writing style less technical to make it more accessible, while incorporating more facts to support my argument. I may also need to place less emphasis on criticisms of the F-35 itself to make it clear that I am making a causal argument.

Updated 11/16/2015