Genre of Doc 3

This semester of ENGL 11101 has been full of writing. Our Doc1 and Doc2 were both informative documents. Doc 3 was very different in terms of genre. Doc 3 is a persuasive document. Our job was persuade undecided college students to vote for our preferred candidate. This is a completely different genre. We have to use certain tactics to accurately persuade our readers. If by the end of our paper we don’t end up persuading them then our paper was a failure. Persuasive essays are the hardest of the genres. However, if you approach them in the right way then you will succeed in your persuasion of your audience.  

Genres of Writing

Throughout my school career I have learned about different types of writing. There are some that I became more comfortable with than others. For example, I wrote a lot of persuasive writing in school. However, I did not get comfortable writing it because the type did not appeal to me. I did enjoy informative writing. I found it to be very straight to the point and easy. I never had trouble writing them. It was simple for me to research my topic and then simply restate the information to better suit my essay. Informative essays are exactly what the name says. They are to inform. The point of them is to research your topics and then use the information from an authoritative source to then present them in your essay.

Responding to Classmates #7

I recently read two posts by my peers Robert and Kaitlyn. Both post’s focus on their opinions on the presidential candidates and how their thoughts have changed since they began to research them. Robert states that his, “opinion hasn't really changed considering [he] really [does not] care for either party.” I understand where he is coming from. Both parties have received massive criticism from the public. He goes on to say that what he has researched has reinforced what he already knew.

Kaitlyn says that throughout her research, her, “opinions on the two major candidates has mainly remained the same in that America will survive just fine no matter who wins.” I agree with her! America has made it through very tough times, and probably through worse candidates. As I said previously, these candidates have received many harsh criticisms, which other candidates in the past have likely gone through as well. Up to now, the country has worked out fine, and I don’t see that drastically changing with either candidate.

How I Feel About Hillary

Before I started researching Hillary Clinton I only knew what was considered to be common knowledge. After researching, my opinion about her has been strengthened dramatically.  I learned about her different views on certain controversial topics, like same sex marriage and gun laws. I learned that we agree on these topics; for instance, Clinton wants to keep guns out of dangerous people’s hands, which seems like an obvious must to me. The fact that she believes in the same things I do really changed my view on her. The fact that I could relate to her and her views related to me.

Hillary Clinton

Before beginning my Doc 2 & 3, I knew little about Hillary Clinton. I knew things that were considered “common knowledge”. I knew her husband was president and she served as secretary of state for the Obama administration. I also knew that she was running to become the first female president of the United States. Though I may have known little about her, it increased my desire to learn more about our potential future president. Now that I have researched the different ideas and views that she has, I feel confident saying that, if I could vote, Hillary Clinton is who I would vote for. Hillary Clinton adopted the New College Compact from the ideas of Bernie Sanders. This plan would help majority of students go to college without worrying about student loans. I also have learned that she agrees with same-sex marriage and believes that everyone should be able to be with whomever they want. I think that she would make a great president.

Responding to Classmates #6

I have recently read two very different articles about education. I read “Sensible USA Approach to Higher Education” by Robby Ford. He believes that the federal government should not control schools. One quote that I liked in particular was “How can the people in Washington tell the kids in California what they need to be learning and what they don’t need to know”. I think this is true. However, it affects lower education levels and not necessarily higher education, as universities are usually controlled by the state or private owners. Next I read “Argue about Us Approach Higher Education” by Teona Hight. As explained in her article, “tuition for students is extremely high and getting even higher as the years go by”. This is the sad truth. Hillary Clinton has proposed a plan to make this issue better by “lowering tuition for students who family's yearly income is 125,000 or lower”. This is the best idea for college students. Many have to take out loans and this would surely help. Overall higher education is a big issue in America nowadays. Many believe that you need a degree to earn a living, and some don’t. For those who wish to seek a degree, the government needs to make it more affordable.

Same-Sex Marriage

There are many issues arising in America every day. However, there is one issue that has been a common controversy among Americans for as long as I can remember: Same-Sex Marriage. I believe that anyone, no matter what their gender, sexuality, or race, deserves to be with whomever they deem fit for them. I might feel this to be the right choice, some do not. Donald Trump believes that “Same-sex marriage is an issue that should have been decided by the states”. I do not believe that to be right. People should have the freedom to be them wherever they chose to live. If the states did chose, some people might be forced from their states just to follow their beliefs. In contrast, Hillary Clinton believes that “The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality represents America at its best: just, fair, and moving toward equality”. This statement is true. Our Pledge of Allegiance states “...with liberty and justice for all”. If we limit the justice of some people we aren’t sticking to what our original founders wanted for this country. Clinton states that she plans to “fight to ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans have full equality under the law, and to end discrimination in employment, housing, schools, and other aspects of society”. I believe every American deserves equality. Some people may not agree with that. However, even if you don't agree with it you should accept it. You may not believe in it but why bother someone when they are happy? They are happy being themselves and that's something everyone should celebrate.

Higher Education

People have many different opinions on how the new president should approach higher education. Both candidates have different views on it, also. Hillary Clinton has adopted the views of Bernie Sanders. His approach was to make public education free for college students. This is the best thing for higher education. This gives every student whose parents make under 125,000 dollars a free education. Everyone will get the opportunity to go to college. According to Hillary For America “Factsheets: Hillary Clinton’s New College Compact Act” she plans on making sure that “students never have to borrow to pay for tuition, books, and fees to attend a 4-year public college in their state under the New College Compact”. It is known that most college graduates end up making more money than people who don't. So, the approach of free education for students who normally wouldn't be able to afford college is the way to go.

Responding to Classmates #5

There is a lot of commotion about the upcoming election. America seems to be split between two particular candidates: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I have recently read two different articles about the two of these candidates. I was interested to learn what my fellow voters had to say.

First I read “Micaela Moreau on Donald Trump” by Charles Casteel. He explains how “Mr. Trump has not released his official statement with his views on education”. This makes it difficult to understand what Trump plans on changing, or not changing, about the education in America. However, he did write about it in his book Crippled America stating that “The big problem is the federal government. There is no reason the federal government should profit from student loans. This only makes an already difficult problem worse. The Federal Student Loan Program turned a $41.3 billion profit in 2013” (Trump 59).

Next I read “Discovery of Hillary Clinton’s Detective Work” by Mya Carter. She tells us in her blog about the time Ms. Clinton went undercover “to establish whether the Dothan school was discriminating based on race”. I love how Mya explained to us the dedication Clinton put forth in this undercover project. She explained that “her investigation pushed her argument harder, for she really is devoted to repairing the school system. I will finish it off with a quote from her blog. She says “Clinton introduced something different to me, for I haven't read about a president or candidate pushing to the limit to actually lower themselves in order to face their issue head on”. I agree with Mya on this. It’s rare to find any person with a position with power to face the issues the people below them face.

MLA Formatting

MLA format has always been a difficult topic for me. However, as I’ve gone through the years it has gotten significantly simpler. As I’ve been writing for ENGL 1101 we have had to use MLA formatting quite a bit. From in text citations to works cited pages, we’ve done it. The one thing that I can never quite get down is how to properly quote or italicize a work. There have been many examples given to me throughout the years and still to this day, I usually don’t get it right. When they are typical examples like a short work or a newspaper, I find it simple. However, when it becomes complicated like a poem or a song, is when I get confused. Moral of the story, most of MLA formatting I can understand. But for some odd reason, I can never get italicizing or quoting. I hope no one else has the same issues!

What I Learned About Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is running to become the first female president. I have recently written an essay about her views on higher education. Before I researched this topic there were many things I did not know about Clinton. For example, according to Hillary For America “Factsheets: Hillary Clinton’s New College Compact Act” she plans on making sure that “students never have to borrow to pay for tuition, books, and fees to attend a 4-year public college in their state under the New College Compact”. This is so important considering that college students hold more than “1.2 trillion in student loan debt” (Healy). I also learned that Hillary is taking most of her education views from Bernie Sanders, considering his were so popular. All in all, I learned that Hillary Clinton is seriously trying to change what happens to students who want to pursue college. It’s comforting to know that she will fight for what happens to the future generation of America.

Responding to Classmates #4

This week we were asked to write about a hobby or profession that we have, or will, spend 10,000 hours on. I wrote about mine previously but I decided to read about a few of my colleagues professions. I first read about Makayla Beall’s dream of becoming a nurse. According to her post “[She] [has] not exactly spent 10,000 hours on it yet but [she] knows she will for sure”. She then discusses how she is attending “college to become a neonatal nurse”. I admire her desire to become a neonatal nurse. I think that it's wonderful to want to help children. I hope Makayla achieves this dream because she is “dedicated to become a nurse” and we need more people like her. Next I read “10,000 Hour Devotion” by Zion Dixon. He explains in his post that he aspires to be a computer programmer. He “intends to make a career out of programming”. He also explains in his post that he has only spent 10,000 hours “sleeping, eating, and playing video games”. All in all Zion intends to spend his 10,000 hours developing his love and passion for computer programming and video game design.

My Profession

Learning has always been an important part of my life. Ever since kindergarten I have been extremely interested in school. In fourth grade I even asked my teacher to print me out times tables so I could learn them before everyone else, just to get ahead. When we are young, many adults ask us “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and for me, it was always a teacher.

As long as I can remember I wanted to become a teacher. Ever since 2nd grade I have kept all of my workbooks and binders. My friend and I would always “play school,” and more often than not I would be the teacher in the “classroom.” As a result of all of that playing, I got more involved with the idea of becoming a teacher. Eventually I will be moving on to studying to become a teacher, and become an expert at it.

Blogging: Is It a Genre?

Blogging has become a popular way of communicating thoughts and ideas over the internet. Many people use blogs to connect to a specific type of audience. For example, Aspyn Ovard of AspynOvard.com is a lifestyle blogger. She blogs about her favorite clothing styles and places to explore. People that are also interested in the same content gravitate toward her blog. This creates a community of people who all enjoy the same kinds of things. Blogging is a special kind of genre. As mentioned in The Little Seagull Handbook “Genres are kind of writing. Reports, position papers, poems, letters, instructions -- even jokes -- are genres”. Blogging is something that people look for when they want a casual style of writing. When they want to feel like they are talking to a friend. Blogging “has certain features and follows particular conventions of style and presentation”. For instance, if you had to chose a blog post out of a group of scholarly journals it would be simple. Blogging is a very relaxed genre that anyone can do if they put their minds to it. Happy Writing!

Wikipedia? Is It Good or Bad?

Wikipedia is a common argument among English teachers nowadays. It seems like whenever you search any document the first website that pops up is Wikipedia. There are some speculations that it is not considered a credible source. That’s what I used to think before I read Purdy’s article “Wikipedia Is Good for You?”. After reading this essay I learned that it is possible to use Wikipedia as a source for a document. However, there are ways to use it correctly, and incorrectly. In Purdy’s Article, he states “It’s always a good idea to verify information with multiple sources”. Therefore, it is okay to use Wikipedia a resource. However, make sure you double check the information. You never know what someone has changed when it comes to Wikipedia.

Credible Sources

Finding sources have never been an issue for me. However, it is critical that the kinds of resources that I find are the right ones. Credible sources are extremely important in writing academic essays. Most of the time you can not do a quick Google search and find credible resources. There are some steps you can take to assure that you find good resources every time. According to the online article “Using Research and Evidence” by Purdue University, the first step to finding out if a source is credible is asking yourself “Who is the author?”. Does this author have authority? Do they have the credentials to be writing about this topic? Those are extremely important questions to ask yourself when determining whether or not a source is credible. Second, ask yourself “Is this website reputable?”. It is important that you do not “use websites where an author cannot be determined, unless the site is associated with a reputable institution…”. Last, but not least, you should look to see “how recent the source is”. There are instances where you might not find up to date sources for topic, such as the American Civil War. However, other topics “that are experiencing rapid changes, need to be much more current”. It is crucial for you to determine whether or not your topic needs current sources, or can get by with some that are a bit out of date. I hope that gives you some insight into finding reputable sources, as it is so important for academic essays. Always make sure you check the author, the website/source, and when it was published. You never know what could make the difference between getting an A or not. Good luck everyone!

Responding to Classmates #3

Writing is an important part of any person's life. Whether it be for school or work. However, most people look at writing in different ways. I have recently read two of my colleagues work about how they approach writing. I was excited to see how differently people saw writing. First I read “How I Approach a Writing Assignment” by Emily Auld. I was not surprised to learn that Emily has her own process for writing, as most people do. That is one thing we have in common. However, she starts by “writing [her] outline on paper because it helps [her] to collect [her] thoughts”. I on the other hand, I do not enjoy writing outlines. I feel that it’s better to write out the thesis, then to just start the paper. One thing I mentioned in my post, but Emily did not, was how tough starting a writing assignment can be. I read another one of my classmates posts, “How I Approach a Writing Assignment” by Charles Casteel. He mentions how “Writing assignments are a tough start for [him] because honestly [he does] not really want to do them”. With that, I completely agree. Most of the time writing assignments are dreadful. However, it is very important that you do not wait until the last minute to start them. Charles explains how “[He] is trying to get better about doing [his] assignments on time and ahead of time but so far it’s been rough”. That is a good motto to go by. The sooner you get them done, the less you’ll have to worry. Happy writing everyone!

Writing to Learn

Writing is something that we have been doing since we were children. However, the way we use writing has changed throughout our lifetime. Young children use writing to express their feelings and to complete assignments. As we got older we started writing essays. Maybe they were to explain something or to ask a question. Either way, we use writing in many ways. We use writing to learn vocabulary, grammar, and more! Along with that we use writing to learn about certain topics. If you are assigned a research paper you learn about the topic that you chose to write about! There are many ways we use writing for learning. I just explained a few but in what ways do you use writing to learn? Leave a comment!

What Do I Do When I Get a Writing Assignment?

When I get a writing assignment I am usually extremely overwhelmed. However, this does not last long. I start by figuring out the main purpose of the assignment. Am I going to be writing a research paper, a narrative, an argumentative essay, or what? After I figure out what kind of writing I’m going to be doing I find the different requirements and deadlines for the essay. I try and write down all of my due dates in my planner so I do not miss any. Once I do that, I start to think about my topic. Am I assigned a specific topic? If not, I tend to stick to things I’m interested in or are somewhat familiar with. I find it easier to write about something I enjoy. Pre-writing is something I have grown out of as I’ve gotten older. When I was in Middle School, it was engraved in our brains that making an outline is the only way to write. Sure, it certainly does help, but it is not the only way to write. I like to write my thesis first. From here, I can usually begin to write my essay. I like to have my sources close at hand so I can quickly reference them, if need be. Once I finish my rough draft, I go through and make sure there are no mistakes. I usually get some friends to read through it before I start rewriting. I’m not going to lie, I don’t usually change much when I rewrite. That doesn’t mean I don’t fix my mistakes, though. Once I make sure that everything is perfect, I submit the assignment! That is how I go about all of my writing assignments. Happy writing!

Responding to Classmates #2

First I am going to be responding to my classmates post “Building an Online Brand” by Damien Redshirt. I enjoyed reading his post! He explained it very well how important it is to have a clean and professional brand. He explained that what you post on social media “can pretty much express your personality from a third person view point”. I totally agree! There are many people in this world who think that no one would bother looking them up. They are wrong! Many employers keep tabs on their employees. They wouldn’t want their company to be misrepresented. It is important to keep your online presence as clean and true to your character as possible.

Next I will be reviewing a post by Emily Staub, titled, "My Stance on Atkins' Advice on Working in Groups." Again, I completely agree with what was said. Projects are serious, and if my group were to, "procrastinate until we had a very poorly done project thrown together at the last minute," I would not be a happy camper. Another subject Emily covered is the requirement for the project. I can relate to this, as I have, "gone head-first into a project," and been unpleasantly surprised when I didn't receive a good grade. Both these points tie into communicating as a group. If the group goes over everything they need to together, there is no reason the group should not be successful and efficient.

Working In Groups

I completely agree with what Atkins wrote about. I enjoyed reading his tips about working in groups, since Doc 1 is a group project. He really emphasised the different ways that using online resources can help a group. It’s very important for groups to use collaborating resources, such as Google Docs, to communicate and work together on group assignments. I believe the group will begin to crumble if everyone does not give one hundred percent to the project. Overall, I enjoyed reading Atkins’ work and it really changed my view on working in groups.

Review of "Your Professional Image" by Loyola University Maryland

Today I am going to be discussing an article I read recently by Loyola University Maryland called “Your Professional Image”. I agree with a lot of things discussed in the article. The articles main focus is to stress the importance of creating and maintaining a professional online image. It explains the few main ways to do so. It also gives ways to establish your online image. One specific way it explains is to create a LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn is a website you can use to communicate with your professional contacts. Another way it describes how to keep your online image professional is to Google yourself, and make sure there is nothing there you would not want a professional to see. All in all, keeping your image professional online is extremely important.


Read the full article here: "Your Professional Image" by Loyola University Maryland

Responding to Classmates #1

In this first paragraph I am going to be responding to “Building a Professional Image” by Makayla Beall. She explains to us how important it is to start building a professional image later in life. She explains that “As college students, we should start building a professional image because we are starting to enter the real world where we will want people to take us seriously”. I agree with her. Employers would much rather hire someone that has a clean and professional image then someone who posts inappropriate content on the internet. To all you college students out there, “start now, it can help more than it can harm”.

The second paragraph is in response to “Post #2: Victim of Writing Myths” by Kaitlyn Johnson. Recently our class read L. Lennie Irvin’s text “What Is ‘Academic Writing?” and in this post she responds to it. Irvin “confronted many misconceptions about writing that several college freshman have been lead to believe”. Although most students are taught to believe the writing process and to stick to it no matter what. Johnson explains how Irvin miraculously changed her view on a common myth within writing, “Writers only start writing when they have everything figured out”. She explains that “the writing process happens more smoothly if I just put my thoughts on paper”. I can totally agree with her on this one. Death to the writing process!

Professionalism Online - When should you start?

Ever posted something you regret on social media? A lot of people have. A lot of people also don’t realize that what they post on social media can affect their ability to get a job. Whether we like it or not, employers do look at a potential employees online presence. Employers don't know your character so they look at what you post to see what kind of a person you are. It is important for you to build your professional online brand early to prevent any complications in the future. One of the main things you should do is keep your social media clean. You should not post anything that you wouldn't want your grandma to see. Keeping your social media free from potentially harmful posts should set a good example of your character to potential employees.

Writing Myths

I recently read Irvin's article 'What Is "Academic" Writing?'. One of the myths he explained was “Myth #2: Writers only start writing when they have everything figured out”. I used to believe in this myth. As I’ve gone through High School I was taught the art of prewriting. English teachers stressed it so much that it seemed like we couldn’t write a good paper without it. Irvin explains that “Writers figure out much of what they want to write as they write it”.  I used to believe what my old English teachers said: not anymore. I learned that it’s better to just get all of your thoughts and ideas out on paper. You can always make changes in the future. So while writing, I will always remember to just write. I know not to stress too much about the technicalities.

About Me!

Hi everyone! My name is Brianna Harker. I am 17 years old and currently a dual enrolled student here at MGA! When I graduate High School and proceed to college, I hope to study Early Childhood Education. In my free time I enjoy playing the piano. I also like technology and video games. See ya around the blog!