The blog this week is supposed to be about how much I feel I've grown from this class in my writing skills from all the reading assigned and discussions that we have participated in. Before this class, I would have considered myself an extroverted kind of person that always had a strong opinion to share and was very stubborn about my ways. I find that through these discussions that we have all helped in creating my strong opinions are swayed and I am becoming more open to different thoughts. I think that the team work has also helped me through my writing. By reading the blogs and perspectives of my fellow classmates it has helped me to be a little more organized in my own writing. I think that being able to have that visual of how they organize theirs, I am able to establish a form for my own writing instead of being all over the place. Also, my writing, although it still consists of simple informal words, I have learned to use them in a more intellectual and understandable way. By reading books like "Animal Farm" it showed me that even though they used a lot of colloquialism in the book, they were still able to make it a significant piece of literature. It helped me to understand that I am not limited just because my vocabulary is not full to the rim. I can still write well with what I already know, and keep my mind open to that which I have yet to learn. I also learned new vocabulary and different ways to express myself through "Reading Lolita in Tehran". I loved the way she was able to express herself and the beautiful metaphors she used such as comparing her own little world she created to "Wonderland". I try to use more metaphorical phrases since I have read that book because the way she is able to use that rhetorical device brings the book to life and makes it more personable to the reader and much easier to truly understand.
Although I had a tough time in our group projects because sometimes I felt bad that I could not constantly be on blackboard, we were able to compromise our parts through teamwork. It helped me realize that I can work with a team and be part of something bigger. It allowed me to see that my point of view has an impact on others thoughts as well as theirs on mine. So far this class has obviously taught me a lot and made its footprints on my writing skills, but i know I have a long way to go. My abilities to write are still growing and it will take me a long time till it is in full bloom, but with a little patience I know I will be able to reach my full potential.
Learning from each other indeed! On of the things I forgot to mention in my blog was the Peermark where we literally learned how to write our own papers by editing and proofreading each others papers. I really like how you picked up on the way we learn from each other. Reading each other’s blogs definitely gives a great ideas. We get great ideas of what doesn’t work so well to communicate, so we can avoid that, as well as ideas of what does work so we can incorporate it into our blog (sorry this sentence is getting really long and convoluted, I still have Frankfurt’s BS essay in my mind from Thursday). Another thing that pops into my mind on the subject of learning from each other is the idea of compound interest. Do you think all of the different areas of education compound upon each other so that you gain exponential amounts of knowledge and skills? Just a thought, or many thoughts I suppose. I have to again agree with you that the group projects via blackboard were difficult, especially for us strong-willed independent extroverts, but they definitely pushed us towards teamwork and compromise!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog as always, look forward to the next one : )
- Ben Andrews
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ReplyDeleteI agree with both your and Ben’s observations about the importance of collaborating and learning from each other. Group efforts can sometimes be problematic, but if everyone puts in the effort to share their knowledge and life experiences in solving an assigned group task, the experience can be very rewarding for all. From my experience, teamwork is the key to any successful venture.
ReplyDeleteI am curious as to why you think your writing “still consists of simple informal words”. That statement reminds me of an EL Text essay that dealt with the advantages of concise – and often shorter – words over more muddled protracted words. In my humble opinion, your writing style is very clear and conveys your meaning quite concisely. I wouldn’t dwell on the “complexity” of your writing as much as the conciseness of it. I think you have been doing a wonderful job for the record!