Before You Read
3. Technology has made communication much easier and quicker. We can now instantly speak to someone anywhere, anytime. People usually don't use proper grammar when texting or talking on the phone. It usually does not affect my understanding of what the other person is trying to tell me because most of the people that I text text legibly. There are many new words such as friend (verb), facebook, and tweet.
Summary
In his article "Good English and Bad," Bill Bryson questions the rules of grammar in the English language. He asks how many of the rules came to be and argues that they are based on the teachings of grammar scholars that may not have had the merit to make decisions for a language. Many rules exist for no reason, they just are because they are. Also some do not make sense. In an example that Bryson uses, "I'm hurrying, are I not?" is incorrect but when you change "are I not" to aren't, a contraction that means the same thing, it is correct "I'm hurrying, aren't I?"
Synthesis
This article is similar to James Porter's article "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community" because both challenge a common construct. Porter challenges the construct of plagiarism and argues how all texts are derived from other texts so plagiarism rules should not be as strict as they are. In the article Bryson argues how grammar, like the rest of the English language, is fluid and changing so therefore we should accept not think as something being right or wrong. It also relates to John Dawkins' article "Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool" because it challenges the construct of punctuation and how it should be used more freely.
Review
I found this article more interesting than most of the articles that we have read so far because it was short so I did not have to pay attention as long and because it offered a new way to think about a subject.
QD
2. Bryson says that English has such a complex grammar structure because the rules are based off of Latin rules but English and Latin have very little in common. English also consists of words from many different languages and it even contains words that are derived from multiple different languages.
AE
2. By Fluid Bryson means that the language is ever moving and changing. By democratic he means that it changes as a result of how everyone uses it. Rules of the language have changed just because people start talking in a new way. I have seen fluidity in language in the some of my friends' papers in high school. They may have used grammar that was technically incorrect, but it made sense in the context and therefor they were not penalized for it.
MM
Verb, noun, adjective, adverb, preposition, and article are some of the parts of speech. I do not consciously think of them as I write or use them. I learned them in school and had to memorize all of the parts of speech in middle school. Knowing the parts of speech will make you better at using proper grammar but it will not heavily impact the content of your writing.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Project 1 intro
Could Texting be Destroying Your Grammar?
Today, almost everyone in America texts. The number of texts sent each day surpasses the population of the world. IM, Email, and other forms of digital communication are also very prevalent. Could it be possible that activities that are so common are hurting the grammar and spelling abilities of the people who do it? If you are in school, that may be what your teacher is telling you, but do not believe it. The idea that digital messaging will hurt you ability to do formal writing is a false construct.
Constructs, as described in Writing on Writing are "mental frameworks that people build in order to make sense of the world around them"(35). In other words, they are misconceptions about writing that are often believed or even taught in schools.
Multiple studies have been carried out suggesting that there is no negative relationship between texting quality and formal writing quality in native English speakers. In the article written by Latisha Asmaak Shafie, Norizul Azida, and Nazira Osman "SMS Language and College Writing: The Language of the College Texters", they describe a study at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Perlis, Malaysia. They examined texts sent in English and how they correlate to spelling and grammar in formal writing. 264 texters participated in the study, 94 being male and 170 being female. They were ages 18-22. They conclude that "There was not significant differences in grammar and spelling which revealed that frequency of texting had no effect on their grammar and spelling. Frequency of texting only had effects on grammar and spelling competencies on students whose language and communication skills at beginner level"(30). The study, being undertaken in Malaysia, contained speakers native to English and those not native to English. This conclusion supports that people who already know the rules of a language will not forget those rules because of texting.
In the article "The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children's reading, spelling and phonological processing skills" the authors C. Wood, E. Jackson, L. Hart, B. Plester, and L. Wilde narrate a study conducted by Coventry University in which 9 and 10 year old students were give mobile phones with only texting service for 10 weeks, only to be used on weekends. With periodic English exams, the children with the phones did not on average score any lower than the control group, children without mobile phones.
This study backs up Naomi S. Baron's article "Instant Messaging and the Future of Language" where she states that "Anecdotal evidence suggests that a number of their [students nine or 10] teachers, not wanting to be branded as troglodytes out of touch with contemporary culture, tolerate IM novelties in classroom written assignments"(31). She continues to write that that means "No harm, but only if these same teachers ensure their students develop a solid grasp of traditional writing conventions as well"(31).
On this second point I disagree with Baron. Even at a young age students need to grasp the concept of discourse community (not necessarily knowing the word and its meaning but knowing who you are writing for and how they will judge your writing). Discourse community, as defined by James Porter is "a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated"(WAW 91). In other words, whoever that will read, judge (grade), or discuss your document is the discourse community that you are writing for. When texting (unless you are texting about a formal matter) your discourse community is whoever you are texting. What students of all ages need to learn is to change how they write based on what discourse community they are writing for.
Teachers telling young children that it is alright to use digital messaging slang in school writing could lead to those students not learning the proper rules and spellings of words in the English language. Getting in the habit of using improper spelling and grammar in formal writing at a young age could have severe negative affects on someone's writing ability in the future. Using improper spelling and grammar in digital messaging will only not affect language abilities if you already have a firm grasp on the language and can draw the line when switching between discourse communities.
Multiple studies have been carried out suggesting that there is no negative relationship between texting quality and formal writing quality in native English speakers. In the article written by Latisha Asmaak Shafie, Norizul Azida, and Nazira Osman "SMS Language and College Writing: The Language of the College Texters", they describe a study at Universiti Teknologi Mara in Perlis, Malaysia. They examined texts sent in English and how they correlate to spelling and grammar in formal writing. 264 texters participated in the study, 94 being male and 170 being female. They were ages 18-22. They conclude that "There was not significant differences in grammar and spelling which revealed that frequency of texting had no effect on their grammar and spelling. Frequency of texting only had effects on grammar and spelling competencies on students whose language and communication skills at beginner level"(30). The study, being undertaken in Malaysia, contained speakers native to English and those not native to English. This conclusion supports that people who already know the rules of a language will not forget those rules because of texting.
In the article "The effect of text messaging on 9- and 10-year-old children's reading, spelling and phonological processing skills" the authors C. Wood, E. Jackson, L. Hart, B. Plester, and L. Wilde narrate a study conducted by Coventry University in which 9 and 10 year old students were give mobile phones with only texting service for 10 weeks, only to be used on weekends. With periodic English exams, the children with the phones did not on average score any lower than the control group, children without mobile phones.
This study backs up Naomi S. Baron's article "Instant Messaging and the Future of Language" where she states that "Anecdotal evidence suggests that a number of their [students nine or 10] teachers, not wanting to be branded as troglodytes out of touch with contemporary culture, tolerate IM novelties in classroom written assignments"(31). She continues to write that that means "No harm, but only if these same teachers ensure their students develop a solid grasp of traditional writing conventions as well"(31).
On this second point I disagree with Baron. Even at a young age students need to grasp the concept of discourse community (not necessarily knowing the word and its meaning but knowing who you are writing for and how they will judge your writing). Discourse community, as defined by James Porter is "a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated"(WAW 91). In other words, whoever that will read, judge (grade), or discuss your document is the discourse community that you are writing for. When texting (unless you are texting about a formal matter) your discourse community is whoever you are texting. What students of all ages need to learn is to change how they write based on what discourse community they are writing for.
Teachers telling young children that it is alright to use digital messaging slang in school writing could lead to those students not learning the proper rules and spellings of words in the English language. Getting in the habit of using improper spelling and grammar in formal writing at a young age could have severe negative affects on someone's writing ability in the future. Using improper spelling and grammar in digital messaging will only not affect language abilities if you already have a firm grasp on the language and can draw the line when switching between discourse communities.
Works Cited
Baron, Naomi S. "Instant Messaging And The Future Of Language." Communications Of The ACM 48.7 (2005): 29-31. Computers & Applied Sciences Complete. Web. 24 Sept. 2012.
L Wilde, et al. "The Effect Of Text Messaging On 9-And 10-Year-Old Children's Reading, Spelling And Phonological Processing Skills." Journal Of Computer Assisted Learning 27.1 (n.d.): 28-36. Social Sciences Citation Index. Web. 24 Sept. 2012.
Shafie, Latisha Asmaak, Norizul Azida, and Nazira Osman. "SMS Language And College Writing: The Languages Of The College Texters." International Journal Of Emerging Technologies In Learning 5.1 (2010): 26-31. Education Research Complete. Web. 24 Sept. 2012.
Wardle, Elizabeth and Downs, Doug, eds. Writings about Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Reading Response 9
I am looking at an article titled "Cities that Smell" in a magazine. The writing is presented as lists with different headings, each naming a city and what it smelled like at one point in time. There is a picture of the statue of liberty.
Summary
In his article "Seeing the Text" Stephen Bernhardt argues for the importance of how a text visually appears. Different techniques for organizing writing can have different effects of how the writing is interpreted. Elements such as symmetry, contrast in colors between the text and background, and grouping similar looking sections together are all parts of the laws of gestalt.
Synthesis
This article relates to John Berger's article "Ways of Seeing" because they both discuss how something looks effects how it is interpreted. John Berger argues that changes in the pose and expression of women without clothing in old European paintings determines whether they are nude (being revealed for the pleasure of the observer) or naked (showing themselves as a piece of art). Bernhardt claims that how a piece of writing is organized and how other visual qualities effect its appearance.
Review
This article was difficult for me to follow. It has a lot of useful information and advice but it was not presented in a way that was very easy to understand.
QD
4. Specific formats help keep essays structured and on topic. Specific formats also make essays easier to follow and review. Not having a specific format would have its pros and cons. It would enable extra creativity in formating your writing but it would also make the essay harder to organize if you are not good at thinking of your own organization pattern.
AE
4. Facebook has many ways that it guides the user. On the left hand side of your homepage it shows different pages you can view and you messages, events, and friend groups. In the top right it shows different ways you can change your Facebook. To make interactions easier on Facebook it should be updated so that you can choose what kind of post you want to see on your news feed (statuses, music, pictures).
After You Read
McCloud would have presented this article with pictures to give the reader a better understanding of his points. Rather than write about how text should look, he would have presented multiple pictures as examples rather than just including one document. I prefer McCloud's way of writing articles.
MM
Visually thinking about text is most appropriate in comics, newspapers, magazines, advertisements, and other places where images can be used to compliment text. Project two will probably include the most visual thinking of text because it will include other elements than just text.
Summary
In his article "Seeing the Text" Stephen Bernhardt argues for the importance of how a text visually appears. Different techniques for organizing writing can have different effects of how the writing is interpreted. Elements such as symmetry, contrast in colors between the text and background, and grouping similar looking sections together are all parts of the laws of gestalt.
Synthesis
This article relates to John Berger's article "Ways of Seeing" because they both discuss how something looks effects how it is interpreted. John Berger argues that changes in the pose and expression of women without clothing in old European paintings determines whether they are nude (being revealed for the pleasure of the observer) or naked (showing themselves as a piece of art). Bernhardt claims that how a piece of writing is organized and how other visual qualities effect its appearance.
Review
This article was difficult for me to follow. It has a lot of useful information and advice but it was not presented in a way that was very easy to understand.
QD
4. Specific formats help keep essays structured and on topic. Specific formats also make essays easier to follow and review. Not having a specific format would have its pros and cons. It would enable extra creativity in formating your writing but it would also make the essay harder to organize if you are not good at thinking of your own organization pattern.
AE
4. Facebook has many ways that it guides the user. On the left hand side of your homepage it shows different pages you can view and you messages, events, and friend groups. In the top right it shows different ways you can change your Facebook. To make interactions easier on Facebook it should be updated so that you can choose what kind of post you want to see on your news feed (statuses, music, pictures).
After You Read
McCloud would have presented this article with pictures to give the reader a better understanding of his points. Rather than write about how text should look, he would have presented multiple pictures as examples rather than just including one document. I prefer McCloud's way of writing articles.
MM
Visually thinking about text is most appropriate in comics, newspapers, magazines, advertisements, and other places where images can be used to compliment text. Project two will probably include the most visual thinking of text because it will include other elements than just text.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Reading Response 8
Getting Ready to Read
When I write I get help from my family if I am around them, my friends, and my teachers. I also use the internet and books. All of these people and sources give me help, ideas, advice, feedback, or assistance.
Summary
In his article "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community" James Porter argues for a theory called intertextuality; that all texts are connected and all writing is borrowed from other writing. This redefines plagiarism because it calls every writer ever a plagiarist by the definition of plagiarism taught in high school. Iterability and presupposition are the two different types of intertextuality. Iterability is the borrowing anything from "explicit allusions, references and quotations" to "cliches, phrases in the air, and traditions" (89). Presuppositions are assumptions that you make about a text based on the text. He also explains discourse communities, groups that circulate and review pieces of writing. What discourse community you are writing for determines how you will write and what views you will have in your writing.
Synthesis
This article relates to Margaret Kantz's article "Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively" and Michael Kleine's article because they all discuss how writers gather information from sources and use it to make one document. These three articles are all for different audiences.
Review
I found the concept presented in this article, intertextuality, to be interesting but the article as a whole was dry and boring. It is interesting t think that everything you write is a result of what you have read and what has been referenced to you. Is intertextuality still relevant for young children who have not read much?
QD
4. In the past I have thought that writing should be evaluated differently depending on what kind of writing it is but in general creativity, persuasiveness, grammar and spelling, and educational qualities. In the past my writing has been evaluated mostly on grammar and spelling and how to follow directions.
5. To write this article he must have gotten inspiration, facts, opinions, and arguments from other sources. This supports his principles because it means that he in his discourse community he has gathered information to write this article. It means that his article is the result of the synthesis of other articles, and that is intertextuality.
AE
2. Plagiarism is claiming credit for someone else's work. People are sometimes charged with plagiarism because they use the ideas of other authors. Porter argues that all ideas are borrowed so that should not be a part of plagiarism. Porter would write a plagiarism policy that allows students to borrow work from other authors as long as you are not directly taking their ideas. The original policy is more stricter and would get more people accused of plagiarism.
Meta Moment
This article has less made me change the way I imagine writers and writing and more made me think about them in this way for the first time. Adopting this idea would change the way I write because it would make me use other sources and other people's writing much more. I would not think of myself as alone when writing papers, I would use other papers written by other people.
intertextuality the principle that all writing and speech arise from a single network. 88
iterability and presupposition two kinds of intertext 88
intertextuality examples 89 91
When I write I get help from my family if I am around them, my friends, and my teachers. I also use the internet and books. All of these people and sources give me help, ideas, advice, feedback, or assistance.
Summary
In his article "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community" James Porter argues for a theory called intertextuality; that all texts are connected and all writing is borrowed from other writing. This redefines plagiarism because it calls every writer ever a plagiarist by the definition of plagiarism taught in high school. Iterability and presupposition are the two different types of intertextuality. Iterability is the borrowing anything from "explicit allusions, references and quotations" to "cliches, phrases in the air, and traditions" (89). Presuppositions are assumptions that you make about a text based on the text. He also explains discourse communities, groups that circulate and review pieces of writing. What discourse community you are writing for determines how you will write and what views you will have in your writing.
Synthesis
This article relates to Margaret Kantz's article "Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively" and Michael Kleine's article because they all discuss how writers gather information from sources and use it to make one document. These three articles are all for different audiences.
Review
I found the concept presented in this article, intertextuality, to be interesting but the article as a whole was dry and boring. It is interesting t think that everything you write is a result of what you have read and what has been referenced to you. Is intertextuality still relevant for young children who have not read much?
QD
4. In the past I have thought that writing should be evaluated differently depending on what kind of writing it is but in general creativity, persuasiveness, grammar and spelling, and educational qualities. In the past my writing has been evaluated mostly on grammar and spelling and how to follow directions.
5. To write this article he must have gotten inspiration, facts, opinions, and arguments from other sources. This supports his principles because it means that he in his discourse community he has gathered information to write this article. It means that his article is the result of the synthesis of other articles, and that is intertextuality.
AE
2. Plagiarism is claiming credit for someone else's work. People are sometimes charged with plagiarism because they use the ideas of other authors. Porter argues that all ideas are borrowed so that should not be a part of plagiarism. Porter would write a plagiarism policy that allows students to borrow work from other authors as long as you are not directly taking their ideas. The original policy is more stricter and would get more people accused of plagiarism.
Meta Moment
This article has less made me change the way I imagine writers and writing and more made me think about them in this way for the first time. Adopting this idea would change the way I write because it would make me use other sources and other people's writing much more. I would not think of myself as alone when writing papers, I would use other papers written by other people.
intertextuality the principle that all writing and speech arise from a single network. 88
iterability and presupposition two kinds of intertext 88
intertextuality examples 89 91
Friday, September 14, 2012
Reading Response 7
Getting ready to Read
1. I do not update my Facebook profile often, so what it says about me is often outdated. I try to build an identity that represents me, but that is not easy because on Facebook you only write what you like and what you do, not how you do it. My identity at home actually involves my attitude, not just interests.
2. Using the first person makes writing much more personal because the reader interprets the writing as the thoughts of the writer, not just words on a page.
Summary
In his article "Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries" Peter Elbow argues for and against the use of voice in writing. He explains how the use of voice has many pros and cons. A he puts it, "First, I'm trying to help us learn to adopt contrary stances toward voice-reading texts through the lens of voice and also reading them through the lens of "text" or not-voice. We need the different and complementary insights we get from each kind of reading."
Synthesis
This article relates to John Berger's article "Ways of Seeing" because both of them discuss how one thing can have different meanings. Reading a text twice, once taking voice into account and once not, can lead to two different interpretations of the text.
Review
I found this text to be informative because it was unbiased and presented two different sides of an argument. He represented each side equally and argued for the use of both. I also found this article to be rather dry; very educational and very boring.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
2. Infographics can have a voice or be voiceless. Some infographics, such as maps, are created purely to display facts. Other may have a voice, such as infographics with a political agenda. I disagree with his statement because in writing certain types of drafts, such as persuasive essays, one may want to develop their voice in their first draft.
4. Yes, Elbow is playing his doubting and believing game because he is doubting each side of his own arguments and arguing against himself. Giving full airing to each side of the debate allows it to remain open and for neither side to trump the other. It is important to keep this up for debate because sometimes it is appropriate to use voice and sometimes it is not so people should know how to do each one.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
2. When you listen to a passage the readers voice will change and that will make you interpret different parts of the passage differently. It makes reading less complicated because you don't have to think as hard about how different phrases are supposed to be interpreted. Ear training has made me think less about a passage in the past because I already have thoughts about it because I am hearing it. I do not think that it should be used because it too strongly influences the reader/listener's thoughts.
3. Sincerity is emotion that the author puts into text in order to connect with the reader. Resonance is a small, lingering voice that the author puts into text in order to give it a slightly different feeling. I struggled to come up with the sentence for resonance because it is a more abstract concept than sincerity. I do not know how to use resonance effectively in my writing.
Meta Moment
Both methods need to coexist because they are useful at different times. Do not mix them at one time, but use them at different times. Do not use a weak voice as a compromise, rather mix a strong voice with no voice at all.
1. I do not update my Facebook profile often, so what it says about me is often outdated. I try to build an identity that represents me, but that is not easy because on Facebook you only write what you like and what you do, not how you do it. My identity at home actually involves my attitude, not just interests.
2. Using the first person makes writing much more personal because the reader interprets the writing as the thoughts of the writer, not just words on a page.
Summary
In his article "Voice in Writing Again: Embracing Contraries" Peter Elbow argues for and against the use of voice in writing. He explains how the use of voice has many pros and cons. A he puts it, "First, I'm trying to help us learn to adopt contrary stances toward voice-reading texts through the lens of voice and also reading them through the lens of "text" or not-voice. We need the different and complementary insights we get from each kind of reading."
Synthesis
This article relates to John Berger's article "Ways of Seeing" because both of them discuss how one thing can have different meanings. Reading a text twice, once taking voice into account and once not, can lead to two different interpretations of the text.
Review
I found this text to be informative because it was unbiased and presented two different sides of an argument. He represented each side equally and argued for the use of both. I also found this article to be rather dry; very educational and very boring.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
2. Infographics can have a voice or be voiceless. Some infographics, such as maps, are created purely to display facts. Other may have a voice, such as infographics with a political agenda. I disagree with his statement because in writing certain types of drafts, such as persuasive essays, one may want to develop their voice in their first draft.
4. Yes, Elbow is playing his doubting and believing game because he is doubting each side of his own arguments and arguing against himself. Giving full airing to each side of the debate allows it to remain open and for neither side to trump the other. It is important to keep this up for debate because sometimes it is appropriate to use voice and sometimes it is not so people should know how to do each one.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
2. When you listen to a passage the readers voice will change and that will make you interpret different parts of the passage differently. It makes reading less complicated because you don't have to think as hard about how different phrases are supposed to be interpreted. Ear training has made me think less about a passage in the past because I already have thoughts about it because I am hearing it. I do not think that it should be used because it too strongly influences the reader/listener's thoughts.
3. Sincerity is emotion that the author puts into text in order to connect with the reader. Resonance is a small, lingering voice that the author puts into text in order to give it a slightly different feeling. I struggled to come up with the sentence for resonance because it is a more abstract concept than sincerity. I do not know how to use resonance effectively in my writing.
Meta Moment
Both methods need to coexist because they are useful at different times. Do not mix them at one time, but use them at different times. Do not use a weak voice as a compromise, rather mix a strong voice with no voice at all.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Reading Response 6
Getting Ready to Read
To write I need to be in a very quiet place. I find any background conversation to be very distracting. I also need to be well rested. Other than these, I don't have any writing rituals.
Summary
In her article 'Decisions and Revisions' Carol Berkenhotter explains a detailed naturalistic study she did trying to figure out how scholars go about writing academic articles. In this study she has Donald Murray record himself as he worked on three different academic articles in his own workplace. She shows that in order to work some people must be in specific environments without time restrictions, which is why most studies about how scholars write are not effective.
Synthesis
This article relates to Sarah Allen's article 'The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer' because both articles address how people get ideas to write. Allen calls herself and 'inspired writer' because writing comes naturally to her, but she has to struggle against herself to not just write what comes to her but to also revise and add to it.
Personal Response
I felt that this article was interesting on the grounds that Berkenkotter used a method to conduct research that interrupted Murray's writing process as little as possible. The reading itself was dry and informative as are most of the articles that we have read.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 Murray's writing processes are much more elaborate than mine. In the past I have spent little time planning, I just write. It has worked in the past but I will have to change it for college classes. After I write I go back through my paper and revise it, correcting errors and tweaking sentences and paragraphs to sound better. I do not write down what I think of my work and change it later as Murray does, I just change it.
2. Berkenkotter concluded that Murray moves between planning, drafting, editing and revision. She was surprised that he only spent between 0% and 3% of his time on each article revising. It seemed to her that revising would take more time than that.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. I spend most of my time actually writing and thinking of what to say next. I write in a linear path, starting at the beginning and thinking of the best thing to say next that will get me a good grade. After I am done writing I go over the paper and correct any errors and edit my sentences to sound better. I have a low level of writing experience, just high school English class. This relates to how I spend my time writing because if I knew more about writing I might use a more sophisticated writing method.
Meta Moment
From these readings I have learned the importance of planning while writing. Murray spend more time on the planning step than any other step.
To write I need to be in a very quiet place. I find any background conversation to be very distracting. I also need to be well rested. Other than these, I don't have any writing rituals.
Summary
In her article 'Decisions and Revisions' Carol Berkenhotter explains a detailed naturalistic study she did trying to figure out how scholars go about writing academic articles. In this study she has Donald Murray record himself as he worked on three different academic articles in his own workplace. She shows that in order to work some people must be in specific environments without time restrictions, which is why most studies about how scholars write are not effective.
Synthesis
This article relates to Sarah Allen's article 'The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer' because both articles address how people get ideas to write. Allen calls herself and 'inspired writer' because writing comes naturally to her, but she has to struggle against herself to not just write what comes to her but to also revise and add to it.
Personal Response
I felt that this article was interesting on the grounds that Berkenkotter used a method to conduct research that interrupted Murray's writing process as little as possible. The reading itself was dry and informative as are most of the articles that we have read.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 Murray's writing processes are much more elaborate than mine. In the past I have spent little time planning, I just write. It has worked in the past but I will have to change it for college classes. After I write I go back through my paper and revise it, correcting errors and tweaking sentences and paragraphs to sound better. I do not write down what I think of my work and change it later as Murray does, I just change it.
2. Berkenkotter concluded that Murray moves between planning, drafting, editing and revision. She was surprised that he only spent between 0% and 3% of his time on each article revising. It seemed to her that revising would take more time than that.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1. I spend most of my time actually writing and thinking of what to say next. I write in a linear path, starting at the beginning and thinking of the best thing to say next that will get me a good grade. After I am done writing I go over the paper and correct any errors and edit my sentences to sound better. I have a low level of writing experience, just high school English class. This relates to how I spend my time writing because if I knew more about writing I might use a more sophisticated writing method.
Meta Moment
From these readings I have learned the importance of planning while writing. Murray spend more time on the planning step than any other step.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Reading Response 5 (Berger)
Before You Read
On the cover of a Rolling Stone magazine, Taylor Swift is pictured with a guitar. In this image the focus is on how attractive her face looks and the fact that she plays the guitar, two things that are essential to her career. In Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Mona Lisa" the focus is not of the beauty but the complexity of the woman and the artistic quality of the painting.
Robert Patterson and Jessica Simpson are both pictured on the cover of different issues of People magazine. In his picture, Patterson is on shown from the top of his torso up, posing to look very serious and mysterious, as if there is more to him than meets the eye. Simpson is pictured with sitting down and leaning forward with the majority of her body in the photograph. She is looking directly at the camera and smiling widely, with the focus on her looks. The photo is much simpler than the photo of Patterson.
Summary
In his article 'Ways of Seeing', John Berger attempts to convince the reader that there is a clear difference between naked and nude depictions of people, particularly women, in classic European art. Nakedness in art is showing your own beauty for your own delight while nude artwork is revealing for the pleasure of the observer. He argues that almost all classic European oil paintings that depicted women without clothing were of nude women and were painted for the delight of men. This carries over into society today where men are the surveyors and women are the surveyed and in order to appear better women become surveyors of themselves from the point of view of men.
Synthesis
This relates to McCloud's 'Vocabulary of Comics' because both articles dive into how we view images. McCloud focuses on low detailed drawings such as cartoons are recognizable as universal symbols while Berger writes about highly detailed classic European oil paintings. This also relates to Greene's 'Argument as Conversation.' The frame that most of the paintings Berger discusses were painted to be looked at through a frame of sexual desire for the woman in the painting. These he describes as being nude, while naked paintings are to be looked at with the frame of admiring the woman for her beauty.
Personal Response
When this article was written in the 1970s it was more accurate with its statements about how women's representation in art carried on to how they are treated today. It may still hold some truth but today women are thought of as equals of men. It may be hard to tell how much truth his bit on the surveyor vs surveyed still holds because most people don't talk about how they view people.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 I think that the artists who painted these paintings knew what they were doing because they are obviously very talented artists and have studied their subject intensely. They would know how to paint a women to be appealing to a male onlooker (nude) or how to paint a women to show off her beauty (naked).
2 Most of the time that I see women posed in advertisements is in magazines or on television commercials. They are often trying to sell an article of clothing or an accessory that they are wearing and they will strike a pose that shows off the product. Women in advertisements look pretty to show that if you wear their product you will also look pretty. This is different than the paintings discussed by Berger because in the paintings the women are the product. They are what is meant to be looked at rather than what they are wearing.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1 American Revolutionary war heroes, such as George Washington, have been depicted in many paintings such as "Washington Crossing the Delaware." In these paintings they are always portrayed as being powerful. It relates to what Berger writes on page 208 "A man's presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies." George Washington promises lots of moral, physical, and social power and so in the painting of his crossing of the Delaware river Washington has a very strong presence. There is a gap between these paintings and the ones that Berger viewed because the images are supposed to be representations of how strong and brave the men were.
3 Positioning is an important factor of how an image should be viewed in modern images but is not the only one. There are other factors, such as the facial expression of the woman and her background. I see this on magazine covers, such as the ones I described in the pre-reading exercises.
Meta Moment
The difference between nude and naked is result of how the artist portrayed what he was painting. This relates to the tone in writing, which is the attitude with which the author writes. These are both examples of how an author or painter could write or paint the same subject twice, but with a completely different meaning. Also the concept of the viewer is important in literature because the author will write with a tone that they think will satisfy their suspected audience, or viewers.
On the cover of a Rolling Stone magazine, Taylor Swift is pictured with a guitar. In this image the focus is on how attractive her face looks and the fact that she plays the guitar, two things that are essential to her career. In Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Mona Lisa" the focus is not of the beauty but the complexity of the woman and the artistic quality of the painting.
Robert Patterson and Jessica Simpson are both pictured on the cover of different issues of People magazine. In his picture, Patterson is on shown from the top of his torso up, posing to look very serious and mysterious, as if there is more to him than meets the eye. Simpson is pictured with sitting down and leaning forward with the majority of her body in the photograph. She is looking directly at the camera and smiling widely, with the focus on her looks. The photo is much simpler than the photo of Patterson.
Summary
In his article 'Ways of Seeing', John Berger attempts to convince the reader that there is a clear difference between naked and nude depictions of people, particularly women, in classic European art. Nakedness in art is showing your own beauty for your own delight while nude artwork is revealing for the pleasure of the observer. He argues that almost all classic European oil paintings that depicted women without clothing were of nude women and were painted for the delight of men. This carries over into society today where men are the surveyors and women are the surveyed and in order to appear better women become surveyors of themselves from the point of view of men.
Synthesis
This relates to McCloud's 'Vocabulary of Comics' because both articles dive into how we view images. McCloud focuses on low detailed drawings such as cartoons are recognizable as universal symbols while Berger writes about highly detailed classic European oil paintings. This also relates to Greene's 'Argument as Conversation.' The frame that most of the paintings Berger discusses were painted to be looked at through a frame of sexual desire for the woman in the painting. These he describes as being nude, while naked paintings are to be looked at with the frame of admiring the woman for her beauty.
Personal Response
When this article was written in the 1970s it was more accurate with its statements about how women's representation in art carried on to how they are treated today. It may still hold some truth but today women are thought of as equals of men. It may be hard to tell how much truth his bit on the surveyor vs surveyed still holds because most people don't talk about how they view people.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 I think that the artists who painted these paintings knew what they were doing because they are obviously very talented artists and have studied their subject intensely. They would know how to paint a women to be appealing to a male onlooker (nude) or how to paint a women to show off her beauty (naked).
2 Most of the time that I see women posed in advertisements is in magazines or on television commercials. They are often trying to sell an article of clothing or an accessory that they are wearing and they will strike a pose that shows off the product. Women in advertisements look pretty to show that if you wear their product you will also look pretty. This is different than the paintings discussed by Berger because in the paintings the women are the product. They are what is meant to be looked at rather than what they are wearing.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1 American Revolutionary war heroes, such as George Washington, have been depicted in many paintings such as "Washington Crossing the Delaware." In these paintings they are always portrayed as being powerful. It relates to what Berger writes on page 208 "A man's presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies." George Washington promises lots of moral, physical, and social power and so in the painting of his crossing of the Delaware river Washington has a very strong presence. There is a gap between these paintings and the ones that Berger viewed because the images are supposed to be representations of how strong and brave the men were.
3 Positioning is an important factor of how an image should be viewed in modern images but is not the only one. There are other factors, such as the facial expression of the woman and her background. I see this on magazine covers, such as the ones I described in the pre-reading exercises.
Meta Moment
The difference between nude and naked is result of how the artist portrayed what he was painting. This relates to the tone in writing, which is the attitude with which the author writes. These are both examples of how an author or painter could write or paint the same subject twice, but with a completely different meaning. Also the concept of the viewer is important in literature because the author will write with a tone that they think will satisfy their suspected audience, or viewers.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Reading Response 4 (McCloud)
Before You Read
My favorite comic is Calvin and Hobbes. I feel that I relate to the character Calvin because he has a very active imagination; he imagines that his stuffed tiger is a real tiger and that they are best friends. As a young child I also had a strong imagination and often daydreamed.
In the room that I am in there is a cup with a design on it that is a circle with a line of writing and underneath the writing there is a red semicircle containing a small picture of a drop of water. This looks like a face, with the writing being the eyes, the semicircle being the mouth, and the water drop being the tongue. There is also an electricity outlet that looks very much like a face. I can look at the logo without seeing a face, but not the outlet because it obviously has the features of two eyes and a nose, while the logo takes more imagination to pick out a face.
Summary
In "Vocabulary on Comics" Scott McCloud argues that the reason that comics are more accepted than more detailed drawings or pictures is that what you take most of the details out of a picture people focus on the remaining ones. For instance, in the example that McCloud uses the reason that we view a simple face of a man (a circle with dots for eyes and a line for a mouth) as more manlike than a detailed drawing of a man's face is that the eyes and mouth of a person are two of the most recognizable features of a face. In the simple drawing we focus on those features. When you try to picture your own face without a mirror it is easiest to picture those features. Also the simple drawing represents more people than the detailed drawing. When you see a detailed drawing you think of the person that it is of, but when you see a circle with two dots and a line you think of any face.
This article relates to Stuart Greene's article "Argument as Conversation: The Role of Inquiry in Writing a Researched Argument" through the topic of framing. McCloud discusses how we mentally frame everything we see with dots and lines to look like a face. This comes from our obsession with ourselves. The front of a car does not look anything like a human face, but we see two headlights and a bumper and think of ourselves.
I found this article incredibly more interesting than any of the other articles we have read so far. The cartoon form made it more fun to read and the pictures were a nice break from words. I also enjoyed the topic; I find pictures and symbols more entertaining than research methods.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 Adults still like the simplicity of cartoons because it makes them easy to understand and relate too. Watching cartoons and reading comics as a whole does not become inappropriate at any age because there are so many different types of cartoons and comics. For example, nobody is too old to read this article and it is a comic. I believe that McCloud would have a very similar opinion on the subject.
2 The comic book format is more pleasing to the eyes. I will always find pictures and symbol more entertaining than paragraphs. Also, with his subject being on cartoons it seems appropriate for him to write his article as a cartoon. If only expressed through writing, his points would not have made as big of an impact on me because I would not have found them nearly as interesting so I would have not paid as much attention. He would have also needed more words to make up for the loss of pictures. For example he would have had to describe all of the faces that are depicted on page 9.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1 Yes, it would be beneficial for teaching to include more visual imagery because it is more interesting than text and when something is interesting it is easier to pay attention to and remember. Students would get more out of lessons that included pictures, particularly English and History.
3 Many adults say that they "grow out" of watching cartoons because most cartoons are directed for younger people. The majority of cartoons (such as Spongebob and The Flintstones)are directed towards children. Other cartoons such as Family Guy are directed towards teenagers and young adults. In my opinion, after people grow out of those genres of cartoons they simply do not find cartoons that fit their sense of humor, even though such cartoons exist.
My favorite comic is Calvin and Hobbes. I feel that I relate to the character Calvin because he has a very active imagination; he imagines that his stuffed tiger is a real tiger and that they are best friends. As a young child I also had a strong imagination and often daydreamed.
In the room that I am in there is a cup with a design on it that is a circle with a line of writing and underneath the writing there is a red semicircle containing a small picture of a drop of water. This looks like a face, with the writing being the eyes, the semicircle being the mouth, and the water drop being the tongue. There is also an electricity outlet that looks very much like a face. I can look at the logo without seeing a face, but not the outlet because it obviously has the features of two eyes and a nose, while the logo takes more imagination to pick out a face.
Summary
In "Vocabulary on Comics" Scott McCloud argues that the reason that comics are more accepted than more detailed drawings or pictures is that what you take most of the details out of a picture people focus on the remaining ones. For instance, in the example that McCloud uses the reason that we view a simple face of a man (a circle with dots for eyes and a line for a mouth) as more manlike than a detailed drawing of a man's face is that the eyes and mouth of a person are two of the most recognizable features of a face. In the simple drawing we focus on those features. When you try to picture your own face without a mirror it is easiest to picture those features. Also the simple drawing represents more people than the detailed drawing. When you see a detailed drawing you think of the person that it is of, but when you see a circle with two dots and a line you think of any face.
This article relates to Stuart Greene's article "Argument as Conversation: The Role of Inquiry in Writing a Researched Argument" through the topic of framing. McCloud discusses how we mentally frame everything we see with dots and lines to look like a face. This comes from our obsession with ourselves. The front of a car does not look anything like a human face, but we see two headlights and a bumper and think of ourselves.
I found this article incredibly more interesting than any of the other articles we have read so far. The cartoon form made it more fun to read and the pictures were a nice break from words. I also enjoyed the topic; I find pictures and symbols more entertaining than research methods.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 Adults still like the simplicity of cartoons because it makes them easy to understand and relate too. Watching cartoons and reading comics as a whole does not become inappropriate at any age because there are so many different types of cartoons and comics. For example, nobody is too old to read this article and it is a comic. I believe that McCloud would have a very similar opinion on the subject.
2 The comic book format is more pleasing to the eyes. I will always find pictures and symbol more entertaining than paragraphs. Also, with his subject being on cartoons it seems appropriate for him to write his article as a cartoon. If only expressed through writing, his points would not have made as big of an impact on me because I would not have found them nearly as interesting so I would have not paid as much attention. He would have also needed more words to make up for the loss of pictures. For example he would have had to describe all of the faces that are depicted on page 9.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
1 Yes, it would be beneficial for teaching to include more visual imagery because it is more interesting than text and when something is interesting it is easier to pay attention to and remember. Students would get more out of lessons that included pictures, particularly English and History.
3 Many adults say that they "grow out" of watching cartoons because most cartoons are directed for younger people. The majority of cartoons (such as Spongebob and The Flintstones)are directed towards children. Other cartoons such as Family Guy are directed towards teenagers and young adults. In my opinion, after people grow out of those genres of cartoons they simply do not find cartoons that fit their sense of humor, even though such cartoons exist.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Research Tools: Summary
ArticlesPlus-Finding Scholarship
Scholarly articles make great sources for research papers. To use the Ohio University database for these articles, first go to the Alden homepage and click on the ArticlesPlus tab. Type in a word or phrase you want to find articles about and press search. On the left side of your results screen you will find the "Refine your results" option. Check any of the boxes to filter the articles shown. Some articles can be viewed in PDF form, which allows you to print, save, email, or do even more things with it. For the articles that cannot be found in PDF form click the Find it button and you may be able to find it in other Alden databases or through OhioLINK.
How to Find a Book
Although the massive stacks of books in Alden library may be intimidating and confusing at first, after you learn how it will be very easy to find a book. To find a book in the library, first find it in the online catalog. If you don't know what book you want, then you can type in keywords for your subject. Separating keywords with the word and will make the search engine give you better results. Once you select a book that you want, click on it and record the book's call number. This page will also show you which floor the book is on. Finally you can go to the floor of the library with your book and follow the signs to the section that has your books call number. Around your book you will most likely find other books on similar topics as the one you were looking for. All you have left to do is go to the desk on the second or fourth floor to check out your book using your student ID.
If you ever need to check a book out that Alden library doesn't have or that is currently being used, OhioLINK is a way to get a copy of that book quickly. It lets students request books from other libraries around Ohio. To use it, first look up a book using Alden library's search engine. If it is not available, click the Search OhioLINK button on the right. You will be taken to a screen that shows copies of the book that are available in Ohio. Click the request button and select your school (Ohio U) on the next page. The final page asks you to login using your Ohio ID and password and to select a pickup location (Alden). After about three business days of completing these steps you will receive an email telling you that your book has arrived.
Project 1 proposal
Why facts are just claims.
Most visible in textbooks, especially history books.
It influences how we think about text because we take statements that the text present as a fact to be completely true, when in reality it could be exaggerated or not true at all.
It directs us to write stating that things that may not be true are true.
It makes us think that history books are good writing when in reality they could be inaccurate or slanted.
facts, claims, angle, statement, persuasion, inaccurate.
idea 2
Texting is ruining our grammar and spelling.
This construct is most visible in English teachers who tell you that by texting improper grammar you will develop improper grammar.
It makes us think that grammar and spelling are not very important.
It directs us to write with improper grammar and spelling when not texting.
It may make us think that good writing does not need to include accurate grammar and spelling.
how texting is ruining grammar and spelling, why texting has not affect on grammar and spelling, why people need to put accurate grammar and spelling into texts.
Most visible in textbooks, especially history books.
It influences how we think about text because we take statements that the text present as a fact to be completely true, when in reality it could be exaggerated or not true at all.
It directs us to write stating that things that may not be true are true.
It makes us think that history books are good writing when in reality they could be inaccurate or slanted.
facts, claims, angle, statement, persuasion, inaccurate.
idea 2
Texting is ruining our grammar and spelling.
This construct is most visible in English teachers who tell you that by texting improper grammar you will develop improper grammar.
It makes us think that grammar and spelling are not very important.
It directs us to write with improper grammar and spelling when not texting.
It may make us think that good writing does not need to include accurate grammar and spelling.
how texting is ruining grammar and spelling, why texting has not affect on grammar and spelling, why people need to put accurate grammar and spelling into texts.
Reading Response 3
Getting Ready to Read
A fact is a statement that is know to be true and can be proven.
A claim is a statement that someone believes to be true and tells others is true.
An opinion is an explanation or statement that may be true or false.
An argument is a difference in opinions, ranging from a verbal fight to a scholarly debate or conversation
In her article "Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively", Margaret Kantz attempts to teach students to not just tell a story or inform the reader with research papers but also make an argument and take a side, trying to convince the reader why your side of the argument is right. She argues that even though this form of writing is more difficult, it is the only legitimate way to write a scholarly research paper. Using a made up college student name Shirley she explains how college professors will not give good grades to students who retell the information from their sources because it is too simple of a method. Kantz also explains how facts are often not facts at all but claims, claims trying to get one to think a certain way about an issue. Part of researching is figuring out which of the claims are accurate and using those to make your paper more accurate and persuasive. You should not start researching already knowing what your opinion will be, rather you should form it based on your sources.
This article relates strongly to Kleine's article "What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One-and How Can We Get Students to Join Us?" because both articles are attempting to convince the reader to do more in depth research. Kleine argues that research is not a linear process and students who just copy text are doing it wrong. Kantz wants students to form an opinion out of their research and explain it in their paper. That is also a topic in Stuart Greene's article "Argument as Conversation" as he states that you should frame an argument with your research. Both authors state in their articles that in your paper you should make points about your subject that have never been made before.
Questions for Discussion and Journaling
1 Kantz contends that facts, opinions, and arguments are much more closely related than one might have thought. Facts, as she puts it, are just claims, as are opinions. Since with some 'facts' (the number of people in a battle, the reason for a war, e.t.c.) are not actually known exactly people cannot report what is actually fact. This is why different sources may have different facts. Also, on events that involved two groups going against each other each group may have reported different facts about the event, making their side of the issue more justified. These facts are merely opinions. Because facts are just opinions, arguments are just debates about whose facts or opinions are accurate. Kantz looks at argument in a similar was as Greene, as a way of sharing ideas.
2 Students think that textbooks tell the whole truth. Students don't realize that you need to present an original argument in a research paper, not just tell about your topic. Many students read sources as stories. Students do not understand that facts are closer to claims. Kantz is correct about these statements, most students do not understand these parts of writing, partially because low level English instructors (high school teachers) do not teach these concepts. From reading this article, I believe that I understand all of these concepts.
Applying and Exploring Ideas
2 Prior to this class, creativity and research have not been used together very much for me. When doing research papers, my thesis usually requires creativity, but after I am able to come up with it little creativity is required in writing the rest of my paper. I have written papers similar to Shirley's paper, telling the story of my topic but not arguing a point on it. Kantz talks about using lots of creativity in papers, a better method than how I have been previously instructed. You need creativity to be able to form a good argument.
Meta Moment
Kantz is mainly trying to analyze the construct that research papers to not need to be persuasive. She writes about the construct that textbooks tell facts, while in reality they tell claims. These are useful to understand because they will help me with writing in the future.
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