Final Portfolio

       English was always my favorite subject in high school. I took many creative writing classes, because my favorite thing to do when writing is to use my imagination and include myself into my stories. However, writing research papers was always a struggle for me. I didn't always understand how to switch up audiences when writing, and to use my sources as a way to tie different ideas together. I never thought I would be able to learn how so when I heard college English courses were filled with writing research papers I was panicked. All I could think about was that I was going to get a bad grade and not write to the best of my ability. But, when I walked into the door of our English 151 class, that all changed.
         Seeing the words "Grading Contract", and hearing the explanation, literally lifted a thousand loads off of my back. I found myself tackling the different readings and writing assignments with ease. I focused more on what I got out of the assignment and not what was exactly correct. This helped me figure out different things on my own, and actually learn the material. I feel as if with every new reading, I learned something new. Gradually throughout the course I believe my writing improved. I learned how to adjust to different audiences and focus on different types of writing. I learned how to gather a bunch of sources and combine them in a way that I could base my ideas off of. Learning about inter-text really helped me a lot when it came to writing. I was able to "read between the lines" of certain authors and use the information to use my knowledge and create new meanings of that information. Using sources is key in writing, and I have so much confidence in that ability now that I went through this course.
         When I came home for break, I had my dad look over my fourth paper. Just five minutes into it, he looked at me and said "Lanie, I can't help but feel that these aren't your own words, you are not the type of person that knows what a discourse community or a literacy sponsor is". That made me feel great, because with confidence I told him exactly what those things and how they tied into writing and every day life, and he was astonished. I have re-read my fourth paper and I honestly think that I sound like a completely different writer from when I first started. I know that I struggle with getting my point across sometimes and that I don't always stay on task, but I feel that it mostly sounded like a scholarly article. I was able to quote sources when I needed to, and paraphrase and site them when needed to also. I learned how to include counter-arguments with my writing, and although I struggled with backing up my arguments, I think that now I have a good idea how to. It's amazing how someone's writing can change over a few weeks.
          Another great thing about this course was peer editing. I have always been a fan of peer editing. I believe that it is a great way for young writers to hear from their peers and understand how to make their writing better. I really strived to help my peers out when I edited, and I learned that sometimes it's hard to be honest, but that in the end, criticism  is so helpful when writing.
          I feel as if I deserve an A because I really did learn from this course. I believe that throughout the course my writing improved and that I got a better sense of what kind of writer I really am. Even if I didn't understand a reading, I tried to work around the difficult parts and learn from it. Everybody makes mistakes, and for writers those mistakes show on paper. Learning from our mistakes and seeing how we can better ourselves is what makes a grade A student. And I think I did that. I paid attention in class and participated when I felt I had a suitable addition to the conversation and I really strived to write to my best abilities. Thank you for a great ten weeks, I appreciate everything that you did Professor Whicker!

Paper 4: http://www.scribd.com/doc/85221897/Paper-4-Final
Major Re-Write: http://www.scribd.com/doc/86000816/Major-Re-write
Peer Revision: http://www.scribd.com/doc/86001593/Reed-s-Peer-Reponse
Other Additions: http://www.scribd.com/doc/86001637/Other-portfolio-additions

Paper #4 Final

With this paper, I was trying to shine a light on the flaws of standardized testing in English and writing. I focused on discourse communities and literacy sponsors to back up my explanation why there are flaws in these types of tests and I also included my own silent opinions. I used some scholarly writers as my sources and also focused on the thoughts of teachers. I argued that students learn how to write in different ways and learn to use past knowledge to create new interpretations and concepts off of new information to dig deeper when writing,  but that standardized tests focus on the formulaic aspects of writing and not the actual depth of writing. Standardized tests only follow their criteria and if it isn't followed than the writing is considered wrong. With the peer review I was able to see which sentences worked and which sentences didn't. I was rushed when writing my first draft, so going back through my paper and editing it really helped me make my paper the best it could be. I believe that my thoughts and information flow very well in my paper and I think it is easy to understand. However, I feel as if some things I wrote may not be understood in the way I would like, because I struggled with simplifying some of my sentences and ideas. If I had more time I believe I would have tried to interview a few teachers and students and get some direct feedback on my topic.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/85221897/Paper-4-Final

Reed's Peer Revision for Paper #4

http://www.scribd.com/doc/84319518/Reed-s-Peer-Revision-Paper-4

Dear Reed,

          I believe that one of your main points of your paper was that many students go through school not knowing exactly what plagiarism and how to prevent themselves from committing acts of plagiarism. That students plagiarize and receive the harshest punishments, but that they are never helped or taught in the beginning, so it makes it unfair for them. You also included patch-writing, ghost-writing, and intertextuality in your paper which I thought was a great way for you to explain what plagiarism actually is. You explained that some of these things are considered plagiarism but that some of them aren't which makes the definition of plagiarism not as clear. You talked about originality and that some forms of plagiarism are based on what other people have said, but that students are able to still include their own originality in their writing.
          Throughout your paper, you supported your argument with different authors and sources you found and also interviews you performed and your own opinion. I think that your introduction was strong by starting up a conversation with your readers and that your conversational tone flowed throughout your paper. However, I think that you should read over some of your sentences and try and make them a little more clearer. I think you could work on including some present thoughts with some background information for more of a synthesis in your paper. I hope that I was a big help with this, I really tried to help with the grammar and little mistakes and also help with the correction of sentences and putting some of your thoughts together. You did a great job!
Lanie :)

Paper #4 for peer revision

http://www.scribd.com/doc/84026931

With this paper, I was trying to present the problem that standardized testing of english does not test the actual depth and importance of writing. I tied in the fact that everyone learns how to read and write in a different way based on certain literacy sponsors, which also is one of the main influences on how students write. Also, I used discourse communities and the fact that there is no set definition for "good writing" to talk about how there should be no judgement with certain types of writing. I used many sources that went against standardized testing and talked about the damaging "formulaic writing" styles of these tests. Many of my sources argued that these standardized tests went against many things that teachers teach their students, like using their previous knowledge to form new concepts based on old events, and to also think more deeply into a topic and not just the over-layering of facts. I struggled with placing my information and thoughts in the correct order. I feel as if I need some guidance on the flow of the paper because I jumbled around quite a bit. I also think my sentences may be a little choppy and confusing so I would love all of the feedback! If I had more time I would have tied my ideas together more fluidly and wouldn't have seemed so rushed. Thank you for your patience! :)

Annotated Bibliography

http://www.scribd.com/doc/83576469

Introduction

What does knowledge mean to you? Is their a definite answer to this or have most of us been struggling with the true meaning for years? In a worldly perspective, knowledge cannot be determined by one person. It is one of those things that "lie in the eyes of the beholder", one person may see it in one way, but then another person may see it a whole different way.

To Be Continued....

With or Without Authority

In their article, "Reading and Writing without Authority", Penrose and Geisler attempts to compare and contact the different knowledge and authority levels between a first year student (Janet) and a doctoral student (Roger). They each used the same sources and same information to perform an academic task, and by the results of that task, the effects of authority and the claims of knowledge were made. They argue that differences in authority lie in the academic sphere, but depending on the amount of knowledge and ability to include yourself determines the amount of authority that effects your writing and reading.

QD
3. I think Janet's model means that she has been trained to read and learn the information and simply  re-werite it in her point of view or the ay she sees it, and Roger's model also reads and learns the information but for him he is always interpreting things in different and new ways, creating more depth.
4. I think Janet always included the authors even when it went agains her claims and views because she felt as if she was on the outside. She didn't know how to interpret the information in new ways and create a whole new meaning to the sources.
5. I think I am a little bit of both like Roger and Janet. This is because I do focus a lot of the information and transferring it into my paper, but I also like to tie my personal thoughts, stories, and opinions, making it easy for me to interpret the information in a different way. I have a long thought out process as well most of the time.

MM
One thing this article will help me is that now I will always focus on not being outside looking in when when writing, that I am my own authority figure and I must use my knowledge and take risks with arguments.

Reflection
I enjoyed this article because I think it is important for writers to understand the meaning of authority and that when one does not understand it, they feel as if they aren't knowledgable in the subject, and focus on their sources. I was confused at times, but I think I pulled my thoughts together.

Group Project: Paper #3 Final

With this website, my partners and I were trying to emphasize the importance of literacy and why one should value each and every piece of it. So many people do not have the option to become literate and they miss out on so many opportunities. One must acquire the proper literacy sponsors to become literate and a lot of people will never have that. We included our own thoughts and stories of how we became literate and why feel it is important, and we also included other famous stories about people becoming literate even if it was difficult for them. One of the accomplishments of becoming literate is digging deep inside yourself and doing something a lot of people would of never believed you could. We argued that many people may be literate, but they don't always value it the way it should be valued. I believe the things that flow really well is our introduction, values section and conclusion. I feel as if our thoughts and point were conveyed correctly, but I also feel as if some parts can be switched around or more detailed. WIth the peer editing, we were able to correct some parts that we missed. We included more information into the introduction, used more sources for our values and literacy sponsors section, and overall tweaked the whole thing to make it better. I think that the peer editing was very helpful for us. 


http://valueofliteracy.webs.com/

Authority in Discourse Communities

Wardle Summary
In her article, "Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in a New Workout", Elizabeth Wardle attempts to explain the meaning of identity, adjustment, and authority within a discourse community. Writers find their unique identities in every discourse community and they go through three modes of belonging. Wardle speaks through the story of Alan, who struggles with belonging, adjusting, and responding to authority. Overall, Wardle argues that even though many may make discourse communities seem to be easy to adjust to and easy to change, for many people it takes a lot of time and certain type of skills to be able to step out of certain boundaries and specific aspects of oneself.

QD
3. I believe that the change for Alan didn't happen in a positive way is because he was reluctant to change himself, he didn't feel the need to fit in, and he didn't know how to make it happen. If he would've had more of a drive and believed that changing would be for the better than it would've worked out.
4. From experience I definitely agree that we make unconscious choices when using language. Over time it becomes apart of us and without even knowing it we are using parts that come naturally to us. It's amazing that silently we are using language and not realizing it.
5. I agree more with Wardle because motivation and the drive lies within the person. I believe that the resisting of Alan could've been easily changed if he would've looked deep down in himself and realized change was necessary and for the better.
6. Alan is a member of the community. He was used for data and part of certain processes.
7. My softball coach all through high school lost his authority when certain events occurred in the season and every player and parent lost respect for him. I believe every authority figure should strive to keep peace but  also keep order. There is no order without peace.

AEI
1. Everyone is born and raised with different authority skills and I think when someone has authority over texts and within discourse communities, one is creating the example. They are showing the members what it means to be a part of that community, the interests and the goals one must have. In the discourse community they use take action sometimes and make sure everyone is following the correct protocol for that group. Personally, I am back and forth about my authority. When it comes to certain situations I can act like an authority figure but in others I cannot. For instance, I was captain of my volleyball and softball team and I was able to guide my team to the right path, but I also struggled my enforcing the rules and keeping my team in order.

Reflection
I enjoyed this reading. I think it was an easy read and with the story I found it very interesting. I think it is important for people to realize we all have our own identity, but in some cases we have to be able to change and adjust them. It may be hard at sometimes and you may think it is going against the things you believe in, but sometimes it's for the better.

Discourse Communities

Johns Summary
In her article, "Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice", Ann M. Johns attempts to explain social, political, academic and recreational communities, and the language, texts and values of certain discourse communities. She talks about the diversity and rebellion within a community, for instance she states, "even after individuals are fully initiated, many factors can separate them". This means a lot of individuals will rebel against their discourse community. Johns argues that academics and others may have similar thoughts and ideas, but when it comes to the broader view it can be quite diverse.

QD
1. Some complications are the cost of some discourse communities, things can be very costly and not very accommodated. There can be a lot authority and rebellious behavior within a community, like someone may not approve of the certain leader of that discussion. Also, there are critiques within a community that people don't agree with.
2. Change within a discourse community occurs when A member experience different events in their life that change their thoughts and motives to the point where they feel the need to change discourse communities. A time when this has happened is when Alexander Graham Bell changed his invention to the telephone after experiencing a change in knowledge.
3. I don't think writing for different communities made me lose a sense of self because everyone adjusts to certain situations and has the ability to write and think in different ways and still stay true to themselves.
4. When Johns talks about learning how to read and write I don't think it is possible for one to lose their identity because in eery piece of writing one can act as a different person, and base themselves soft of someone else, but they allays have their own identity. Identities are varied.
5. The authority in college has been so much more relaxed and pleasant than in high school. I feel as if we all have a purpose in our class to write and actually want to write more because there isn't a strong authoritative manner. We can write for ourselves and not for others, but to a point.
6. It's considered a minefield because sometimes there are no set boundaries. I have been punished before because of not following a certain outline, but also rewarded for stepping out of the box a few times.

MM
I think by reading Johns, I know that by joining a discourse community there are going to be specific rules and one is going to have to follow them, but also that there has to be a sense of self and individualism because the world is diverse and varies many ways.

Reflection
I enjoyed this article. I hope I understood it correctly, sometimes I go out on a limb and make up my own meanings in between lines. I really liked how she talked about the rebellion aspect of individuals within a discourse ebecause I feel like that may be one of the biggest problems.

Discourse Communities

Swales Summary
In his article, "The Concept of Discourse Community", John Swales attempts to explain the six main points and segments of a discourse community and the reasons behind each one. He talks about the procedural purposes and the public aspects of discourse communities. A discourse community is where a group develops the same ideas and same common goals. Swales argues that there are many discourse communities and they all have different characteristics, but when it comes to defining a discourse community it is all the same.

1. a. Common goals are made for each discourse community that are meant to be lived out and followed. My time as playing a sport my team and I were in the same discourse community, learning each play, and wanting the same goals out of each game.
b. Discourse communities have a certain way of communicating and have a set standard of how they communicate. Each discourse community focuses on each other and the common parts of the group, they know how to share their ideas with each other, and to other discourse communities one may not understand what they are talking about and why it's important. I guess I consider my friends and I a discourse community and that we have a lot of inside jokes and are able to communicate with each other in a way where some people may not be able to follow.
c. Discourse communities share information amongst each other in order to improve.
d. Each discourse community sets certain aims and expectations and they make it so that their successes are not taken by other discourse communities. This plays along in the secrets behind each group of people and family.
e. Discourse communities sometimes specialize in one type of genre and they acquire specific rings.
f. Discourse communities are interchangeable, people can come and go based on the change of interests and knowledge. Sometimes people realize they are better in one thing than another.

3. A first year college classroom wouldn't be considered a discourse community because at that point everyone has their own goals and are focusing more about themselves. However in a 4-year classroom it is more common for the people that have stuck together and learned together to come up with common goals and interests to form a community.
5. A discourse community I've participated in is my high school's softball team. Our common goals were winning every game, winning our conference, making it to districts, and improving as players. Our lexis was our inside information, what our coaches taught us, and the things we learned together. Our genres were the different parts of the game, defense and offense, fielding, and hitting.

MM
No I didn't learn anything really new because I had a good background of discourse communities after I did a lot of research for my first paper.

I thought this article is very informative, and I realized some things about discourse communities that I didn't before. I am a little confused on lexis, and genres however. I don't know if I answered some of the questions correctly because I might've mixed up some things.

Gee Summary
In his article, "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics: Introduction", James Paul Gee attempts to discuss the meaning of a Discourse, dominant and non-dominant discourses, fluency, maladaptation, and mushfake and their relation to literacy. He explains that a Discourse is like an "identity kit", it defines who or what you are in certain situations. Like a spy, a Discourse changes and adjusts to specific situations. Gee argues that in order for someone to be included in a discourse community, one must be fluent and they also must have similar ideological thoughts. He suggests that Discourses and discourse communities are related, yet different at the same time.

QD
3. Gee explains discourse with a lower case d means as being "stretches of language that make sense", they are parts of the Discourse. They are part of the whole being, the whole word, and the whole identity. This makes sense to me because I think I have a good view on what a Discourse is.
4. Primary Discourse is focused on themselves, they cannot be critiqued or served as a meta-element like secondary. Secondary Discourses contain dominant and non dominant discourses, they are what gives one power, they are the popular and get the most prestige.
5. It means that that a Discourse is all about one's identity, the individuality of each person. The implications are that one must have a certain identity in order to be involved in a certain Discourse.
6. Each Discourse represents a specific thing and depending on what they do, say, value, or believe they are taught and believe certain things. This ties along with Discourse and identity because a Discourse is specific identity and an identity that is inter-changeable.
7. He is saying that members of a certain discourse community focus and understand a type of language and they know when something is wrong when someone outside of the community is incorrect. An example I can think of is my softball team in high school and hearing other people talk about the fundamentals of softball and being completely wrong. Rumors fit into this as well.
8. Dominant Discourse tests happen so that the right people are included in the correct discourse community and that the communities that deserve praise get it.
11. Meta-knowledge is knowing how to control certain instincts and how to improve different situations.
12. A discourse I consider myself to be part of is an athlete discourse. I play and love all sports and I have been around so many and know the language and aspects of so many that I would be included in that type of community.

AEI
2. In the primary Discourse that I am in I always try and use correct grammar when writing or speaking. The common phrases I use came from my random mind and the crazy things I come up with. Also common things I've heard from my family and friends. Sometimes I talk really high or low to emphasize certain things that I say. I am also very polite and can be very professional with certain people. And the values that I have learned growing up are values that I will always hold onto and teach my kids. With the academic Discourse I have basically done the same thing. I try and always be grammatically correct, I still like to put all of my imagination into it, and I can be very professional when speaking. I was lucky that the values I grew up with were the values that I needed to follow in academics.
4. The conflicts between the Discourses is the professional level and the goofing off level. I tend to goof off a lot around my family and friends and with academics and schooling that isn't acceptable. I have to watch out for the times where I can let loose and the times where I need to be professional and not goof off. I navigate by understanding where and when the situation calls for a better and calmer attitude.

Reflection
I like the way this article taught me certain things about Discourse and the differences between a lot of parts of it. I was semi-confused when first reading this article. I couldn't decipher between two different things but I think after answering the questions it was easier to understand, although I don't know if I answered them correctly!

Group Project: Paper #3

With this website, my partners and I were trying to emphasize the importance of literacy and why one should value each and every piece of it. So many people do not have the option to become literate and they miss out on so many opportunities. One must acquire the proper literacy sponsors to become literate and a lot of people will never have that. We included our own thoughts and stories of how we became literate and why feel it is important, and we also included other famous stories about people becoming literate even if it was difficult for them. One of the accomplishments of becoming literate is digging deep inside yourself and doing something a lot of people would of never believed you could. We argued that many people may be literate, but they don't always value it the way it should be valued. I believe the things that flow really well is our introduction, values section and conclusion. I feel as if our thoughts and point were conveyed correctly, but I also feel as if some parts can be switched around or more detailed. If we had more time I think we would have included a few videos and made it even more pretty. We appreciate all the feedback so that we can improve it and make it even better than what we think it is.

http://valueofliteracy.webs.com/

Literacy

Cecchini and Perez Summary

In their article, "Motivation in Literacy", Tyler Cecchini and Hugo Perez attempt to decipher the methods of motivation to become literate, and to dig down deep, find out just how people view literacy, and what made them become literate today. By interviewing eight first-year honor students at the University of Central Florida, Cecchini and Perez were able to understand more of where all of their academic success in literacy has come from. They were able to find out their motivators, the reasons behind they felt the need to be literate, how technology plays a role, and just the overall feeling of being literate. The authors argue that although literacy can be learned in many different ways, in the end the advantages of being literate are the same and each person can excel in their own way. It doesn't matter how you became literate, but that you accomplished that goal and are prospering in life.

Answers to the questions in the boxes on pg. 449

I think that there is no logical flaw in the argument that motivation to become literate was to be able to read for fun, because I believe that that is the most motivation someone could have. When you love to read, you have more of a drive to challenge yourself and read more.

I think that the paragraph would be better after the heading of the section. This is because that is what the whole paper has done thus far and it ruins the flow.

Reflection

I actually really liked this writing. It was easy to read and I could relate to many of the interviewees answers. I believe in motivation from the people surrounding oneself and also the motivation that comes from inside. We all have to be able to motivate ourselves, and the people we love and are around can help with that.

Paper#4 research question

Is a writer's writing process and style based off of their personality?

Or

Does a writer's personality determine how they write and what they like to read?

Paper 2 Final Draft

With this paper, I focused on the creative aspect of my writing style. The routine, my surroundings, and my inspiration all are tied into how I do my writing and what I focus on when doing it. I compared certain writing processes to my own and was able to include stories and personal experience during my writing processes. I wanted to focus on where my writing processes come from and where I find all of my creativity in every type of writing I work on. No matter what type of writing it is, my writing process comes from the same place. My imagination. The peer revision only helped me with my confidence in my paper. After the praising comments I felt as if my paper was really great, so I went back and revised my own paper and tried to find ways I could make it better. I found that I needed to include more of my college writing experience, so I then wrote a little section that tied my college writing processes into it. The peer revision was nice because I did gain a lot of confidence which is really important when writing.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/81197121/Paper-2-final-draft

Literacy

Baron Summary
In his article, "From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies", Dennis Baron, attempts to explain and give his opinion and certain examples of how technology has changed the world of writing in negative ways. He argues that using technology is an easy way of becoming literate, but that it takes away some aspects of writing. He describes it as lazy writing.

QD
2. I do agree with Baron that the new technologies are fundamentally changing the shape or nature of writing, I believe too many people rely on technology in order to live their life.
4. Disposable cameras, typewriter, and little portable keyboards I remember having in middle school. These all still exist and the ideas are all still present, they have just been made into bigger and better things.
6. It was cool that he included the pictures in his writing more, they distracted from the words and proved some of his points.

I think this article was interesting because I am one person who has a love/hate relationship with technology. I sorta kinda hate it because I do believe it takes away from a lot of social interaction people should experience in life, but it is soooo helpful there is no way I could ever fully hate it. I'm so thankful I have the ability to be able to use it.

Malcom X Summary
In his article, "Learning to Read", Malcom X attempts to tell his story of how he learned to read and write when he spent his time in prison. He argues that anyone can gain the ability to read. Many who knew him would think he got a further education than eighth grade, but in fact he was the one that taught himself. He used the dictionary to rewrite the words and definitions. He found that he was able to remember the words and their meanings which improved his literacy in every way.

QD
1. Malcom X's audience is everybody struggling in some way. He proved that there is a way to defeat an obstacle that is holding you back wherever you may be in life.
2. He describes literacy as understanding words, their concepts, and how things form together. Once he starts to remember the meetings of the words he was able to tie them together in order to make sense of things he wanted to say.
3. His literacy sponsors were the prison, the books he read, and himself. I think he was able to learn everything from the books that he read and he used the motivation from inside his self to do these things.
4. I feel like Malcom might've misinterpreted some things because he was so set on having one thought an snot changing.
6. I believe the motivation to read has to with your drive to learn. Personally, I like to read for enjoyment, to have entertainment flooded into my brain through my eyes. I think when you really have the urge to fill your brain with new information and want to prove a point to yourself than the motivation to read is that more intense.

AEI
1. Technology helps everyone communicate and learn in a newer and easier way. I believe that because it is so easy, more people can become literate.

I enjoyed this article. I love to read inspiring stories, and I think it's awesome that Malcom X was able to teach himself. It was interesting reading what he had to say and comparing it to the topic we are now studying.

Alexie Summary
In his article, "The Joy of Reading and Writing", Sherman Alexie attempts to explain how he became to be a frequent reader, what he enjoys about it, and how he overcame his lower class. He argues that he began reading through comic books and figuring out the pictures and that his father was his reason he loved to write. He read all of the time and his love for reading and writing influenced his daily life.

QD
1. The expectations of society affect a child in many ways. As a child grows up they are influenced by the people around them. They follow the expectations that they are given because that is what they believe to be correct, each child struggles with figuring out their feelings for themselves. One example of children following the expectations of what people may have for them is, when children are born into a racist family and they see how racist their family is, they believe that the expectation is for them to be just as racist, to follow in their families footsteps. When a child sees something they believe that is what they must do.

AEI
1. yes, I believe that by reading these two stories readers believe that anyone can overcome poverty and discrimination in order to become literate or anything in the world. They are proof that it is possible which is an inspiration to all. I think one must focus on the certain aspects of what they are being tuahgt and their drive inside to overcome their problems.

I enjoyed this article very much. I think it's awesome that he was able to overcome discrimination. I also think it's nice his father was such a reader and writer and created such a great atmosphere for him to live in. With hundreds of books laying around a child is likely to stumble upon them.

Literacy

Brandt Summary

In her article, "Sponsors of Literacy", Deborah Brandt focuses on literacy skills and where they are acquired. She talks about sponsorship and access and the standards of literacy over time. She states "what I have tried to suggest is that as we assist and study individuals in pursuit of literacy, we also recognize how literacy is in pursuit of them". This may mean we all need literacy and eventually we will find each other.

QD

1.  They are “agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who teach, model, support, recruit, extort, deny, or suppress literacy and gain advantage by it in some way”. This means there are many characteristics of a literacy sponsor but that they all meet in the same category.

3. They focus on the higher class in society, they act as if one set individual is better than another.

4. I think by stratified she means put together, and the stakes are the meanings of literacy and the high standards.

AEI

1. My primary literacy sponsors have been my teachers, family, and friends. I've learned academic, social, and emotional literacies through those people. I learned how to apply both social and academic into my school work and my every day life. I haven't had much religious literacies. I have basically formed my own beliefs.

Reflection

I believe this was a decent article. I struggled with understanding everything she was trying to say and I feel as if I might've gotten some things mixed up when answering the questions. It was interesting to learn about literacy and how it ties into the daily lives of individuals.

Paper #2

Cover Letter

With this paper, I focused on the creative aspect of my writing style. The routine, my surroundings, and my inspiration all are tied into how I do my writing and what I focus on when doing it. I compared certain writing processes to my own and was able to include stories and personal experience during my writing processes. I wanted to focus on where my writing processes come from and where I find all of my creativity in every type of writing I work on. No matter what type of writing it is, my writing process comes from the same place. My imagination. I think I struggle staying on point and I would love every type of feedback in order to actually follow the concept of what the paper was supposed to entail. If I had more time I would have included more examples of my writing process. I hope you can at least semi-understand my paper.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/80384194

Writers on Writing

Lamott Summary
In her article, "Shitty First Drafts", Anne Lamott talks about her time as a food critic and explains to her readers how she would start off with a "shitty" first draft. This means that she would usually have long non-entertaining introductions with a lot of information, some useful, and some not. The draft would be a lot longer than what it should be and she was able to combine all of her thoughts to make a fluid and entertaining piece of writing.

King Summary
In his article, "What Writing Is?", Stephen King attempts to explain his view on the importance of taking writing seriously. He states "you must not come lightly to the blank page". This means you must take it seriously, put your heart into it. He also talks about his preferred writing area and the ways he does his writing.

Goodman Summary
In her article, "Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work", Allegra Goodman attempts to explain what the "inner critic" really means. She believes we are all smart enough to see that our talents are limited, that we can convince ourselves to whatever we feel necessary, and that we must follow our imagination.

Haruf Summary
In his article, "To See Your Story Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool over Your Own Eyes", Kent Haruf attempts to familiarize his audience with his exact ways of writing. He talks about the importance of the atmosphere and the knick knacks that lay around your writing space. He says "the things on my desk and the walls above it connect me emotionally to memories, ways of living, people and geographical areas that are important to me". When you have things around you that make you happy, the way you write is enhanced in a better way. He tells how he writes his first draft and that is blind. He actually takes off his glasses, pulls a knit cap over his eyes, and types. It his way of staying in touch with subliminal and subconscious impulses. Everyone has their own writing process.

Sontag Summary
In her article, "Directions: Write, Read, Rewrite. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 as Needed", Susan Sontag tells her story of when she was diagnosed with cancer when she was 8 chapters into a book she was writing. Her friend offered to help her finish it but she had to decline the offer because she feels that in order to write to her her best ability she must be able to see, read, and rewrite her writing. She explains that the love of reading thrills the mind for the passion of writing.

Diaz Summary
In his article, "Becoming a Writer", Junot Diaz shares his story on how he became a writer. He tells his readers his struggles and that it took him many years to get over writer's block and figuring out where he was going as a writer. He went through so many ups and downs in his life of writing and his stubbornness and passion for succeeding kept him in the game of writing.

Using These Essays
I believe that all of these articles contain their own metaphors and their own concepts. You can't really compare one to the other because I believe they all talk about different things and different views. I mean maybe the writers would agree with each other but it seems as if the authors are talking about things that apply to them. I believe Tony would have very much so benefited from reading these stories, they are great and very useful.

Meta Movement
1. By reading both research about writing processes and writers' reflections on their own processes I gain the knowledge that every writer is different. Every writer experiences different things and they all think in their own ways. Three things I found useful were, having a "shitty" first draft, I think by getting your thoughts and information out on one draft can really be beneficial, I think learning that having things around you that emotionally tie you to things in your writing are is good for your spirits, and I by reading Diaz's article I feel better about having writer's block.
2. My conception of good writing and writers doesn't change because it all depends on the situation and your own opinions of what good writing and writers really mean. There is no set definition and my view is to always keep an open mind.

Reflections
Lamott- I think this article did a great job expelling the meaning of a shitty first draft and it gave me some ideas about how to pre-write writing.
King- I really enjoyed hearing the thoughts of Stephen King and I thought it was very interesting to hear about what he thinks about writing and some of his own processes. He is just an overall mysterious person and it was great that he was included.
Goodman- I think I understood this article the least. I do understand however that it is important to pay attention to your inner critic at some point, but that sometimes you have to look beyond it.
Haruf- I got a lot out of this article. I had so many notes written down when reading this and it was very interesting to me. I think it's so cool to hear about other peoples writing processes, especially interesting and random one's like Haruf's. I like that he talked about the importance of being attached to certain items in your writing space.
Sontag- This article was pretty common and similar to some I have read before. I think that it was good for her to talk about her struggles and her ways she prefers to write.
Diaz- This article was eye-opening to me. I never knew how severe writer's block could be and I didn't think someone would go through it for so long. It's inspirational that Diaz never gave up.

Individual Process

Harris Summary
In her article, "Composing Behaviors of One- and Multi-Draft Writers", Muriel Harris attempts to shows the difference between one-draft writers and multi-draft writers. She explains the meaning of both types and weighs out the pros and cons of each. She argues that "no picture of revision is complete until it includes all that is known and observed about a variety of revision behaviors among writers" (Harris, 179). This means that there maybe be different ways to draft and continue to draft your paper but as long as it includes all of the essentials and information that is needed it doesn't matter how many drafts you may have.

1. I am a combination of both a one- and multi-draft writer. It all depends on what type of paper and what kinds of information I have to put together. I know this because there have been times where I have had many drafts of a paper but also times where I've only had one.
2. With multi-draft writing you can develop a habit of including many many thoughts and facts that aren't needed. I catch myself doing that sometimes. With one-draft writing there is a chance you could miss grammar fixations or certain information that you wanted to include but forgot.

Reflection
I think this was a cool article to read. I enjoyed learning about the pros and cons of each type and the differences each had. However it was difficult to understand sometimes, but I think I figured out the main point!

Ransom Summary
In her article, "How Do I Write?", Dominieq Ransom answers her exact question in her title, the way she writes. She asks "what does a person know about their own writing process?" (Ransom, 293). During this segment she asks herself that question and proceeds to tell her audience what her process really is. She talks about the ups and downs of writing and mistakes that made her a better writer.

1. Analyzing herself under a time constraint, how a person can understand their writing process more clearly, having distractions, and writing down her thoughts were most interesting to me. By doing my own research I would find my own ways to help myself with writing and figure out my writing processes.
2. Yes, I do jot down little thoughts and notes here and there and they do lead me to write. I believe that one simple word can lead to a whole sentence or paragraph, Once you start writing, the thoughts just keep flowing out of your mind.

Reflection
I enjoyed reading this article and hearing about Ransom's ways of writing. I liked the way this segment of the chapter was set up and it was easy to read and understand. I kind of struggled understanding the questions at the end, I don't know why I just couldn't wrap my mind around some of the thoughts that I had about it all.

Rewriting, Re-vison, Editing

Summary
In her article, "Turning, Tying, and Training Texts", Barbara Tomlinson gives examples of eight different metaphorical stories. Each story represents and focuses on different ways a composing process works. ON page 261 she quotes Schon and says "that each metaphorical story conveys a different view of reality and represents a special way of seeing". This means that every way is different from another and that each person can learn something opposite of what they have already learned from ways of revising.

QD
1. I think she believes that she would get better and truer information through research.
2. Using a metaphor to describe writing is a way to tie different things into it and base writing off of something, but sometimes there is no way around writing, it can be just writing, simple as that.
3. A lot of the metaphors apply to my previous and ongoing writing. Especially, painting, casting and recasting, and tying things off.
4. No i really don't think she is going to far, each metaphor can come into place at different times when forming a certain text.
5. I think they come into play when revising writing because like the casting and recasting metaphor you can go back and reshape your writing and use different phrases or other parts combined and create something new when you revise.

Reflection
I overall liked this article, I love metaphors. I think they are mysterious and interesting to learn about because everyone has their own metaphors that they follow and believe in.

Tracing Processes/Complexity

In her article, "Decisions and Revisions: The Planning Strategies of a Public Writer", Carol Berkenkotter attempts to explain her view and and what she has learned about writing processes through her own work and the works of Donald M. Murray. She describes planning and revising when writing. Her main point was that students and writers must understand the ways of writing from other writers and use those skills to better their own.

In his article, "Response of a Laboratory Rat- or Being Protocoled", Donald M. Murray attempts to explain to his readers his own writing processes and the things he does to better his writing. He gives step by step procedures and things to do when writing. He argues that his main goal was not to only show his process of writing but show that there are always better writers and always something more you can learn.

QD
1. My writing styles are alike and different of Murray's. He talks about a lot of planning that he does, but I feel like I don't do as much planning. He also describes that he focuses and worries a lot about pattern of writing, which is what I do.
2. I think Murray is communicating to his writers in an informing sense. He wants to guide them and help them. He may even focus a lot about himself when writing. I like to communicate with my audience in a way where they can relate to me and feel as if what I'm writing ties into their lives.
3. This study changed Berkenketter's revisions and protocol because she now knows ways and she knows it creates room for using certain ideas and planning to improve your writing.

AE
When I write I am continuously thinking of different ways I can put my sentences and information together. A lot of my editing goes through my brain and I already have a revised copy flowing through my mind. I think it is great to brainstorm and plan your writing ahead of time. It gives writers the ability to write their article sin different ways and have a choice when picking the final draft.

Meta Moment
To understand my audience more and understand what it is I am writing form.

Reflection
I don't know if I understood these articles correctly, I  may have  gotten the wrong idea but I think it was interesting to read the two stories together and see how they both tied into each other.

Research Redux/Process

Kleine Summary
In his article, "What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One-and How Can We Get Students To Join Us?", Michael Kleine attempts to explain the difference between a hunter and a gatherer when doing research for papers. "A hunter finds what he is looking for; a gatherer discovers that which might be of use"(Kleine, 25). He argues that too many students focus on finding research and copying in the sense that they re-word everything that they read, whereas coming up with new information from the information that runs through their mind. Everyone should "write to learn". Every word can bring a new thought and a new piece of information into view.

Questions for Discussion
1. I believe the way Kleine describes how students re-word the information that they find and use it for their own work is what happens for many writers. It can be a challenge to be able to come up with your own information and thoughts after reading and learning new facts of a certain topic. I usually put my own thoughts into my research papers.
3. In Kleine's idea, discovery and the actual of thought is the main source. Not actual facts and information. In my past resource efforts, teachers always wanted the sources to be the main idea, but I always took what I needed from my research and then added to it with the thoughts in my mind. The difference between the two is that when you only use what the sources say, you can't connect with the paper and the outcome isn't as relatable.
4. Not much would change, I basically balance my sources and myself when writing.

Reflection
I think this article was great for students to believe because a lot of the time, students only focus on the sources and they don't think that their thoughts and what they know already can be useful for their papers. In order for a paper to be the best it can be, the writer has to put their own thoughts into it, making it understandable to them and their readers.

Identity And Punctuation

Allen Summary 

In her article, "The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer", Sarah Allen attempts to explain the obstacles that writers face when learning how to write, learning how to revise, learning how to get over writer's block, and to face the fears of writing. On page 36 Allen describes the Inspired Writer to be everywhere. That at some point the Inspired Writer lives in every writer, giving the confidence that writing will come easily and that there is no fear of messing up. She argues that even though there are many misunderstandings and fears of writing, there is always a way for you to fix your writing, and to elaborate more on the point you want to get across. Everything that has to do with writing has to do with communication, and communicating with your readers in some way. 

Response

I feel as if I have experienced a lot of the things that Allen explains and compares herself to. This is because, as someone who does love to write, it doesn't always come easily and I usually spend hours figuring out how to get my point across and to kepp everything flowing.

Reflection

I really did like this article. I think Allen did a great job using personal experiences and her own thoughts that made the article easier to relate to. I understand the Inspired Writer a lot more than the Real Writer, but overall I can relate to what she says and it was interesting to read.

Getting Ready to Read

The only advice and guidelines I remember getting when writing in school, was to not voice my opinion and to not put myself into my writing, I stayed away from using words like I and you. 

Murray Summary

In his article, "All Writing is Autobiography", Donald Murray attempts to show readers how all writing is autobiographical and how effective it is to put your own experiences and opinions in your writing. He argues that we become what we write. We may write facts with fiction, but yet the fiction turns into facts in the story that runs along in our mind. Murray states "We make up our own history, out own legends, our own knowledge by writing our own autobiography". The texts that we read and write become part of the life we believe we lived.

1. The construct that Murray is asking his readers to reconsider is putting more of your own self into your writing. Making it a part of you.

3. Some different things about Murray's writing is that it is so emotional to the point where you feel connected. He uses facts about himself and puts in new ideas that add to what he is telling and add to the story in his mind. He gave examples of his own writing and he used different forms like narratives and poems. 

4. His article is included in the genre of "scholarly article" because like all of the other articles we  have read in this chapter, he is teaching us and helping us understand a different form of writing. Previous authors focused on using many different sources, but I think the point that Murray wants to get across is that you can be your own source. 

5. I think I am a lot like Murray. When I write I usually am writing from experience or from my opinion. Everything I write on paper adds to the story inside of my head. He talks about how all writing is autobiographical and that "our autobiography grows from a few deep taproots that are set down into our past in childhood". I completely agree.

Meta Moment

I think Murray's claims in this article make readers more excited about writing, and more obligated to include their own experiences and thoughts into their writing. 

Reflection

I really enjoyed reading Murray. I think that what he had to say and the point that he got across was very important for readers to read. I think a lot writers feel as if they can't put their own thoughts and experiences with their writing. In order to write certain types of writing you must learn how to put yourself into it. I do understand that there are certain types of writing that you stick to true facts but that doesn't mean you cant put your opinion into it. 

Getting Ready to Read

1. My sister's treehouse was made of wood scraps and cardboard. 

2. The treehouse made a great place to play with her friends, it was made of wood scraps and cardboard.

My sister's treehouse was made of wood scraps and cardboard, it made a great place to play with her friends.

Dawkins Summary

In his article, "Teaching Punctuation as a Rhetorical Tool",  John Dawkins attempts to explain his views on puncutuation and gives examples of different ways it can be used to better your writing. He talks about punctuating single independent clauses, raising and lowering a rhetorical effect, and other types of punctuation. He argues that by teaching raising and lowering, we will be adding to certain skills of the student, it will encourage students to clarify the meanings of their sentences, and more. This is because he has a firm belief on how punctuation can affect people's writing.

2. He talks about how there are easier ways and harder ways to punctuate and to make your writing the best.

3. Raising is like raising the bar, putting more of an effort into emphasizing your sentence and what you are trying to say. Lowering is almost the opposite, not putting to much of an effort, and almost making it simple.

5. That there are more areas you can use it and that you don't always have to use it. There are different techniques and different opinions about those of punctuation.

6. I focus a lot on it. I hate when writing is done without punctuation.

Research

Stedman Summary
In his article, "Annoying Ways People Use Sources", Kyle D. Stedman attempts to explain the many ways people as writers fail to cite there sources in the right manner, and to help writers in the future improve there work citing abilities. He argues that there isn't necessarily a "right" or "wrong" way a writer must follow to cite their sources, he says they are "conventions and not rules". Stedman explains many different ways writers can learn from to help them better cite their sources, such as, stating when a quotation is coming, including a quotation at the beginning of the passage, and paraphrasing the material or source that was used. All of Stedman's tips and annoyances all tie into his belief that a writer must follow their gut and trust in their own decions in order to correctly cite their sources and do their best with their writing. 


1. Compared to Greene, Kantz, and Porter I believe Stedman focuses more on the importance of citing your sources, and some actual techniques we could use when citing. What I got from Porter was that it was OK to sort and gather the thoughts and ideas of others and base your writing off of it, which may or may not include their work. But with Stedman I think his point was that you must cite sources even if you don't necessarily completely plagarise. 


2. In the past I have always been taught to cite my sources through quotations and page numbers. I was never the best at being able to pin-point where I actually used sources because I felt as if I always paraphrased and used my sources information as a guide to come up with my own thoughts.


3. When reading Stedman, my view on sources didn't really change. I knew the importance and some of the techniques that he stated. 


I enjoyed this article and I think that by reading it, I remembered some of the things that my highschool teachers taught me a long time ago. I think Stedman used really helpful analogies and I think it's an easy article to understand.

Intertext and Writing Ecologies

Porter Summary
In his article "Intertextuality and the Discourse Community", James E. Porter attempts to explain the constraints of intertextuality, and how every discourse is composed of pieces of other writings that help convey it's meaning. He argues that not only do texts refer to other texts, but that they actually contain them. Porter also refers to Thomas Jefferson and his part in writing the Declaration of Independence on pages 89 & 90. Jefferson has been said to have either consciously or unconsciously borrowed writing from his culture. This example ties into Porter's belief that creative writers are creative borrowers. Writers are limited by the discourse community they impose on, they are restricted by the intertextual preferences, but the successful writers work around those restraints in order to effect change.

2nd GRR
I get "help" for my writing in many different ways. I usually start by looking on the internet for probably sources, and depending on the topic I may do different interviews in order to get other people's feedback and opinions. I get advice through my peers and teachers.

QD
2. No, I do not agree with Porter that the great web of texts built on and referring to each other makes writers less important because I believe without having each other's writing to base things off of and add to, no one would have things to go off of and not have some of the answers they would need.
3. He calls the idea of an autonomous writer "romantic" because "the need appeals to our need for intellectual heroes", also might be an anti-rhetorical view that "writers are born, not made; that writing is individual, isolated, and internal; not social but eccentric".
4. The key-criterion is different from the way I assumed because I didn't think that the acceptability in the discourse community was that important, I thought there was one way that everyone followed when evaluating writing. It's different from my own writing being evaluated in the past by not always trying to be accepted into the community.
5. I believe he focuses a lot on what he has to say and referring to himself as having his own opinion and words and not basing his thoughts on other people.
6. Some harm may be caused because maybe writers tend to be isolated but try not to always write for themselves but for other people as well.

MM
Porter's study kind of changed of changed the way I viewed writers because I now see how a lot of writers and a lot of their texts are connected in a way and are creative writers but creative borrowers.

Personal Opinion
I understood a lot of this reading and I enjoyed the parts about Thomas Jefferson and the Decleration. I felt as if I was getting  history lesson and I never knew that Jefferson was known for borrowing some thoughts from his culture. However I think some of the reading was confusing, I didn't understand things about the autonomous writer and some of the discourse community.

Reading

Rosenberg Summary
In her article, "Reading Games", Karen Rosenberg attempts to focus on the importance of smart reading and picking out the important sections and paying attention to the title, introduction, and conclusion. The more you focus on the main points of the reading, the more you'll understand it. She tells her story about her time in college and allows students to relate to what she has to say so that students learn something. Rosenberg argues that it's important to focus on the main points and the parts of writing that star out rather than the whole thing because it's a faster, more productive way to get the information and knowledge out of the writing that you need.
I enjoyed this passage because I found myself agreeing with everything Rosenberg had to say about daydreaming when reading. I always catch myself accidentally skipping over paragraphs and important information because I let my mind wander. It's nice to have a formula to follow and to learn there are ways you can focus on only the main points.

In The Book Summary
In this section the authors help the readers learn that the reality of writing is much more complicated when we actually pay attention to what the writing is based on. People are raised and taught to think and act a certain way and eventually that's all that they believe in but in reality everyone changes how they think and act, just how the rules of writing change. Kantz talks about the importance of getting a good argument out of the text that students read. She teaches that some students may have to apply basic organizing patterns, such as cause-effect and general to specific to their writing.
I think this section was very good for understanding how different textbooks and other parts of research are compared to what some people believe it to be already, I thought it was interesting to read.

I believe rhetoric means having a thought that can be answered or understood in many ways. Anything can be rhetoric. It has to do with reading academic articles because it describes the language writers use to communicate and finish their writing. Rhetorical is how we view and set up our writing.

1. I think Kantz means that opinions, facts, and arguments are things that are gotten and understood from other people around us and can be changed. They are what people make them to be from what they've learned.
2. Students don't know that a lot of textbooks aren't always true. A lot of them can disagree and students think that the only things they can get from textbooks is what is written, you have to pull away and think about the information in order to understand everything that it is trying to teach you. I feel as if I still don't quote understand how to put my research together and figure out the truth of the topics I may choose but I think sooner or later I will.
3. Yes it taught me new things about being persuasive when writing. I believe using real-life experiences and things that people may relate to. Also, using different source and different views and opinions.
6. Yes I think it will change my approach because now I will not always focus on the "facts" in textbooks but the questions that I may think of when reading and can base my research off of.

Meta Moment
I believe Kantz talks about rhetoric because in persuasive writing it is one thing that many people focus on. I think plagiarism was used but the things may not be real facts, so what would you be citing?

Paper Idea: good writing

Writing As Conversation

Brief Summary
In his article, "Getting Ready to Read", Stuart Greene, attempts to inform his readers on the connections of arguments, the ways of entering a discussion, and framing a strategy for writing, reading, and research. He argues the importance of framing and the thought of balancing our goals with the history of similar kinds of  communication because when one thinks of arguments they may not think each is connected in some way and it all depends on how you enter and identify the issue and solution that you can participate.

Questions for Discussion
1. Reading plays an important role in the kinds of writing we are asked to do in college for many reasons. One reason is because when researching for a certain topic, you must read, and frame your strategy for retrieving as much information that is needed. Reading is also important for writers to elaborate on an argument and to be used when entering an argument.
2. Greene quotes the "oft-quoted passage" because it gives readers an example of how arguments and discussions begin and continue over time. The metaphor that is described is that discussions can be a never-ending party, they are a cycle of people joining and connecting their arguments. It presents writing as something that can be added to and understood by many. It however may challenge the ending of writing.
3. Framing orrchestrates different and conflicting voices in advancing your argument. It is a metaphor for describing the lens, or perspective from which writers present their arguments. When you take a picture of something, you blur out the background so that all people see is what you wanted them to see, the whole purpose for the picture.It's the same with arguments and other writing, you may have a lot of things said but it's the things that stick out the most that you were trying to be understood and make it your point.

Applying and Exploring Ideas
2. Greene's article represents a conversation between himself and the readers. He frames his argument by focusing on what the reader should find important. I would say Greene practices what he preaches, because from what he wrote, arguments are all connected and there are ways for people to enter and leave them, and that's what he taught us. Arguments can be conversations.

My Thoughts on the Reading
I believe this article taught me a lot about how there are things you need to do to frame your strategy when it comes to writing, reading, and doing research. Also, it taught me that writing is a process of balancing our goals with the history of similar kind soy communications, like others arguments based on the same subject. Every argument is connected. He showed me the important eon gathering your research to enter a discussion/argument.

What Writing Means To Me

Writing is a way for someone to put their imagination into words. There are endless possibilities when writing. You write down the feelings you have in your heart and the thoughts that are running through your brain. When some people of the word writing they simply think of a pen and paper and writing down words, but for many people there is a completely different and emotional meaning behind it. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes of writing for many different reasons.