Trying Something New
As a child, I was never afraid to try new things. Peanut butter and Oreo's, tried it. The legendary "swamp water" from the pop machine, you bet. But as I have grown older, the ambition to try new things seems to have dwindled away. In high school, powerpoints were a hassle and videos were a worst nightmare. All I did was papers and worksheets. School work wasn't much fun unless it was the rare coloring extra credit picture or the online scavenger hunt.
After the first day of English 112, I could tell things were about to change. The idea of a course based on reading seemed like just another literature course. ENG 112 proved me wrong. Throughout the semester, I have been challenged to try new things whether it's in brainstorming, writing journals, or projects. The brainstorming ideas I can specifically remember were from Inquiry 3. I wasn't sure what I wanted to compare and contrast for an entire project. My first reaction was to brainstorm based on things I was interested in, a typical response. The ideas I came up with were very broad and not particularly noteworthy like sports, music, and cooking. Then it was suggested to think of historical events. Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. I came up with Ancient Romans and Greeks and Alcatraz. Much more interesting and a wider variety. Another topic idea was to think of famous people. As a Monty Python fan, I thought of John Cleese, why not? And the final idea that sparked my Inquiry 3 topic was the "research your world" which required to think of things in my daily life. I thought of railroads, a common occurrence that goes by unnoticed by some but what became a childhood fascination for myself. Another few examples of brainstorming ideas have been listed as well as examples from my own works. Next came writing journals. I have never been much for journals. I found that writing a journal for this course was extremely handy, especially for comparing ideas, looking up past thoughts, or compiling large amounts of past work for a project such as this. The first day, I opened up a new document for each writing but was hooked on a single document writing journal by the second class. This became my note taking on discussion, my reading journal, and my brainstorming page as well as a place to keep grade requirements and smart ideas on how to approach different topics. The final category of new things is one of the most noticeable, specifically because of this format. Medium is taught to be important when considering a project, as is audience and message. As I already mentioned, my medium-of-preference is the written essay. I had previously been exposed to powerpoint and video as well but that was all. In English 112, I have pushed past these three main categories. In Inquiry 3, I created a Prezi for the first time. Not only was it a lot of fun and I received a solid grade, I now have the ability to use Prezi for any other course to improve my presentation. In the classroom setting, I have been used to lecture or question and answer with teachers. In this course, I participated in a variety of group discussion and particularly enjoyed our Socratic seminars. I enjoyed the self run format the seminar provided as well as the back-and-forth of ideas from students. I also contributed to the discussion from outside the circle by blogging on Niihka, another new idea for myself. An even this entire final portfolio format is something new for me. I have never made a website but I am learning quickly. All of the new ideas and mediums I have been exposed to in English 112 have changed my learning styles. I can not only come up with new ways to think and present information in English, but these skills can now transfer over into other subjects. Without the encouragement I received in English 112, I wouldn't have taken the initiative to try something new. |
New Brainstorming Ideas
Six word memoir
I liked this technique the best because I thought it was the most creative. I've included some from the first day of class and already mentioned two on my other pages. I read, I have issues remembering. Running makes the world go round. Bass, the coolest part of music. The sample I like best is in fact Kendal's. His memoir applied to me at the beginning of the semester: I read like I play golf. I don't play golf well, but I really enjoy it. One word My one word examples come from my attempts to summarize the semester's works in one word. Variety Pain/suffering/loss Struggle Conflict 3,2,1 I didn't use 3,2,1 very much but this is a good reflective technique. These are from reflection on "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison. -what was Roberta’s mother’s illness? She was a powerful, strong woman when we see her but it’s bad enough for her to need to leave Roberta. -did exposure to the Maggie experience cause both to change the story? -what’s the time period? -repeated line “beautiful dead parents in the sky” “blue eyes” -public struggle, human stain and picketing -our own corruption can alter the true story to the point beyond salvaging. Maggie’s story. They focus on their own views so strongly that they forget what really happened to Maggie. Stop, start, continue I used this brainstorming technique for the first time in this inquiry. Stop trying to get it done. Start continually reading. Continue analyzing. Stop being surface level. Start organizing. Continue being creative. |
New Medium
Prezi
Here is a link to my Prezi for Inquiry 3. I enjoyed playing with the different options Prezi provided and didn't get close to using all of the features http://prezi.com/vitwlyrrbpp9/gold/ |