Category Archives: Classwork

My writing style is pretty much what I’m going to try and do right now; I write down everything I think of in an almost linear fashion. Usually whenever I get a writing assignment, as soon as I begin to think about it phrases and ideas begin to form in my head. I do my best to get these down right away, and I often try to flow with the ideas as much as possible. I go almost into an autopilot, thinking at a breakneck page, watching my words appear on the page straight out of my mind.  I also encounter the blessing and the curse of being able to think faster than I can type. Sometimes this means that I get to far behind on my tying and lose my train of thought, sometimes for good. On the other hand, breaks like this allow me to quickly go back and analyze what I have just wrote to ensure it makes sense and stays on topic. Some would consider my writing style free-form or unstructured, and I can understand why, but for me is is entirely structured. The entire plan for what I want to write is in my mind, I just transcribe it onto the page. On bigger projects or papers, of course, I will write ideas down and write them out so that I do not forget, as these I normally do over a longer span of time and frequently think of ideas and sentences that fit in the essay far beyond the section I am currently working on.

I find that Osborne’s writing style is very similar to mine, and the structure and language that he uses seem pretty natural for me.

In the introduction paragraph, the goal of the writing is not quite obvious at first. Since Osborne has decided to tell a story, he first tries to get the reader hooked with an ambiguous seen that his audience may be able to identify with that catches interest. At the end of the paragraph, however, he makes a bold claim about writing that he will later explain and back up.

The next two paragraphs, which are pretty long, tell the rest of the story that he alluded to in the intro. It is slightly long-winded, but it seems that he is both appealing to the emotions of the reader and ensuring that all the information that is need to  understand the background of the situation where he made his bold claim.

It is in the fourth paragraph that he finally bluntly states his realization. Afterwards, however, he is able to back his statement up and strengthen his argument by referencing information he gave us during the previous two paragraphs. Without this information we would not fully understand what brought him to this decision, so his decision to tell the whole backstory is given a purpose understood by the audience. He then goes on to cite other examples from his past to add to his supporting argument.

Fluent Writing

• Writing in which multiple sentences are written without pause
• Revision is done to the whole writing that is created after multiple sentences are written
• Multiple ideas that all come out together.

Miscues

• Mistakes only fully seen when the writing process is analyzed
• Can be made either encoding or decoding
• Thought errors/disconnects on the part of the writer
• Plays into misinterpreted ideas or sentences

Editing

• High level vs. low level
• High level: Thoughts, ideas, structure and function of paragraphs and paper
• Low level: Spelling, grammar , vocabulary

Learning by Trial (Winsor)

• Talks about the use of knowledge in the real world vs. class room/learning environments
• Shows in research how many students think that using knowledge “in the field”  is more beneficial

The best way I have found of ensuring that knowledge I gather from models is applicable to real life situations is to either ensure the model is taught to me by someone who has applied it in their work, or either ask somebody with similar insight after I have learned it.

Malcolm X became traditionally literate through almost sheer willpower, by using all the free time prison provided him and using it to memorize words and practice handwriting first, and once his vocabulary was expanded he began reading traditional educational literature. This eventually gave him power in places he never had any, among people he hadn’t been able to reach and connect with before using only his slang and speech. He gained new power in the form of knowledge that allowed him to further his agenda by formulating new arguments based on new information he had gained as well as enabling him to improve his previous arguments and back them up with things he had learned from the texts he had read. Having all of the information, especially on history, from the books he had read gave him credibility among higher educated people and non-educated people alike.

My Literacy Sponsors

The Boy Scouts of America and my participation in it has been a large sponsor for me. Every since I was five I have been spending a lot of time out doors, and I have both developed a literacy for camping as well as a love of nature. It has indirect and sometimes direct influences on my writing, and I have often tried to describe in writing the feeling I get outside.

Any Rand and specifically Atlas Shrugged have been by far some of my biggest literacy sponsors. I first read the book my Junior year of high school, and have now read it twice. The ideals and morals contained in the book as well as the story and the characters connected to me in a way nothing ever had before, or has since, and has without a doubt subtly made my writing more similar to hers.

My high school physics teacher, Dr. Oancea, has been a literacy sponsor for me. Her traditional yet broad outlook on the world has influenced me and  helped me develop a love for physics. No Teacher has ever affected me as much as she has.

Janet vs. Roger

Janet

-Widespread use of outside sources as facts

-Meta

-Literal and direct

-Dry

-Somewhat disjointed, but covers all major areas of discussion

Roger

-Active, exciting

-Applied use of knowledge discussed in paper

-Flowing and connected

Guide lines:

-Don’t just cite knowledge from others, apply knowledge you have gained

-Translate information into relevant scenarios or terms

-Prove literacy in subject area

-Write with confidence, and support that confidence with competency

-Treat sources as claims by other people, not facts written in stone

What have you learned that you need to do for paper two from Kantz’s writing?

What did you learn about expectations for using secondary sources?

I have learned that no matter what source is used and no matter it’s credibility, the ‘facts’ or claims found within need to be analyzed logically and considered with all possible biases that could be held by the writer in mind. Even textbooks and completely academical studies need to be carefully reviewed and dissected within the paper to certify their validity. I have also learned that Major Garriott expects this process to be applied to all information used from secondary sources in order to prove its legitimacy.

1. Anylize information from sources
2. Consider biases of authors
3. Consider intended audience
4. Consider Author’s illocutionary acts