A Reflection on Unit One

From the research, to the blog posts, to the drafts, this unit was very different. Throughout these last five weeks, I have learned a lot about myself as a writer, as well as new skills and tools that have assisted me throughout this module.

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During this unit, I explored a lot of new tools that I either had no idea about before, or just had not used at the collegiate level. The newest and most intriguing to me was Google scholar. In high school, we had access to databases like EBSCO host, but we had to use it our student ID's/accounts like we do here at UofA. Due to this, I had never even heard about Google Scholar until English 109H. While I know it is not as advanced or subject focused as some of the databases the University provides, it is still pretty remarkable. Storify was also a new tool that I explored; this application made it fairly easy to search multiple social media sites at once. This is pretty useful, as social media can have a lot of information, and it can be a nuisance to search multiple websites separately. Finally, as a whole, this first unit was the first time I ever used a blog for a class. When I was younger I messed around with blogspot, but I never even realized how many tools besides a search engine Google actually had. While I learned a multitude of new skills, I also improved on some old ones. 

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As writers, we know that there are always things that can be improved on in our work; this also applies to the skills we use to craft those pieces. In general, I found that my drafting skills drastically improved. I learned that it is perfectly okay to have a first draft that is not complete or organized- it can always be altered. The transition from my first draft to my second draft to my final copy was pretty distinctive. (I am pretty proud of the work I put into them in all honesty.) Furthermore, I think improved on my rhetorical analysis skills. Analyzing rhetoric from something other than a novel or something present in pop culture truly helped me to understand (rhetoric) at a higher level. Finally, the skill I definitely improved upon was learning to write in new genres. By the end of the drafting process, I truly understood that there are actually genres other than essays that one can write in like QRGs and blog posts in general, thus, these skills helped me to develop my writing process.

In high school, I had a very different writing process. While I did well, I typically wrote one draft and that was it. When it came time for a final copy, I just made slight changes. While I know this seems ridiculous, it worked for me then. In college, I do not necessarily have the time to sit for a few hours to compose a really well-written first draft; this way, I can get all my ideas out, and then go back and rewrite. In my opinion, this makes it a little easier. It seems that this is the best writing style for me. Additionally, I found that getting as much feedback as possible before the deadline works to my benefit, because then I do not have to feel like my essay/work is terrible. With feedback, I can find out what needs to be fixed, and I fix it. Since I learned so much about myself and tools that can help me write, I was able to effectively analyze the communication in my field for this project.

In my field, it seems that communication is strained. Scientists and physicians do not directly debate with each other; rather, they post in scientific journals and report to journalists that then showcase findings and information in the media. While athletes will communicate with each other, they do not typically speak back and forth with physicians on the opinion. In fact, athletes tend to just communicate with physicians that feel that the treatments are beneficial, because they are the ones that will be performing the treatment on them. Unfortunately, because of the lack of information on the topic of stem cells in sports medicine and failure of communication, athletes have begun to leave the country for these treatments, which makes the situation worse. So, in general, the analysis of the communication was not hard for this assignment, and I believe that I did it fairly decently.

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For this assignment, I feel that I did well with my time management. I had my drafts done on time, and while the first draft may not have been the best, I have to remember- it was a first draft. It didn't have to be perfect, and it wasn't. I'm okay with that. I also feel that I did pretty well with the conventions of the QRG- I had my headings, pictures, hyperlinks, etc. While some of my paragraphs were lengthier than I wanted them to be, I knew I had to say all of what I presented. While I had many things that I think I did well on, I know there is also always room for improvement.

For the next project, I want to make sure I understand the point of the assignment as well as what is expected before I begin drafting. When I first wrote my drafts I was a little confused on whether it was a rhetorical analysis or controversy analysis. That prevented me from focusing on one format, so I kind of included a little bit of both aspects. When it came time to editing that first draft, it made it very difficult to use pieces of it in the second, causing almost a complete re-construction of my project. So to improve that, I will inquire earlier on what is expected, so it makes drafting a less painful project. :) 

Lastly, if I could summarize the most important thing I learned in one sentence, it would be as follows: Always get feedback, whether it is from a teacher, peer, etc- it will save you in the end.