Sommers Piece

The readings from this week and the past week have made me become a lot more aware of the importance of a solid writing process. Sommers piece, “Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers” made it clear to me that I can make a lot of improvement to my writing process of revising. Experienced writers see the process of revisions embodying a lot of steps, whereas for me revision is on the back burner of my priorities while writing a paper. I definitely spend the least amount of time on revision, making me focus on the finish line without concentrating on cleaning things up in my paper. I feel like if I devoted more of my time on revision, I could produce a more proficient piece of work. There are numerous things that go into ones writing process, but now I have a better sense that the act of revision is key if you want to step into a whole new level of writing.

"The Art of College Management: Cheating"

I really enjoyed reading Rebekah Nathan's article titled "The Art of College Management: Cheating." It was able to give a better view on the reality of cheating. It also shows professors how to accommodate good work and how to instruct students in the correct way in order to avoid cheating. Her conclusion was that there is really no one reason why students cheat, we need to understand the nuances of it. And then she further goes on to talking about the importance of cultural relativism which looks more to the group than an individual. It took an in depth view of the atmosphere in which the student is involved with, such as a university. I agree with Nathan on her conclusion of cheating. Even though much of cheating is directed towards the student themselves, which it rightfully should be, there are other factors that coincide with cheating itself. I know for myself that my surroundings definitely affect my writing process. Sometimes it can be a positive or negative influence depending on the situation. When a teacher is deliberate with the assignment and explains the goal effectively it gives me a sense of confidence in my writing and therefore propels me to achieve success without outside assistance.

Reading our paper's Aloud

Reading our paper's aloud in the conferences was very interesting to me. I have not had to do this before in previous writing classes. At first it was kind of weird reading it aloud, but once I got further into my paper I felt more comfortable. I think that reading it aloud is very beneficial to you as a writer. It allows for pier review not only from your teacher but also fellow classmates. Everyone was very engaged and helpful in giving advice and pointing you in the right direction. I thought it was also convenient because by reading it aloud, you are able to pick up on certain mistakes throughout the paper and pin point what you may have done wrong. Over all I think that the conferences and reading aloud is a successful technique in improving one's writing.

Cycle 1 Project

Kleinman, Zoe. "BBC News - Children Who Use Technology Are 'better Writers'" BBC News - Home. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8392653.stm>.

1. This source from BBC News talks about how technology has improved children in becoming better writers. It gives numerous statistics about the advantages of technology for children. For example, “Of the children who neither blogged nor used social network sites, 47% rated their writing as "good" or "very good", while 61% of the bloggers and 56% of the social networkers said the same.” They also pose the question, does technology damage literacy? They came back to say that their research was conclusive in that the more forms of communication exposed to children, the stronger their core literacy skills were.

This source is a great reference for the cycle one project, especially if you hold the belief that the new social media does not hinder but strengthens literacy. I found it very interesting to look at all the data they collected. It gives you a better sense of how involved children are in technology. People probably do not realize it as much, but children are taking advantage of all the tools at their fingertips and are exuberating new forms of creativity.

McIntosh, Ewan. "Blogging Improves Young People's Confidence in Their Writing and Reading." Ewan McIntosh | Digital Media & Learning. 17 Dec. 2009. Web. 02 Feb. 2012. <http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2009/12/blogging-improves-young-peoples-confidence-writing-reading.html>.

2. This article, “Blogging improves young people’s confidence in their writing and reading”, is also about the evolving social media having a positive impact on literacy. It takes numerous statistics that form around its belief. It says that the social network, such as blogging which has the ability to publish your own ideas, improves students’ attitudes towards writing. At the end it addresses the concern of having people take a closer look at the implications of the new technology and having it implemented into school environments.

I also found this article to be useful for the cycle one project. I like how they used statistical evidence. I thought it was essential for them to mention that the technology in the classroom won’t be as effective unless the student’s are in the hands of a good teacher. I believe that the new social media can only go so far but with the help from educated ones you can progress to new levels and improve your skills. Those skills can they be utilized in creating productive and successful pieces of work on the internet.