CTW WRITING PORTFOLIO

During the process of maintaining and writing this blog, I can feel a stronger connection between the relationship of my blog writing, to that of my academic writing. The styles of both are, of course, not exactly similar to one another. They are after all produced on very different mediums (one is on a blog for audiences online, while the other is on paper for my Professor). However, I can feel myself growing more comfortable with incorporating my own voice into my academic writing, simply because I’ve been practicing so much of that on this blog. Though my academic writing is much more formal and structured in style, the principle of putting the writer’s point of view into whatever she writes should stay nonetheless true.

More similar to blog-style writing than other writing assignments was the multimodal essay. This essay was perhaps the most natural to write because it felt as though I was writing another blog post, reflecting on my process of designing my multimodal project and discussing my thoughts about certain parts of the process.

It is not just blogging, however, that has improved my overall writing. My practice in writing so many rhetorical essays has in turn also informed my blog writing, as I can see myself incorporating certain more “formal” or “sophisticated” elements once in a while into certain posts, such as word choice or structural choices.

Overall, I can see how running this blog while continuing to write rhetorical essays throughout the quarter are all assignments that work well together in that they mutually improve my writing abilities in both sectors. Though the modes and audiences to whom I write are vastly different, certain principles and aspects of my writing remain consistent throughout all of the assignments, such as the voice and sophistication that I am able to present in my writing.

Images Cited

http://www.cyberalert.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/blogging.jpg

http://beloil-poland.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/fountain-pen-on-paper.jpg

CTW, like most English classes, is primarily a writing-based course that focuses on texts and the development of students’ writing abilities. I was surprised, therefore, to learn that our last project of the year was something other than an essay or research paper.

After a week of looking at different examples of multimodal composition projects as well as thinking a lot about what I would like to do for my own project, I can see the important role that such an assignment would play in a writing classroom.

While investigating the exact definition of a multimodal composition, I came across this article, which not only clearly defined what the term meant, but also persuasively advocated as to why such projects should be integrated into our everyday writing curriculum.

Much like the article mentioned, in a world where technology is being increasingly integrated into our everyday lives, it is important to have digital and visual literacy in addition to the ability to read and write. It is important to have such skills because they represent new forms of communication, which ultimately would enable us students to reach larger audiences.

I also feel that these types of projects allow students to exercise their creativity in that they can explore forms of expression other than writing. People may have great ideas but struggle to put them into words. Having the option to use visuals, audio, and other outlets to express these ideas gives the student much more flexibility and room for creativity and freedom. It becomes an assignment that’s enjoyable and that they can identify with, instead of being another banal writing assignment. This isn’t to say that I haven’t enjoyed writing papers. I for one enjoy writing and have seen my writing improve vastly this past year. However, it is nice to be able to explore other forms of communication, such as through an illustrative or digital composition.

I’m excited to see where this project takes me, and hope to have more assignments like these in the future.

Images Cited

http://katereedsenglishsite.weebly.com/uploads/1/1/5/0/11509317/978477382.jpg

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/csu-multimodal-talk-100610085920-phpapp02/95/multimodal-argument-decoded-keynote-speech-5-728.jpg?cb=1276160808

I really liked the first example of a multi-modal translation project that Professor Lueck showed us last class. It was a somewhat minimalistic poster that used only pictures and colors to convey meaning and capture the audience’s attention. Like I mentioned in my previous blog post, I want to take a similar minimalistic approach to my project using hand-drawn illustrations, a few words, and color. I want the poster to be as easy to understand as possible and not require the audience to do too much reading and analysis.

Similar to what I did in my previous blog post, I looked up some more examples of minimalistic posters. I tried to determine what seemed to be key components throughout all of the posters I looked at. Here were some of my findings:

  

 

In all three posters, there are very few words used, and when they are used they are big and easy to read. There also seems to be a consistent use of contrasting colors to make the images and messages stand out. This is not surprising considering this medium relies heavily on visuals to engage the audience.

Something I noticed in the first poster especially is its heavy use of symbolism. The cigarette, for instance, represents the start of the fuse that leads to a bomb which would destroy the heart. This image alone clearly conveys the message of how smoking kills, and could even have been left alone without the words. This powerful and easy to understand visual is the type of component that I want to include in my project.

Another component I noticed was in the second poster; it uses a witty phrase, which both conveys an important message but is also eye-catching. I’m hoping I can come up with a similar saying about censorship that I could include in my poster, but because pictures are meant to be the primary components of my project, if it becomes too distracting I’ll just leave the drawings without words.

This research has helped me gain a better idea of what specific elements I want to include in my poster.

Images Cited

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/d6/e4/a4/d6e4a40a7149e8793ee371d62784e25d.jpg

http://daisysartdojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2DaisyColchie9-112gradeposters.jpg

https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/disp/2251c019499549.5604071c6f77d.jpg

 

For my multimodal translation project, I decided to do an infographic poster because I’ve always been interested in graphic design and illustration. I also already have a vague idea of the different visual components that I want to include in the poster, so I want to experiment with those and see where they take me.

I looked on the internet to find some examples of minimal posters conveying a powerful social message or meaning of some sort, and first came across this one:

I found this poster to be extremely effective because of how simple but eye-catching it is. I thought the use of a gun outlining the child’s face was extremely clever, as it saved space but also hinted at how close the two objects are related. I also liked the contrast used between the black and white, as it created a kind of bleak mood in discussion of such a sad topic. Additionally, some words were used, but not an overwhelming amount. It simply states the most important message that the artist is trying to put across; nothing more or less. This makes it even more effective because it is a visual that is extremely easy to understand and process if you were to walk by it on the street.

Another visual that I found was a great example of an infographic poster was the following:

This image is a lot busier, but is still somewhat minimalistic. It uses more visual components than the previous photo, but it’s not too busy and is easy to understand. The words “Don’t Measure” go well with the visual of the ruler, and the use of the brain filled with words is also very eye-catching and gets the point that people are more than their grades across very well.  I also like the use of shades on this poster, because there seems to be a contrast to the dark and bright colors. I think my poster will end up looking more like this one because I’m not going for something as minimalistic as the first, and still want to use words and several different drawings in the poster.

Images Cited

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/0f/38/90/0f3890ac8fad9f93ffa648bc19b3b580.jpg

https://marlenalmurtagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/social-message-poster-jamie-c.jpg

Because my topic of choice for my final paper is on censorship of student newspapers, I thought it would be interesting to see what different types of censorship existed in real-world media in general. When researching this topic, I came across this blog which listed some of the different instances as to why censorship would be used in the first place.

The first type of censorship mentioned was one that protected someone’s privacy. This means either changing the name of someone mentioned in an article, to eliminating their name altogether. It’s considered one of the least controversial forms of censorship, as it is used simply to protect the person of discussion from enduring future harm or humiliation.

Another instance where censorship would be applicable is to avoid showing graphic images and details. This can cause controversy because downplaying the severity of a situation in order to make it less graphic or vivid can change certain aspects of a story. For instance, take a violent crime committed. By describing the crime as less severe than it really was, this in itself can do injustice to the victim while cutting the criminal some slack.

Hiding political bias is another reason why the media, newspapers especially, may use censorship. It is not uncommon for these platforms to come under fire by the public from accusations that they are attempting to promote a particular outlook. This point was particularly interesting to me as I thought about the current presidential campaign, and how media has played a huge role in favoring certain candidates. I personally never would have voted for Donald Trump in the first place, but after viewing countless of media platforms that have either criticized him or made fun of him, I can feel my opinion towards him growing significantly more disapproving. This is simply because of all the negative exposure I have read about him either online or in the news.

As this article has shown, censorship in general is an extremely controversial topic as there is a fine line between protecting audiences from harmful content vs. altering the truth and skewing perceptions. Thus it is important to think about not just what you are reading, but what has also not even been written.

Works Cited:

http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user3303/imageroot/20150216_int.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/7b/21/af/7b21af3a1d09d7ef25dda5d2f9eb66fd.jpg

For my final paper, I chose a topic that seemed to frequently come up during my research on the roles of student press in academic institutions: criticism of administrative censorship of student newspapers. Because the majority of my sources at least somewhat mentioned or referred to this issue, I figured that it was something I should look further into. As I read more and more into this topic, from its origins in the Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier ruling, to recent cases of conflict between administrations and student press staff, it became clear to me that this was a very relevant and complex issue that had many different viewpoints and perspectives involved. Thus, I decided that this was the topic I wanted to pursue for my final paper.

As I read over the different sources that I found for my textual sources assignment, I found myself developing an argument of my own. Once I found the different purposes that student newspapers served on campus, such as being honest news messengers to the student body, it occurred to me that censorship could inhibit the abilities of the newspaper to fulfill such roles. Thus, it was then that I decided that I too would be anti-censorship.

I will admit, however, that there perhaps are certain circumstances under which censorship would be useful. This would be the case if the news department was doing a bad job at filtering content that intentionally offended particular groups of people or contained unnecessarily vulgar content. In this case, either the an administrative figure may need to be present to monitor such information, or a new journalism teacher should be hired.

But in the grand scheme of things, assuming that the content being produced is respectable and inoffensive, but may be controversial in its criticisms of the administration (for example), such content should not be filtered out. It is important to include such content in the newspapers because it comes from the most honest and reliable sources, the students themselves, while also being a way to hold schools accountable for their actions. I’m hoping I can explore this topic further, as it is extremely applicable to today and has many complexities and perspectives to take into account.

Images Cited

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/60472727/censored.jpg

http://www.indymedia.ie/cache/imagecache/local/attachments/sep2006/460_0___30_0_0_0_0_0_student_censorship.jpg

 

As I was filling out a survey for my classmate Nate, I thought about my own stance on his topic regarding the effects of technology in education. Quite often there’s a stigma associated with technology in the classroom. People will argue that technology, such as laptops and cell phones, is distracting to students in class, and the frequency of its use outside of class has further inhibited their attention spans and learning abilities at school.

While some of this may be true, I nonetheless fully endorse the use of technology in the classroom, as its benefits far out weight the costs. For one, technology’s integration into our lives is inevitable. Technological innovation is a worldwide phenomenon that is only going to continue growing, and because of this, it is imperative that we as the next working generation understand how to utilize such resources. School, after all, is all about being prepared for the outside world.

Secondly, when thinking about this topic and how it applies to my own life, I haven’t had a single class this year that has not in some way required the use of technology. In OMIS, for example, I needed to use the computer to create websites, databases, and spreadsheets. In this class, I used the internet to gain access to online sources for my research papers and to create this blog.

On this same note, the use of technology, the Internet in particular, allows us to share and view other people’s ideas and work on a global-scale. For example, websites such as YouTube or WordPress provide a platform for people to express themselves in different ways while sharing their creations with others. This allows us to make connections with people whom we wouldn’t otherwise have known about in the absence of technology.

These are just a couple of the many reasons why I believe the presence of technology is necessary in education, and why we should embrace and make the most out of the inevitable instead of trying to avoid it.

Works Cited

http://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/default/cme/cme_public_images/www_ehow_com/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/117/241/78742085_XS.jpg

http://previews.123rf.com/images/amasterpics123/amasterpics1231208/amasterpics123120800162/14821565-Internet-world-wide-web-concept-Earth-globe-with-www-text-and-computer-hand-cursor-isolated-on-white-Stock-Photo.jpg

Putting together my survey was most definitely a challenging process. It started off relatively easy as I wrote down all of my ideas for questions that I would ask. However, after going over the different rules and wording to avoid from the powerpoint shown to us in class, I had to go back over my questions and cross check them to make sure they confided within the guidelines.

Not surprisingly, I found myself having to make several revisions of these questions, especially to the last one regarding censorship. I initially approached the question asking: Do you think school administrators should be given power to monitor the content that goes into student newspapers? I felt that there was some bias present because there was a clear conflict presented between the administrator and the student. Furthermore, I felt as though the question itself suggested that there was an obvious answer by asking whether an “administrator” should take part in what is usually a “student run” activity. While this was not my intent, I realized that I would not be able to explain this to the people I was surveying, so I ended up revising it to: Should there be restraints on what goes into student run newspapers? By whom, to what extent, and why? 

Most of my questions are pretty straightforward and easy to answer as almost all of them are multiple choice. I also designed the survey in a way that I hope will make answering easier for the people participating in the study by trying to make the idea of each question build on top of that of another.

Something I’m worried about, however, is that many people won’t know a lot about The Santa Clara, which would cut their survey short and provide me with little insight or information on the topic, especially for my short answer questions. To avoid this problem, I should hope to get as many respondents as possible to ensure I have enough information to work with.

Images Cited:

http://www.lmrblaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/checklist.jpg

http://lhi-cdn-dev.lipmanhearne-services.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/5Polls-Surveys-4.jpg

Recently I read a trending article by Srivinas Rao called “The Power of Writing About the Things You Read”, which discussed the different studying methods employed by top-notch students. The author defined two different approaches to studying that separate these straight A students from those who do not perform as well, and he presented them through the idea of active vs. passive review.

Passive review involves highlighting, re-reading, and trying to memorize content. Active review on the other hand involves actually recreating the material without assistance. This means being able to reproduce the material without referring back to the readings, and even trying to add your own embellishments to it.

I found this advice and learning technique extremely relevant to my situation, as there have been and most likely will be plenty of times where I will need to be able to throughly understand a subject so well that I can not only reproduce it but also make it a topic of my own. This could be applied to anything from research papers, to speeches, to reflections…etc.

This article also subtly hints at the idea that school and learning should not be about the mundane practice of simply memorizing content for the sake of it, but should instead be about understanding and personalizing what you learn in school. I find this a particularly important concept because as a college student, I want to be able to retain and apply the things I learn during my four years here at SCU, and not feel that I wasted my tuition on performing mechanical work that won’t be of use to me once I graduate.

This article was an eye-opening read that reminded me of the importance of learning for myself, and to not simply go about my education passively, but to make it as enriching of an experience as possible.

Images Cited

http://coldcollar.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/15.jpg

http://trullsenglish.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/1/9/25194894/1190544_orig.jpg