Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Final Learning Blog

With the semester over it is time to reflect on all the work we have done over the last several months. I must say that this class has been vastly different than any other english class I have ever taken. I actually can say that I enjoyed this class more than any other english class in recent history. There was some roadblocks on the way but all in all it was definitley a good learning expirience.

Right off the bat our class was assigned to individually create a blog. I myself being technically unsavy had a little bit of trouble with this. In most other english classes I have taken the most technology used would be Microsoft Word. After being open to the idea and using the blog for a couple weeks I really enjoyed it. The class blogg made it much easier for me to communicate with my classmates and bounce ideas off of eachother. One of my other major flaws throughout my educational career has been my organization. The blogg allowed me to view all my past assignments, and keep them organzied. This helped a lot because I do have a tendencie to misplace my class materials.

After getting situated with the new technology, it was time for our first assignment. We were assigned to write a research article. I wrote my article on student loans, I felt this was a good topic to research being a student myself and dealing with the issue currently. I believe the on campus interviews provided really insightful information for all my readers. One of the most interesting assignments that we were required to do was the juxtaposition piece. This was a group project. After participating in athletics, clubs, etc I have worked in groups my whole life. Put I had no clue what a juxtaposition was, the whole idea of simply changing the format of which a piece of writng is deliverd was intriguing to me.

“ I felt that this assignment really opened my mind to different pieces of writing and the different formats that information is tranfered as.”

I must say that the last assignment we had gave me the most trouble. I have written numerous of articles in my academic career but none like this. The idea of me writing an article on the process of creating a piece of literature was difficult to me for some reason. I had to make multiple rough drafts just to be in a position to write my final draft. I think after brainstorming in my conference it made it much simpler for me to do. I ended up doing my article on something that I was around for my whole life and hold a strong interest for, which always makes writing easier.

“ The whole idea behind this assignment really gave me a greater understanding of literature in general, I was always subjected to thinking literature to be strictly academic. After completing the assignment I learned that literature is all around us, and each form of writing has several aspects to creating it”.

After completing this course I can honestly say that I stopped focusing so much on grammar, and formal writing errors and really began to understand literature. The whole k-12 basis behind english really sets up our basic understand for english, allows us to communicate with others over text and not be completely illiterate. After this course I can say that my appreciation for the Englihs language is at a new level.

Friday, April 13, 2012

GRASSROOT WRITING CONFERENCE WEDNESDAY 9:50-10:00
424 K Stevenson

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Juxtaposition Project/ Final learning Blog

It has been a daily routine worldwide to wake up with a fresh a cup of coffee and to sit down with a newspaper for almost as long as anybody can remember. Now there is really no significant need for change in the traditional newspaper. It is convenient enough, most people when reading the newspaper are relaxing at their kitchen table getting ready to start the day. But one day I came up with the idea of having a newspaper being printed on playing cards. You may ask why someone would ever do such a thing. Now I am saying it’s just an idea any many people may disagree with it, but there certainly are some benefits to having your everyday news printed on a deck of cards. What if you wanted to specifically bring one certain article that intrigued you along to work or wherever you were going that day? With are current newspaper most you would have to cut out the certain piece or article to make transport of it more convenient, if the articles were printed on one single card or in some cases two or three it would be an issue. You could simply separate the few cards from the deck and bring them along with you. It would also cut back enormously on everyday recycling. Our world is supposedly “Going Green” we have come up with solutions, for cars, lights, even containers, bottles etc. But why have we never thought of changing our newspapers. A newspaper is an everyday object just like a car. Think of how much paper we use up with newspapers. I know that now a days most all articles are printed online, but that does not mean that the use for a hard copy newspaper is obsolete. Because it isn’t! The idea of a newspaper printed on playing cards would also increase drastically the number of children and young adults who read newspapers. Currently there is far from enough of young people who actually read newspapers. Now I am not saying that you should jump on the bandwagon and immediately think that the traditional newspaper format needs to be eliminated and we should all start printing articles on playing cards but it is something to think about. I recently surveyed a handful of people asking them multiple questions on how they would respond to this new form of obtaining news. Sean, a 19 year old student who attends Illinois State University said “I never in a million years would have thought of reading news from a deck of cards, I think it is an interesting idea but I don’t know how the older generation of readers would react to it”. Now I have to say this is the last the thing that came to my mind, but he does make a valid point. My uncles, aunts, parents, and grandparents have been reading the news how it currently is for years and probably would not be happy with the change. I mean if you think about it, it is probably one of the last things they have left from their generation. Just throughout my lifetime the cellphone has emerged, DVD players, laptop computers, the newspaper is one of the last things that is familiar to them. So I thought who would be better to ask then my own father. I mean he is one of those Americans who wake up bright and early in the morning with a cup of coffee and his morning paper every day, just like clockwork. Now you don’t my dad and for those who do know that he doesn’t like to be told he is wrong, and he definitely is not too big of a fan of someone changing something on him, or telling him what to do. Just a few days ago I had my dad fill out the survey that I have created. Before I had him do this I thought that it would only be fair if I gave him a brief explanation on my idea. Surprisingly he agreed with many points that I had made. My father being an engineer is always on the move, so he thought that the mobility of the news being on cards and quick accessibility would definitely come in handy for him. He wasn’t a hundred percent sold on the idea of him reading his daily quotas off of a deck of cards but believed that there were many interesting points that I had made. All in all I believe that my proposal of news being printed and distributed on playing cards is not too crazy after all who knows one day it could make millions, maybe even billions.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Proposal for GWRJ Article

. A general topic description

· I am interested in writing on the genre of college athletic funding, and issues on where the money is ultimately being placed towards.

2. Describe the specific genre(s) that your article will explore (if any)

· My article will go in depth on what sports receive the majority of funding towards scholarships, equipment, facilities, etc. And a possibility of salaries for college athletes.

3. An explanation of the author's perspective (i.e. are you planning to create a personal narrative of your own experience, or to research how other people writer, or what?)

· I was involved in the college recruiting process my junior and senior year of high school so i will use my personal own experiences, plus do extensive research on the subject.

4. Potential use of visual elements

· Potential visual elements would be data on attendance for sporting events and annual revenue the school brings in.

5. Discuss your plans for citing research in your articles

· I will cite my research using in text citations and a bibliography for my final article

Monday, April 2, 2012

Read for Wednsday
Pg. 21- Koehler (theotorical)
Plus teacher article

Set up of basic info on what the article contains
Writers situation in relation to the article situation
Obstacles faced by writers
Writers process they go through
Simple graphics maybe to help reader understand article more vividly
Simple to read, somewhat enjoyable
Sections of articles broken up by topic or titles
Not only spoke of their role in article but factors that may have aided them in sucess or failure
Stories both involve research
Both students attended or attend ISU graduate school program

Friday, March 30, 2012

GRWJ
1) Read Pg 72-McDuffie

20 Read Pg 71-Shapiro

FINISH BY MONDAY!!!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Eng Project

1. How would you respond to reading articles from a deck of cards?

2. Would you agree that this method of reading news would be more convenient for transport?

3. Would you agree that putting articles on playing cards would open up the reading of newspapers to a wider ranged audience?

4. How do you think society would react to this? Would news sales revenue go up or down?

5. Would the amount of pollution and littering in the world decrease with no newspapers to dispose of daily?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Evaluating the Standard

1. When a person speaks or writes in Standard English, what exactly does that mean?

It is the formal style of English that is widely accepted across the world and used by political figures, newspaper etc.

2. How do you think this particular variety of English became the standard?

It has been widely used and accepted for hundreds of years and I believe that it just continued to be used among society.

3. Should a student use a dialect other than Standard English (or even a different language other than English altogether) in the classroom? If so, in what particular situations (speaking, writing, reading, use of technology, etc.) are non-formal English appropriate?

I believe a student should use other dialect other than Standard English in the classroom. And I believe alternative dialect should be used in speaking, writing, reading, and use of technology. This being said I believe there is a time and place for every type of dialect to be used.

4. What makes someone a good writer? What kind of things do they do when they write? (this can be things like how they organize a paper, what words they use, etc.) List a few.

In my opinion a good writer is one who can manipulate the use of formal writing adding their own flare too their body of work. A good writer should be able to catch ones attention with whatever they are writing about. Many good writers set up outlines and rubrics in order to be organized and concise with their work.

5. You think that someone is a bad writer. What are some things that this person does that make them a “bad” writer in your eyes? List a few.

I am not really one to judge on someone being a “bad” writer. But in my opinion a bad writer doesn’t become involved in their writing. I feel that the majority of writing is emotion and how much you have invested in your writing. I also feel that if a writer doesn’t use any sort of organization or is completely oblivious to using proper grammar.

6. Are there times when a person you meet doesn’t speak “correct” English? What does that person do that is “incorrect”? List a few things.

In the article it said that you can improvise with Standard English but there is a point where it is just completely wrong. One example that goes unnoticed by many is the “15 item or less” line in a supermarket. Less is only used to measure things that are uncountable like water or flower, not individual items in a shopping cart. It really isn’t that noticeable but is incorrect.

7. What particular types (or genres) of writing should students be doing in elementary and secondary school prepare them for college and the work force?

It is important that elementary and secondary school students study conventions in order to be knowledgeable on situations on when to use certain types of grammar in different types of genres.

8. Does standard English=correct English?

Not necessarily there are certain situations where Standard English may be inappropriate. Depending on the situation whether at the dinner table with your family or chatting online with your friends there is a certain use of language that suits each situation.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Breaking the Constraints

1. Language- Very descriptive, visual language

2. Content- Describes the appetizer and all the ingredients, the price, serving size

3. Design Elements- Organized, colorful, In folder, Pictures of dishes

4. Location- Online menu, To go menu, Sit down menu

5. Audience- Customers

One particular constraint that can be broken on a menu is the price; the restaurant determines the price of their product. Whether the price is being increased or decreased determines how customers would react. Most likely the cheaper the price the happier the customer will be, if the price is suddenly increased the customers are most likely to be upset.

Alexandra Hurtado
Loren Lewis
Denis McAuliffe

Friday, February 17, 2012

Interviewer Contact Information :
Daisy De Latorre
17089457926

Student Loans Spiraling out of Control

Written by: Denis McAuliffe

Student loans have become a necessity for most families in America. And with student loan debt surpassing credit card debt, the problem doesn’t seem to be improving. More than two thirds of college students take out student loans, and the average student’s debt after graduating exceeds ten percent of their gross income. With the economy in the state that it is in it is extremely challenging to become a successful individual in the society after you receive a four year college degree. In 2011 the average cost to attend Illinois State University including tuition plus room and board is roughly 22,000 dollars annually. Most college freshman do not have a steady income, even if that is the case they most likely will not be able to afford even a public education these days. Private Universities have tuition surpassing 50,000 that is not including room and board. So we are stuck in a dilemma, today’s society requires a bachelor’s degree for a vast majority of careers. If you take out student loans and attend school you will graduate with a four year degree and a pile of debt after taking out student loans. If you do not take out student loans and aren’t able to afford higher education you will be under qualified. The decision that most qualified students seem to be making is taking out student loans.

The student loan debt in America has passed credit card debt, surpassing 1 trillion dollars in 2011. Another key contributor to the nation’s debt is the struggling economy. The economy has the highest unemployment rate dating back to the great depression nearing 8 percent. Currently a freshman at Illinois State University and set to graduate in the class of 2015, I am quite concerned. I asked Daisy De Letora, a freshman communications major at Illinois State, what she thought about our country’s student loan situation. She stated “ I think it’s right that they give you the opportunity to take out loans if you wish, My sister is enrolling in the University of Brown medical school next year. She will be paying off her medical debts for a good time to come “. President Obama spoke last October about his plan to improve the student loan crisis. The plan set to start in 2012 will improve the situation for nearly 2 million students who currently are suffering with making student loan payments. But this just isn’t enough, we are in desperate need of a complete overhaul.

The system set in place just isn’t working, and is a huge burden on Americans becoming successful members of society and quite frankly is just placing our economy in a deeper hole that it already is. Increased education funding from the state would potentially lower public university tuition, creating less of a burden for students who take out loans. Judging recent actions taken by the government, increased funding just does not seem like a pliable option as of now. It may be our job as college students to create a solution for the current loan situation, since there has not been much activity by the government to do so. I personally do not have the solution, which is why it is important that college students all across the country are aware of the increasing debt in America. Our country was founded by people who wanted to make a difference in their lives. It is much easier said than done but students like you are currently faced with this problem and need to take action if no one else is.

Denis McAuliffe

English 101

Nicole Osolin

Article Analysis

Analysis

· All my articles begin with important facts that grab the reader’s attention. The tone of most articles are very professional, informative of current resolution plans and statistics pertaining to the current problem in the system

· The middle of the articles consisted of mostly personal opinions or thoughts on the current system in place for student loans, and possible options to improve it.

· The ending of the articles consisted of a personal statement that relates the article with you, and a statistic that usually is quite shocking.

· All used professional style language, in an article format, consisted of paragraphs to separate speech. Some contained video to go along with the article.

Final Rubric

Story Impact on Audience

· Being current college students, we are the ones who are taking out student loans.

· Over 2/3 of college students currently have student loans taken out.

· In 2011 our country surpassed 1 trillion dollars in student loans debt

· Future debts accumulated due to student loans

New angle on Student loans

· I believe that state funding for public schooling needs to be increased in order to fix our student loan crisis. The government needs to set up programs instructing students to take out loans in a more responsible and reasonable manner. The state needs to generate a greater amount of scholarships for high school seniors.

Content

· To inform ISU students on the commitment they are making when taking out student loans. They should be knowledgeable on the current situation our government is in.

· To list and express possible options to improve the student loan system in our country.

Interview

· Survey and interviews on floor on views, opinions, or personal experiences dealing with student loans.

Final Blog

As unit one is coming to an end I feel that I am in the full swing of things in our English 101 class. At first I was unorganized, and disoriented to the foreign classroom criteria and methods. I struggled with the learning blogs and wasn’t use to the sort of freedom in the writing process that you encouraged. Now we were still obligated to create rubrics outlining the main ideas and aspects of our articles. This was also a new technique to writing that I was unfamiliar with. After creating the rubric I felt that it was highly beneficial to my organization and focus of my articles final outcome. I created the rubric by collecting information from numerous online sources either pertaining directly to topic or other issues that were related to my main topic. Another aspect of class that I felt really benefited my writing process was the in class peer evaluation sessions. This past Monday, I received a lot of positive feedback from my peer evaluation group members. Not only did I feel that the information I received was helpful, but also my evaluation of the groupmemebers articles helped better my final product of my article. Like I stated earlier many of my past English teachers taught with very strict and concrete teaching methods and format. I feel that in my current course grammar and format are much less emphasized in the writing process. So far I have felt that since I am not harboring as much focus on grammar and structure that I have been writing more fluently and frequently as ever in my scholastic career. I know this sounds farfetched but I feel that the experiences I have learned so far in class can be used in everyday life. Students always complain about how they will never use class material in everyday life. Just in the short amount of time that I have been enrolled in this class I have learned how to use a learning blog and interact within the blog community. I have functioned in peer groups feeding off each other’s ideas and criticism. I felt that the skills practiced in peer editing groups could better prepare me for the corporate world. So in conclusion to unit 1, I have enjoyed the new approaches I have used thus far and feel I have consumed plenty of useful information thus far. Not only scholastically but also information that can be used in everyday life.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

1.While creating my newspaper article I used multiples tools and techniques to gain information and translate it into my own words. After I chose my topic I began extensive research on student loans. Not only did I research student loans, but I also looked into other national issues that I thought could be affected by student loans issue.

2.Before creating the article our class all created rubrics containing topics and issues that we would like to discuss in our article. We also later analyzed our sources, picking apart article topic, facts, and style of writing.

3.My article should be open to the whole internet, I plan to share it after the final product of my article is complete. I wish for anyone who reads it too take my ideas into consideration. The best possible outcome is for readers to feel compelled to make a change after reading my article.

4. Like I stated previously I hope that my readers gain some knew knowledge on the issue with student loans in the U.S. It is affecting each and every one of us given how devastating the debt is, and how prevalently it exist among Americans.

1. The text began after I had researched my topic fairly extensively, which I then later took all my gathered up information and wrote my own article.

2. I mainly used traditional informal newspaper articles and videos on student loans, along with expository pieces to understand my production.

3. My 3 group members on monday all read and reviewed my article.

4. I anticipate most of our class to read my piece, as long as any one on the internet who happens to view my blog.

5. I hope anyone who reads my articles realizes the problems with student loans and their effect on other multiple aspects of our economy. I would like readers to attempt to educate others on my topic and try to make a change.

6. Like I said previously, my blog is open to whoever wishes to view it. I hope for as many people as possible to stumble across it.

7. The ideas in my article could possibly create other articles that focus on one smaller issue in my article. I feel that when focused on a very specific topic people would be able to go very in depth and detailed.

8. I feel that my article challenges the U.S government to make a change in our countries student loan situation.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Illinois State University

#160	National Universities

Summary

Illinois State University is a public institution that was founded in 1857. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 18,314, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 1,140 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Illinois State University's ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 160. Its in-state tuition and fees are $12,230 (2011-12); out-of-state tuition and fees are $19,190 (2011-12).

Illinois State University (ISU) is located in the town of Normal, about 130 miles southwest of Chicago. Undergraduates at Illinois State can choose from dozens of degrees, and master’s students can major in many fields as well, including business, education, and social sciences and humanities. First year students at ISU can take the Learning in Communities seminar, allowing them to attend one of their first college courses in small groups with their peers and learn about each other and the university.

ISU students can also join more than 300 student organizations, write for the Vidette student newspaper, or play an intramural sport. More competitive athletes can try out for one of the many Illinois State Redbirds varsity sports teams, which compete in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. ISU students can also spend their free time checking out the parks, golf course, and museum in Normal, or by attending one of ISU’s many School of Theatre productions. A few of Illinois State’s notable alumni performed in these productions and went on to become famous television actors, such as Jane Lynch, who stars in Glee, and Laurie Metcalf, who appeared in Roseanne.

School mission (as provided by the school):
Illinois State University is Illinois' first public university, founded in 1857 as a normal university to prepare the state's teachers. The University... Read More

General Information

School type	public, coed college
Year founded	1857
Religious affiliation	N/A
Academic calendar	semester
Setting	urban
2010 Endowment	$59,521,293

Applying

When applying to Illinois State University, it's important to note the application deadline is March 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due April 1. The application fee at Illinois State University is $40. It is selective, with an acceptance rate of 66.9 percent.

For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.

Selectivity	selective
Fall 2010 acceptance rate	67%
Application deadline	March 1
SAT/ACT scores must be received by	April 1

More About Applying

Academic Life

The student-faculty ratio at Illinois State University is 19:1, and the school has 31.5 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Illinois State University include: Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services; Education; Health Professions and Related Programs; Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs; and Social Sciences. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 84.0 percent.

Class sizes

Student-faculty ratio

19:1

4-year graduation rate

45% - Medium

Five most popular majors for 2010 graduates

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services	20%
Education	19%
Health Professions and Related Programs	7%
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs	6%
Social Sciences	6%

More About Academic Life

Student Life

Illinois State University has a total undergraduate enrollment of 18,314, with a gender distribution of 44.4 percent male students and 55.6 percent female students. Illinois State University is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.

Total enrollment	21,134
Student gender distribution

Undergraduate men who are members of a fraternity

Undergraduate women who are members of a sorority

Collegiate athletic association	NCAA I

More About Student Life

Campus Info & Services

Illinois State University offers a number of student services including placement service, day care, health service, and health insurance. Illinois State University also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at Illinois State University.

Students who have cars on campus	N/A
Health insurance offered	Yes
Students required to own/lease a computer	Yes

More About Campus Info & Services

Paying for School

At Illinois State University, 56.2 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $9,501.

Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.

In-state tuition and fees	$12,230 (2011-12)
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,190 (2011-12)
Room and board	$9,090 (2011-12) - Medium
Financial aid statistics