First blog post

This is your very first post. Click the Edit link to modify or delete it, or start a new post. If you like, use this post to tell readers why you started this blog and what you plan to do with it.

Blog Post #7

For this being my first blogging experience I felt that I got a handle in how to use this expressive medium while maintaining an element of professionalism. Some things that I really liked about blogging was the ability to use what I was learning in class and being able to apply it to things pertaining to my interests.

My most professional posting was my fifth post. I choose this as my most professional, because this was one that I had to let my voice’s tone change to a more direct and explanatory diction.

I enjoyed my blog post 3 in terms of design. It was simple but had a great info graphic that really helped give the post a good foundation of my ideas that I wished to get across in the post.

As far as creativity I have to say it would be my last post, post #6 ,that was my favorite in that category.  I was able to use my creativity with the digital short that I created and had a lot of fun implementing my sense of humor into the post as well. 

My “People’s choice” goes to Sally’s blog. I enjoyed reading her posts which I felt had a natural voice but was also very professional when she needed it to be. Her design of the blog was very easy to navigate and had a sleek look to it while not being over stimulating visually.

Multimodal Experimentation

MASTERCLASS: How to CookAn Alright Fried Egg

Experiment with creative things is always a joy for me because it really allows me to produce things in a very unrefined way which brings a certain soul to whatever it is that I am creating.  I did some experimentation with iMovie and create a little short video. Once I got all my footage uploaded to the program that’s when I started to construct a narrative of what I wanted this video to be. Essentially, my goal was to create D-rated Masterclass on how to make a fried egg and it turned out to be fairly entertaining. To accompany my footage I used the robust and heavy operatic O’ Fortuna, a pretty widely recognized epic piece of music, and used that as the main drive for the timing of my edits. Be able to write this short with the guidance of the music really made the editing process much thought out and deliberate. Once I could piece together the narrative I wanted in my head the music allowed those ideas to leave my mind and my finished product was very close to how I envisioned it, which I felt pretty satisfied considering it was my first time using iMovie. I liked the limitations that finite footage gave me, because I decided to use a part that I might have edited out if I had more. Overall, I am anxious to begin another project similar to this in the coming weeks after having quite a bit of fun with this project.

Blog Post #5

It seems that as technology grows a paralleling growth happens within people to find new and creative ways to best use our advancing technologies. There are many digital mediums that seem to be popping up out of nowhere each and every day. Most of these are utilized as sources of entertainment, but there is also many ways to use a digital medium as a tool for learning and education.

A digital medium that I use seemingly almost every day is the podcast. Podcasts have been one of the few things that can maintain my attention for nearly three hours! When I first got really interested in podcasts my initial use of this medium was purely for entertainment. Soon, I discovered that I can also access lectures through podcasts and also various educational topics, such as Philosophy or History. I began to listen to these and not only enjoy them, but also learn new things as I was on the go either driving or on a run. My favorite educational podcast is Dan Harmon’s Hardcore History, he is extremely thorough in his research of his topic, and also is a very captivating speaker. I have also been a guest on some of my friends podcasts too. The production is rather simple, a microphone a mixer/interface and a Digital Audio Workstation can easily create a well produced podcast.  The podcast would be a great digital medium to implement in the classroom because it is a very accessible medium that is also widely used by young people. Students could listen on their commute to or from school. This could allow open up project based assignments that could have the students even making their own podcast. The podcast allows a different kind of “writing” that is great in facilitating unique ideas and different voices students may possess.

Another digital medium that I recently have started using is the blog. Pretty meta, blogging about blogs. The blog has really opened up my mind with how I can share my own writing and be able to express my voice. I think blogging has helped foster a creative outlet for me while I being in an academic setting. This medium allows my writing to be seen by not only my peers but anyone in the world that stumbles across my blog. With that wide of an audience I believe it does push me to make sure that what I am writing will have some interest to whoever reads it. This places more diligence onto the writer. This digital medium is a great tool for students because it is such a great way to encouraged  well structured writing and way to progress a writers skills. The fun thing about a blog is that it is always evolving with the author, and in a classroom setting it could allow the students to see their own growth in their writing just from scrolling through their own page.

Both the podcast and the blog have been two digital mediums which gave me experience in digital composition. They would be great ways to get students engaged in certain aspects of the curriculum, but also ways to help foster their own success in digital composition.

Reflections blog post #4

Well, the first few rounds of receiving work from students writers have finished and I am going to share my experience thus far into my first time venture as a writing coach. The ability, skill, age and knowledge of the writers I am assisting vary from individual to individual. When I was introduced with my writers something that I noticed first was the degree of variance each writer had. With each of my writers at different skill levels in their writing this was my first obstacle I faced as a writing coach. Now I knew when I began to expect a little varying degree in skill, but as I provided comments on different works I found it difficult to make sure I was catering my comments to the understanding of the specific writer. Another thing I had to be cognizant about was the fact that some of my writers English was a secondary language, which made me have to approach commenting on their writing in a more stripped down form than I would with a native English speaker. I had to go back a few times with certain writers and revise my comments to reduce the confusion that the writer could potentially have. I found this article provided me some helpful tips.

Another aspect from being a writing coach that I have been learning to adapt to is being able to make a decision on where to focus the most attention to with each writer. Although, I found the reading we did on HOCs and LOCs very helpful to centralize the focus for each writer. I found writers that were lower in skill level were easier when focusing attentions to aspects of their writing that needed help, while working with students performing on a higher level was more difficult to find that focus, and I am still learning how to better approach these kinds of writers in supplying effective feedback.

I think the biggest obstacle that I have come in contact with is the fact that we have a large degree of separation with the writer since this is all done online. It is a difficult aspect of being a writing coach because I would like to have immediacy in conversation between the writer and myself. Think in a face to face situation the ability to convey thoughts, ideas, and comments are better understood, because there  is the ability to actually see the writer and be able to better gauge if they have an understanding on the feedback I am giving them. On the other hand, the convenience of receiving the writers work makes reading and providing immediate feedback much more efficient.

Overall this has been a positive experience thus far, and I am excited to see writing of the students grow as I continue working them.

 

Blog Post 3

The writing process has a  sturdy frame work that can be used as a guide, but like most things in life it truly depends on the individual and what works best for them. I will share a little bit about my personal writing process and what sort of tools I use to create a well developed piece of writing.

In order to have an ending one must have a beginning, and the best way to begin writing is to write whatever comes to mind just to get the “gears” of the brain turning. I like to think of this first step as how I treat getting my car started  in the morning after a cold winter night. I turn my key in the ignition, wait for the engine to turn over, and then just let it sit idle for five to ten minutes. Now I have a destination in mind of where I am going, but for now my car isn’t going anywhere just yet. In the meantime it is circulating the oil throughout the mechanical parts and heating up the engine to get it “woken” up for the day and ready to take on the frigid temperatures. My brain also needs warming up, so by writing whatever comes to my mind I begin to get the ‘engine’ of my brain running smooth before putting it to work. Once I have done what I believe to be an ample time of warming up I review what I wrote and take the ideas that will get me to my destination, a finished piece of writing.

After I selected the ideas that seem to have the most substance to them, I now begin to organize how I want these ideas to appear in my piece of writing, how I am going to answer any claims I make while supporting them with evidence, and how my audience will know the overall idea I am trying to convey through my writing. After getting all my organizational aspects of my writing in order I turn my attentions to the contents of my writing. In my beginning drafts I have a lot of writing, most of which will be omitted in my final draft. Michael Angelo started with one giant slab of marble before he had to chisel it down to get The David, and I like to think of my first drafts of writing to be an un-chiseled slab, and as I “chisel” away at my drafts I will create a more distinct piece of writing with clearer definition and substance.

Finally, after numerous revisions and even some, or a lot of re-writing I have worked my way to have a lean piece of writing that gets my ideas to the audience in an effective, efficient, and engaging way. To make another comparison, this is like the garnishing of a meal, lets say tacos. The the meat or beans (contents of writing) is hugged by a warm corn tortilla (organization) holding everything in its place, crisp lettuce and tomato provides a nice freshness ( clear, flowing, well articulated sentences), and finally the garnish of cilantro, fresh squeezed lime, and green chile sauce bring out a brightness tying all the flavors together (revision and editing). This is my process of writing and I am sure I do things a little different from others, but it works well for me. For newer writers my process may seem a little bit longwinded, but what I learned through experience it is easier to work with a lot and narrow it down to a little, than to work with a little and try and make it seem full. Writing is difficult to do at first, but when the engine gets going it will take where you need to go. Embrace the process and work with it resulting in stronger, well organized, and clear writing.

If you’re hungry for tacos

 

Blog Post #2

Writing Coach Profile:

Writing, to some is a natural, almost, stream of conscious act, and for others it is like trying to fit an Elephant into a Honda Accord – things don’t make sense, there is no organization, and no one knows how to go about getting the elephant into the car in the first place. Well, for those trying to fit that elephant in the Accord, there are tips to make things a little easier. I am Sean and I have been writing academically and for fun for about fifteen years. I utilized my knack for writing to help individuals, write essays, term papers, and even books. In 2014 I was the head editor for Peninsula State Park’s book on a historic summer camp called Camp Mennagah. As a student I enjoyed creative writing and even had a few poems published in a poetry anthology for a local publication in Stevens Point, Wisconsin called the Barney Street Review. I also enjoyed the nerdier side of writing such as literary analysis. As a future teacher I look to use my joy for writing and transmit that joy to others, or at least make writing less painful for those that have a distaste for it. Aside from writing I enjoy gardening, playing/making my own music, and and cooking delicious vegetarian food. Here is a link to an album I made by myself last year to dig on.Music

 

Opening Day For On The Soapbox

To begin is often a daunting task. With so many different possible starting points it is difficult to select the platform from where to dive in. An anxiety of choice latches to reasoning and more options flood the mind than leave in decisive action. These candidates of conscious decision begin to second guess each other, almost as if they were in a stagnant argument, with each choice carrying a different weight of possibility. This over saturation can be silenced, by one means, action. So this brings me to my little soapbox. Ready to begin.