Assignment #14

For my final portfolio I chose to revise my arguing a position essay.  The strengths of my arguing a position essay are its overall clarity and how it appeals to the intended audience- students. The weaknesses of my arguing a position essay are the thesis which could be more informative and I feel like my paper could be a little longer. To make effective changes to my essay, I am going to work on focusing the paper so it doesn’t stray from the main idea. It is going to improve the reading quality, and the essay is going to flow more easily. I could also focus on the audience, and instead of focusing mostly on students, I am going to add elements which appeal to teachers as well. Furthermore, I am going to make substantial corrections to the thesis of my argument. I am going to make them straight forward, and to the point.  I am aware that it is the quality and not quantity of my essay that makes it good. Still, I would like to take care of its appropriate length, perhaps by adding elements from my own experience, or bring more opposing ideas to the action.

Assignment #13

I analyzed the Free Speech off Campus Must be Protected essay. In my opinion, the author’s strongest points to support his claim were the examples he brought up. By providing the reader real life scenarios, the essay seemed more believable and easier to relate to as a student. The author also identified himself as a lawyer, and most importantly named the case in which he, personally, co-authored as a brief defense. By doing so, he ultimately gained trust and credibility. What also struck me as a reader was the way author went over both sides of an argument, giving it a fair stand and informative way letting the reader do the critical thinking and figuring which side is right. It made me realize that in my own paper it is crucial to include not only both sides’ opinions, but also my own reflection on the topic. 

Assignment #12

Is it fair to allow college students to grade their professors on-line?

My most compelling evidence is that asking for advice in picking classes is nothing new and very in fact very common. Students have always asked seniors questions on which courses to take and naturally which teachers or professors are good or bad. Shifting the system online does not make a special difference. It is best that students know what they are getting into before they make choices they suffer for.

My weakest evidence to support my claim is that the after high-school education is getting to be very expensive. And like any other commodity that cost the buyer, its quality must be carefully checked and tested. People, in this case student, should be given all the opportunity to make sure they are getting their money’s worth. Sizing up ,and evaluating professors is one very effective way to do so. 

Assignment #11

My writing process and its outcomes are far from being perfect. I am constantly making several, almost inevitable mistakes which have a negative effect on my grades. One of such is focusing on irrelevant ideas or topics which have nothing to do with the overall message I am trying to convey throughout the essay. I am being excessively wordy on facts and opinions which have nothing to do with the assigned topic. It makes my essay longer, but the quantity is never more important than the quality, and as a final result it hurts my grade. Another mistake I tend to make is the overall correctness in the word choice and sentence structure. Once more, the issue with the English as a second language is coming into play. I was never considering myself as a solid writer who could come up with complex sentence filled with top shelf, eye catching vocabularies. I was making simple grammar mistakes since the first grade, I am still making those right now, and I am certainly sure that I will be making those for a long, long time. The last problem, because I would not call it a mistake, in my writing is that I cannot develop my ideas to form an essay that would meet the standards in terms of length. I always feel that something is missing, I could develop one of the paragraphs some more, or even crop out some of the information that are not necessary in overall piece. I will be working on those issues until I master the art of writing.

Extra Credit Blog Post - Spring Break

I have been thinking about several potential topics for my extra credit blog post. After a while I came out with a conclusion that it is easier to have a specific topic assigned by the instructor than to write on our own. I would do really horribly as a blogger. Nevertheless, since the spring break is almost over, I have decided to write something about it. To begin with, and I know mostly everyone will agree with me on this one, it was way too short. I tried to rest as much as possible. I have not set up an alarm clock even once. I worked all week long. Friday was the only day I was off work. The weather was incredible, so I and my girlfriend decided to visit the Lincoln Zoo. Following, we also had a walk along the Fullerton beach shore. I am crazy about riding a bike. I love night trips to the lake. I did it twice this week, right after getting of work at 11pm. I live in the suburbs north/west of Chicago close to Chicago O’Hare international airport. Getting to the lake takes me around 40 minutes of civilized ridding during the day. I manage to do the same distance during the night significantly quicker. The bond between you, and the bicycle, and the completely empty road is beyond words. Out of all activities I have done during my spring break, I enjoyed riding a bike, and a visit to the zoo. Funny fact, it was the first time I saw a real camel in my life! Now, I am just (hopelessly) looking for Monday. Hail the school. 

Assignment #10- Thinking Critically About Peer Review

Personally, I think that the peer review we do in class is effective but only to some point. It is sure helpful when it comes to correcting the sentence structures, run on sentences, paragraph organization but some of the major issues are never to be resolved that way. I feel like even if my draft undergoes certain changes during the peer review, I do not learn from it in a larger scale. It is helpful for writing a paper, but not in improving our writing process in general, or for a future reference. Being honest I am not a good peer reviewer simply because English is my second language. The English and Polish writing styles are mostly similar, so I do not have a problem in paragraph organization. I can clearly explain what I feel does not belong, or I can give an advice of how to improve the overall piece by adding certain elements to it. When it comes to sentence structures, run on sentences, or spell checking, I am not a person to seek help from. I believe that the peer review system we operate in right now is all right. It is a wise idea to do a peer review for the very first draft we bring to class. Doing so, we get a better understanding of where do we go wrong, and we have enough time to correct ourselves. Also, we get a better picture of what our peer review partner is expecting for the ending and what is his image of further developing our piece. 

Free Topic - Assignment #9

Successfully managing your time is a crucial ability to perform well academically in College. While in my First Year Experience class, I have learned plenty of useful tips to always stay on task. Planning to study when I am most alert is one of them. It is beneficial to look for blocs of time that work naturally for me. It is helpful to test several times of a day and see which one works the best for you in terms of being ready, focused and concentrated on nothing but studying. Spending time every day on each course I am taking is another helpful tip to do well in College. Even if you do not have any assignment due, you should plan some time each day to read the text, review the notes, and prepare for the next class. Try to do examples of the problems that you do in class to have a better understanding of a subject. While making your weekly schedule, it is very helpful to prioritize the tasks that are to be done. You might want to label your assignments as “high”, “medium”, or “low” importance. In general, it is going to set apart tasks which have to be done as soon as possible, and other minor tasks. Make a “to do” list. While studying, you must not forget about other things you have to do beside school. Calling home, getting a haircut, canceling dental appointments are all examples of after school activities that are important as well. You should borrow time, instead of stealing it. If it happens that you decide to go out with friends instead of doing one task from a “to do list”, you need to make sure to make up that reading the next day, or just before going to sleep.