Self Evaluation Blog #3

The most common error in this essay was misplacing periods. When quoting, I tended to put them before the page number of the quote, rather than after, and often had a period in the quotation itself. Another common mistake was that I would say that 'Fast Food Nation' rather than Schlosser. Sense everything in the book was written by Schlosser, I see that this was a mistake!
I found out that procrastination is a big no no for me. I kept thinking the entire time, "I'll work on it tomorrow,". Then it was due! I know I could have done a much better job if I had spaced out the work properly, like I did on the second draft. I also found that I have to examine my own essays with the evaluation that we learned in critical thinking. It would have solved many problems that I didn't even see until now.
Again, grammar wasn't too much a problem, though it was more so than the draft before. Punctuation was a problem this time though. This surprised me because I normally have less problems in punctuation than anything else! Its because I rushed too much, and didn't spend enough time double checking.
In this draft, I didn't use as many of my resources as I could have. I followed the problem solution intro strategy and the call to action conclusion.

Pre-writing Blog #4

This prompt is not particularly interesting to me as itself, I mean, I don’t have much of a say in any of this for another year because of my age. But the idea is interesting. I do think there are moments going on, a few big ones. One is gay rights, prop 8 being just the tip of the iceberg I’m sure. The funny thing is that gay rights are inevitable. Every year people are becoming less and less critical of gays. Each generation is going to be less worried about it than the next. I’m hoping it will happen in my generation, just because I think it is what is right, but it doesn’t really matter, or at least I don’t think so. This ties it with the fast food readings with equal rights, and conditions. It applies to the ideas across time readings this way as well, but it also fits in with ‘what I believe’ and ‘will to believe’ articles because they discuss people’s religions, and from what I’ve heard, religion is the main thing for prop 8. I expect to be arguing and persuading people to take my views in this essay. This will be a bit easier for me than the last essays, because I have clear views on what I believe in this area and why. I’ll have to be careful though not to knock religion because that could offend some people.

Reading Blog#6

In our society, the responsibilities of those who rule are to act out the majority will of those who are ruled. They are elected to represent our ideas, beliefs, and concepts. If they do not, they will not be chosen to lead again. But, they have to balance that with doing what is best for us. There is not anyone more unlucky than our rulers, because it is very uncommon in humans for what we want to match what we need!

The responsibilities of we who are ruled are to follow the laws laid down by those who rule, to put it simply. To live our lives to the fullest under those restrictions. We also must chose who rules us, who we think will represent us the best and want to do what is best for us. We don't always do this the best, often choosing who will let us do what we want more often then who will do the best as the ruler.

Self Evaluation Blog #2

My only big error was a sentence fragment. I made other errors, but they were mainly forget apostrophes. I also once messed up the tenses. The sentence fragment, amusingly enough, was there because I accidentally put a period where I meant to put a comma, lol. As it was, it didn't have a subject!
I found that writing more in draft one, making it more organized and closer to a final draft made it so I got precise reviews, and was able to make smaller and more exact changes, rather than a full reformat of the paper. I also found that its really hard to stick to a subject when you want to write about something else entirely. A couple of times I almost erased my entire paper and started over. If it wasn't for lack of time, I probably would have!
I've never had too much trouble with grammar, mainly because of the fact that I've been using computers for so long. But I also never really thought it was that important, because it was fixable. I've always thought that what was in the report was most important. Well, that and that the writing style attracts the readers attention.
I used lots of different things in this draft, mostly the conclusion strategies. I always hated introductions and conclusions. They were the hardest for me to iron out. The handouts were very useful for me in forming them both quickly and easily. Or at least more easily than usual!

Pre-writing Blog #3

I have decided to use prompt number two. This is a much more interesting subject to me, and the answer is obvious after reading the fast food nation chapters. I would like to show other people my view of it, for many don't realize how bad it is for the people that provide the food for fast food. I didn't see it myself until I read the fast food nation chapters. I should be able to use many of the readings from fast food nation to back up what Standing Bear says in his essay, especially the rancher that committed suicide. As I've understood it, the Problem/Solution essay style is what it sounds like. You bring up a problem, define it, prove it’s a problem, show a way to fix it, then back up why that is the best way to fix it. I could be mistaken though; I haven't finished reading the two papers in the Unit Three Lectures. I think the best way to engage my audience is to show how bad the conditions are for these people, the ranchers, the potato farmers, and the chicken breeders. I know it’s just as bad for the cows and chickens, but that usually isn't as effective on most people, while other people suffering can strike a nerve.

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
-Douglas Adams

I love this quote! I love the whooshing sound, rofl...

Reading Blog#5

Fast Food plays a very important role in my life! I work for a fast food company, wienerschnitzel, so if I was living on my own it would be paying my bills. As it is, its paying for my expensive computer parts.

I didn't really have many memories that I associated with fast food until recently. Now, I think of my six dollar dog that I made, and cleaning up when someone stole the trash bag out of the garbage and people still threw stuff in that trash...

Self-Evaluation Post #1

My mistake was number 13, a run on sentence. I forgot to put a coordinating conjunction after the comma, so it became a run on sentence.

I learned a lot from this process. Most importantly, write more than 1200 words for the first draft, lol. I found that it wasn't nearly enough, so that when I revised it only ended up being around 900 words. Also, make sure to highlight only the essay when doing word count, lol. I found that putting it off to the last minute also was not very effective. I went brain dead after working on it for five hours straight, so it wasn't as good as it could have been. I also missed a couple of stupid mistakes that I could have corrected if I had looked back in later. I also found out I have trouble with Pie style, my writing likes to be a little all over the place in the paragraphs themselves. On the other hand, I found this new thesis writing style worked very very well for me. It made it a lot easier than it normally is for me.

I also found that I did not have many problems with grammar. I read a lot and that gives me a basic sense of what is wrong and what is right. I don't know all the exact rules and the prospect of learning it seems daunting, so I'll worry about it later, if it becomes a problem.

I tried to apply everything from all the lectures. I have to say I failed miserably on the PIE, but I think I did fairly well on the rest. My thesis fit the checklist, as did my introduction and conclusion. This opened my mind a bit more about writing. I used to think more in formulaic ways when it came to writing, following the format to the letter. I never really thought there were other styles out there besides the five paragraph style. Now I know there are different styles and its up to me to find the one that fits me best.

Prewriting Blog#2

The prompt I've chosen is Advertising. Though I think that there is more information on the other prompt, it being the main subject of most of the reading, I was really angered by the Killing us Softly 3 video, mainly because how true it is. Though it may not make a big difference in the world, I can at least show someone the truth of advertising. I plan on using a lot from that video in my report, as well as from Jib Fowles essay. I plan on focusing on the misrepresentation of women, and how negatively it effects them. I need to find more statistics and background information on the subject in general. I will probably be going and watching Killing us Softly 1 and 2. I think the primary outcome for this essay is to learn, more than anything else. I have to remember that my audience is probably not all that interested in my essay, because it is one of many. I have to make it stand out.

Reading Blog #4

Erik Miller, 17
Shirt-5 dollars from Goodwill.
Shorts-12 dollars from target
Glasses-100 dollars, paid for by medical.













Student
Working for a better life.
Over seventeen million students are attending college here in America. Out of that, twelve million or so graduate with at least a Associates degree. These varry from Math, to English, to Science, and everything in between. These students carry the future of our country on their shoulders. I attend Sierra College, hoping to get a AA degree in math, and move on to a university to become a teacher. I grew up all over northern California, moving many, many times. This is why it is so important for me to go to college. So I can afford to stay in one place.

I live at home with my parents at the moment, and all my school money goes to them, so they can pay rent and bills and food. That makes it so that I can focus on school work alone. I'm hoping to make between 30,000 to 40,000 a year as a elementary or high school teacher, as well as make some money on the side working on computers.

Prewriting Blog#1

I finally finished the reading! Following the reading process does slow down my reading a lot, but I also feel that I understand it better. I don’t have to read it again and again to understand what they are saying… most of the time anyways. Based on what I've read so far, I'm going to go with prompt 2, Democratic Society. It seems to me, that there is more information on this subject and as I always have trouble with quantity, let alone 1200 words, I'm going to need all the info I can get! I’m also interested because though I’m not following the traditional ‘American dream’ I do have an idea of what an ‘American dream’ is and have my own opinions on it. Despite that, I’m a little worried about that this is a compare and contrast essay. That's never been my strongest skill. Most of my knowledge of essays revolves around persuasive essays because that was required for the CHSPE, so we didn't focus too much on the others. As my ‘audience’ is going to be my classmates I’m going to have to make it interest and show how it applies to them.

Reading Blog 3

"Being American" is being free. It means your free to live your life as you will as long as you do not negatively effect other peoples lives. In this, it is me that agrees with my mom, rather than her agreeing with me. I got the idea from her.

A society in which everyone has a say in the laws and everyone has the same freedoms. My mom defines it as the people are aloud to chose who their rulers are.

They are very closely tied together for me. I think it is hard to have one without the other. I don't think people in monarchies are free, and people in democracies without freedom are not truly in a democracy. In this case, my mom agrees with me. She believes that they are closely tied, though she doesn't explain why.

Reading Blog 2

To consciously examine your thinking process and your thoughts is to ‘think critically’ or that’s what I think. In banking style classroom there is no critical thinking. As a matter of fact, that kind of classroom discourages critical thinking, as you are not supposed to ‘think’ about what your learning, you are supposed to basically memorize it whether it be accurate or not. In a ‘non-traditional’ classroom, critical thinking is more likely to be encouraged. That way, the student is more actively learning rather than passively being ‘filled’. In banking style, the teacher is a container of knowledge, filling the empty student, while in the other, the student and teacher exchange knowledge, and encourages each other to grow further. Some teachers might be resistant to a ‘non-tradition’ learning environment, because they are no longer the superior force that they are when they are the only container of knowledge. A student may be resistant to a ‘not-traditional’ learning environment because it requires them to become active, unlike in the banking where they are passive. They have to intact with the other students and the teacher to really get what they need out of the class.

Introduction

I'm Erik Miller. I live in Auburn, Ca though thats not where I've always lived. Since I was one(I'm sixteen now, turning seventeen September) my mom and me have moved sixteen times, but I only remember the last ten. My only consistent hobbies are online Rpg's, Reading, and Computer Games, though I often dabble in video editing, guitar, manga, game modding, The Craft, and hypnosis. At the moment, I'm working three days a week, and going to school on four, so I expect I'm not going to have much time for any hobbies -_-' Um, My plan for school is that I'm going to get a teaching degree. Once I have that, I'm going to try and get work at the only school that I actually enjoyed, PCOE.

Reading Blog 1...

Gahh, I hate blogs... :( 'sigh' Ok... I am taking this class because its English 1A is one of my GE requirements, but also because I know many other classes, though unrelated to writing have reports, essays, and other fun writing assignments. So, that goes a bit in to what I'm going to learn too. I'm hoping to learn how to correctly complete writing assignments that I am assigned and am hoping to get an A while doing so. Though I have not had much experience with a class English learning environment, I've had to do a lot of online and library research to learn enough so that I could complete essays and reports that I've had to do in previous classes. I think that will help me a bit, or at least make up for my lack of regular high school English. One of my biggest challenges with writing is starting. Once I start, I can write fine, but I'll find any little excuse to not start, so I usually end up doing the assignment the day before it’s due. I’m working on this now, and hoping it doesn’t cause as many problems as last semester… I guess that it, I hope I did it right… ><