Distinction

Writing has significantly influenced writing today and in the passage “Letterpress Language: Typography as a medium for The Visual Representation of Language” the author, Johanna Drucker, talked about format and how the visual aspects of typography in a piece of writing are important to understand when writing an ssay. This includes how the words look on the page and what point they are trying to get across. This related to my group question in that we discussed how the font, number of paragraphs, larger quotes, and visual aid differed from the article and the essays we have written in class.

group1

When asked to compare the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr to the essays writing in English 101 there was a lot of thought that needed to go into finding specific similarities and differences. At first glance, whether it is a story about the author through their own eyes or the personal opinion on an issue, all the essays were written as the author’s opinion on the situation. Yet, when further evaluating the essays materially and technologically, there seemed to be a few specific details in each that made them contrast more.

Materially, in the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr went into great detail about how technology, in specific the internet, has changed the thought process for many people today. With advances in technology, people are having a shorter attention span. The author incorporated a lot of outside research that went into creating this passage. This differs from the essays written in class in that we have been writing from personal experience and have not researched information to support our writing. When a writer incorporates resources, statistics, and facts in their writing it supports the main topic and conveys that the author has a valid point. Another way to do so is to offer different points of view for the reader to consider. Where the author of this passage showed different facts that represented each take on the issue, our essays in class tend to be focused on one view. The point of view, in which our essays have been writing in, is through the author’s eyes or first person.

Technologically, the essays in English 101 have been basic essays with a set amount of paragraphs. In the article by Carr, he added interest to the reading by incorporating pictures and large quotes. When adding pictures and quotes it should convey an important detail about the paper. The essays have also been significantly shorter than the passage. This does not necessarily make the passage better but it does convey that the author has a lot of detail and can fully support their topic. One way to lengthen the essays written in class would be to add more detail about each event that occurred. This would depict a specific picture in the audience’s mind while reading.

Technology v. Writing

Writing is a universal form of communication that has evolved to shape how our world receives information. From hand written to posted on the internet, there is no doubt technology is the main reason for this adaptation. In article “Is it new? Is it multi? Or is it a return: A reflection on the relationship between writing and technology” the author describes three main reasons that determine a connection. Format and design, understanding all the possibilities, and source material are all arguments for the change in writing today.
Rather than simply writing one font in an 8 ½ by 11 square box, the opportunity for creativity in the presence of the writing is endless. While writing on a piece of paper each individual has their own handwriting and cannot change how they write. When typewriters were invented, a generic font was introduced and eliminated change in font between typewriters. Only with the use of a technology found in computers has this been made possible. Prior to putting words on a paper the author must consider what font they will be using. Although for formal essays it is still typical to Times New Roman size 12, the choices for other forms of writing do not end there. Other styles of font are used for creativity or to draw attention to the writing. However, these forms of font tend to be more difficult to use and are avoided in professional writing. The next step in the decision making process is what format the author will be writing in. Technology has allowed the author to design their paper in multiple arrangements. The format is designed through creating text boxes that can be shaped to whatever form desired. This also opens the opportunity for the writer to include multiple passages on a single page, or perhaps leave space for a photo or graph. Being given the opportunity to design the page and passage of writing in multiple ways has given the author unique creativity they were not able to obtain before technology.
The author of article “Is it new? Is it multi? Or is it a return: A reflection on the relationship between writing and technology” stated that, “Literacy via technology involves more than just an ability to negotiate words. A writer must also be able to grasp the compositional possibilities allowed by such a program, which involves technical literacy.” This statement refers to those who do not understand the numerous possibilities offered through technology. Before computers opened the door to technical literacy, writers did not need a manual to layout each step of writing. Today, with so many options to changing the format, font, adding pictures or graphs the author may become confused at where to start. However, in today’s society it is becoming clearly evident that individuals are being taught at a young age how to use technology while writing. Yet, before computers people did not have the technology and are now forced to adapt. Not only is it and adaptation to the paper itself, but ways in which information is found has become as quick as one click of a button.
Source material is the information used to support and fill a paper. In contrast to using library resource, most find the internet their main source of information. Although this may be more convenient there tend to be many flaws. One defect of technology is the reliability of the source. Even if the information is posted to the internet it does not insure credibility and while researching for a paper, writers tend to be mislead by deceiving facts. There is also another flaw when it comes to incorporating the text within the writing and how it should be manipulated. Some information found on the internet should be used for their material properties, while others used for their content. This is difficult to differentiate when the two articles have completely different approaches to a topic. Lastly, it is critical while writing to avoid plagiarism and with so many resources out there it is required to include a works cited that lists each source. Books, journals, and websites are just a few resources that can be found on the internet as a result of technology, must be used correctly when entered into a piece of writing.
Regardless of the level a writer is, all writers can agree that technology has inevitably changed writing. Whether the style or format, technical literacy, or resource the use of technology on computers has opened options to creativity, efficiency, and lack of error. As writing continues to develop through technological change, there will be an importance to continually adapt as a writer. Yet, the importance of this means of communications will remain unaltered.

Assignment 6

top 3,6,9,11,12 bottom 1,2,7,14,13

Challenge Pool

most personally challenging 10,20,21,8,25
least personally challenging 6,22,3,14,12

most flexible 1,9,12,3,13
least flexible 10,19,21,24,25

most interesting 14,1,12,7,20
least interesting 4,17,11,16,24

top three 14,9,7
bottom three 4,11,16

Writing Challenge

Your challenge is to write a five paragraph essay about your first day of college at UW-Milwaukee. You must explain your experience on campus and what classes you had. As if that isn’t enough, the first body paragraph must include your favorite color. The second body paragraph can only be six sentences long, and the third body paragraph will include one in-text citation. Use the DK handbook as your reference for MLA citations. The reader should get the feel of what it was like to be you on the first day of school and also see that you followed the directions.

Compare and Contrast

The challenges presented on reality tv are similar yet very different to those assigned from a composition textbook. Each set standards that must be met; however, the reality tv guidelines are much more broad. This is a good thing when it comes to clothing and food because it leaves a lot of room for creativity and self expression. Still, it is more difficult in the end to know what the judge’s verdict will be. Personally, I feel for a formal essay it is important to have strict guidelines so the writer knows exactly what direction their paper should take. At the same time I also think this shouldn’t stop a writer from taking risk and making their paper memorable to the judge. Each challenge is similar in the aspect that they must execute their work to the best of its potential, in order to impress the judges. Whether its perfect stitching or perfect spelling, this means leaving no room for error. Another similarity between both an English essay and reality tv challenge is that the individuals are given an idea or a topic that forces them to push their limits and help them improve in what they are doing. Then again, if they fail to meet the expectation they could fail or get eliminated. Still, each contestant or student puts forth a lot of effort and preparation into making the final product worth the hard work. Ultimately, both a challenge for a reality tv show or an English essay can teach a valuable lesson about hard work paying off.

If I were the judge...

Being judged is not always negative, in fact to get the most out of the criticism one must view it as advice to help them improve. In general I think that writing is one of the most important means of communication and should always be worked on. Then again, I enjoy writing. If I were a judge of English 101 portfolios I would look for criteria that would evaluate each writer reasonably. I would also make sure the judging criteria is clear because nothing is less fair than being critiqued on something you didn’t know. I think it is important to start off an essay with a topic that is appropriate for the audience, and with interpretive essays, it is crucial the essay doesn’t become bias. The view of what is being written about, the audience and of the writer themselves must be taken into consideration. A writer should also make it clear to the audience what point or side they’re taking by using appropriate word choice and sentence agreement. Nothing is more confusing to read than a paper that doesn’t flow. To judge the fluency of an essay the judge shouldn’t have to reread a section more than twice and should understand the overall topic. This includes checking for mechanical and grammar errors. Seeing that the essay is being revised multiple times there is no excuse for spelling errors. Lastly, I think it is most important for the student to be proud of their work and to show improvement in their writing from the beginning of the semester. With a portfolio like this one I think it is so important to put a lot of time and effort into the paper. Whether or not writing is what the author likes to do, they should work their hardest to deserve a passing grade.

Improvising Perfection

The reality television shows "Top Chef" and "Project Runway" test the talents of the contestants as they compete in different challenges and are judged on their performance. As if competition alone isn’t enough for the participants, they are also working against the pressures of a time limit, budget, and their ability to improvise. The challenge on "Top Chef" asked the contestants to use inspiration from a comedy show and create a meal that they think will meet the standards of the judges. Overall, each chef was judged on how well they followed the inspiration, how well their product was executed, and how well it tasted. In the end one contestant couldn’t keep up with the others and was asked to leave. "Project Runway" takes different fashion designers and challenges them to produce the best runway outfit, as they interpret the challenge in a way that will impress the judges. In three episodes from the current season the designers were asked to create a maternity, red carpet, and beach look. After the time limit is up, each designer must watch their garments walk down the runway on a model and get critiqued by a panel of judges. These judges look at how wear-able the garment is and how accurately they feel it accomplished the challenge. Just like on "Top Chef" one contestant doesn’t execute their style and talents as well as the others and must leave. Ultimately, without much preparation the contestants must improvise quickly and leave no room for error.