I honestly can’t remember when I have done so much work in a class before, blogs discussion questions, group assignments, essay’s, (PDR’s), reading assignments and whatever else I missed. This class has been hectic to say the least. Every week I open the “so here what to do” folder in hopes that there will little or nothing there, which is never the case. It is always this, that and the other, I probably would not be overwhelmed by this much work, if I did not have to split my free time up with multiple classes converting those free hours into study time. I have to admit it has been some nights when I questioned I motives for taking such a class (online). I would ask myself this question and the answer would always be the same. This type class is needed; it provides me with necessary skills to be a successful at the university level.
English 103 class has been great for me. I have gained more knowledge from this one English class in the eleven weeks, than all the other compositions classes I have ever registered for. The blogs are great; I believe they are a great way to express myself openly on even within the structured prompts. They also offer some freedom in a class that demands a lot from a student. This part of the writing assignment has become my favorite and one of the biggest reasons I am starting to enjoy writing again. I especially enjoy the whole “respond to your classmate” thing, this gives me the opportunity to review my classmates views on topics and also allows me to voice my opinion on the same topic and agree or disagree with the blogger in a respectful manner.
Peer draft reviews were very helpful, the (PDR’s) are new so at first, I did not really know what to do when I opened it up on turunitin.com, but I quickly caught on and realized that the (PDR’s) had the potential to a be a key tool in writing composition and help students develop papers in more effective ways. I was glad to see that turnitin.com could actually be student friendly. I also enjoy the discussion boards along with the group activities those were fun and were helpful when it came to getting the work done along with helping to build class cohesion. All the assignments were very helpful for me, even though my penmanship is falling behind because of all the typing, which leads me to this question, do you believe that the use of keyboard technology is affecting your penmanship in any way Good or bad?. Now back to the blog. The assignments helped me to face my fears about writing and English classes. I no longer have a negative outlook on my own literary pieces I might want to compose.
When I enrolled, I did not know what to expect. I was not very fond reading and or writing. Therefore, I figured this class would be boring and useless. It has been everything but boring or useless. I found myself at a play for the first time because of this class. That experience alone was so pleasant that it made me want to do the best I could in this class because I knew from that point on that I was going to be taught things that were otherwise not paid attention to in my world. I feel as if I’m a better writer just because of this class the every week workload has grown on me given me the appreciation I once had for writing back.
I understand your point. I am taking six classes this semester, so I understand how difficult to manage time to finish assignments in this class. I was like you, not fond of reading and writing; and feeling scared to English since I am an ESL student. When I read your idea of that, “Every week I open the ‘so here what to do’ folder in hopes that there will little or nothing there,” I was glad to find out that I was not the only one thinking in same way; I honestly hope to write less because I know that I need many hours to accomplish those assignments and those require critical thinking as well. However, you stated the good point of doing assignment in this class; those assignments will help us to be prepared for transfer. I am going to transfer as a junior at UC system, and those classes are given assuming that all students are well prepared. In fact, I am still not in “ready” status yet, thus this class helps me so much to increase my reading, writing and critical thinking skills through those assignments. At the beginning, I am doing those assignments due to requirement; however, I found some enjoyment in some assignments by interacting with other students. I like to have interaction with people, thus group activities or responding activities are delightful as you mentioned. Those fun activities encourage me to be more involved in reading, writing, and critical thinking processes. Usually online class does not see interaction between students, or we do not face to face with other classmates and the instructor. However, this class’ group activity, blog, and responding activities encourage interaction within the class; this is very interesting idea, and definitely a good way to increase joy to work on this online class through getting to know others. I also feel more comfortable in writing through knowing many of us are struggling in writing but improving such skill by working together. Nice blog Kevin!
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOSH! Kevin, both you and John made me laugh so hard when I read your blog and his comment to your blog. I also open the "So Here's What To Do" while holding my breath just hoping it will be a "light" work week for this class! Nope, never happened. More than not, I kinda yell out loud at my computer screen that this teacher must be out of her mind to expect us to get everything done for her - but every week, while I bitch my way through the assignments - I seem to find the time to get the work done. What that means, I think, is that we rise to the level of expectations.
ReplyDeleteHad Ms. Gross not required us to work our ass off, we would not be as good as we are at time management, discipline and self control. After all, John said he's transferring to a UC system and the requirements there will probably be equal to or greater than this class's requirements and multiplied exponentially for each class. 6 of Ms. Gross's 'level' of classes at the same time would probably leave no time for food, sleep or breathing!
I've watched your writing improve, Kevin, and I really enjoy your blogs. I slammed you on a peer review but not because you can't write well, because you obviously can. I did it to just help you get your paper to Gross' minimum standards, hopefully. I think I can see through some of the things that you have said in your writings and I know can relate. You've grown as a writer and your heart is in your words. I hope that one of the things you take from this class is that you have become very good at expressing your true emotions with the written word. Nice blog, once again.
Michelle
Hey Kevin,
ReplyDeleteCount me in, I’m afraid to click on that link “So here what to do” for every week as well. I never have to do this much work compared to other classes so far in my college career. The PDR peer responses have been a great help for me as well. My writing is far from perfect and peer review has allowed me to see my many mistakes that I have been making for a long time. And at the same time while reading my peers papers I have been able to catch mistakes that I also have making in my own papers. I know am able to catch myself making these silly mistakes. English 103 I believe has had a major affect on the way I write.
Exploring language is also a great book. It has also helped me greatly in improving the way write. I too would get stuck writing a simple five paragraph essay. I would just begin to think about random things. And then I would completely lose my focus on what I was doing. I think that this book has been one of the best books I have used throughout my college courses. I find this very true and it becomes easier to see what the writer is trying to say through the writing style that they use and the type of tone that they use throughout their work.