Final Blog

Final Blog

            Here I am writing my last and final blog for English 101.  It is hard for me to believe that my freshman year is almost over.  Starting out the semester we talked about different types of genres, and the way that people give feedback.  In my first halfway learning blog I talked how in high school I was not a very good peer evaluator.  Now that I have done a few peer reviews in college I feel like I have learned how to do a better job on helping others and giving them better ideas.  The next thing we moved onto do was begin the first project.  My topic was about how “The effects of no snow” has affected ISU students.  The next project then came up quick and the semester was already half over.  The next project assigned was with two other group members.  The members in my group were great.  They were always in class, and always had their information ready each time we got together.  This time the topic was on “Turning an academic paper into your teacher on notecards.”  In my Learning blog Final 2, I talked about how many people reacted asking, “why were we doing this, and telling us they would never turn something in like this, but some didn’t really care either way.  Now we have just finished up our last project on Monday.  For this project I talked about what I have learned and how to create a learning blog.  In the paper I included things I have learned throughout the semester and some ideas for other people that want to create their own.  As the semester finishes each member will give a presentation on all the learning blogs they have created over the semester. 

            I have learned a lot this semester.  I was very surprised the first day when I was told this class would not be like your ordinary English class.  In the first blog I talked about creating my blog.  I have never done any online blogging before this class, but as the semester progressed blogging has taught me a lot and I really enjoy it.  What really was a big takeaway for me is when the teacher would have us take notes in class, and post them on our blog.  Just being on the blog really helped me get acquainted more with it.  Another great takeaway was getting to have peer reviews and see what other ideas people had to help with writing each time.  For my half way Learning Blog 2 I talked about 3 vocabulary words I learned about in unit 2.  Code Switching, Code meshing, and Juxtaposition, Switching is just “switching” back and forth between languages. Code Meshing means to utilize two distinct English dialects in written genre.  As a group we all were very curious about what a Juxtaposition was, so we decided to ask about being told we decided it was just a big word for example of our notecard.  The last major thing I learned was the right way to set up a research design and what is included in an abstract.

            Throughout the semester there were a few things I didn’t understand, but I got them figured out.  I never was bashful to ask a question but I normally would just hold it until the end of class to ask it.  In the first halfway learning blog, I talked about how I was not sure how my rubric was suppost to be set up, but after the next class everything got straightened out.  In Unit 2 I remember everyone was thinking that the whole unit was due on a Friday but it was only the rough draft was due the class was at a sign of relief.  I felt like this last paper was hard for me to get started.  I really was not sure what I should include or how I should go about writing it, once I got started I was able to pull some information together and end up completing it.

            In the Final Blog 2 I talked about how our group communicated very well.  Everyone pulled their own weight, and did an excellent job together.  Always in high school I was never really a fan because it always seemed that one person did all the work and the rest would just kind of be there.  Another great take away was the “Grassroots writing Journal article.”  The article really made me stop and think about my peer reviewing throughout high school and I realized I was really helping anyone.  As I finish up my final blog I feel like I have had a successful semester in English 101 and that I have really learned a lot.