Jilian’s English 207 Blog Another amazing bgsu blog

On the whole, I think that blogging throughout the semester, especially for a course like this, was helpful. It allowed me to further develop my thoughts and pose any questions I may have had. In one of my education courses this semester, we discussed the importance of allowing students to write down their thoughts instead of having to constantly participate in discussions or even allowing students to write down their thoughts and then encouraging discussions. Having students write their thoughts allows the teacher to assess what was learned and what perhaps needs more work. I think that writing anything is a very helpful tool, so this blog was helpful.

That being said, there were a few drawbacks. Sometimes I could not think of anything to say and some of the blog prompts felt repetitive. This isn’t meant as any sort of insult and I hope it isn’t viewed that way; rather, I do understand how this could have happened. Much of the class focused on literacy and since we had something like 40 blogs, it seems natural that we would re-visit concepts. This is probably because our own personal concepts of literacy were developed throughout the semester and I’m sure that you (Brittany) wanted to check on that. 

My only other bone of contention is that I was never sure how much to write. Sometimes it seemed unfair that I wrote so much (if you’ll look at my blogs earlier in the semester, they were a lot longer) and some of my classmates wrote something like three sentences, and it would seem that we all received the same credit. This isn’t anyone’s fault; I think I was just unaware of how much I was supposed to say. I never felt I did the concepts justice by only spitting out a few sentences to just get credit, but at the same time, I wondered why I should put forth more effort when other people were fine giving so much less. 

As a future teacher, I think I would love to have my students blog. I realize this could be impossible with the lack of technology in some classrooms, but I think it would be very useful. It could be useful in all classes but I think it could be very useful for my future English classes. I could have students submit rough drafts, have them post questions, and make sure that they were writing a couple of times a week. I really would enjoy using blogs as a future teacher.

I have used a blog in one class before this. It was my EDIS 231 (Teaching Students with Exceptionalities) course. I have to say I really did not enjoy having to blog for that class. Why I liked blogging for this class is because we were constantly given prompts. We weren’t simply told “Make sure you blog twice a week” and then left to our own devices about what we could possibly say. I might have had more to say if I learned a single thing in that class but, alas, it was a waste, I learned nothing, and I lost a lot of points because I forgot to blog every week. Possibly because I found it difficult to blog about something I never learned. 

I actually already have a personal blog. I think I’ve had it since 2005. So I can’t say whether this course or having to update this blog has affected how I view my other blog. It possibly made me wonder how many people see my blog without my knowledge. 

Other than this, I’ve always viewed writing with the utmost regard. I’ve been writing ever since I knew how; I don’t know how many half-finished novels and short stories I have saved on my computer or how many have been lost throughout the years due to computer changes. My opinions on blogs vary, although I see the personal ones as good outlets. Sometimes it seems nice to know that your thoughts are out there and even if you don’t know if someone is reading them, possibly someone is and they can relate with you. I just think that blogging is a helpful way to encourage people to write and I believe that the only way one’s writing or writing style can improve is by constantly writing. This blog helped with that.

1. Do I demonstrate my literacy well?

2. Do I explain how this is a literacy?

3. Is it organized well?

4. Did I explain how I will use it in my future career?

5. Did I make my points effectively?

For my final project, I am re-seeing writing a lesson plan as a literacy. I think that this project will be especially beneficial for me. Lesson plans are not the easiest to write and I think that sometimes I can get dissuaded from writing them, thinking that perhaps mine are not good enough. But when I re-see a lesson plan as a literacy, I realize that it is something I can work towards and a skill I can improve. When I understand a lesson plan more fully in this manner, I see that it is something I can master after more practice.

I think that the value in this is unmeasurable. Lesson plans are going to have such an impact on my future–not only as a college student but also as a teacher–that any additional thought or practice that I put into them will be repaid to me in time. Often, teachers find that they can re-use their other lesson plans after establishing a few years of effective teaching. This means that once I master my lesson plans and create effective ones, I will have a considerable amount of work that I have already accomplished.

Attached to this blog post is my final project proposal. Enjoy!

Final Project Proposal

Initially, I had thought that literacy simply meant the ability to read or write. As this class has progressed, I’ve realized that it is about much more than that. I think that literacy is the ability to do anything well. For example, saying that someone is literate technologically means that they are able to use technology in an effective manner. Coming to terms with this definition is what made some of my previous projects more difficult because I could not get past the idea that literacy meant anything more than just reading or writing well.

Now, however, I have come to see that I have many literacies beyond reading and writing. I am also able to gauge how a certain literacy affects my life. I believe that most of my literacies all work together to help me think more coherently and critically.

1. In my reflective introduction to my portfolio, I want to introduce myself and the various projects. I know that for each project, we have an additional introduction, so for this particular introduction, I want to include an overall reflective piece about how all of these projects worked together to help me learn more throughout the semester.

2. I think that I want my reader to see the visual narrative first. This was the first project we worked on and I think it provided a good base for me to think about various literacies. It led to the other projects and I think it would be a good way to engage the audience if I included something visual first.

3. I want a separate page for each project. I think that it would be easier for a reader to navigate this and I think it really provides a more streamlined look to the blog.

4. I think that I would like to include a traditional paper to introduce myself. I know that others would enjoy including a podcast or a video but I don’t think that this is keeping in tune with my own personal literacies. I still enjoy writing the most and therefore will use that to introduce myself on the blog.

Having completed a resume and cover letter previously, I only had to update it to reflect the job for which I am applying. The only remaining questions I really have are: I think that the second paragraph of my cover letter may be a little too lengthy. I also was wondering if my objective in my resume sounded all right. The wording felt a little off to me, but I may be wrong.

I was also a little curious about the layout of my resume. I used this specific layout because we learned how to do this in an education class. I wasn’t sure if different fields have different resume formats. For example, I have two different experience sections: relevant experience (like my methods and student teaching) and my related experience (volunteer hours, field experience hours, etc). I wasn’t sure if that was acceptable for this assignment or not.

What initially seems important to this ad is that you are qualified for it. The job had screening criteria including concentrations, degree levels, work authorization, and class level. It is important in this ad that those looking at it know the qualifications necessary for employment. It is important because this is a teaching position and with this profession, teachers must be accountable. I will address these issues in my resume and I will address some of these issues in my cover letter as well by writing out what qualifies me for this position.

This isn’t a company; it is a school district. They mold young mind in an attempt to make the future generations intelligent, functioning members of society. The desired qualifications include: degree in Integrated Language Arts (secondary English education), a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in that field, US citizenship or at least authorization to work in the United States, and that the people applying are a senior or graduate of college. The school district values its students and in this way, they value responsible, certified educators. Some important words include: the caption under the district’s icon saying “Changing the Future Through Education,” and another important phrase is the mission statement: “To prepare all students to become productive, responsible and contributing members of our changing global society by providing a nurturing environment that rigorously promotes the realization of individual potential.”

My understanding of a resume is that you write one in the hopes of putting all of your professional accomplishments and training on a single piece of paper (sometimes two) to obtain a position of employment. A resume ought to be concise, simple, and professional. Things relevant to the position desired should be included in it and nothing else. I think that a resume’s ultimate goal is for the person writing it to get a job. I can’t imagine any other reason why you’d have a resume or why you would continually build your resume throughout time, updating it to include recent employment and any further training or accomplishments.

I’ve talked about them before in a lot of classes. I am in an education class right now focused on administration in schools and we had to build a resume and cover letter. We also did a variety of activities about getting a job; our midterm in that class was a 15-minute interview with the professor. It’s about the only helpful thing we’ve done in that class, to be honest. Anyhow, I think my resume is slightly pathetic. I haven’t really done much with my life. Hopefully someday that will change.

One of the main strengths of my essay was that I think I chose three criteria with which to analyze my essay. I was initially worried that I would not have enough to say, but after I’d settled on three things that made my PSA effective, I realized that I’d chosen good criteria. I had a lot to say and I think I said it well. I was able to work the rhetorical appeals into those criteria pretty effectively and I think I made a good argument with them.

One of my perceived weaknesses of the rhetorical analysis is that I fear I might have been a little repetitive. I’m not sure if I was,  but towards the end of my essay, I began to feel as though I had said everything already and was now just repeating it. Maybe 4 pages was too much for a 45-second PSA, although as I have taken many English classes, I’ve gotten pretty good at stretching what little material I have into a cohesive essay. I just hope that my essay didn’t seem redundant by the end.