Learning Outcome Eight: Cultural and Ethical Impacts
Culture has effected my writing in many ways. For example, American culture influenced my fairy- tale. I avoided gore and death, and it had a happy ending. In other cultures, their fairy tales involve gruesome injuries, violent deaths, and they don't always end well. When producing these blog posts, I've written them in English and used phrases specific to American culture. I have also used the term CHAT multiple times without having to explain that it stands for "cultural historical activity theory" because I know that my target audience, because of cultural/environmental situation, already knows that.
My experiences and background have effected my writing as well. For example, I come from a very religious family. Because of this, I abstain from using obscene language in my writing, whereas other students may have no problem with including cuss words.
Through this course I have been able to become more aware of the impacts, both conscious and unconscious, that my culture, ethics, and background have on my writing identity. Becoming aware of these impacts have helped me to better appreciate other people's writing.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Multimedia, Multimodal, Multi-migraines
Learning Outcome Seven: Multimedia and Multimodalities
In this course I worked with three different modes of production. My fairy-tale was text-based, my movie posters were visual, and my blog is a combination of texts and visuals.
Each of the three modes that I used are represented and received differently, especially when comparing them to an essay. Both essays and fairy-tales are text-based, but they are very different genres. Essays are usually factual, whereas fairy-tales are mythical. The target audience of an essay is usually just a teacher, where as the target audience of a fairy-tale is usually families and children. My movie posters are a different form of communication entirely. They depends on visuals to capture attention and promote a film. With a blog post, the layout and theme of the blog is used to capture attention, and then the text varies depending on the author. Differing from essays, blog posts are usually based on opinion.
The choices that I made in my three genres were based on aspects of CHAT, especially representation and reception. Based on my research, I created my texts based on who my target audience was and how I wanted them to receive my content.
In this course I worked with three different modes of production. My fairy-tale was text-based, my movie posters were visual, and my blog is a combination of texts and visuals.
Each of the three modes that I used are represented and received differently, especially when comparing them to an essay. Both essays and fairy-tales are text-based, but they are very different genres. Essays are usually factual, whereas fairy-tales are mythical. The target audience of an essay is usually just a teacher, where as the target audience of a fairy-tale is usually families and children. My movie posters are a different form of communication entirely. They depends on visuals to capture attention and promote a film. With a blog post, the layout and theme of the blog is used to capture attention, and then the text varies depending on the author. Differing from essays, blog posts are usually based on opinion.
The choices that I made in my three genres were based on aspects of CHAT, especially representation and reception. Based on my research, I created my texts based on who my target audience was and how I wanted them to receive my content.
What I Know and What I've Learned
Learning Outcome 6: Uptake and Antecedent Knowledge
For my projects, I had at least some antecedent knowledge about each genre. Coming into this course I also had a lot of "unconscious" antecedent knowledge and skills: how to write sentences and form paragraphs, grammar rules, capitalization rules, how to read, how to comprehend, how to use Google, how to take notes, etc. This antecedent knowledge has helped me in this class, but it has also hindered me. When trying to "uptake" new information about different genres, I would instinctively use the writing techniques that I learned in high school. I had learn how to break this habit for this course in order to create genre specific content.
Through this course I have learned how to switch writing "modes" in order to fit whatever genre I need to. I've learned to identify my antecedent knowledge and any preexisting biases, set aside what I don't need, and uptake new information to accurately write in my target genre.
Learning about CHAT and activity systems has helped me in my writing. Whenever I tackle a new project, I "uptake" the skills and concepts that I have learned in order to effectively do research and produce a text in a new genre.
Through my projects I used my antecedent skills such as forming sentences and paragraphs, grammar rules, and taking notes to help me. I also learned how to set aside other parts of my antecedent knowledge such as the 5 paragraph essay format. My projects represent the knowledge that I've gained as evidenced by my ability to produce text in different genres. My projects also show how I adapted my antecedent knowledge about writing in general and about each specific genre to fit into the conventions of the genre that I was writing in.
For my projects, I had at least some antecedent knowledge about each genre. Coming into this course I also had a lot of "unconscious" antecedent knowledge and skills: how to write sentences and form paragraphs, grammar rules, capitalization rules, how to read, how to comprehend, how to use Google, how to take notes, etc. This antecedent knowledge has helped me in this class, but it has also hindered me. When trying to "uptake" new information about different genres, I would instinctively use the writing techniques that I learned in high school. I had learn how to break this habit for this course in order to create genre specific content.
Through this course I have learned how to switch writing "modes" in order to fit whatever genre I need to. I've learned to identify my antecedent knowledge and any preexisting biases, set aside what I don't need, and uptake new information to accurately write in my target genre.
Learning about CHAT and activity systems has helped me in my writing. Whenever I tackle a new project, I "uptake" the skills and concepts that I have learned in order to effectively do research and produce a text in a new genre.
Through my projects I used my antecedent skills such as forming sentences and paragraphs, grammar rules, and taking notes to help me. I also learned how to set aside other parts of my antecedent knowledge such as the 5 paragraph essay format. My projects represent the knowledge that I've gained as evidenced by my ability to produce text in different genres. My projects also show how I adapted my antecedent knowledge about writing in general and about each specific genre to fit into the conventions of the genre that I was writing in.
Chit-CHAT
Learning Outcome Five: CHAT
This whole course has been centered around one thing: CHAT. Never in my life did I think that literate activity had so much else involved. CHAT is broken down into seven parts: production, activity, distribution, ecology, socialization, reception, and representation.
Production is the actual act of producing a text and the tools involved. For example, the production of writing a fairy-tale includes coming up with the idea for the story and then sitting down and actually writing the story whether with a computer or with paper and pen.
Distribution is, just that - how the text is distributed. A movie poster is sold to movie theaters, hung up around cities, and advertised online.
Ecology is the environmental impacts that a text has or how the environment effects any of the other elements of CHAT. To write a blog post, you need to have 1) a computer (which is made from nonrenewable sources) and 2) access to the internet, which not everyone has. Thus, blog posts are not available to everyone, everywhere, and that effects distribution and reception.
Socialization is any social interaction that happens because of a text. Someone could see a movie poster, and then decided to go see that movie with a friend.
Reception is how the audience receives and responds to the text. If someone likes the way that a movie poster looks, they are more likely to go and see that movie.
Representation is how the author or creator of the text communicates and represents himself. The author of a fairy-tale will most likely want to represent himself as family oriented.
Lastly, Activity is every single thing that is involved with the text. This includes coming up with the idea for the text, the research, every aspect of the production process, distributing the text, sharing the text with others, etc.
CHAT has helped me in my research and understanding of different genres. Knowing what goes in to a genre and the main goal/purpose of the text helps me to better create an example of text from a certain genre.
This whole course has been centered around one thing: CHAT. Never in my life did I think that literate activity had so much else involved. CHAT is broken down into seven parts: production, activity, distribution, ecology, socialization, reception, and representation.
Production is the actual act of producing a text and the tools involved. For example, the production of writing a fairy-tale includes coming up with the idea for the story and then sitting down and actually writing the story whether with a computer or with paper and pen.
Distribution is, just that - how the text is distributed. A movie poster is sold to movie theaters, hung up around cities, and advertised online.
Ecology is the environmental impacts that a text has or how the environment effects any of the other elements of CHAT. To write a blog post, you need to have 1) a computer (which is made from nonrenewable sources) and 2) access to the internet, which not everyone has. Thus, blog posts are not available to everyone, everywhere, and that effects distribution and reception.
Socialization is any social interaction that happens because of a text. Someone could see a movie poster, and then decided to go see that movie with a friend.
Reception is how the audience receives and responds to the text. If someone likes the way that a movie poster looks, they are more likely to go and see that movie.
Representation is how the author or creator of the text communicates and represents himself. The author of a fairy-tale will most likely want to represent himself as family oriented.
Lastly, Activity is every single thing that is involved with the text. This includes coming up with the idea for the text, the research, every aspect of the production process, distributing the text, sharing the text with others, etc.
CHAT has helped me in my research and understanding of different genres. Knowing what goes in to a genre and the main goal/purpose of the text helps me to better create an example of text from a certain genre.
Wikipedia is Not Welcome
Learning Outcome Four: How to find and Evaluate Information and Cite what You Know
Finding information is easy. All you have to do is open a search engine, type in what you want to know, and bam! - you have information. What gets a little tricky is evaluating the validity of the information you find.
Valid information usually comes from any .org, .edu, or .gov website. I've also used PDF's, blogs, and books. To determine the credibility of information you have to consider appearance, the publisher, and whether or not other sources are cited. If other (credible) sources are cited, that usually means that it's credible as well.
When citing the information that you find, it's very important to be precise. You also have to know which citing format is appropriate for the genre that you are composing a text in. MLA is the most widely accepted format, but Chicago Style and APA are also popular.
Finding information is easy. All you have to do is open a search engine, type in what you want to know, and bam! - you have information. What gets a little tricky is evaluating the validity of the information you find.
Valid information usually comes from any .org, .edu, or .gov website. I've also used PDF's, blogs, and books. To determine the credibility of information you have to consider appearance, the publisher, and whether or not other sources are cited. If other (credible) sources are cited, that usually means that it's credible as well.
When citing the information that you find, it's very important to be precise. You also have to know which citing format is appropriate for the genre that you are composing a text in. MLA is the most widely accepted format, but Chicago Style and APA are also popular.
Fairy-Tales, Movie Posters, and Blog Posts - Oh My!
Learning Outcome Three: All About Genres
At the beginning of this semester I had a very narrow-minded view about genres. I thought that they were nice, neat, little boxes that everything could be fit into. Man, was I wrong. What I've come to discover is that genres are complex, broad, categories that criss-cross and overlap with one another.
I've also learned how to create texts in different types of genres. I'd like to think I've become pretty good at researching different genres (it's amazing what typing "conventions of..." into Google will do for you). By doing my own research and also by looking at examples from different genres, I've learned how to identity key features of genres and how to use those features when creating a text in that genre.
My technique of genre research begins with Google. After I find out the basic conventions of a genre from different sources, I look at examples from the genre. When looking at those examples, I see what conventions they adhere to, which they don't, and if there are any other conventions that they add. After I have compiled a good sized list of conventions, I compose my own text. When composing my text, I am able to pick and choose which conventions I want to use and discuss why I chose them.
When doing research for the genre of movie posters, for example, the convention of taglines only applied to 2/3 of my poster sub-genres. I included a tagline for all three of my posters, though. I did this because I thought that adding a tagline would increase the amount of positive reception.
In my research, I've had to learn to look at a genre through CHAT. Who is the target audience? For fairy-tales, the target audience is usually children. For blog posts, the target audience is usually a little older. How is it produced? A paper and pen? A computer? What activity is involved? When making a movie poster, a whole team of people is involved. When writing a fairy-tale, it's usually just the author.
CHAT has helped me better understand genres and how to produce them. By analyzing a genre through CHAT, I am able to better produce an example of that genre.
At the beginning of this semester I had a very narrow-minded view about genres. I thought that they were nice, neat, little boxes that everything could be fit into. Man, was I wrong. What I've come to discover is that genres are complex, broad, categories that criss-cross and overlap with one another.
I've also learned how to create texts in different types of genres. I'd like to think I've become pretty good at researching different genres (it's amazing what typing "conventions of..." into Google will do for you). By doing my own research and also by looking at examples from different genres, I've learned how to identity key features of genres and how to use those features when creating a text in that genre.
My technique of genre research begins with Google. After I find out the basic conventions of a genre from different sources, I look at examples from the genre. When looking at those examples, I see what conventions they adhere to, which they don't, and if there are any other conventions that they add. After I have compiled a good sized list of conventions, I compose my own text. When composing my text, I am able to pick and choose which conventions I want to use and discuss why I chose them.
When doing research for the genre of movie posters, for example, the convention of taglines only applied to 2/3 of my poster sub-genres. I included a tagline for all three of my posters, though. I did this because I thought that adding a tagline would increase the amount of positive reception.
In my research, I've had to learn to look at a genre through CHAT. Who is the target audience? For fairy-tales, the target audience is usually children. For blog posts, the target audience is usually a little older. How is it produced? A paper and pen? A computer? What activity is involved? When making a movie poster, a whole team of people is involved. When writing a fairy-tale, it's usually just the author.
CHAT has helped me better understand genres and how to produce them. By analyzing a genre through CHAT, I am able to better produce an example of that genre.
Red Ink and Too Many Commas AKA Peer and Self-Assessment
Learning Outcome Two: Peer and Self-Assessment
Peer Assessment is something that I have always hated. In middle school it was sitting across from your partner writing on their paper with red pen while they did the same to yours. In high school it was writing comments for each other on Google Docs; a little less intimidating, but I loathed it nonetheless. With self-assessment, I hated being nit-picky about my own work. I didn't like having to take the time to carefully read through everything that I had taken so much time already to write.
This semester, though, I've learned that peer and self-assessment is more than making sure transitions flow and commas are correctly placed. It's also about making sure that you took what you learned through your research and applied it to your text. Self-assessment is saying, "In my research I learned this, and you can see the evidence of it in my text here." For example, when researching the conventions of fairy-tales I learned that they have a plot, dialogue, and characters. I used all of this in my fairy-tale and it is evidenced by the presence of plot, dialogue, and characters.
I can use these skills in peer assessment as well. If a peer says in their research that a fairy-tale has a plot, dialogue, and characters, but there is no evidence of that in the text, then their research was for nothing.
Peer Assessment is something that I have always hated. In middle school it was sitting across from your partner writing on their paper with red pen while they did the same to yours. In high school it was writing comments for each other on Google Docs; a little less intimidating, but I loathed it nonetheless. With self-assessment, I hated being nit-picky about my own work. I didn't like having to take the time to carefully read through everything that I had taken so much time already to write.
This semester, though, I've learned that peer and self-assessment is more than making sure transitions flow and commas are correctly placed. It's also about making sure that you took what you learned through your research and applied it to your text. Self-assessment is saying, "In my research I learned this, and you can see the evidence of it in my text here." For example, when researching the conventions of fairy-tales I learned that they have a plot, dialogue, and characters. I used all of this in my fairy-tale and it is evidenced by the presence of plot, dialogue, and characters.
I can use these skills in peer assessment as well. If a peer says in their research that a fairy-tale has a plot, dialogue, and characters, but there is no evidence of that in the text, then their research was for nothing.
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