Course Reading Reflection
This post is a reflection of this past semester. I have been able to enjoy the Fall semester mainly in part of my professor. I was not very fond of RWS at first because I had a friend who’ve taken the course say bad things about it. I really had no reason to believe them since I don enjoy working hard and also putting in a lot of effort on all my classes. I could not believe that I would actually enjoy a course like RWS but I actually did. There were so many things I did not expect out of this course and it was eye opening.
This GIF is not an actual representation of how I felt after reading an assignment that was intended for a bigger assignment. (Don’t you dare judge me!)
I did not expect to read more material than what was in the Handbook. I honestly believed that I would need to read from the book and apply what I read into some form of research paper. What I did not expect was that the papers weren’t something the professor made us write about, but rather, they were things that pertained to what we like. Some of the topics we read about gave me new insight and perspective so that I can be a more proficient writer. That way I can actually be more proficient at writing and it was all due to the readings staying up to par with my expectations.
The assigned readings did not deviate from my expectations at all. As a matter of fact, the readings were exactly on point with my expectation. I didn’t exactly know what the material was about when reading. It was the titles or checking the calendar that gave me a clue as to what we were going to read about and what the material would cover. Although, it was a lot of reading it was easy to follow due to the main ideas.
The main ideas we read about were how to improve one’s writing skill whether it was through Genre Analysis, Literature Review, Advanced Visual Argument, or Multimodal Text. The readings helped us improve our writing technique and give us different tools so that we could increase our skills in our writing style. These main ideas have been the greatest help that I have received because it has broadened my abilities in writing, and have also given me tools to improve my reports. Some of these tools are things that I will never forget.
This GIF represents the tools I would never forget. Also, it’s pretty cool if a toolbox that looks like Mjolnir exists.
One of the main things that I will remember is how to properly cite, in APA format, the work of others I’m using in any of my papers. This will definitely increase the credibility of my paper or any work that I may be turning in. Also, properly citing will avoid any legal action if I choose to use material and properly cite it. Another thing that will forever remain in my head is that there are more than just one simple rudimentary summary. I was shocked when I read this in the book we have for this class and I was actually relieved at this news as well. I have always had a thing to create my own way of summarizing and now I know that more than one way exists. Which, allows my arsenal of tools to increase and it is all thanks to the assignments.
The readings were actual tools to each assignment. Whether it was creating a Genre Analysis, the book and articles covered all the bases we needed to guide us to a suitably completed assignment. Whenever I developed writer's block or had a question regarding the format of the paper, I would look to the readings that were given for that week for guidance to help finish what I started. The readings were not only a guiding example but were also knowledgeable on the material at hand. The readings also covered several different writing styles that each career field has used as its conventional method. I was capable to effectively write without having to break my head open or stressing out about what I “should” be writing about. This definitely helped me throughout the semester because it really changed my perspective.
My approach to the readings definitely changed and that is due mainly in part because I was attaining more skills. At first, I thought that the readings were just an annoying, tedious, and unnecessary assignment. It didn’t take long to fully understand that the readings would definitely help with the assignments that were given. I knew then that I should’ve made my assumptions after the readings were completed, not before, because there was a lot I learned, summaries were actually my favorite to read about.
Obviously, my favorite reading was about how to write a summary. Chapter 5 was the most interesting and eye-opening chapter out of all of the readings, in my point of view. I couldn’t fathom the idea that they would teach us one thing and then later on finding out that it was an improper method to teach. I felt like we were given tools to help us fail, and not become successful. I’m not being a brown nose when I say that I did not have negative things to say about any of the readings. They all had a specific purpose and intention. Of course, it’s not the same as reading for pleasure, but for me, reading for knowledge is just as satisfying.
I cannot say that I have any revisions at all whatsoever because I was satisfied with this course as a whole. I really do not have anything negative to say nor do I have things that would help improve the lecture. I would say, that it would be clearer if there were separate assignment tabs for each week, rather than having week 6 material with week 5 assignments.
Overall this semester was one of the most challenging in my personal life and also academically. I feel though that I did not go down without a fight and that shows in some of my grades. I do want to thank my professor Ms. Villa because she was very understanding of my situation. She gave me plenty of assurance that I should not lose focus on completing the task at hand and she also helped me successfully progress throughout the semester. I don’t know what this post would’ve turned out to be if it wasn’t for Professor Villa’s assistance.
This GIF is for Professor Villa. I hope that you achieve your goals and that the future brings success your way.