Ken H. Portfolio/Final Questions

Portfolio Questions:

1. What are the most important things that you have learned this semester about your writing process? If you choose to rewrite any of your assignments tell me which ones you selected and why. If you did not choose to rewrite any of your assignments, select an assignment that you should have rewritten and would have rewritten if you had the time.

One important lesson i leaned this semester was that i dont have to throw my weight around when it comes to diction. I learned that i could communicate effectively and intelligently without having to resort to using larger words. Had i had the time, i would have re-written the personal narrative to make it more compelling and a lot more layered in terms of theme.

2. Do you feel like you have learned how to become a stronger writer, thinker, reader, researcher and speaker in this class? What skills did you pick up in this class that you will be able to take with you and use in another class?

From ENG 111, i learned how to effectively research and analyze different concepts, i also learned to explore different ways of thinking.

3. What was your most favorite writing assignment, and why? What was your least favorite writing assignment, and why?

My favorite writing assignment was the personal narrative because it was the most personal and expressive. I didn’t have a lest favorite writing assignment given that the theme of the semester and subsequent research assignments actually interest me.

4.Which writing assignment was the most difficult for you? Why do you think it was so difficult?

None of the writing assignments where anymore difficult than the other

5. What did you think about the group method? Did you like working in groups?

No i did not. i don’t like being obligated by group grades to work, whether its me picking up others slack or slacking myself, i like for my grade to reflect my effort and my effort only.

6.What did you think about the socratic method? (Sitting around the table, passing notes to partners, limited professor guidance) Did you feel like it gave everyone the opportunity to participate in class? Do you feel like it gave you an opportunity to be more involved in your learning experience. What did you like about it? What didn’t you?

I thought the socratic method was interesting with interesting dynamics. i Think that it was a great way for introverted people to become more integrate into the conversation and add to the dialogue

Research Questions

7. What role did you play in the Great Debate? Did you find the role that you played in the debate to be easy or difficult? What was the most difficult thing that you had to do in preparation for the great debate?

I played the role of a listener. I also researched online shopping. The role wasn’t difficult or taxing in any way. The most difficult task was compiling the information in a debate type manner.

8. What did you think about identifying a rhetorical style for the articles that you were researching? What did you learn from trying to evaluate the point of view of the writer?

I learned how to evaluate and analyze how authors write a specific way so that the reader will digest the content in a specific manner

9.What was most difficult about the research process, locating articles, summarizing the articles, citing the articles or identifying a rhetorical style?

Locating and verifying the authenticity of scenic articles and the information in them was the most difficult aspect of the research process

10. Based on the articles that you reviewed, do you think that you can believe everything that you read? How reliable did you find your sources to be?

I think, while the information may not necessarily be incorrect, a lot of articles present data in a dubious manner so I think any reader invested in the information presented should check sources cited witching articles.

11. Do you feel like you will be comfortable researching difficult topics in the future? How did the research and debate sessions of this class, improve your ability to think critically.

This class definitely prepared me with the proper tools to tackle complex topics
I think the debate process forced me to really internalize the subject matter an know it through and through to discuss it In detail

12. Out of the nine rhetorical styles we studied this semester, which three were your favorite and why?

The narrative style was my favorite style because narrative are easy to relate too. Another personal favorite was the illustration style because it plays to the five senses. My final favorite was the Classification style because of its organized manner

Journaling Questions

13. What did you think about personal journaling? Did you use this process to learn more about yourself? What do you think about this kind of journaling?

I thought the personal journaling was vary useful for relieving stress. I felt like it was useful for learning what was causing stress in my life.

14. For your public journaling, which websites did you use to spur your thinking about different topics? Why were you attracted to this particular website? Did it open your mind to new thoughts about anything?

I was initially attracted to Upworthy because I was already familiar with some of the editors and authors. A lot of the topics on Upworthy where vary compelling and broadened my interests as far as social issues

 

 

15. Based on the work that you put into this class, what final grade would you assign to yourself?

I would assign to myself a “B”

 

 

1 What is writing?
Writing Is communicating or conveying a thought using a written language
2 What is Critical Thinking and why is it so important to learning how to debate an issue or live your life?
Critical thinking is skeptical thinking. It is also thinking that is properly contextual
3 What is The Basic Essay Structure, why is it so important to master it?
The basic essay structure encompasses an intro, body paragraphs, a closing, and a work cited page. It is important to master so the work and information can be properly arranged
4 What is The Writing Process, what have you learned about it this semester?
The writing process consist of post writing preparation, drafts, source citations, and the actual writing. I learned how to really write and revise a draft.
5 What, do you think is the most important thing that you can learn about Grammar Again!?
How to properly punctuate a sentence
6 Tell me some interesting things about Punky, Pompous, Punctuation.
Punctuation is always within the perentheisis
7 What is the The MLA Style, and why is it important for you to master it before you turn in your research paper?
The MLA style is a formal writing format used in collages around the world
8 Name at least five stages of the writing process.
Pre-Writing, Reserch, Drafts, revision, Final Draft,
9 What sorts of things have you really thought critically about this semester, please explain why you would label this thinking as “critical.”
Given the racial climate in America, I found myself pondering things like White Supremacy, Eurocenticism, and Colonialism
10 What do you think is the most important thing that one can do to prepare for a debate.
Reserch thoroughly and anticipate your opponents response

Technology
1 What was the most interesting thing that you learned about technology this semester?
I was unaware of how quickly technology was replacing humans in the work force
2 What was the most outrageous thing that you learned about technology this semester?
By 2020, 50% of the work force will be replaced by technology
3 Based on the debate, do you have a greater awareness of how technology is influencing our world, if so how has your understanding of technology expanded?
My awareness of technology remained relatively the same as it was prior to the Debate
4 Based on the debate, do you have any strong opinions about whether technology is improving our world (heaven on earth) or degrading it (hell in a handbasket)?
No, I think judging now is ineffective, there are a lot of factors that are bound to change so my opinion as it is now occupies a gray area where I agree with those who hate technology but also with those who love it

5 What does Hal say to Dave that has become so iconic (among software programmers) that Siri says it, if you ask her Dave’s question.

“Open the pod bay doors”

Ken H. Personal Narrative

“Let Me Understand Your Plan”

I don’t believe in a lot, and religion isn’t as easy for these colored lungs to swallow as it might be for others. But like most things in life, or my life at least, belief and faith aren’t that cut and dry. Because sure, I’m not sold on some 30+ years old white man in the middles east dying so that I could spend eternity in the sky, but it would explain a lot. It would explain a lot but also open up a world of “Why?”‘s. Who are we? Why didn’t you save us? What sadistic pleasure did you get out of my ancestors lives as a means to “test my faith”? What had we done to be forsaken? These aren’t new questions, not to me.

These questions use to run through my head, especially at night. I can’t remember a time before those thoughts. But I vividly remember the night they ceased. It’s was the night they crept into my dreams. The dream began with me waking up from a sleep, hearing voices clear as day. I couldn’t have been going crazy, nor could these be my own thoughts because these voices spoke in two ways foreign to me. One in a language I couldn’t understand and another in vary broken English. It was a man and he whimpered “Why father? Why?”. Whatever was going on was something I wanted no parts off. I got up and beamed for my front door. Surly some fresh air could salvage my sanity, right? In retrospect I truly must have been scared. It takes a lot to push me out of my comfort zone, and the dead of night surly is nestled comfortably under that umbrella. But I needed to walk.

I needed fresh air and some sort of clarity. My feet beat the pavement. The bright city lights help a bit to clam my head. The stores where all lit with festive lights. I’d found myself in china town. The Kimonos in the store window caught my eyes as I think to myself “what is really going on? How did I audibly hear them? How could those have been my thoughts? I don’t speak Yoruba.”. I stop. My heart nearly shatters my rib cage. My chest is burning. How did I know that was Yoruba? Then, as clear as day, as I stare at my reflection, my eyes become engulfed in blackness. I frantically pull my left eye socket open in disbelief. As the blackness claws its way closer and closer to my pupil everything began to lose focus. The shimmery glare of the opulent fabrics and glass turn to diamonds and then to black.

It wouldn’t be until weeks later I would find myself in China Town again and that store specifically too. But this time around I’d also have the pleasure of being greeted by the owner, broom in tow swinging in my direction.
“that’s him?”
“Yes, that is him, the boy!”
“Sir do I know you?” I replied
“You! Oni, your kind is not welcomed here!”
“Oni?”
Beyond the darker irony of me not noticing this was Little Tokyo and not China Town, I was compelled to know what I thought he knew and sure enough “He’s the one! The boy whose eyes turned to obsidian”. He clambered through a language that clearly wasn’t his first but I was still interested. He continued “It was him!” A female voice interjects “Him who?”
“The boy who eyes tuned black as asphalt and who evaporated into ashes”
And it clicked. He gave me what I needed. A puzzle piece. Because now I knew what had happened prior to waking up in that abandon field in Tennessee and meeting my ancestors.
I woke up from a deep sleep, still shook at the prospect of my own insanity. Suddenly, it was as if a worm crept up my spine. I was covered in goose bumps. At this point, I imagine my arteries and veins are on the verge of springing a leak.

All the trees began to sway to the gradual gust of the wind. I was in the eye of the storm. And as most cliche horror scenes go, screams crescendo to hearable volumes. But again, these screams aren’t in English. Again, its in Yoruba. But this time, strangely, I can make out what’s being said “You! You! You! You!” The voice keeps repeating itself. “You! You! You!” The gust swells into a miniature hurricane with me at its center. They rose from the dirt in all white suits. Black people who looked to be from the late 17th century.
“You’ve become pets.” One spouted sharply.
“Massah took off the chains and replaced it with a dog collar. And you coons gladly wag your tails”
“Oh iz just so glad massah took my chains off” he mocked.
“What are you saying?” I shouted. His voice boomed and cracked like thunder “Who will survive in America? Not the man who skin is the color of dirt and whose mind is as air”. And that’s it. Thats where I woke up and where the dream ends. I learned something that night. I learned that I shouldn’t fall asleep listening to Kanye West or Arrested Development.

Article Summary #7 Ken H.

Title : Land grabs cheat North Dakota tribe out of $1 billion, Suits Allege

Author : Abrahm Lustgaren

Date Published : Feduary 23rd, 2013

Date Accessed : March 29th, 2015

Summary

Oil drillers lowballed the price of the oil and the federal government failed so actively seek fairness in the compromise, the suits allege. The native Americans reservations sit on an oil rich land thought to hold some of the largest reservoirs of oil on earth. When negotiations begin so that native Americans can be aptly compensated reviews found that the native Americans where often mislead on the worth of said oil in subsequently not compensated properly.

Opinion

I had always heard stories of native Americans being cheated out of their land and resources and not being properly paid but I was unaware how real these issues are. Juxtapose this with the harsh living conditions and the substance abuse that exist on the reservations and within the native American community it’s saddening to think of the of how much of a difference those billions of dollars they’ve been cheated out off over the year could have made to their community.

Rhetorical Style

The author took us step by step through the how’s and why’s to help illustrate the motive and also where their was fowl play. The rhetorical style used was Process Analysis and illustration

 

Article Summary #6 ken H.

Title: Stop Hershy’s Chocolate from Fueling Child Slavery in Africa

Author : Heidi Raynowska

Date Accessed : March 31st, 2015

Summary

Hershey’s chocolate is chocolate gained from the forced labor of children who are trafficked throughout Africa, West Africa specifically. The chocolate company does not participate in “Fair trade” buying and thus help to create a need for child slaves and further perpetuates the enslavement of African children. beyond the issue of enslavement the people of west Africa are never compensated and left impoverished.

Opinion

I’m not entirely surprise that this company ahs basically re-enslaved a slew of African. Coincidently the Africans they brought to the states to enslave. its almost as if slavery never ended but was outsourced. I think this’ll further disenfranchise Africa as a continent if this is the way the children are being brought up, as slaves. The more of a tradition we make out of this the harder it will to be to break these people from the cycle of slave to slaver. I think its is especially disgusting how Americans have capitalized on this. Disgusting but not surprising.

Rhetorical Style

The author is appealing to their reader by posting pictures (Illustration) and they also offer a solution towards the end, that being to support their cause. (Argumentation and Persuasion)

Article 5 Ken H.

Title : Is the Internet Destroying Our Attention Span

Author :  Nicole Plumridge

Date Published : August 1st, 2013

Date Accessed : March 31st, 2015

Summary

The average attention span for people is dwindling down and this is partly due to the newer generation access to technology and information in a quicker manner. Information is being presented in a faster more accessible, yet more dubious, manner such as bullet points, list, etc. Our brains are beginning to be wired differently due to this an as a result our attention spans have been reduced to roughly 5 minutes where as years ago it was more that twice that.

Opinion

It makes sense that our attention span would begin to dwindle, the internet has made information more accessible and thus we don’t have any need to be patient or wait to find specific information given that it is readably available on all platforms for all internet enabled devises

Rhetorical Style  

The author shows the internet as a cause and our shrunken attention span as the outcome so he is likely using the Cause and Effect rhetorical style.

 

Article 1 Ken H.

Title : Nine Jobs that humans may lose to Robots

Author : Judith Aqulino

Website in Present tense : nbcnews.com

Date accessed : March 31, 2015

Summary

The jobs and subsequent fields of Pharmacists, Lawyers and paralegals, Drivers, Astronauts, Store clerks, Soldiers, Babysitters, Rescuers, and Reporters could potentially be phased out by robots and digital software working for none of the cost and twice the efficiency. Some of these Jobs being extremely prestigious (Like paralegal) and requiring years of study (like pharmacist).

Opinion

I thought it was interesting a raised conflicting emotions for me. Obviously more accurate health information is beneficial for me as a consumer but what of the doctor who need to provide for himself and possible a family. I found the idea of robots replacing soldiers also odd. Obviously the idea of people no longer needing to risk lives is a plus but if lives are no longer at stake in terms of war, will we be as cautionary when engaging into war? Lastly I found the idea of a child being raised or cared for by a robot appalling, why create something to make people less responsible for their children?

Rhetorical  Style

he article split up each complex idea into its own section so the rhetorical style used was Division and classification

 

Group 1&2 Speakers and Listeners

Speakers- Tommy, Donnie, Rachael, Drew

Listeners- Rizwan, Cherita, Damarus, Emily, Ken, Rebecca

Quiz 3 (Tommy, Damaris, Ken, Rizwan)

1. What are the five topics that the class has agreed upon for the debate ( We will vote on this)
   1. Internet
   2. Military technology
   3. Social media/social engineering
   4. Medical advances
   5. Online shopping
2. Who is responsible for researching which issues? (Here I will need to see everyone’s name, as well as the one or two, or if you really want to be adventurous three, topics that each individual has selected to focus upon with regard to the debate. All Hands on Deck Here!)
   1. Drew, Damaris-medical
   2. Rizwan- internet
   3. Donnie and Tommy- military
   4. Rachael and Tommy–social media
   5. Emily, Ken- Online shopping
3. Based upon the research that each of you has conducted thus far, which topics have you already touched upon? Which topics interest your group the most? Where did you find these articles and do you find your source to be credible, reliable and accurate?
   1. Research conducted/topics touched upon so far Social media, and internet, global economies
   2. Areas we are interested in Medical and military
   3. Yes the articles were pulled from links off of the novarhetoricalstyle blog.
4. What did Larry Page have to say about the future of Google? Why is he NOT a reliable source on Google? What valuable information did Page provide regarding Google?
   1. The mission of Google is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Google wants to understand the world’s information, and we’re still very much in the early stages. Deep Mind, recently acquired by Google started doing machine learning research to improve computers ability to understand humans and is learning things in this unsupervised way. He is not reliable because he has vested interest in Google because he helped found it.
5. What did we learn from Jeremy Howard about the amazing and terrifying implications of computers learning? What kind of complex and conflicted issues does this raise for humans in the future with regard to our use of “smart” technology and devices? What is a pathologist and why is his job seriously in jeopardy right now?
   1. Computers learning things can suggest products that you might like to buy, movies that you might like to watch. Sometimes, it’s almost creepy.
   2. Humans are being surpassed in performance by computers on tasks like simple writing and sentence structure
   3. Pathologist job security has dropped because the accuracy of detection and diagnosis of diseases which is the main purpose of a pathologist is being out performed by computers
6. What is going on with the money? Why are the statistics on wealth distribution in American, (as provided by Crisis.org on You Tube) troubling? Do you think that wealth distribution is this uneven in the rest of the world? What, if anything, do you think technology has to do with these huge imbalances in America, and the world’s wealth distribution systems?
   1. Money is not being distributed evenly. The top 1% of earners have 40% of the income of the economy’s weath.
   2. The statistics are troubling because the poor and the middle class only register for 7% of the nation’s income.
   3. The wealth distribution in the rest of the world depends on the given economy of the country. Some countries wealth is more evenly distributed than America; other countries there isn’t even a middle class with the disparity of income between classes
   4. With more technology there is more access to opportunities which lower income individuals do not have access to.
7. What interesting things does Margaret Stewart Gould have to say about software programs/web/social media design? Give an example of how software programs/web/social media designers are using psychology to manipulate the masses. Provide an example of how you have been manipulated by a particular social media platform or web design or software program.
   1. Google processes over one billion search queries every day, that every minute, over 100 hours of footage are uploaded to YouTube. That’s more than 3 US broadcast networks combined in the last five years
   2. Mass amounts of data to inform our decisions, but we also rely very heavily on iteration, research, testing, intuition, human empathy.
   3. The constant bombardment of iPhone commercials makes you want and almost have to need a new phone25
8. Why is ” Open the Pod Bay Doors, Hal.” such a tremendously frightening reference? (One that is apparently so popular among software designers that various comical, clever and kwirky responses to that phrase have been embedded in the I-phone software? What did Hal’s response to this command mean for Dave – the astronaut who delivered it? What does it mean to any human who relies upon “smart” technology?
   1. Because of the movie 2001 a space odyssey it was an iconic moment when Hal, the ships command and control computer turned on the human astronauts. Hal refused the astronauts commands, essentially leaving Dave in space to die.

9. In the You tube video, “Shift Happens,” (created by American educators who wanted to illustrate the obstacles that these “exponential times” are creating for both teachers and students) there are two extraordinary facts (at least to me)  provided regarding how drastically and quickly the technology we use is changing, not only within itself, but the world around us. One drastic change is with regard to mass communication.

Mass communication is an incredibly powerful force, that has really only been in full effect (as far as we know) for about a century. It took the radio 35 years to reach an audience of 50 million listeners. It took Facebook two. Given that these two modes of mass communication are drastically different, what do you think the ramifications are, for this gem of a fact?

10. Also in “Shift Happens” it is predicted that in 2013 a super computer that can exceed the computational abilities of the whole entire human species. Do you think such a computer has been created? If it has, are your afraid? Are you, very, very afraid? (I am. I’m just being honest.)
    1. No, because it would have been known by now. If the computer existed in 2013 it would be obsolete by now for governmental or military purposes and would be accessible to the common public. No, we are not afraid.

BONUS QUESTIONS:

Why did I select “Irreplacable” for song analysis, this week? What could it possibly have to do with this week’s discussion on technology?

Ms. Maiden loves the video. People are easily replaceable. It relates because eventually people may very well be replaced by advancing technology.

Did the IT Instruction Department provide useful direction on how to access the internet with your IPad? Please provide useful feedback, as this is a new thing that they are doing and they really need and would appreciate your feedback!

Yes. Access on the iPad was easy and sucessful

Group 1&2 Research assignments

The Internet (very controversial)

Rachael and Rizwan

Social Media (very controversial) & Social Engineering

Rachael and Tommy

Medical Advances (very controversial)

Drew, Damaris, Cherita

Military Technology (very controversial)

Donnie and Tommy

Online Shopping and Banking (very controversial – not really addressed all that much)

Emily, Ken

Group 2 Pop Quiz (Tommy, Cherita, Rizwan Islam, Ken Harrod, Damaris Herrera)

30 out of 25 points! You guys did an awesome job with this!

1. List at least three things that critical thinkers do.
   1. Have a sense of curiosity
   2. Admit to lack of understanding
   3. Ask questions – Awesome!
2. What are parts of speech (POS) and why are they so important to understanding how to write well?
   1. Noun, verb, verb tenses, adverb, adjective, preposition, conjuction, interjection, article. It is important because it is the building blocks of a sentence. It is important because utilizing Standard English is the language of commerce. Truly Awesome!
3. Name at least three ways in which sentences can be awkward.
   1. Run-on sentences
   2. Sentence fragments
   3. Words and ideas are repeated – You got it!
4. What are the three major things that punctuation marks do inside of a sentence?
   1. Sentence Enders (period, question mark, exclamation mark)
   2. Sentence (or clause, or phrase) Joiners (comma, semicolon, colon, dash, quotation marks)
   3. Marks are used for weird stuff that happens in a sentence (hyphen, ellipsis, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis) – Perfect!
5. List three parts of speech (POS) that you think are most important to constructing a meaningful sentence.
   1. Correct tense
   2. Dialect
   3. Structure- No, not exactly- you must  have a subject (noun) and a verb.  Next take your pick between adjective and adverb.
6. What is the most important thing that beginning writers can learn in order to bring structure and clarity to their writing?
   1. learning the basic grammar rules and the structure of a sentence – YES!
7. What is writing? (hint it is rewriting and it is a pro…) List some basic steps that are a part of any writing process. How many component’s does a basic essay have? How many more does a research paper have?A.  Writing is rewriting and process. The basic essay has five major pieces: an introduction, three content            paragraphs and a conclusion. A research paper has more content paragraphs. Perfect! You really were listening!
8. What is the point of writing an essay?
   1. You will be able to think clearly, and make decisions easier than before – yes.
9. How many components are there to your article summary assignments?’
   1. Four steps – and they are?
10. You are going to be researching, writing, discussing and debating the issue of technology this semester. This process will culminate in a final research paper on the topic. What stage of the writing process are you at now with regard to this paper?
    1. The Madman Phase – Yup!

Bonus:

How did Lisa Kristine’s Ted Talk on Modern Day Slavery relate to our topic of technology? Watching that presentation would you argue that technology is making our world better or worse? (This is a question that requires you to think critically.)

It relates to technology because it illustrates the disconnect from the levels of technology available in third world countries compared to us. Also it depends on how people are using technology to know if it’s for the better or worse.

Song Analysis

What is the thesis of “All I Got Is You?”

Life is a struggle, it’s a mystery. The one thing what I do have is love from my family.

What evidence is there in the lyrics to back the thesis up?

The description of his childhood referring to having four people in the bed and picking out roaches out of cereal supports that life is rough. 15 people living in the three bedroom apartment. He’s very descriptive with the way of his life.

Good job on bonus!