Chapter 31

I really enjoyed reading chapter 31. I have always been so afraid that the information I use could be considered plagiarism. When i write research papers, I am extremely hesitant on how I word and phrase sentences without making them the same as the source I received it from. A lot of the "Types of Plagiarism" were very obvious, and a little repetitive, but I feel that they were necassary to point out, so there were no mis-interpretations. Using quotation marks is very important, and shouldn't be taken lightly. In 31e it explains how to integrate sources into your writings. That has always been extremely hard for me to do , so i found this section extremely helpful. Now i know to use Synthesis to help me make my information not plagiarized.

Chapter 30

In Chapter 30, it goes through how to realize if website are dependable. It tells you the steps you need to know to determine if your information is accurate. I always use google, so seeing all the new ways of finding information on it was nice. I never realized all the things i was looking over, until i saw the pictures in the book and read the ways to find what your looking for. It also gives good information on what other websites to use to help guide you to good information, such as DogPile.

I learned how to recognized reliable websites and who is making them. If it is a educational, non-profit, or government organization, only use them if they list their sources. If they do, go to that source and check its professionalsim and organization. Expert authors will most likely include there credentials or degree on the website. If you feel like some information is a little off, you can email them if they leave an email account, if not, then trash the information. I found out that publications from newspapers and magazines are just as reliable as the original form, as long as the information is continually updated and checked. For the most part, most biased writings are not very reliable, and shouldn't be used in considering your research.

Chapter 28

Chapter 28 gives you good ways to find reliable information you will need for your project. Whenever i write, i always find it hard to start. The first step is always the most difficult to make. In this chapter it explains that you should really narrow down our topic, and make it extremely specific. I think this will really help me in my research, because i tend to be too broad with most of my information. I can narrow down my information by writing it all out and then determining which information is most important. Later on in the writing, it talks about sources. Primary sources is information you receive directly from the subject itself, when secondary sources are sources that you analyze from someone else's work, someone else has relayed the information to you. Secondary sources aren't as reliable, and therefor should be checked carefully for true facts.

I was glad to see the information on how to organize bibliographies correctly, because i have always had trouble putting those together right. It explains about all the sources we will be needing for this research paper : Books, Periodical Articles, and Online Sources. It will be a helpful guideline for when i need to do bibliographies. The interviewing section gave a lot of help in how to approach a formal interview. t tells you how to critque body language, and nervousness from your interviwer. It gives you hints on if they are uncomfortable or not.

Portfolio Guide

After reading the portfolio guide, I notice some things that were a little confusing, and also things that I felt really could help me grow in my writing. I was at first very confused about the grading system, and was unsure about how many people were involved with the grading. I think the could have touched a little more on the third person who could possibly be involved if the grades of the other two people were indesicive. More explaining in that area would be helpful, considering its the main factor in our essay passing or failing.

I like the idea of two people grading it. I like how they can't really judge you, because they don't know you. I feel that it gives everyone a fair chance, and your actually being graded on your writing, not necessarily a popularity contest. I also like how they assure you in the paper that the reader's of your essay will be very educated and professional in the grading of your essays. They made a point to say it would be very anonymous and confidential.

Katherine Brown

8/26/09

Letter of Introduction

I am writing this today to tell you a little bit about myself, and to inform you of my attitude towards reading and writing. I like to write, mostly about my day, my personal feelings, and the problems that I encounter on a daily basis. I normally write in a journal, where all my worries are safe and only my eyes can see. So this class should be interesting for me.

When it comes to English, it’s definitely not my favorite class. I have been told that I’m pretty decent at writing, I just wish I liked it more. I hope to improve drastically in writing, and learn how to put together a good thesis and organized essay. I enjoy reading more than writing, but only if it’s a book about things I am interested in. I like books based off true stories, books about people overcoming big issues in their life. I also enjoy reading about animals. I am extremely passionate about animals and wildlife, which is why I decided to come to Humboldt and major in wildlife. I feel very happy about my choice in coming here. It offers me everything I need to get an excellent education, and the components I need to grow with my schooling. I hope to become a park ranger from my schooling, or even possibly an exotic animal trainer. Humboldt gives me the advantage of having a teaching place in my own backyard. I would love nothing better than to just sit in the forest and observe nature at its best.

I love being outdoors, which is what I think my biggest weakness about school is. I have a hard time being in classrooms not doing things that I feel are productive. Its hard for me to make things interesting, or to find the motivating side of English. Hopefully this year in college I can develop good study habits, and push myself to get all my work in on time. I hope to have a good outlook on English after this class.

Learning Styles and Insights

After taking the Vark-Learn assessment, I have changed my mind on what provides me with optimum learning. Until I took that test, I always believed myself to be a visual learner. I thought that I understood things best when I saw the actual task or problem being performed in front of my own two eyes. I have come to understand that I am a better learner when I actually perform the task and/or problem myself.

As a dancer, I have always done well from watching and observing my captain perform routines, and then slowly picking it up on my own. I have trained my brain to pick up on just watching people do the moves, and then trying it myself. I always considered that to be a visual learner, but when I look deeper into the situation, I was learning as a kinesthetic learner. I could pick up on the choreography by watching, but I actually could pick it up faster by doing the moves myself. The more and more I tried, the easier it became for me to pick up the moves.

I feel like the test really helped me, now I know that I will succeed most when I am doing hands on things, and getting to do things on my own. When I was in high school, I always did very well in the science and chemistry labs. Labs provide me with kinesthetic learning, and I have always done better when I can perform with my own hands. For this English class, I am going to start trying new ways of learning. Now that I know what I’m best at, I am going to think of new ways to train my brain. Im going to need to think of how to make English more hands on for me. As for my other classes, like Wildlife, I am going to try in go into the forest as often as I can. So I can experience wildlife at a hand on level.