Reflection on Project One

In this post below, I will be answering questions to reflect on the Project One, creating a Quick Reference Guide.

The White House. "Barack Obama Takes One Last Look in the Mirror." January 20, 2009 via Wikipedia. Public Domain Dedication.

1.What challenges did you face during the Quick Reference Guide project and how did you deal with them?

It was hard for me to pinpoint a direct controversy because I was confused where to go with engineering. Also, sorting through the requirements was very hard for me because I'm not very good at navigating the web. Finding quality sources was another challenge for me; however, I was able to find many with research. In order to combat these challenges, I revisited my work everyday. Taking it step by step helped sort through everything and made it less of a burden. Eventually, I was able to easily find sources and navigate my way around with more time.

2. What successes did you experience on the project and how did they happen?

Finding information on my topic was relatively easy; genetic engineering is such a hot topic that it was easy to find sources. In addition, organizing my QRG was easy because there are many different topics within the debate that I could have included; therefore, I had a wide variety of information to choose from.

3. What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find the most effective for your project? Why?

The most effective writing practice for my project was drafting and revising many times. This helped because there was so much information to sort through; it was a little challenging to decide exactly what to include but after revising I finally was able to. In addition, arguments from news articles and from blog posts were most effective for my project. News articles presented facts impartially and blog posts provided insight to how consumers truly feel.

4. What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find were not effective for your project? Why?

The least effective sources and arguments were those found in scholarly journals. I did not include any information from these sources in my QRG because it was not relevant to the specific event itself. These sources provided information that was too broad when I was trying to explain one specific event. In addition, it did not help me to write without evidence. When I did not have any examples to support my argument, the paragraph and informative lacked credibility.

5. How was the writing process for this project similar to other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?

This project was similar to previously writing experience because of the research that was conducted before the first draft. I've had experience in choosing a topic and researching it, as well as creating an annotated bibliography.

6. How was the writing process for this project different from other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?

This process was different because I've never had an assignment that required me to figure out the conventions of the genre myself from examples. In addition, I've never included pictures and captions in my writing. Also, I had to cite my information in the ASME style, which is a citation I've never encountered before.

7. Would any of the skills you practiced for this project be useful in your other coursework? Why or why not?

The skills learned from this project will benefit me in future coursework. This assignment required heavy revision and peer review. This is important because in the future, I will know to revise a lot before I can consider my work complete. In the past, I barely ever revised my work. In addition, I will be able to find the conventions of any genre and hopefully replicate them. When I have future assignments, I will be able to look at an example and create something with the required characteristics. Finally, learning ASME citation style will benefit me in my field. When I have to write papers for my engineering courses, I will already know how to cite my references. 

Reflection:

Alyssa's post was very similar to mine. We both has generally the same similarities, differences and approaches to our QRG. In addition, we both found navigating the web the most challenging part of this project. I'm glad to know I'm not the only grandma when it comes to pursuing and technology. Just like Alyssa's post, I agree with Isabel's reflection. We both found the same things effective and not effective and we both feel as though this assignment will benefit us in the future.