Reflective Essay Outline

By Sarah Moore

First Paragraph: What goals I set in the beginning, what I accomplished, best part of my paper/elements I’m most proud of, parts instructor will like:

Over the course of five months, I learned how to set necessary goals for writing a successful paper, such as making my support bits clearer and more distinguishable, formatting my works cited page correctly, and overall constructing a paper that was informative but still enjoyable to read. However, probably the biggest goal I accomplished was learning to write in a way that incorporated my individual style, and wasn’t completely restrictive or technical.

At the beginning of the year, one of my goals was to improve my ability in getting my point across, as well as make my arguments more concise and clear. For English as a whole, I wanted to master the technical and analytical side of writing because it was something I have always struggled with. With the help of feedback from both my professor and peers on multiple writing assignments, it gradually became easier to locate my arguments, expand on my opinions, and be direct with my conclusions. I have not fully tackled the ability to write technically, but I have discovered ways in which to combine technicality and creativity to ultimately produce work I am proud of.

Second Paragraph: Research process,: enjoy, disliked, did I find what I needed, adjustments, computer/web skills:

The most challenging paper we had to write in English 121 was the research paper, partly because of the requirements (5-7 pages, 5 sources minimum), but for me individually, picking the topic independently. Granted, one of the biggest tasks with the research paper was finding credible sources, especially on the scholarly sites that our professor recommended. The website EBSCO, had hardly articles on the topics I searched, and though I had better luck finding articles on google, the whole process was very time consuming.

Third Paragraph: Useful tips/hints about the research process, advice for other students, make research simpler, conclusion: found the class helpful:

However, after some exploring, I was able to get to my best sources from checking the reference page on articles I found on google; they often directed me to scholarly articles that hadn’t previously been listed on EBSCO. Lastly came choosing the topic, and staying content with it. I was very fortunate that personality traits, specifically introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts, had already been researched and written about, so I was able to find a variety of helpful facts and information. It wasn’t the easiest paper to write, with making sure that the credible sources coincided with my points nicely, and citing each one correctly, but I wound up very pleased with the result for my very first research paper in college.

Reflection

Nora Hixson

English 121

Professor Jenn Zukowski

Reflection

At the beginning of the semester, my goals included being able to narrow down my topic, as well as being able to get my point across clearly and effectively. I also hoped to become better with citations and finding reliable sources, and how to use them to my advantage. Another goal for me was to work on my time management and how to not get super overwhelmed. I believe I have improved on being able to narrow down my topic, but I think I still need to work on the clarity of my writing. I still don’t have a very clear writing style and sometimes it’s hard to follow. I also need to continue to work on my time management because I found it was easy for me to fall behind in the process of writing each essay.

While researching my topic, I learned that the number of children with body image issues between the ages of eight and ten was much bigger than I had originally thought. I also learned about the EBSCO database, and what a useful resource it can be when looking for reliable sources. From random articles and websites that I had found through Google Search, I discovered that it’s very hard to find unbiased writing about body image and the media.

I think the best part of my paper is the topic that I chose, because it is something that I am passionate about. Unfortunately, I don’t think my writing did justice to the topic and how much more in depth I could’ve gone, which I am disappointed about. I don’t think I spent enough time working on it and I didn’t ask for revisions from other people who could’ve helped me.

I think my instructor will hopefully like the number of sources I used to support my writing and how I used them. I unfortunately don’t think my writing was clear or concise enough for it to be easily read and understood.

I feel like I have definitely gotten better at researching on the web and being able to find reliable sources online. This made the research process easy because I knew what I was doing, but also difficult because it would become super easy for me to get distracted while I was researching online. I also don’t think I spent enough time researching in general and I don’t think I spent enough time thoroughly reading my sources. I think when I revise my essay before turning it in for the portfolio that I will be sure to match up my in-text citations with my works cited, as well as double checking that I am properly quoting the information that I read.

In the research process I discovered that EBSCO was easier to use to find reliable sources as 
opposed to just searching in Google. I also discovered that the more specific I was in the wording I used to search, the easier it was for me to find results that applied to my topic.  

Reflective Essay

Sarah Daly

English 121

                When I first enrolled in English 121 I felt very confident about my abilities in writing and composing essays. But when I started the class I felt very differently. My number one goal for this class was to complete the class, and I am almost there. My number two goal was to better understand and be able to use in-text citations. This was one of the most intimidating things to learn and implement into my writing. I feel like I now have a firm understanding of citations and great resources to reference if I need help.

                When I was researching my topic of the Sasquatch, I learned about other cultures’ sightings and stories of the Sasquatch. There was a surprisingly great website that talked about all the Sasquatches around the world, and the legends and stories surrounding them. I learned that there have been sightings of these creatures for hundreds of years. There is an organization called the Bigfoot Researchers Organization. They go all over the country to investigate Sasquatch sightings and evaluate physical evidence that others have collected.

                I think the best part of my paper is my thesis. It was fun to write this paper about something that is lightheartedly controversial. It was interesting to research and find so many studies and articles about this topic. I am proud of all of the effort that I put into this paper, and especially the editing and refining of it. I think that my instructor will enjoy my thesis as well as see some of the improvements in my writing.

I have learned a lot about scholarly sources and databases.  I learned how to access them and how to find the most effective sources for one’s topic.  I also learned how to create a blog, create blog posts and read other blog posts. I feel much more comfortable using this resource than before I took this class.

                I have mixed feelings on the research process. I enjoyed learning new facts and searching through helpful information. I dislike the time that it takes to go through all of the unhelpful information. The research process took me a lot of time. I struggled to find sources that contained the information that I was looking for. I feel like if I had been researching a topic with more hard evidence, the process would have been easier and could have been done it more efficiently. If I were to give advice to a new English 121 student I would tell them that if they want to spend less time searching through scholarly journals and more time writing, they should pick a topic that has been well researched and frequently written about.  This would make the researching process simpler. 

Rubric Evaluation of Research Paper

By Sarah Moore

Re-reading my introduction, I'm not at all satisfied with the wording or general idea it's giving. I would say, based on the rubric in our syllabus, that my intro would either be a Weak (D) or Competent (C). My ideas are hard to follow based on how they're presented, and my argument is not very apparent. I really dislike my sentences, they seem really jumbled. The reason why I'm targeting my introduction is because it's one of the most important paragraphs, and since it's the very first thing my reader will see, it should be good and coherent. I think I can improve it by listing my subjects in order, using more examples, and making sure my writing flows well.

I feel like one thing that I have done well with, especially in my revision over the weekend, was adding more credible sources. There aren't necessary four in each paragraph, but there are definitely six to eight throughout, which could make my paper Strong (B). Improvements could be, however, to include more, and better connect them to my ideas.

My formatting has consistent flaws, so most likely that area is Competent (C). I have a strange habit of making all of my citations in the Works Cited page APA format, rather than the correct MLA format. There are also a few errors after I add credit to a quote I just paraphrased or quoted that I need to work on. I can hopefully bump my formatting up to a Strong (B) or Superior (A) by really studying helpful citation websites like purdue owl, or asking the help of a classmate.

Research essay Revision

By Sarah Daly


   One of the criteria that I have a superior handle on is my thesis it is very clear and to the point. One

of the criteria that is competent is my documentation style. I have all the in work citations but there

are many errors with the grammar and placement of the citations. I believe i will easily be able to fix

these before i turn in my final draft. On of the areas that my paper is weak on is the grammar and

formatting. I have several grammar and wording issues.  

Essay Rubric Evaluation

By Nora Hixson

-My thesis I think would be Strong, but not Superior. I think this would be because The people who reviewed my rough drafts were able to find two Freaking Points instead of just having one clear one.

 -I think my Clarity/Coherence would also be a Strong because I do have a few run-on sentences and sometimes my paragraphs don't really flow together.

-For Use of Sources I think I would be either a Strong or a Competent because I have not used nearly enough of them in my rough drafts and sometimes I will use them incorrectly in my writing.

Reviewing Essays In-Class:

By Sarah Moore

Three things I improved:

• I took into account the feedback my partner Nora wrote, which was rewording the awkward sentences, taking out ideas that didn't match my thesis, and adding support ideas.
• I rewrote my introduction, added more to my first body paragraph, and wrote the second body paragraph, as well as added (some scrambled) points to follow in each of my paragraphs for when I next edit it.
• I found and cited several more sources and incorporated them especially in my second body paragraph. 

Three things my partner improved on: Nora Hixson

• She added a bunch more detail to all of her paragraphs--I definitely saw an increase in size.
• At the end of each paragraph, I could tell what her points were much clearer than I could've before; I can tell she spent time on evaluating what she really wanted each paragraph to say.
• Particularly in the second body paragraph, she uses a positive amount of ethos. 

Improvements on rough Draft for research essays.

By Sarah Daly

     The essay that i reviewed was about how pet ownership and therapy animals improve health.

 Since i read this essay on Tuesday she improved her conclusion to include her stronger points of her

essay. She is still waiting to hear back from a few of her expert sources but her other facts are well

implemented into her essay for smooth and well places facts. This essay also has a large work cited

page and many valid and creditable source that have enhanced her thesis.

    Some of the improvements towards my essay is that I completed my counterargument and then

also my counter to my counterargument. I also tried to beef up my introduction to make it more

engaging. I also had someone else edit my paper and give me feed back with my spelling and word

chose.

In-Class Essay Review

By Nora Hixson

Ways I improved: 

1. My body paragraphs were not at all complete, so I turned them from being one sentence each to almost all of them being long paragraphs.

2. I started using my sources and citations to back up my claims and to make them more specific.

3. I tried to re-word all of my awkward sentences and made them sound more professional and clear.

Ways my partner improved: Sarah Moore

1. She took my feedback into consideration and re-worded some of her sentences.

2. She added more sources and information into her arguments and added citations.

3. She also explained the difficult terms and ideas more thoroughly and made them easier to understand.  

Reading Response: Chapter 17

By Nora Hixson


Personal Response: This chapter was very useful to me because it talked about how to properly use sources in your writing. It focused on the different ways to integrate the support into your writing, like paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and synthesizing. I think these are all very useful, especially as we work on our research papers in class.

Professional Response: I think the most important part of this chapter was the lay out of all different forms of plagiarism and how to avoid them. It gave guidelines for the best ways to avoid it, as well as examples of the most common mistakes that end up in plagiarism. I will definitely be using this chapter as we continue to work on our research papers.

Picture: Here

Chapter 17: Reading Response

By Sarah Moore

Personal Response: 
This chapter did a great job explaining what paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting, and synthesizing are, and simplified each term so they were easy to distinguish. I found all of it very helpful, and especially good guidelines to follow as our class begins to polish our research essays. 


Professional Response: 
In this chapter, I learned the multiple methods a writer can use to cite or quote a book in their paper. Adding quotations or research from credible studies validates any paper or argument, adds necessary support bits, and I feel is really crucial in getting a good grade. That's why this chapter was so helpful, because it breaks down all of the various ways you can use quotations, and makes it easy to apply. To summarize, paraphrasing is when you reword a person's thought, but strictly in your own words. They do not need quotation marks. Summarizing is pretty much the opposite of paraphrasing; you use your own words to explain the general purpose of the thought. Quoting does involve quotation marks, because you are using the author's exact words. And last of all, synthesizing is the combination of the three, and can be rather large as it includes several/all of your sources. 

Photo Credit: Here

Chapter 17 Reading Response.
By Sarah Daly

    Integrating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism

Professional Response
        I think this is a very good chapter when writing a paper. It makes the point that you want to paraphrase and summarize more then have direct quotes. It helps the paper flow better and helps you get your point across in your own words. Plagiarism usually occurs because of carelessness or poor time management. It could be either intentional or unintentional.

Personal Response
       I think this is an important chapter. It gives good tips on including paraphrasing, summaries, or direct quotes. I find it easier and clearing when i read a paper to have the author summaries or paraphrase their sources rather then directly quote. It helps the paper flow better and keeps the same tone. The part of plagiarism always makes me nervous. I don't trust myself to cite my sources correctly all the time even if my intent isn't to copy someone else's work.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

By Sarah Moore

Ethos: Ethos is used to insight validity and plausibility to support the author's argument. Usually specialists, experts, or people the author knows are reliable are used as Ethos.

Pathos: Pathos appeals to the emotion, typically of the reader, to aid in the author's argument or debate.

Logos: Logos is when the thought or idea is logical and makes a clear and valid point. It's critical in winning any argument or debate.  

Support Bits:

Pathos:

• Introverts are more likely to become depressed than extroverts.
• People often mistake introverts for being socially anxious and uncomfortable, and therefore put less effort into getting to know them. 
• Introverted people are constantly downgraded in their jobs because individuals who are more outgoing and charismatic are more appealing. 

Ethos: 

• It's wrong to automatically assume that we must either be purely introverted or purely extroverted, when really, most people often share qualities of both. ("The Brain Of An Introvert
• Compared To That Of An Extrovert: Are They Really Different?") This is food for thought before any extrovert can claim that they are the 'better personality', when probably, they are also slightly introverted.
• An article by Vijaya Lakshmi says it's important to know each person's unique personality type in order to better prepare them for the future. ("Personality Profiling Of Introverts And Extroverts.")
• How much does the average person really know about introverts? If you're an extrovert, isn't it important to know your opposite? It's likely that the individual has at least three or four friends who are introverted, maybe even a spouse. Author Susan Cain communicates the importance of understanding introverts, and is a credible source as a published and well-known author. (Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking)

Logos: 

• Often in the workforce, introverts don't fit the desired mold of a boisterous, confrontational salesman, and therefore are less preferred for jobs. ("Introverts in an Extrovert Society « Generation C Magazine.")
• Extroverts in the workplace, though they are preferred more, tend to me more dishonest and distrustful than an introvert in the workplace. Are extroverts really the right personality type to be preferred? ("Are Dishonest Extroverts More Harmful Than Dishonest Introverts? The Interaction Effects Of Honesty-Humility And Extraversion In Predicting Workplace Deviance.")
• Why are we as individuals determined to isolate one personality type from the other? The truth is we shouldn't, because we actually all carry characteristics of both introverts and extroverts. ("The Brain Of An Introvert Compared To That Of An Extrovert: Are They Really Different?")

Pathos, Logos, and Ethos

By Nora Hixson

Definitions:

-Pathos: the use of emotion in an argument to appeal to the reader

-Logos: the use of logical statements to appeal to reason

-Ethos: the credibility of the author to prove that they know what they are talking about

Support Bits for Essay:

-Pathos:
      1. Many people suffer from eating disorders and other body-image issues, but never tell anyone.
      2. The number of people who are comfortable with their bodies and how they look is significantly smaller than the number of people who aren't happy with themselves.
      3. Most girls would rather starve themselves to look like the photo-shopped model in a magazine than be the way they are.

-Logos:
      1. A study done showed that 40% of girls between the ages of 9 and 10 have tried to lose excessive amounts of weight. ("Teen Health and the Media")
      2. The obsession with appearance is obvious in movies and TV, as it was shown that 58% of all female characters in movies had their appearance commented on, and 28% in TV shows. ("Teen Health and the Media")
      3. A test done showed that the longer a person spent on Facebook, the more likely they were to have long-lasting anxiety related to body-image. (Mabe)

-Ethos:
      1. According to the medical journal, "Women's Exposure to Thin-and-beautiful Media Images: Body Image Effects of Media-ideal Internalization and Impact-reduction Interventions," there are ways of possibly decreasing the affect that the media has on body-image. (Yamamiya)
2. The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University did a study about the massive increase in the use of social media over the past few years, and how people love the idea of controlling who they are to people online. (Madden)
3. According to analysis of teen profile pictures, a teen who read more magazines was more likely to post a picture of themselves in revealing clothing, due to the provocative images that are frequently shown in the magazines. (Kapidzic)

Works Cited:

Kapidzic, Sanja, and Nicole Martins. EBSCO. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.

Madden, Mary, Amanda Lenhart, Sandra Cortesi, Urs Gasser, Maeve Duggan, Aaron Smith, and

Meredith Beaton. "Teens, Social Media, and Privacy." La Tele Di Penelope - Pre Home Page. The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, 21 May 2013. Web. 14 Oct. 2015.

"Teen Health and the Media." UW Departments Web Server. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

Yamamiya, Yuko, Thomas F. Cash, Susan E. Melnyk, Heidi D. Posavac, and Steven S. Posavac.

"Women's Exposure to Thin-and-beautiful Media Images: Body Image Effects of Media-ideal Internalization and Impact-reduction Interventions."ScienceDirect.com | Science, Health and Medical Journals, Full Text Articles and Books. N.p., Mar. 2005. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

Mabe, Annalise G., Jean K. Forney, and Pamela K. Keel. "Do You 'like' My Photo? Facebook

Use Maintains Eating Disorder Risk." EBSCO. International Journal of Eating Disorders, n.d. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

Chapter 16 Reading Response

Personal Response: This chapter was completely focused on the importance of using reliable sources to back up your arguments. It stressed the importance of using library databases that hold scholarly articles and other writings instead of using a random page off of a random website.

Professional Reaction: The most important part of this chapter was the information on evaluating sources, and the qualities that go into reliable sources. The qualities, according to the chapter, are: the source is authoritative, accurate, objective, current, and comprehensive. If a source is all of these things, then it is a good one to use for backing up arguments.

Found: Google images search "books"

Chapter 16 Reading response.
By Sarah Daly

Professional Response. In this chapter it explains the different resources that are available the explains the benefits and the disadvantages of using them. They talk about the importance of using  un bias and creditable sources. They speak highly of databases and school libraries due to the filtering of creditable material that they allow in. especially compared to the Internet in which you have to be very careful about the integrity of the material.

Personal Response: I feel like this chapter is a very good summary of what has been gone over in class this semester in regards to finding good and accurate sources that can enhance the papers we are writing. i found the part about Evaluating sources very helpful. Determining if the source is authoritative, accurate, objective, current, and comprehensive are great ways to narrow down a good source.

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR413NP7DEW0blMk_ZnN0mL2qhWHxkyYkKUvZFLx0rFoGmbxgal5w

Chapter 16 Finding and Evaluating Sources

By Sarah Moore


Personal Reaction:
If I were to sum up this chapter in one sentence, I would say its content is on the importance of using college library databases. It thoroughly goes through the steps to find your research topics, such as what keywords to enter into the search bar, how to navigate the database, etc. I found the information this chapter provided to be helpful, especially since our class will be using a lot of these libraries for our upcoming research paper. 


Professional Reaction: 
Chapter 16 is everything about library databases in a short, concise five pages. It talks about the pros of using library databases, how their information is often more reliable and helpful, versus the regular internet, which can give false information or not be filtered well. Next the chapter leads us through detailed steps of how exactly to locate information on the internet, which, in this modern day is pretty much a learned skill. However, it was still nice to review on how to enable a key word or subject search function. All-in-all, it was an enlightening chapter for those who have trouble navigating the internet, or for others simply just a review. 

Photo Credit: Google Images 

Grammer Video: They're, Their, and There

Music Credit:
"Elevator Music Part 57." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2015. 

"Elevator Music Part 56." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

Nora Hixson: Evaluation of Website

Part 1:
The website Education Week is a form of a blog central with many different topics, ideas, authors, etc. The article I chose to read was called "Technology in Education." 

There was no clear author of the article, but the organization, Education Week, was clearly stated at the top of the website no matter where I was on the site. The article, although written in 2011, had over twenty different sources cited at the bottom. The URL of the website contained an ".org" at the end, meaning it is a government-sponsored website. The rest of the links on the website led to different articles, ranging in topic, viewpoint, and length. 
All of the claims in the article "Technology in Education" were supported by facts and outside sources, leading me to believe that they are not purely opinions of the author. The material presented was covered in depth, with five subtopics for support, each having its own section that was usually about five paragraphs of information and statistics. 
The sources that the author used were mostly from other articles on the Education Week website, but each one provided more information on what the "Technology in Education" article was siting them for. 

Found: http://eduerp.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Use-of-Technology-in-Education1.jpg

My writing:
A widely debated topic, education in the education system today is either beneficial or harmful in our schools. "The rapid evolution of educational technologies also makes it increasingly challenging to determine what works best. Longitudinal research that takes years to do risks being irrelevant by the time it is completed because of shifts in the technological landscape. The iPad, for instance, became popular in schools soon after it was released and well before any research could be conducted about its educational effectiveness." ("Technology in Education") With the always-changing nature of the education systems, technology itself, and the people involved in both, it is nearly impossible to keep up in an effective way. 



Part 2:
Using EBSCO, I found the article called "Faculty Views on eTextbooks: A Narrative Study" by Jenny Bossaller and Jenna Kammer. This article was very well laid out, having different paragraphs for each argument and many facts to support each one. It presented both the pros and cons to the argument about eText in the classroom, and had interviews of faculty members to support both sides. 

In comparison to the website that I used for Part 1, this article was much more formally written, as well as being more thorough with the information. In both instances the authors seem like experts on the topic, but the second one, the academic journal article, seemed to go much more in depth into every argument. 

Resource from article: Bok, D. 2004. Universities in the Marketplace: The Commercialization of Higher Education. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Chesser, W. D. 2011. “The etextbook Revolution.” Library Technology Reports 47 (8): 28–40, 58

Works Cited:

"Technology in Education - Education Week." Education Week American Education News Site of         Record. Education Week, 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

"Use of Technology in Education." Photograph. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.

Bossaller, Jenny, and Jenna Kammer. "Faculty Views on ETextbooks: A Narrative Study: EBSCOhost." EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Research Resources


       My first impressions of this site is that it is laid out well. It is well organized and easy to navigate. The information was basic and to the point. There is no authors found on this page. The writer(s) writes mainly opinions due to the lack of evidence on the topic of the Sasquatch. He gives a description of the Sasquatch and also talks about the habitat and how the Oregon government is trying to protect it.
   
     When i chose this website i did so because it had a .org URL. This means it is a government site. I thought it would have reliable information and facts. I think since it was a government site the information was put in the form of opinions.
 
  The Sasquatch has many different names from different cultures; Big Foot, Ape Man, Kushtaka, the Yeti. Although it has many different names the descriptions are very similar. "Sasquatch,  most commonly found in the Pacific Northwest, is usually described as a bipedal ape-like creature, significantly larger than an average man, and is completely covered in dark brown or reddish hair." (Oregon Wild) There has been sighting of this creature all around the world.

     When i looked on the EBSCO database i found an article based on the legends of Bigfoot and Sasquatch. The article is very logical and fact based. The authors purspose of this article was to lay out the facts both for and against the existence of the Sasquatch. This article seems to be well written and comes from a more skeptical point of view.



Bindernagel, John. North Americans Great Apes (1998) Electronic.

"Sasquatch"- Oregon Wild. Electronic. 2015. http://www.oregonwild.org/wildlife/sasquatch

By Sarah Holzmeister
10/10/15


   

Internet Resources

 By Sarah Moore 

Part 1:

Impression of the Site:

I searched ‘violence and videogames’ on google scholar, and came up with the site The Effect of Online Violent Video Games on Levels of Aggression. The information given on this site are a variety of things, but it all draws back to one topic: the effect of violent video games on levels of aggression. For information the site uses several graphs, includes background information on the video game industry and its impact, and has tabs on the left side listing all of the content in the article. Based on the URL, links, and the website’s look overall, it seems mostly very credible. There is definitely not a lack of information on violence and video games, the author is not brief in his writing, and he explores all the different aspect of this argument, such as results from different studies, supporting research, and the significance of the topic.

General Criteria Guidelines:

The authors are clearly named at the top of the site, underneath the articles’ title. It is written by Jack Hollingdale and Tobias Greitemeyer. The authors, when clicking on their underlined names, has a brief sentence on who they are: Jack Hollingdale attended University of Sussex in Brighton, a school of Psychology, and Tobias Greitemeyer also attended a school of psychology, the University of Innsbruck. Just by this brief information, the authors appear to be well-trained in discussing violence in video games and its correlation to aggression, as it closely relates to psychology (which they majored in). The website is funded by government organizations.

The information of the site isn’t so much to persuade as it is to inform the reader of the likelihood of violent video games increasing aggression level. They show their argument through a variety of credible models and studies, and explain in full detail the results those organizations found. References are included in helpful number links that take you to the citations. The website has a full list of citations, and are all sighted properly.

The correlation between violent video games and aggression is something that has been a concern for many years now. Ever since the video game industry skyrocketed with desirable new animations, story lines, and interactiveness, researchers began to wonder if the violence displayed is somehow harmful to the people who play them, especially for hours at a time. Does the aggression of playing a first person shooter (FPS) influence how people act in real life? “Previous research, utilising the General Aggression Model (GAM), has identified that violent video games increase levels of aggression.” (Hollingdale, Greitemeyer).

Part 2:

Evaluation: On the online database, EBSCO, I found this article that closely related to the topic of the above website: Virtually Justifiable Homicide: The Effects of Prosocial Contexts on the Link Between Violent Video Games, Aggression, and Prosocial and Hostile Cognition

When I first skimmed the content of this site, my first impression was actually a little unimpressed, because particularly in the first two pages, it only talks about the numerous studies that were taken on violence and videogames, but rarely connects them to what the topic is about. The article explains how the study was conducted in great detail, but not what the findings or results were. Those are only explained in about one or two sentences, when I feel like the results are the most important part to supporting an argument. Nonetheless, looking past all the introductory paragraphs, it is still a professional article, and the author proves he is knowledgeable in this topic by thoughtfully writing about three rather impactful studies and their findings, and a conclusion in which he answers the big question: violent video games can increase aggressive behavior.

The author referenced a GAM test that studied thoughts and behavior and the influence violent video games has on them by Greitemeyer and Osswald, 2010.

Comparison:

The information in the article was very similar to the information on the website, however it was far more technical and included studies which I sometimes couldn’t connect to the subject. The website, in my personal opinion, was easier to follow and just as intelligent as the database article. I felt the website carried its argument well without needing an abundance of studies. However, the author of the article appeared to have a little more expertise, his writing style and presentation were scholarly, and he included more research in his article compared to the authors of the website. In conclusion, I feel that both authors were well versed in the topic of violence and videogames, but expressed them in fairly different manners.

WORKS CITED:

Jack Hollingdale, Tobias Greitemeyer. Plos One. 8 Oct. 2015. Web. 07 Oct, 2015.

Seth A. Gitter, Patrick J. Ewell, Rosanna E. Guadagno, Tyler F. Stillman, Roy F. Baumeister.

“Virtually Justifiable Homicide: The Effects of Prosocial Contexts on the Link Between Violent Video Games, Aggression, and Prosocial and Hostile Cognition.” 1 Sept. 2013. EBSCO. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Blog Review - backoftheroomblog

By Sarah Moore



For me, choosing which blog to review wasn't a random pick of the class blog list, rather, I intentionally chose the BackoftheRoomBlog. 
And if I am to be completely honest, when in need of some good examples of chapter readings or maybe just some blog inspiration, I've always gravitated towards this blog. So very happily, here is my review on the BackoftheRoomBlog. What better then to write a review on a blog that you like? 

On first glance, the appearance and structure of this blog is incredibly organized and visually pleasing, and when I tested to see how easily I could maneuver around the tabs, it was really user-friendly. Admittedly there isn't a lot of color, but I think the black and white looks more professional. It's easy to make a blog that appears messy with too many contrasting fonts and colors, (I noticed some blogs I've reviewed previously were like that) but this blog avoids that nicely. All of the English 121 assignments are included and I can tell the writers spend a good amount of time on making their posts' concise. There's just a lot of sameness and organization that makes it a great blog to follow.

What goes into a good blog are aspects such as organization, currency, quality and validity, visual appeal, author credibility, and consistency. This is what's known as the quality criteria list. I've already talked about the organization in the backoftheroomblog, but a few extra side notes would be there is a handy search bar in the top right corner, in case the 'recent posts' tab couldn't get you where you needed, and if you'd rather look at all the posts at once, you could just continuously scroll down. It's difficult to rate the currency of the posts since the subjects are only English 121 assignments, but their images are definitely current, such as memes I've seen this year on the internet. The writing is very high quality, you can tell there was a good deal of effort put into it, and the posts are very eloquent. The author gives obvious credit by labeling their individual posts as seen below the title of their blog post, or the added signature at the bottom. Image sources are included in links that go directly to the webpage. There is slight inconsistency in the amount a certain author posts versus how much the other author does, but there is definitely a blog post written at least every few days.

I think this blogs' content is really intelligent, and I enjoy reading their outlooks on the different subjects we've studied. Something that could be bothersome to certain people is the lack of color, or lack of imagery that keeps the blog lively and interesting, though they've done a great job at including an image at the end of every blog post. There is also a fairly large strip of white space to the right of their website that's a little blank, but that could be their template. Either way, I absolutely love this blog!

ukmug.pbworks.com

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Nora Hixson: Blog Review

By Nora Hixson
Blog chosen: Rock-&-Iron

I thought that the blog Rock-&-Iron was very neat and orderly when I first looked at it. I really liked the photo of the mountains that they had at the top, but I then realized that the rest of the blog seemed a little plain, as it was all just white with black or grey text. I definitely liked how easy it was to navigate though, it enabled me to see the beginnings of each post, and then I could click and read more if they interested me.

For our class, the Blog Quality Criteria List was as follows: organized, current, quality content, creativity, visually pleasing, author credibility, and consistency. The blog Rock-&-Iron was most definitely organized, current, and had quality content. In terms of creativity, I feel like it lacked a little bit, with not very many pictures and a very plain background for each post. It was visually pleasing in the way that it was so organized and easy to navigate, but it did not interest me or capture my attention at all. The blog seemed pretty consistent, with posts every few days and always about relevant topics.

Overall I liked this blog, but I don't know that I would follow it outside of class because of the lack of visually pleasing details. The content was more boring than what I would normally look for when considering a blog to follow, but that is because it's all assignments from class so it's understandable. I liked being able to read the authors' different perspectives and ideas about the assignments, and I definitely didn't have a negative experience with this blog!

Found: http://www.theblogstarter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1.jpg

Nora Hixson: Chapter 14 Reading Response

Personal Reaction: In my personal opinion, I think that Argumentative essays are harder than most essays because they require tons of opinions and facts to support the main point. This is hard because you have to be really good at developing your ideas, as well as having to be good at making your point clear and concise in your writing.

Professional Reaction: Argumentative essays are all about credibility, facts, opinions, common knowledge, and refutation. The evidence has to be relevant, representative, and sufficient for the essay to be clear.

Chapter 14: Argumentative Essays

Picture found on google images

By Sarah Moore


Personal Response: Honestly I think writing an argumentative essay is slightly intimidating because of how opinion-based the paper is, and opinions are something I struggle with conveying in the right way through writing. However, this chapter gave very insightful tips on how to use pathos, ethos, and logos, and how to write an interesting paper for the reader without being totally bias throughout. I like how it stressed to consider your argument's opposing side. Writing that is solely opinion-based and not open-minded can be pretty disappointing, so that's why I find this so helpful.

Professional Response: Chapter 14 on Argumentation talks about all the important qualities that should be in an argumentative essay, such as persuasion, validity, evidence, whether the topic is debatable, and if its opposing side can be argued as well. It also brought up a term we had just learned in class a couple weeks ago, fallacies, and how to avoid them in your argumentative essay. There were definitely a lot of key words to remember, but I think with practice argumentative essays could be pretty fun to write!

Chapter 14 Reading responds.
 By Sarah Holzmeister

Professional responds: In my professional opinion I like that the Argumentation essay is based on facts and not emotion. I also like that they tell you to include the argument against your point and use that to make more valid arguments towards your point.

Personal opinion: I didn't know that their is a difference between persuasive essays and Argumentation essays. I think i will like Argumentation essays more because the are heavier on the facts and not opinion.

Outline of Nora Hixson's Exemplification Essay

Outline

Current Thesis: Dancers, often thought of as girls in tutus spinning around on their toes, actually have to be incredibly strong in all aspects of performing in order to be successful.

Support Bit Example #1: People underestimate the strength dancers must have in order to succeed with their passion: if it doesn't take any effort at all, then how come football players are recommended to take a ballet class? 

Support Bit  Example #2: To an ordinary audience member, technique, choreography, and elegance appear to be all a ballerina knows. But appearance can be deceitful; ever notice the calf muscles, facial expressions, and passion the dancer uses on stage? A ballerina must be strong in all areas of performing arts, such as athleticism, acting, and artistry, in order to succeed. (Think of roles such as Giselle, whose character went mad. That would've used a great deal of emotion... etc.)

Closing Statement (Thesis #2): Never underestimate the performers in pancake tutus: it takes incredible commitment, training in other arts, and true passion to do the things ballerinas can do. 

By Sarah Moore