blogging in english 11

I think that blogging in our english 11 class was in some ways useful and in other ways not useful. Now that i think about it, when it came to doing draft workshops, it was useful. It allowed us to finish what we didn't in class, and it gave our partner access to our comments without having to wait for the next class. This is similar to blogging in pharmacy because of its time convenient capabilities, which is one of the things i argued in unit 3. Another way it was useful was that it sort of got us used to working with technology. Also, it helped because it served as a journal when we reflected and wrote on certain topics. In a sense that others might have learned from my blog, i don't think it was useful because other than the draft workshop forms that i placed on my blog for my partner's viewing, nothing else was really pertinent to others who surf the web or others in the class. I guess, i could have been relavent to others in the class if they needed to check to see how something was done or in the case when you used 2 of our classmate's postings on their blogs as an example of good draft workshop editing. At first, i didn't think that blogging helped at all in our class, but the more and more i reflect on the different purposes and uses our blogs served, the more i am convinced that blogging was a useful tool in our english 11 class. I would much rather create postings on a blog than keep a journal and have to turn it in every week as is the traditional case. I would recommend to keep requiring blogs in english 11.

blogging in english 11

I think that blogging in our english 11 class was in some ways useful and in other ways not useful. Now that i think about it, when it came to doing draft workshops, it was useful. It allowed us to finish what we didn't in class, and it gave our partner access to our comments without having to wait for the next class. This is similar to blogging in pharmacy because of its time convenient capabilities, which is one of the things i argued in unit 3. Another way it was useful was that it sort of got us used to working with technology. Also, it helped because it served as a journal when we reflected and wrote on certain topics. In a sense that others might have learned from my blog, i don't think it was useful because other than the draft workshop forms that i placed on my blog for my partner's viewing, nothing else was really pertinent to others who surf the web or others in the class. I guess, i could have been relavent to others in the class if they needed to check to see how something was done or in the case when you used 2 of our classmate's postings on their blogs as an example of good draft workshop editing. At first, i didn't think that blogging helped at all in our class, but the more and more i reflect on the different purposes and uses our blogs served, the more i am convinced that blogging was a useful tool in our english 11 class. i would much rather create posts on a blog than keep a journal and have to turn it in every week as is the traditional case. I would recommend to keep requiring blogs for english 11 class.

paragraph revision (unit 3 feeder 3)

Blogging within the pharmacy community also allows current students to interact and learn from each other through regular postings. In a blogging community with so many members, a post from student, in the form of a question has the potential to get a lot of feedback. This in turn benefits those who need questions answered and those who read or follow the postings and learn from other students' questions and comments. On the pharmacy forums of the student doctor network, students exchange ideas and questions relating to an array of matters. Postings range from general questions about pharmacy school examinations to friendly chats about material well being. One student posted a question asking whether pharmacy schools required a recommendation from a pharmacist. Within 3 minutes, a reply was made saying that some schools do in fact require them and that they should check the school's requirements for letters of recommendation. With interactive pharmacy blogs, students not only can learn from each other, but they can do so in a timely manner.

my vision

After doing research and looking up blogs in the pharmacy/medical/biology field, i learned that professionals in these fields actual care about their work and are interested in furthering research in their field. Before i looked into professional pharmacy blogs, i thought that the professors were simply interested in money because these medical professions pay well. After i looked into blogs, i realized that most of these professors and researchers were interested in further research. they showed this interest by collaborating their research and progress with other professionals. Also, there were medical blogs set up to help students succeed, by allowing them to post questions and receive feedback from other students. all in all, blogs in the medical field help further research and help students succeed.

Draft Workshop Form – November 9, 2004

1. My name is ____ashkan_________ and I read _________nick_____’s paper.

2. Does the paper fulfill the demands of the assignment? Does it have all of the elements we talked about in our class discussion? If not, list what the author needs to do to fulfill the assignment.
Yes, it describes his interest and makes a proposal. it also has an analysis of a post, but it could be more detailed than one or two sentences.

3. The assignment asks you to convey your enthusiasm and to analyze some recent posts to the blog. Assuming the author has done both of these things, what kind of organizational scheme has s/he implemented to integrate these two aspects of the paper? Does it make sense? Is it effective rhetorically?
He has employed a general interest in the field of sports training in the first paragraph, then in the second paragraph he talks about how he came upon the authors blog, and finally in the third paragraph, he uses ideas and the enthusiasm he hasshown in the first two paragraphs to make a proposal in the third paragraph. this sequence seems very effective.


4. We talked a lot in our class discussion on Thursday about tone. Briefly describe the tone the author has adopted for the letter. Is this tone appropriate? Would a slight (or drastic, for that matter) shift in tone benefit the paper?
I think that the tone fits the organization of the paper very well. This is because he progresses from showing interest to making a proposition. his tone is very humble, and nothing about his proposal seems forced or misplaced. i think you should keep it like that.

Pharmacy

I chose to do pharmacy for my unit 3 discipline which is also my intended major. I honestly chose to do pharmacy because of its steady work and good pay. I always wanted to do engineering and still love the discipline. I was planning on going to UVA to do just that. However, a month before school started, my dad convinced me that i didn't want to deal with the unsteady job market of engineering and that i should find a major with more secure jobs. Thats when i decided to come to UNC and do Pharmacy. I think pharmacy will be a boring job unless it involves research of some sort. I guess i traded love for dough.

reflection on unit 2 portfolio

I think that unit 2 went alot more smoothly than unit one. I practically did the wrong paper for feeder 2, probably because i misinterpreted the prompt. i'm sure others did as well. Also, i think that my unit 2 portfolio improved as a whole because, the idea of a blog was no longer new to me. Also, i think that everyone just got used to writing papers again and kind of figured out what was expected of them after unit 1.

unit 3 draft workshop 1

Draft Workshop Form – November 4, 2004


1. My name is Ashkan and I read Ben’s paper.

2. Does the paper fulfill the demands of the assignment? Does it have all of the elements we talked about in our class discussion? If not, list what the author needs to do to fulfill the assignment.
Although this letter has an overall proposal, it lacks many of the things we talked about in class. it lacks an explanation of the qualifications of the writer(yes that would be you ben), and an analysis of one or more posts. Although for the latter there is some mention of some of the posts. it needs an analysis instead of just a brief mention.

3. The assignment asks you to convey your enthusiasm and to analyze some recent posts to the blog. Assuming the author has done both of these things, what kind of organizational scheme has s/he implemented to integrate these two aspects of the paper? Does it make sense? Is it effective rhetorically?
In the first paragraph, he talks about the blog in general and asks the author to consider his thoughts. In the second paragraph, ben talks about a few of the postings on the blog. Then in the third paragraph, he describes what he could offer to the blog if he were aloud to make posts on the blog.
This organization in a general terms makes sense, but needs alot of work and elaboration. It is rhetorically effective because it uses a certain order to logically make a proposal seem necesary and beneficial.

4. Is the author’s enthusiasm for the subject convincing? Does it really sound like s/he is passionate about studying this discipline? Is s/he over-enthusiastic? Suggest ways in which the author could better pinpoint the level of enthusiasm you feel is appropriate for the assignment.
At first, the authors enthusiasm is convincing, however as the paper progresses, the author seems to be kind of pushy and cocky in that their proposal hints that if they are aloud to make posts, then the blog will attrack much more people.
I think that in order to make your enthusiasm effective, you need to relate topics of enthusiasm back to the blog in which your make these proposals.

practice speech workshop

I think my speech was well received by my partner. It pretty much
flowed and it was interesting. I kept eye contact for the most part
and only glanced down at my paper a few times to check my notes. I
think he liked the rhetoric questions i posed during my speech. Things
such as: "does it seem fair for a company to put in the time and money
for research and development and for another company to reap the
profits?" after giving my speech i think i will add in other counter
arguments to making generic drugs more readily available.

draft workshops

I think draft workshops are ok. I like it when we do different things
with them sometimes instead of the same old filling out the forms. for
example when we did toulmans method for our arguments in our speeches.
switching up what we do in the draft workshops makes it more
interesting. also i think we need more time in class to work on them.
other then that i think they are helping our analytical skills overall.

Rhetorics of my speech

In my speech to my english class, i will have to argue that we as a people in the united states don't need improvement in health care. this is a hard stance to argue but i will have to do it by addressing all the counter arguements for better health care using logos. I will have to think of creative counter arguements because no improvement in health care is a hard stance to argue. I think that most of my speech will contain logos while addressing counter arguements. i will also have to stress the urgency of keeping health care at its present level in order to keep the insurance agencies from going out of business and thereby causing the whole insurance market from collapsing. Once again i think most of my speech will use logos because i intend to use logic to present my point of view.

My Speaking Experience

Although i have never given any elaborate formal speeches that i can remember, i have given many brief speeches during sports events to pump up the team. As the captain of the wrestling team, i gave many motivational speeches to inspire the team during the times that we were down or needed everyone to do well in order to win. I feel like i'm good at relating to a certain situation and inspiring a group of people. Now for my strengths and weaknesses. I feel like i'm not too worried about speaking in front of a group although i do get a little nervous when it is a situation in which i am forced to give a speach such as in a class room setting. I also think that i am good at arguing a point with countless examples and by relating to real life situations or by making allusions. I guess that i need improvement in really putting a speach together to meet "english class" requirements.

Reflection on Unit 1

I thought i did pretty well on the unit 1 portfolio. When considering the major components of unit 1 and what was weighed most heavily, i think i did well. I participated in class almost everyday. I also learned how to develop an effective thesis statement especially by the third paper in unit 1. One of the things that i needed to improve which i did was staying on top of my blog assignments. At first, i wasn't used to doing blogs and didn't really know how to do website stuff. I think that as time progressed, i've greatly improved on staying on top of the blogs. Also, another problem in unit 1 was giving lots of input on the draft workshops. I think doing them online has helped to make people want to give alot more input and analysis.

unit 2 feeder 2

1. My name is Ashkan and I read Ben’s paper.

2. What do you think are the most promising counter-arguments to the author’s claim? Have these counter-arguments been acknowledged and dealt with effectively in the paper?
The most effective counter-arguments to the author's claim are Kerry's plan which is in favor of choice not morals. This counter-argument is argued against by bringing up the negative effects of choice.

3. Does the paper have a tight, cohesive and powerful thesis statement?
The thesis makes a clear arguement by saying that Bush's plan is far superior to that of Kerry's but it could use a little work by condensing it.

4. Does the author make use of the varied rhetorical strategies we discussed in class? Does the author overuse any particular strategy? Does s/he neglect any?
Uses lots of ethos though not thoroughly supported and some pathos such as the example of the girl whose mother tried to have an abortion on her. Could use much more logos such as stats and figures on abortions.

5. Does the author support his or her assumptions and conclusions with authoritative evidence? Identify at least one point that might be supported by additional or alternative types of evidence.
Nothing really authoritative. I would only say the most authoritative argument in the paper is bringing up both views of the presidential candidates. "It is a known fact that abortions can cause damage to the uterus, infertility and miscarriages in the future, and medical complications potentially causing death." this arguement could be supported by an outside source that gives a significant figure on just how much or what percent of women actually have harmful complications or life threatening situations as a result of abortions.