Blogger Burnout? or Blogger Proponent?

Before English 11, I had never heard of blogs before. I also never anticipated doing anything else besides writing papers. So, as you may assume, I was surprised to find out we had to set-up our own websites, and in addition to writing a paper a week, write posts on this new form of communication. Initially, I was adverse to this process, because I had no clue what I was doing with my website, and did not understand the purpose of doing all this extra work. After the first unit, I started to get into the flow of making weekly posts, and realized that what I was writing in my posts, aided my writing for the unit papers. I feel that writing in the blogs, when prompted to write about something in relation to the unit papers, was an effective brainstorming tool, and allowed me to be more creative with my writing. For example, when we had to write about how politics affected our lives, I was able to think about what my political agenda was, and how it could be applied to the papers and speech I composed. Like that of my author of the blog for neuroeconomics, who was able to use his blog as an effective communication tool across generations, exposing his ideas to his students, and bringing up more professional concepts to spur development of new ideas from other neuroeconomics, I was able to talk about personal and professional topics. I exposed my opinions on certain issues, and then talked professionally about more academic topics. The way this course was set-up I felt it connected all the different aspects of how blogs communicate with their discourse community. Unit one was more personal, and story-telling, and the posts we created, like the one about if our parents would pick up the CD and listen to it, made me look at the cover of the CD from a different perspective, and think about how my parents would interpret it. Unit two was more opionated, and the blog prompts that we did during that unit, including the thesis battle posts, and one about how politics fits into our lives, helped me write my unit papers more effectively. Lastly unit three, which dealt which academic research, more of what we will write about in English 12, and the blog assignements that we wrote tied in nicely with what our unit papers were. The rhetoric that we used in each of the units, carried over into our blogs. Rhetorically, the tone an individual uses in their blog varies based on the type of information they describe, and the type of audience that reads their blog. Overall my blogging experience has taught me what it means to appeal to and know your audience before writing a paper, given me a general understanding of what rhetoric is and how it can be used in different ways, and how to be more creative in my writing. My perception of this communication tool has evolved from distaste to an appreciation for its importance in academia.

Formula For an Improved Paragraph

ORIGINAL PARAGRAPH:
Prior to McCabe’s research, economics was applied to law in broad, equivocal terms, assuming that humans always follow their rational self-interest, and relying on the price theory to describe the nature of human behavior and decision making. With the advance in technology, and McCabe’s insight, clearer explanations have arisen to describe how neuroeconomics can apply to decision-making situations. For example, in the trust game, neoclassical economic theorists believe that individuals act rationally, and behavioral economic theorists believe that do not exhibit rational utility maximizing behavior. McCabe set out to formulate a biological model to determine if either theory was accurate in its assumptions.

REVISED PARAGRAPH:
Statement of main idea- With the advance in technology, and McCabe’s insight, clearer explanations have arisen to describe how neuroeconomics can apply to decision-making situations.

Explanation of main idea- Prior to McCabe’s research, economics was applied to law in broad, equivocal terms, assuming that humans always follow their rational self-interest, and relying on the price theory, or how relative prices are determined and how prices function to coordinate economic activity, to describe the nature of human behavior and decision making.

Example- For example, in the trust game, neoclassical economic theorists believe that individuals act rationally, and behavioral economic theorists believe that do not exhibit rational utility maximizing behavior. McCabe on the other hand, uses a biological model to explain differences in behavior based on social setting.

Explanation of example- McCabe’s research concerning this topic through the use of hyperscanning, or the ability to image two or more brains as they interact concurrently, showed that there was striking ambiguity between neo-classical and behavioral economic theory. He found that discrepancies arose is Brodmann’s area, an area of the brain, which is used most often during visualization and social situations. People who co-operated during the trust game had more activity in this region than non co-operations did. This has allowed researchers to note how individuals react to particular stimuli, and implies that the use of brain mechanisms plays more of an important role in determining an individual’s reliance on empirical theories to make their decisions. He concluded that his biological model took into account that individuals take into account their social setting and interaction when making economic decisions, which differed from the beliefs of prior theorists.

Conclusion/Transition- The activity seen in Brodmann’s area during the trust game is similar to its activity during the trust game as well.

New paragraph together:
With the advance in technology, and McCabe’s insight, clearer explanations have arisen to describe how neuroeconomics can apply to decision-making situations. Prior to McCabe’s research, economics was applied to law in broad, equivocal terms, assuming that humans always follow their rational self-interest, and relying on the price theory, or how relative prices are determined and how prices function to coordinate economic activity, to describe the nature of human behavior and decision making. For example, in the trust game, neoclassical economic theorists believe that individuals act rationally, and behavioral economic theorists believe that do not exhibit rational utility maximizing behavior. McCabe on the other hand, uses a biological model to explain differences in behavior based on social setting. McCabe’s research concerning this topic through the use of hyperscanning, or the ability to image two or more brains as they interact concurrently, showed that there was striking ambiguity between neo-classical and behavioral economic theory. He found that discrepancies arose is Brodmann’s area, an area of the brain, which is used most often during visualization and social situations. People who co-operated during the trust game had more activity in this region than non co-operations did. This has allowed researchers to note how individuals react to particular stimuli, and implies that the use of brain mechanisms plays more of an important role in determining an individual’s reliance on empirical theories to make their decisions. He concluded that his biological model took into account that individuals take into account their social setting and interaction when making economic decisions, which differed from the beliefs of prior theorists. The activity seen in Brodmann’s area during the trust game is similar to its activity during the trust game as well.

Boy, did I ever have the wrong impression of what I was getting myself into

My perception of what a neuroeconomist does has changed drastically since the onset of my research for unit three. When I first heard of the term, I assumed that the work in this field of study had more of a business implication. Through closer inspection about this field, I have discovered that neuroeconomists do a lot of case studies involving the use of neurological tools. They look at how the functions of the brain react according to the situation a person is placed in. They tend to focus their research on interactions that have monetary decisions involved, whether immediate (buying a consumer good), and long-term (formation of contract and property law). In regards to what they would do on a daily basis, my best guess would be a lot of reading and contemplation. Formulating a testable hypothesis is of utmost importance in this field. On a day when they are able to perform a study, they would perform the study, hooking up participants to neurological scanners, and then analyzing the data obtained from each participants brain patterns. Other tasks that neuroeconomists perform are writing papers based on their research. They do not have strict daily schedules, like that of a banker’s 9-5. Overall, my understanding of neuroeconomists has evolved from my naivety of someone involved in direct business decisions to that of a greater appreciation for the pioneering studies of how neural mechanisms affect how different individuals react in different situations.

Draft Workshop November 9th

Draft Workshop Form – November 9, 2004


1. My name is _Tom Kolarczyk_ and I read _Katherine Johnston_’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.

Katherine’s paper fulfills the demands of the assignment, but the extent to which she accomplishes these demands can be improved. She makes effective use of her proposal, stating that she should post to the blog because she has a similar outlook on physics, and could add a new perspective from a woman’s standpoint. Katherine does make effective use of explaining her qualifications though. She uses this along with enthusiasm throughout most of her paper. What I think feel she needs to improve most on is the analysis of a post. She needs to include at least some analysis about physics, because she only describes a post based on its sarcasm and how the blog is creative.


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?

The organizational scheme that is used in this paper is the analysis of a post book-ended by an explanation of her qualifications. Her enthusiasm is persistent throughout. I do not think it is effective, because it does not flow with her thesis statement. She does not propose in her thesis statement that she should be allowed to post on this blog because she is qualified or has enthusiasm, or has an understanding of what is being discussed by the professor on the blog. I am unsure of how rhetorically effective this is (sorry).


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?

Katherine’s tone in this paper is confident and relax. She even adds a bit of humor into her paper by saying, “come on, who doesn’t want to hear…” I think this tone is appropriate based on her description of the professor, who seems satirical and sarcastic. I think if her tone were to switch to a confident, more demanding tone, I am not sure it would benefit, because I do not know if the professor would be receptive to it. I do feel though that in some part of her paper that she needs to be stern, to show confidence and professionalism as to why she is interested in physics.

Have you ever heard of Neuroeconomics?

I did not either until searching through the professional college blogs, but it struck an interest in me and so I chose to use it for Unit 3. The discipline of neuroeconomics is the study of how the brain functions when humans make economic decisions. A researcher tries to develop a biological model to understand heterogeneity in human behavior and focuses a lot of the cognitive processes in neuroscience. People in this field formulate hypotheses and perform experiments to see how humans react to certain money making options. I do not know very much about this discipline, and chose to do unit three on it because it sounds interesting. I do not plan on majoring in this field, and also chose this blog because I want to explore different options in business, and would not mind learning about how our brain works during business decisions.

Unit 2 portfolios

Taking time to recollect on my performance for Unit 2, I realized I spent a lot of time on this unit. My work seems to have progressed some from the first unit, with the help of the writing center, and Mr. Lupton. Having to revamp my feeder two and my speech taught me that writing is an evolutionary process, and sometimes a road will lead you to a dead end and consequently, you will have to turn around and find a different path to follow. I felt that my speech, for the most part, went well. I did a lot of research and rehearsed it multiple times. Also, this unit provided me insight into the presidential election, and made me a more informed voter. I was never one to care for politics all that much, and through this unit, I was able to gain a better understanding of what each candidate’s platform contained. Overall, I feel that my work fits the pattern of the class (that it was better than unit one), but there are still many things I need to learn and continue to practice. I feel that this trend evolved over the second unit because we all became better adjusted to college life, the demands of each class, and the level of academic excellence of our classmates compared to that of high school.

Feeder 2 Unit 2....Arguing Against an Increase in the Minimum Wage (Easier than you may think)

To most Americans, hearing a proposal to increase the minimum wage is a pleasant sound. They immediately think about the extra money they will have to spend, whether on goods and services, rent, or other monthly bills. The average American is unaware of the serious fiscal and societal consequences of such an increase. It is not sensible to allow government to pass litigation for an increase in the minimum wage of any size because high school drop-out rates, unemployment, and the prices of consumer goods would increase.
Earning money, and having the ability to buy goods independently, gives many teenagers a sense of freedom and adulthood. By taking part-time jobs, and working away from home, teenagers become drawn to making money in supplement of higher education. According to a study conducted by Neumark and Washer (2003), a higher minimum wage augments dropout rates for grades 9-10; teenagers who recently transitioned into high school, and find having a job more beneficial than studying the causes of the American Revolution. They conclude that a one dollar increase in the minimum wage could seem to be a convincing enough reason to leave high-school, with the falsehood that this extra money is more important than staying in school (Neumark 4). Instead of receiving a good education, which would result in a higher paying job and more wealth in the future, teenagers will drop out of high school in order to satisfy the desire for monetary rewards. This only damages American society, especially since our country stresses education as being the most important means for success in the future.
To some degree, teenagers leaving school to get a job may be beneficial to a family deep in poverty. The extra money earned could be supplemented for groceries or rent. This apparent positive drawn from an increase in the minimum wage does not overcome the fact that many adults become displaced out of work due to job cuts from employers. Adults, who demand more pay for their work because they feel they are more skilled, lose their jobs to teenagers who are willing to earn close to minimum wage. From a study conducted within the National Bureau of Economic Research (Do minimum wages fight poverty?), if the minimum wage were to be raised by 10%, or about fifty cents today, then the employment rate would drop by one percent (Neumark 3). Our nation is struggling mightily as it is to create jobs today, so an increase in the minimum wage would just compound this problem. Others, like Princeton Economists Alan Kreuger and David Card, profess that giving a boost to the minimum wage increases employment. They feel that more individuals will be compelled to seek employment. To counter for the extra money that the employer must pay his employees, the employer will have to layoff workers in order to maintain his profits (Convery 48).
In concert with having to layoff employees (which increase unemployment) to preserve their profits, companies would also have to increase the price of their goods. This means that the buying power of an individual’s money will decrease from year to year, because rising inflation offsets their improved wage (A Real Minimum Wage Raise...or?). If our government were to raise the minimum wage, it would have to allow for a perpetuation of the minimum wage in line with the inflation rate against the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This would guarantee the American public that the money they earn each year would no worse buy them the same amount of goods and services it did the year before.
Unfortunately for low-wage earners, the major corporations and small businesses in America would be unable to afford such increases. According to a GSCE Economics study, raising the minimum wage by forty cents in a company with 1,000 employees, would force that company to reduce its payroll to 750 workers (gsce 1). This further debilitates the opportunities to create jobs, and validates the negative aspects to which increasing the minimum wage would create.
Staying above the poverty line is challenge enough for low-wage earners in today’s society, and it is no wonder that many individuals are opposed to an increase in the minimum wage. Not only would our country experience rapid inflation, increased drop-out rates in school, and increased unemployment, but more people will be confined to welfare longer; draining our country’s economy further. According to Dr. Peter Brandon of the Institute for Research on Poverty, in states that raised their minimum wage, mothers were forced to stay on welfare 44% longer than in states where the minimum wage remained the same (Saxton). Thankfully, due to debating and research, our political and economic leaders have not raised the minimum wage in seven years.

In Class, On-line, Which One Is Better?

The draft workshop this year has had its ups and its downs. Starting the year, I felt as though we were not allotted adequate amounts of time to provide appropriate critiques. I think if we were given more time, more discussions about the papers would result. Besides this downside of the workshops in the beginning of the year, I feel as though doing them on-line has been beneficial. I have been able to read through my groups papers more thoroughly, instead of scribbling as much as I could on the draft workshop papers in class. I think if we had at the beginning of class, a chance for a follow-up session with our partner to discuss the criticisms and corrections we proposed on-line the class before, would be helpful. Also, if we were to change groups for a session once in awhile, I think it would help each of us get a different perspective on the types of writing our other classmates produce. Whether in-class or on-line, I feel as though the draft workshop process is beneficial no matter what way it is conducted as long as the individuals involved take it seriously, and put in a concerted effort to helping their classmate.

Practice makes Perfect...or at least a little bit better

In my first run of my speech with Richard, I felt as though it went poorly, but served to provide constructive criticism, and help me realize what I need to fix. At times it felt as though I was too long winded, and did not stick to my point. For example, the part when I was talking about the power model and economic theory was too in-depth and did not strengthen my argument any. The part that played well with my partner was my introduction and how the minimum wage applies to us as teenagers. Also how the problem of a low minimum wage effects adults much more than it does teenagers. To fix some of the problems with my speech, I will delete a few portions on economic theory, and stick to the most relevant facts that I can find. I will shorten up the length, and try to substantiate my counter-arguments more adeptly. To do so, I will need to use facts that show the discrepancies in what one side believes, and what the other side believes.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in my Speech

Growing up in a different part of the country, and being raised in a rural atmosphere, makes my background different than most individuals at UNC. I have a northern accent, and my body mannerisms may be different than others in the class. This makes me unique, as well as the way in which I will deliver my speech. This is true every individual in the classroom, as our personas are all different. The way in which I will interact with the audience and the context of my speech, will incorporate the three aspects of the Aristotelian method. In terms of ethos, I will have to let my tone of voice exude confidence and that I am not trying to speak over my audience. I will have to establish a common ground, by trying to establish some issues in which most of the class agrees on, in order to increase my chances of having the class believe my central idea in my speech. My personality will play a large role in how effective ethos will be portrayed in my speech. If I am able to exude confidence, and explain tax reform in comprehensible terms, then hopefully the audience will be receptive through these interactions. Moving onto pathos, which definitely relies on the interaction of the speaker, audience, and subject of the speech, I will have to capture the audience’s attention at the beginning and keep them interested in my speech through a story, and/or convincing diction. If my speech and my tone of voice come out too boring, with just statistics, and boring facts about taxes, then the emotional impact I have on my audience will be very weak. But if I can draw my audience in early, I will be able to keep their attention for my whole speech. Lastly, by choosing the most surprising and poignant facts and evidence, the logos I use in my speech will substantiate the claims that I make. By using evidence from reliable sources, my audience will be more likely to agree to my argument. If I use statistics that seem embellished, or I use overzealous diction, the way in which my persona and context interact with my audience will be ineffective. These interactions are critically important to the success of my speech. If I can establish common ground, sound convincing, relate my speech topic to everyday life, and support my claims through reliable sources, I will have a successful speech.