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Saturday, December 30, 2006

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Circumnavigating the Semester

final portfolio

ToC

- Portfolio Writer's Statement

- Project 1

- Project 2

- Project 3

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10-December-2005

I am on my little boat of college life and the end of first semester is nearing the horizon. When I take a look at my little boat I realize that it is not so little anymore, but expanded to best manage the requirements my english class has asked of me. I have become a brave sailor with the freedom to navigate using my interests and abilities, and now I am circumnavigating the semester to see where I've been and what I have done.
At the beginning of the semester I didn't think I was going to particularly enjoy this english class because of the ones I took in high school. In high school my english classes didn't allow me to express myself in ways that I enjoyed, or did it? English W131 has allowed me the freedom to take an assignment and bend it towards a certain aspect I enjoy like poetry or photography for example. Eventhough this english class is college level with some obvious differences from high school english, I think that had I developed more the attitude I have now it would have been a lot more enjoyable. When it comes to being a student I definitely appreciate the professors and classes that allow me some personal freedom and creativity, it is this observation of myself that I think my portfolio will reflect, the joy I have when I can complete an assignment, knowing that I have made it my own.
Within my final portfolio I have placed three projects, each one presenting a different aspect of life that I enjoy while also meeting the requirements of the assignment. The first project entitled "Writing as a Poet" really allowed me to focus on poetry and why I appreciate it and enjoy writing my own. Before I turned it in for my midterm portfolio, it went through a lot of revision (including that of peers, professor, and myself), revision that opened my eyes more to who I am as a writer and what I wanted to communicate to others. I did not change anything about this project for my final portfolio because I believe it clearly presents all that it needs to and also believe in a little saying that says, "When it's not necessary to change that's when it's necessary not to change." I did not want to revise it for the mere sake of revision.
My second project deals with international literacy and some interviews I performed in order to understand what expectations different countries are requiring of their students. The only aspect I wanted to change was that of the intro. It was suggested that my intro seemed to be more of a reflection, so in order to correct this I just rearranged paragraphs and "voila!" a more pleasant flow was created in order to make the assignment more effective. This project allowed me to create a second genre that took pieces from my formal report in order to make something more visual and creative. I had a lot of fun with my second genre (an artsy periodical) because I was able to take something I enjoyed and manipulate it into a piece that achieved course requirements and personal ownership. The periodical I made also allowed me to take quotes from the international students I interviewed and place them in a way that was fun and attractive to the reader and myself.
The third and final project I wanted to include serves as both a scrapbook and the device I chose to exhibit my final portfolio. Honestly I was tired of the simple paper folder and wanted to present some of my final works in something that I enjoy looking at as well as doing, something that allows me to express myself more thoroughly. Since the scrapbook serves as more of a "folder" than anything else I did not revise it, but with the additions I have made, it should suffice. The scrapbook assignment was probably my favorite out of the whole semester because I was able to organize my thoughts in several different ways like photo, music, "html", and plain text. I was able to take a topic like literacy and apply it to everyday life, which Ilove because it is the everyday things of life that demand our time and present tiny joys that we can discover.
Literacy has been the common thread throughout my quilted works thus far. It is an aspect of life that breaks barriers, connects strangers and loved ones, transcends time, and defines part of who I am as a student and a human being. Without it I could not be a poet or enjoy and appreciate music. Even photography would be a challenge because it takes someone who can communicate to engineer a camera or to explain how one works. And without the ability to read or write I would be severely limited to expressing my thoughts about photography with only the use of my voice, but then again I would not know how to speak fluently without the use of phoenetics. So you see, literacy flows through everything that we see and do, a tool that is definitely worth mastering.

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Project 1

(The first draft of "Writing as a Poet". It was this paper that went throug the most peer evaluation, which proved to be fairly helpful. )

(My second draft was a bit better and in this draft a title had been selected, which obviously was already changed once because the first one I chose didn't quite encompass all that I wanted my paper to say.)

(A letter written to me from Dr. Harrington, commenting on my drafts and suggesting parts for revision. This letter proved to be very helpful and enabled me to discover what I truly wanted my essay to say.)

(These are letters I wrote to Dr. Harrington about the revision I was planning to make and then revision I did make. I also talked about the importance of peer evaluation.)

(These are peer evaluation papers that allowed me to see what were some good and bad things about my writing so far-a good technique.)

(The final product after several revisions!)

(A paper to go along with "Writing as a Poet". A mid-term portfolio reflection that spoke in detail of the revisions I made and why, and also how I had grown as a writer so far.)

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Project 2

(These two drafts show the revison work I did including a change of title. )

(A letter from Dr. Harrington discussing some of the answers to my questions and revision suggestions. Then a letter from me to Dr. Harrington that reflects on my final work.)

Dear Dr. Harrington,

I took into consideration what you suggested concering the intro of this paper. In order to correct it I simply rearranged the paragraphs so that what was my intro is now a short summary leading into the rest of my paper. My intro became the paragraph in which I talk about what literacy means to me, etc. I think this switch definitely has made the paper an easier read and represents more organization.

Sincerely,

Eleni Elder

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Eleni Elder
11/6/05
English W131Through the Eyes of Another

When considering good writing I begin to think of it as something that really captures a reader. I also feel that good writing must be from the heart and cannot be copied. In order to explain myself further think of this example, take the famous poet, Robert Frost, and how he was able to engage so many readers because of his unique style and voice. What Frost wrote was his own and if someone were to follow his structure and attempt to mimic his voice it would not be nearly as effective because the product isn’t coming from his or her own life and experiences. Good writing is personal, original, and able to speak to others.
I must address the fact that these interviews were somewhat difficult to conduct. They were difficult because all but one of my interviews was through e-mail, thus making it more one-sided. I also need to become more organized since the people I talked to weren’t exactly close at hand. Most of my findings were interesting and helpful, but to gain more of an overall perspective I think I would probably need to interview a bigger variety of students.
I was able to interview three people, two being current students, and the other a history teacher. The two students are both girls, one from Nepal and the other Germany. The teacher is a man from Northern Ireland who did all of his schooling there and then came to the United States to begin his career.
The young women I interviewed seemed to echo one another, saying that good writing, to them, are when they are able to relate with the story and what the author is saying. The student from Nepal shared with me a favorite book of hers and why it was a favorite, the reason being the fact that she had gone through a similar experience like the main character of the book. The student from Germany mentioned that she enjoyed reading things that transported her to another world and that she could really connect with the story if she understood what the author or the main characters were saying. The teacher from Ireland though, had a different view on what good writing entails. He believes that in order to achieve good writing, a heavy emphasis must be placed on the building blocks, which are grammar, spelling, etc., and that these building blocks, so to speak, are absolutes when it comes to literacy. Good writing can then be produced when the building blocks are mastered and taken further for example, what is expected of us in college. We are supposed to take an assignment and make it our own just like what good writing requires us to do.
In Germany the values of writing seems to reflect what schools in the United States emphasize like, reading comprehension, being able to analyze writing, and then reflecting on it using your own thoughts and opinions. Students in German schools though, are required to take very high-level exams that the students begin preparing for while in grade school. This student expressed to me how much more is required of them there than in the United States, and while she was studying here she found the workload to be a lot less difficult. In Germany they also use the term “Orthography”, which means making as little mistakes as possible. This term is expected to done well to become a successful student. The term “Orthography” was new to me, so I thought it interesting and wondered if we use this term in the U.S. or possibly use a different word that means the same thing. This was also expressed by the history teacher who experienced basically the same things like difficult exams and such, but did make it clear to me that the expectations of the schools he studied at were extremely high and even more so when compared to the schools in the United States. They were also taught Latin in high school and were required to read both classic and contemporary literature. Something I thought interesting about schools in Northern Ireland is that they are required to begin specializing in grade school, so that when they enroll at a university they can begin taking classes specifically for their major. This teacher expressed his feelings on this subject, saying that he wasn’t sure whether or not it was a good idea to specialize at such a young age because rarely is one sure of what he or she wants to do, but also said that a definite benefit of this practice is the fact that university students are very knowledgeable and well prepared in their areas of study.
“In Nepal students begin to learn the English alphabet when they are two and a half years old, they start learning to spell, read, and write soon after that. They learn by repetition and memorization, so they may not fully understand what they are learning, they just KNOW it. The teachers expect them to be able to write in complete sentences along with correct punctuation by the time they are five or six because much of their higher education (junior high and high school) is done in English so they have to know it before then.” The expectations seen here seem to be pretty high, but I was not informed of whether or not students take high-level exams to proceed to a university. One drawback noted in relation to education are the English books used that often tell storied related to Western cultures. This is seen as somewhat of a negative characteristic because some children are not able to relate to thinks like snow, Soccer, beaches, tractors, etc., although it was mentioned that television and movies are beginning to change this cultural barrier. It was really interesting to hear about this though because we have discussed things like cultural barriers in our F200 class. Dr. Jadora Sailes directed us in a discussion about whether teachers should manipulate their assignments, worksheet, tests, etc., so that students from different cultures and backgrounds can understand the material being presented. I was excited to be able to make a connection with what the student from Nepal said and what we have discussed here at IUPUI.
“Is good writing and education seen the same way across the world?” is a question I kept in mind while conducting the interviews and mulling over all the information that was given. Even though it seems as if a lot of the same values are common I would have to say that from my findings, literacy and education are definitely not seen the same way universally because of the different levels of expectations that are held. The expectations in European schools are obviously higher than here in the U.S., which I feel is very disappointing. I think that as a whole our country takes education and literacy for granted because we do not have to work as hard, and for the most part everyone wants to come to the U.S. in order to get a good job. Foreigners know they have to work hard in order to do well here, it is something that is instilled in them from a young age, but here in the states we are taught that this is the place to be and how good we have it, which I think creates laziness. The teacher from Ireland spoke to me very passionately about how poorly a lot of his students read and write and is frustrated because where he is from that would never be thought of or allowed.
Overall I feel like the interviews were great things because they opened my eyes to the amount of work international students are used to doing and how they feel about education and literacy. I am definitely encouraged and impressed with the high levels of expectations required and hope, that as time goes by, students in the U.S. will not continue to take for granted all that our country allows us to do and study, that education and literacy might become something that requires more of us as students and a nation as a whole.
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(The final product of "Through the Eyes of Another". )

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(The second genre of Project 2, the top two pictures are of quotes I took from what the international students said and then these last two are the cover of the periodical.)

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Project 3

This project is the very site you are on right now. The music you hear and the pictures you see are all part of my scrapbook and my hope is that you enjoy reading, looking, and listening all at the same time.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

MOI

* I think the calls to write that have been answered are as follows: Advertising, self-expression through music and art, rules and directions, community, and controversial (topics that challenge others, etc.).

* I enjoy literacy in many forms. What I value most is poetry, music, and nature-- seeing literacy through these forms makes them that much more enjoyable. Without literacy poetry would basically be non-existant, the same goes for music. We don't necessarily need words to communicate through nature, but with them makes it much for powerful and inspiring. Nature inspires me to write, and others as well like Frost for example. I enjoy reflecting on all that God has created for us to enjoy and take care of, and marvel at how detailed and perfect it is. I believe that God has given us all the gift of literacy, and am thankful that He has blessed me with the desire to express myself through words and writing.

* I want teachers and students to learn that literacy is all around them, in everyday things and then those that are more abstract. We cannot escape literacy, and I would be concerned with those who might want to do just that. I love how literacy can transcend time, how it has been used for many, many years, and allows us to communicate on all kinds of different levels. I want to challenge teachers and students to discover for themselves what they like most and enjoy experiencing through literacy, and that they wouldn't see it as something that doesn't involve them. Literacy is one of the best tools for communication that we have, and it would be wise of us to learn how to manipulate and develop the different forms that express it in order to become more, well-rounded human beings.

M-2

"...Speak to me in a language I can

hear..."

- The Smashing Pumpkins

Communication. We all want it, whether it's between our parents, friends, spouse, etc. , it is something that connects us with those in our lives. In order to communicate well we must take the time to get to know people so that we understand them and speak to them in ways that they can understand. Listen to what others have to say, become interested in their interests, try to become familiar with the different ways we express our love and want to be loved.

Literacy is a great tool when it comes to communication and is used throughout the world, transcending time.

Music: The great communicator

"There are barn doors and there are revolving doors doors in the rudders of big ships and there are revolving doors there are doors that open by themselves there are sliding doors and there are secret doors there are doors that lock and doors that don't there are doors that let you in and out but never open and there are trap doors that you can't come back from."

--Radiohead

Music will probably remain my favorite when it comes to literacy. You can say so much through it, and allows for mystery; can be abstract. It has contributing factors like lyrics and voice. Music is poetry.

Radiohead, in my humble opinion, is one of the best bands of our generation. They have never sold out and to this day, remain true to themselves, playing and writing what they feel is important. I relate to them because as a poet it is important to me that I write what I know and am not influenced by others in a way that would alter what I enjoy doing. When I write, I value others' thoughts and suggestions, but still write from the soul.

Community

In my community words are used to

label and encourage, among other

things. Depending on what is

expressed through literacy, our

surroundings can be altered, making

us feel welcome, intimidated, threatened, safe, etc.

Direction

Everyday we are faced with directions telling us what to do, what not to do, where to go, etc. These directions can be conveyed in many different forms.

Controversial

Democracy Walls. These were something new to me as my freshman year had begun here at IUPUI. I think they are a good idea, but would also have to say that they are annoying. Annoying because of the constant political banter that goes on. I'm not sure how often the boards are erased and what not, but would rather see quotes from students' favorite books, movies, etc. or poems, thoughts...things like that. I grow wary of all the "Bush bashing" (Republicans v. Democrats) that goes on and wish we could use the boards to express more creativity through our thoughts on all kinds of different subjects, instead of responding to guided questions. I like the fact that the questions challenge students to think and respond, this is a good thing, but am definitely more of a fan when it comes to random literacy instead of the prompts.

November 2005 December 2005 December 2006