When I started this program, I was worried I would not be able to do an online course. This is the first online college course that I’ve ever taken. On top of this course, I have been taking five other classes and have been very involved in other activities. However, I’ve worked hard to keep up and improve my writing skills. Every day that I’m able to use a computer, I sign into Moodle. When I’m not around a computer, I work on the paper or assignments that are due for that day.
In this paper, I will review my first paper in this course compared to the writing skills I have established now. The first paper I wrote in this course was a reflection paper. The reflection paper was on the topic of American culture. The paper discusses current pop culture, family constructs and technology in America today. It feels as though I wrote that paper yesterday, but I feel my writing has greatly improved since then.
My main problem with writing is punctuation. This is emphasized by the corrections made on the first paper I wrote. The majority of the problems focused around fragments and comma...
As I finish this English course, there was one thing few things that stood out to me throughout the entire quarter, analysis. However, let me start with how I felt with the class overall. To me, this was a very engaging english class. I know in my last english class we had always worked in groups, this was no different, and I got to hear my peers perspectives and ideas that I either I agree with or didn’t and I thought that was interesting. It wasn’t just a typical class that dealt with readings and essays the entire time. Anyway, I want to start mentioning the things that stood out to me and how much it helped see what I could possibly try as I continue to pursue my college career.
At the beginning of the semester in Eng 121, I knew that there would be much to learn and many areas to improve. In high school I was not a strong writer, so taking Eng 121, in my first semester of college, was intimidating. Yet I quickly adjusted and was able to grow as a writer. My greatest accomplishment was understanding myself as a writer, because of this I quickly learned my weaknesses and strengths. After I learned my weaknesses I was able to prevent or go back and fix my mistakes, this allowed me to improve my writing immensely. Luckily, over the past few months I was able to learn the new 8th edition of MLA and identify my weaknesses, such as writing clear and concise sentences. The papers I chose to submit are ones of which I was able to prevent or correct mistakes I knew that I struggled with as a writer because of my Eng 121 class.
This trimester I began the class English 101 with mixed feelings. Depending on the topic and style, I could really enjoy writing. However, there were occasionally times where I just did not feel much inspiration, and consequently, my writing quality was not exactly remarkable. My previous course to English 101 was AP Literature, where I learned how to analyze writing and write powerful papers. Although, to my disadvantage for this class, the teacher was more concerned about content than presentation and grammar technicalities. I learned to create good ideas and responses, and while I did possess the ability to convey them with proficiency, I could not express myself at a college level. Nonetheless, I can happily report that I have acquired these skills throughout English 101, learning to curb my near addiction to prepositional phrases, in addition to halting my use of coordinating conjunctions to begin sentences. I find it pleasing to read and compare my first essay to my latest one, seeing all of the differences and enhancements. My writing has improved through the trials of in-depth analyses and short deadlines, enabling me to perform my best no matter the style or topic. Overcoming the oppositions found in the class and my own
In COL 101 I have learned many new things about college. Since this is my first semester at college I did not really know where everything was. This class really helped me to learn new things about myself, including what resources are available to me, what my plan for the future is, and the many changes I have endured during this course.
Over the course of five weeks we’ve had to write three essays (four if you include this one). With every essay I’ve written I have improved my writing process. Having the chance to practice my writing skills in English 102 has made me a better all-around writer. From the beginning of this course, I knew I had a few major issues that I needed to overcome to improve my writing. The biggest being my issues with punctuation, specifically comma splices. Comma splices are something that I just can’t seem to wrap my head around. Although I have gotten better at recognizing comma splices they still seem to sneak in to my writing.
As a second language learner I have never expected myself to be a perfect writer throughout the semester. Even If English was my first language still, I would not be a perfect writer. It is not about first or second language, it is about how well I understand the learning objectives. Then organizing and writing with my own ideas and putting them in my paper. I am going to be honest, I am not good at English subject and English subject is my strongest weakness than the other subjects. In this paper I will discuss and analyze my own writing, reflecting on the ways that my writing has improved throughout the semester.
Entering into this class, I was not quite confident of my capability to write well. From writing small essays, to research and reflection papers in high school, I was frightened by the fact of coming into a college writing class, with little experience, would not prepare me for this course. After taking this college writing course, writing 102 literature course that is, broadened my ability as a writer. It was something that I believe that I could have not grasped on my own, but I did.
Initially, my writing was plagued by a series of fundamental issues that compromised my ability to effectively organize ideas and emphasize the primary purpose of a piece of writing. These issues included extensive grammar errors, primarily comma splices, as well as excessive use of language that distorted from the message or explanation I was aiming to convey. I would have described my early writing to be as dull as dishwater. My writing was convoluted, lacking adequate structure and sophisticated word choice.
Preparation is the key to effectively writing an essay. At least that was what I have always believed. In actuality, the key to writing an effective essay is being open-minded, and a critical thinker. I always believed that I was open-minded, and accepting of new ideas, until attending English 49. This semester, I realized that it is hard for me to accept constructive criticism, new ideas, and concepts, once I am set in my beliefs. For this writing reflection, I will explain how I got over my narrow minded attitude I showed in the first two essays, and was able to go into the third essay with an open-mind.
This semester was my very first semester as a college student. Being the first, it was probably the semester I would learn the most in. I learned the expectations for writing that I will have to live up to for the next four years of my college career. Though my high school teachers were usually demanding because I was in the Honors English section throughout high school, writing in college has still ?raised the bar? for me. Also, in high school, we would have weeks to pick a topic, create a thesis, outline the paper, write the paper, and then revise the paper. In college, the time restraints are not quite as lenient. I?ve had to learn to manage my time and be more productive with what free moments I have. Strangely enough, I?ve found the college English experience to be much more rewarding and enjoyable than in high school.
During this College Composition course, I came across numerous obstacles and educational involvements. Every factor of this course contributed to my overall learning experience. For starters, we often read out of our textbooks, “The Little Seagull Handbook” and “They Say I Say”. These books helped showcase proper writing techniques. In addition, we would have class discussions that everyone would participate in. This opened my eyes to different viewpoints that could influence my writing. I recall one class we had a debate over a topic and everyone had to choose a side to argue. Then when we wrote argument essays, even though they were on a different topic, it helped me view my topic in different ways. Lastly, the most helpful to my writing was peer review. We were told to read our paper out loud to our partner. Although personally I am quiet and dislike reading out loud, I found this very helpful. Instantly, my partner and I could find grammar mistakes that one may not pick up on while reading silently. Then we could also talk about other possible revisions for my paper. For every paper, we would have conferences with the professor. This was effective as well to have a professional giving corrections and ideas. When we would get back our graded rubrics on the assignments we completed, the instructor would leave comments to
The winter before I attended my second semester of college, I had the opportunity to take part in the Atlantis project in Athens, Greece where I spent 20+ hours each week shadowing doctors for 4 weeks. My time in Athens was nothing like at home in the summer—wake-up came at 7:30 a.m., and by 2 p.m., students were asked If they’d like to stay extra time and shadow; I always agreed of course! From the fellowship, I gained clinical experience, cultural immersion and a new passion for healthcare. During my time at Ippokrateio Hospital, I rotated through shadowing Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery, General Surgery, Otolaryngology and Paediatric surgery. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every second of my time in Greece. I met passionate medical professionals
During my freshmen year of college, I was determined and motivated to manage my competitive boxing career and secondary education. Balancing both boxing and college coursework was challenging. My rigorous training involved running three to five miles a day, lifting weights to build up my strength, spending countless hours punching the heavy bags, and sparring. Since I was competing, I was training six days out of the week. I competed in amateur boxing events ranging from club shows to regional tournaments and my resolution to achieve the goal of being the best has led me to victory after victory. However, my success in boxing did not reflect success in my academic life.
In part one of my four series of reflective Journals I had discussed emotions in education and how they affect my own attitude to learning, I concluded that the process of learning should be exciting as it enables attention and connection. That is why; I believe that it is important for the teaching process to be one which involves both passion and enthusiasm.
Online learning, also known as distance learning or online learning, has become a new and successful means of receiving an education in a highly technologically enhanced environment (Regan, Evmenova, Baker, Jerome, Spencer, Lawson, & Werner, 2012). Kaymak and Horzum (2013) defined online learning as using Internet technology to gain knowledge and skills through the use of synchronous and asynchronous learning tools. Allen and Seaman (2013) stated that about 6.7 million students attending colleges and universities across the United States were successfully enrolled in at least one online course in 2011. There is an increased interest in online learning that continues to grow as a result of the amplified demands from the work place and the escalating availability of nontraditional educational options and providers (Allen & Seaman, 2008).