Corey Palmer, D#5, HW# 3 -9
Marissa Rodas, D#5 HW#6 Decide What Primary Data to Collect
How did the reading and work this week help you achieve the course competencies?
I learned how to collect some data based on my reading for the week. I got some valuable feedback from a couple of my classmates. I believe I am on track – still – to exceed the course competencies.
How did the work this week help you achieve your personal course goals?
My personal goal is to get a good grade in this class and to learn how to be a better writer. So far I believe I am achieving my personal goals. I think the textbook is gonna be a long term reference manual for me.
How did the work this week help you to better understand research and writing processes?
With the reading I have decided to use observation and interviews to enhance my research question viewpoints. I have chosen not to use surveys as I mentioned before.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
D#5, HW#6 - Decide what data to Collect (p. 108)
Is there a person, place, activity or ritual that you might watch, hear or experience in order to answer your research question?
Yes, there are several people (friends, co-workers and peers) who I can watch to see if they suffer through any of the stigmas of community college life. Plus, my friends who go to ASU will provide me further insight. One of classmates in here made an excellent suggestion – to find someone who has experience with both the community college and big campus lifestyle. All the activities and rituals of each campus lie can be explored.
Would observing your subject over time provide data that would help you answer your research question?
Yep. By watching over time I can see how the stigmas associated with community college are proven false. (These are closed-ended questions!)
Could you participate in an event, ritual or environment that would give you a unique insight into the subject you are studying?
Nah. At least I can’t think of anything. Perhaps by attending an ASU football vs. an MCC football game I can observe the event and environmental differences.
Would talking to experts in a particular field help you answer your research question?
I could speak with Advisors at each school to gain a different point-of-view – albeit bias point-of-views.
Would speaking with participants in or members of a specific community help you to answer your research question?
I am not too sure what is meant with this question. I can’t think of any “community” that would not have pre-conceived notions about attending a community college.
What could you learn from speaking with someone that you can’t learn from reading already published information or from conducting and observation?
Advisors at each school (MCC and ASU) is all I can think of at this point.
What can you learn from a survey that you can’t learn from an interview or observation?
Not too much. My dad works for a pharmaceutical marketing research firm. He is the VP over data analysis resulting from surveys. He has told me over and over that you can ask the same survey question ten different ways and come up with one thousand different results. I’m not a big believer in surveys.
How many people would you need to poll in order to answer your research question?
See above.
Do you have the time to design a successful survey, distribute it, collect responses, and analyze the data?
No. (And that’s what you get for asking a closed-end question.)
Yes, there are several people (friends, co-workers and peers) who I can watch to see if they suffer through any of the stigmas of community college life. Plus, my friends who go to ASU will provide me further insight. One of classmates in here made an excellent suggestion – to find someone who has experience with both the community college and big campus lifestyle. All the activities and rituals of each campus lie can be explored.
Would observing your subject over time provide data that would help you answer your research question?
Yep. By watching over time I can see how the stigmas associated with community college are proven false. (These are closed-ended questions!)
Could you participate in an event, ritual or environment that would give you a unique insight into the subject you are studying?
Nah. At least I can’t think of anything. Perhaps by attending an ASU football vs. an MCC football game I can observe the event and environmental differences.
Would talking to experts in a particular field help you answer your research question?
I could speak with Advisors at each school to gain a different point-of-view – albeit bias point-of-views.
Would speaking with participants in or members of a specific community help you to answer your research question?
I am not too sure what is meant with this question. I can’t think of any “community” that would not have pre-conceived notions about attending a community college.
What could you learn from speaking with someone that you can’t learn from reading already published information or from conducting and observation?
Advisors at each school (MCC and ASU) is all I can think of at this point.
What can you learn from a survey that you can’t learn from an interview or observation?
Not too much. My dad works for a pharmaceutical marketing research firm. He is the VP over data analysis resulting from surveys. He has told me over and over that you can ask the same survey question ten different ways and come up with one thousand different results. I’m not a big believer in surveys.
How many people would you need to poll in order to answer your research question?
See above.
Do you have the time to design a successful survey, distribute it, collect responses, and analyze the data?
No. (And that’s what you get for asking a closed-end question.)
D#5, HW#5 - Peer Reivew Relection
http://summer-english102blog.blogspot.com/2009/09/d4-hw9-wp1-draft.html
http://missrodas.blogspot.com/2009/09/d4-hw9-wp1.html
What did you learn from reading and replying to your classmates' drafts?
I learned that I am on the correct path with my draft. If my classmates are an indication of the direction we should be following then my draft is meeting the challenge. … Just re-read a couple of drafts, it seems now that I may be a bit chatty in my draft.
After reviewing their drafts, what do you realize you need to revise in your own draft?
It seems like I stray from my research topic at times. It’s funny because when you are “in-the-moment” writing the paper it seemed that the sentences and paragraphs flowed. Now that I read my classmates papers, it seems that my paper is disjointed.
Now read the reviews conducted on your draft (please list the names of your classmate's who reviewed your draft).
Did any comments surprise you? Why or why not?
NOT DONE YET
Finally, look at the originality report generated by Turnitin.com. Does Turnitin.com identify sections of your paper you may want to revise? Why or why not? (For help interpreting your originality report, watch the "Viewing a Report" video at Turnitin.com.
Hmmmm…? Turnitin.com had absolutely no comments about my paper as the originality report Similarity Report registered a big fat zero percent. Is that a good thing?
Based on these reflections, what do you need to revise before submitting a final version of your paper?
I need to improve the flow of my research paper. I will make changes too allow for better transitions between paragraphs. I will make some changes to allow for better paragraph unity. And I need to work on my paragraph length consistency. Expect to see these changes in my final draft.
http://missrodas.blogspot.com/2009/09/d4-hw9-wp1.html
What did you learn from reading and replying to your classmates' drafts?
I learned that I am on the correct path with my draft. If my classmates are an indication of the direction we should be following then my draft is meeting the challenge. … Just re-read a couple of drafts, it seems now that I may be a bit chatty in my draft.
After reviewing their drafts, what do you realize you need to revise in your own draft?
It seems like I stray from my research topic at times. It’s funny because when you are “in-the-moment” writing the paper it seemed that the sentences and paragraphs flowed. Now that I read my classmates papers, it seems that my paper is disjointed.
Now read the reviews conducted on your draft (please list the names of your classmate's who reviewed your draft).
Did any comments surprise you? Why or why not?
NOT DONE YET
Finally, look at the originality report generated by Turnitin.com. Does Turnitin.com identify sections of your paper you may want to revise? Why or why not? (For help interpreting your originality report, watch the "Viewing a Report" video at Turnitin.com.
Hmmmm…? Turnitin.com had absolutely no comments about my paper as the originality report Similarity Report registered a big fat zero percent. Is that a good thing?
Based on these reflections, what do you need to revise before submitting a final version of your paper?
I need to improve the flow of my research paper. I will make changes too allow for better transitions between paragraphs. I will make some changes to allow for better paragraph unity. And I need to work on my paragraph length consistency. Expect to see these changes in my final draft.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
D#5, HW#3 - Paragraph Analysis
Paragraph analysis of my draft of WP#1
My WP#1 draft contains nine paragraphs. The point of paragraph one was to introduction my audience to me - the author. My first paragraphs function is to introduce my research topic on community college stigmas with some background information. It relates to the next paragraph because I used a transition - “fast forward” - to pick up the second paragraph temporal relationship way. The point of my second paragraph was show where I am at today with my community college experience. This is the paragraph where I begin to demonstrate to my audience where I stand on community college stigmas. I presented examples of stigmas as told to me by family and friends and denounce them based on my current experiences. I didn’t do a good job in transitioning to my third paragraph. This paragraph introduces why this is a controversial topic. I put this paragraph here to keep my audience interested in the topic. I then went on to paragraph five where I wrote about why the topic was important to me. I did make an effort to transition into paragraph six where I discuss my audience (my fellow MCC classmates) and why this topic may be important to them as well. In paragraph six I discussed the personal nature of this topic of community college stigmas. This paragraph shows my passion for the research topic. I give an example of the type people I met at ASU initially. This is a personal story to lend credence to my passion for the topic. I transitioned from paragraph six to paragraph seven by saying “in addition to initial impressions….” This transition leads the readers to another topic of why I chose community college over a four-year mega campus. Unfortunately, there was no transition into paragraph eight. The point of paragraph was to search with my readers some of the sub-topics I expect to include in my final research paper. Paragraph eight was a semi-conclusive paragraph. My final paragraph did begin with the transition word “finally” to show a logical relationship. The final paragraph, on hindsight, should have summarized the entire draft but (sadly) it did not. I’ll have to re-do my closing paragraph. Another thing I’ll have to re-do is my paragraph length consistency. I have very little balance in some of the paragraphs. Finally, I think I did a good job with my Unity, Coherence, Logical and Verbal bridges. My classmates will tell me for sure if I did or not.
My WP#1 draft contains nine paragraphs. The point of paragraph one was to introduction my audience to me - the author. My first paragraphs function is to introduce my research topic on community college stigmas with some background information. It relates to the next paragraph because I used a transition - “fast forward” - to pick up the second paragraph temporal relationship way. The point of my second paragraph was show where I am at today with my community college experience. This is the paragraph where I begin to demonstrate to my audience where I stand on community college stigmas. I presented examples of stigmas as told to me by family and friends and denounce them based on my current experiences. I didn’t do a good job in transitioning to my third paragraph. This paragraph introduces why this is a controversial topic. I put this paragraph here to keep my audience interested in the topic. I then went on to paragraph five where I wrote about why the topic was important to me. I did make an effort to transition into paragraph six where I discuss my audience (my fellow MCC classmates) and why this topic may be important to them as well. In paragraph six I discussed the personal nature of this topic of community college stigmas. This paragraph shows my passion for the research topic. I give an example of the type people I met at ASU initially. This is a personal story to lend credence to my passion for the topic. I transitioned from paragraph six to paragraph seven by saying “in addition to initial impressions….” This transition leads the readers to another topic of why I chose community college over a four-year mega campus. Unfortunately, there was no transition into paragraph eight. The point of paragraph was to search with my readers some of the sub-topics I expect to include in my final research paper. Paragraph eight was a semi-conclusive paragraph. My final paragraph did begin with the transition word “finally” to show a logical relationship. The final paragraph, on hindsight, should have summarized the entire draft but (sadly) it did not. I’ll have to re-do my closing paragraph. Another thing I’ll have to re-do is my paragraph length consistency. I have very little balance in some of the paragraphs. Finally, I think I did a good job with my Unity, Coherence, Logical and Verbal bridges. My classmates will tell me for sure if I did or not.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
D#4, HW#9 - WP#1 Draft
Andres Cox – ENG102 –Section 24271 – Writing Project #1 (Draft)
Debunking the stigmas of attending a Community College
I had a wonderful time in high school with my many friends. I will always have good memories of the things my friends and I did together. The “clique” I hung with was called the “Jocks”. I played club baseball year-round. I was a starter for the school’s baseball team for each of my four years. During my senior year we had a good team that went to the state division 5A-II championship baseball game. We lost to Marcos de Niza of Tempe in that game. We were a close knit group of guys. When we individually decided on which college to attend the decision was a ‘no-brainer’ for most of us. From early on we all knew that we wanted to go to a Division I school – preferably Arizona State University. But as I focused on what I really wanted to do after my high school academic and athletic career, I decided that I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. The reality of attending college was upon me. Due to several reasons that I’ll talk about later, I decided that I did not want to attend ASU all four years. I choose Mesa Community College as the school I wanted to attend after high school. This decision with met with a lot of jokes from my friends and family. The jokes and ridicules of my decision were at first good natured. But once everyone close to me realized that I was serious about attending a community college the jokes became aimed at me making a “dumb decision”. I was stunned. I didn’t know how to respond to my friends and family members. It was at this point that I realized that there were stigmas associated with attending a community college.
Now let’s fast forward to the present. I have two full semesters at Mesa Community College behind me and through my experiences; I now believe the stigmas are not warranted. In this paper I will focus on identifying the most prevalent stigmas associated with attending a community college and show why my decision to begin my college academic career at Mesa Community College has been as successful - if not more successful - than I had I chose to attend Arizona State University from day one. The things that I was told that were going to happen to me have not happened. I would be bored. I will not get the quality of education I would get at ASU. I would be in class with losers and high school dropouts. The campus is not up-to-date. These were some of the false stigmas presented to me by family and friends.
This is a controversial topic because the perception of choosing a community college over a four-year school has been seen as “settling for less’ by many of my peers and family. The controversy is rooted in the belief that one cannot get a good, quality education if they first attend a community college before going on to finish their degree at a four-year school. I contend that attending my community college has provided me every advantage a four-year school can provide. I do understand that the choice I made is best for me and, as I mentioned earlier, I will give my reasons for choosing MCC over ASU.
I am proposing this research topic because it is important to me to convey my thoughts and experiences with the community college life. I was made to feel that I was “taking the easy road” to get my degree by not only my friends but my parents as well. There was a level of peer pressure to attend ASU. And pressures put on me were for all the wrong reasons including partying, drinking and “hanging out”. I was made to feel that my academics would be sub-par compared to ASU. I can now refute this based on the workload I have had at Mesa Community College versus what I observe from my ASU friends.
I also feel that my audience, my fellow classmates, will gain some insight on why I feel that the community college experience can be just as enriching as the four-year school campus lifestyle. And although there may be stigmas that I may not address in my research, my audience will benefit from what I write about in this essay. And, although this may not be an important topic for everyone; it can be reassuring to read a paper that defends the personal decision of one person who chose the “simple life” of a community college over the “hustle and bustle” of a major university. Either way, I know that my classmates (audience) will be able to defend their decision to attend a community college after reading my research paper – if the opportunity to do so presents itself.
Why is the topic of community college bias so personal to me? It starts with my decision to attend Mesa Community College. I made this decision because after tutoring ASU one spring, I found the campus to be big and sprawling. I found myself lost in the ocean of students hustling from classroom to classroom. I found the administrative staff cold and uncaring. I remember once I asked a person behind the student services desk to point me to a specific building. She just blew me off and pointed in a general direction. “Over there, around that corner!” she practically yelled. As if I was intruding on HER time. Wow, I thought, welcome to ASU. A few weeks later I visited MCC for the first time. The campus was much smaller and I found the people on campus very friendly. I was able to easily get in and speak with an Advisor. She was extremely nice and gave me all the information I needed to get started. Unlike at ASU where they wanted to push me to the Internet to every last piece of information I needed for admission. MCC, on the other hand, guided me through the process so that I would not make any mistakes. It is as if I made a connection with the staff at MCC. Now, admittedly, I have visited the ASU campus several times since the incident I’ve talked about and I have found the people there for the most part very friendly. But when you are making a decision on which college to attend initial impressions are everything.
In addition to initial impressions, I was equally impressed with the fees of Mesa Community College. I really was happy with the amount of money I would have to give up to attend Mesa versus the endless fees for ASU. I do not want to be one of those people who have a ton of college loan debt. I work part time to pay for my books and my housing. My parents are helping me pay for tuition at Mesa. At Mesa, I found that I would pay for Tuition, Books, some administrative, math and science lab fees. And that is it. Wile at ASU in addition to what I already listed, there were parking fees, dorm fees (if I chose to live on campus) and other “nickel-and-dime” fees. I thought the fees charged at ASU were too much in compared to Mesa Community College.
When I complete my final research report I will have identified most of the prevalent stigmas of attending a community college given my experiences from family and friends. As I do my research I will use the internet and the Mesa Community College Library to find resources that will further explain these stigmas. I plan on discussing why these stigmas exist as well. I will expose the pre-conceived ideas of the lifestyle, the quality of education and the image of the community college attendee. I will ensure that I stay within the boundaries of my initial research question. I have a tendency to drift away from discussing and defending my main point at times in my writing. I will also make sure that I show an opposing point-of-view as well. I mentioned that the decision to attend a community college was good for me. Both my parents are four-year college graduates and neither attended a community college. I will share their point-of-view on why they thought attending a community college would be bad for me. In addition, I have a couple of old high school friends that started out at ASU only to drop out. They are not attending Scottsdale Community College. I’d like to share those experiences as well. The one disadvantage that I have as an author on this topic is that I have not attended a big campus college. I can make for this deficiency but sharing the experiences of my friends who have attended both types of colleges. I will make my final report a well-round expose that includes a wealth of information and view points for a lot of different angles.
Finally, I may not be able to convince everyone that attending a community college is not as bad as some people make it out to be. That is not really my goal in selecting this research topic. My goals are two-fold: 1) allow me a forum to defend my decision to attend a community college before I transfer to a four-year school and 2) provide a resource for anyone else reading my research paper who may have had remarks directed at them because of their choice to attend a community over a four-year school.
Debunking the stigmas of attending a Community College
I had a wonderful time in high school with my many friends. I will always have good memories of the things my friends and I did together. The “clique” I hung with was called the “Jocks”. I played club baseball year-round. I was a starter for the school’s baseball team for each of my four years. During my senior year we had a good team that went to the state division 5A-II championship baseball game. We lost to Marcos de Niza of Tempe in that game. We were a close knit group of guys. When we individually decided on which college to attend the decision was a ‘no-brainer’ for most of us. From early on we all knew that we wanted to go to a Division I school – preferably Arizona State University. But as I focused on what I really wanted to do after my high school academic and athletic career, I decided that I wanted to become a Physical Therapist. The reality of attending college was upon me. Due to several reasons that I’ll talk about later, I decided that I did not want to attend ASU all four years. I choose Mesa Community College as the school I wanted to attend after high school. This decision with met with a lot of jokes from my friends and family. The jokes and ridicules of my decision were at first good natured. But once everyone close to me realized that I was serious about attending a community college the jokes became aimed at me making a “dumb decision”. I was stunned. I didn’t know how to respond to my friends and family members. It was at this point that I realized that there were stigmas associated with attending a community college.
Now let’s fast forward to the present. I have two full semesters at Mesa Community College behind me and through my experiences; I now believe the stigmas are not warranted. In this paper I will focus on identifying the most prevalent stigmas associated with attending a community college and show why my decision to begin my college academic career at Mesa Community College has been as successful - if not more successful - than I had I chose to attend Arizona State University from day one. The things that I was told that were going to happen to me have not happened. I would be bored. I will not get the quality of education I would get at ASU. I would be in class with losers and high school dropouts. The campus is not up-to-date. These were some of the false stigmas presented to me by family and friends.
This is a controversial topic because the perception of choosing a community college over a four-year school has been seen as “settling for less’ by many of my peers and family. The controversy is rooted in the belief that one cannot get a good, quality education if they first attend a community college before going on to finish their degree at a four-year school. I contend that attending my community college has provided me every advantage a four-year school can provide. I do understand that the choice I made is best for me and, as I mentioned earlier, I will give my reasons for choosing MCC over ASU.
I am proposing this research topic because it is important to me to convey my thoughts and experiences with the community college life. I was made to feel that I was “taking the easy road” to get my degree by not only my friends but my parents as well. There was a level of peer pressure to attend ASU. And pressures put on me were for all the wrong reasons including partying, drinking and “hanging out”. I was made to feel that my academics would be sub-par compared to ASU. I can now refute this based on the workload I have had at Mesa Community College versus what I observe from my ASU friends.
I also feel that my audience, my fellow classmates, will gain some insight on why I feel that the community college experience can be just as enriching as the four-year school campus lifestyle. And although there may be stigmas that I may not address in my research, my audience will benefit from what I write about in this essay. And, although this may not be an important topic for everyone; it can be reassuring to read a paper that defends the personal decision of one person who chose the “simple life” of a community college over the “hustle and bustle” of a major university. Either way, I know that my classmates (audience) will be able to defend their decision to attend a community college after reading my research paper – if the opportunity to do so presents itself.
Why is the topic of community college bias so personal to me? It starts with my decision to attend Mesa Community College. I made this decision because after tutoring ASU one spring, I found the campus to be big and sprawling. I found myself lost in the ocean of students hustling from classroom to classroom. I found the administrative staff cold and uncaring. I remember once I asked a person behind the student services desk to point me to a specific building. She just blew me off and pointed in a general direction. “Over there, around that corner!” she practically yelled. As if I was intruding on HER time. Wow, I thought, welcome to ASU. A few weeks later I visited MCC for the first time. The campus was much smaller and I found the people on campus very friendly. I was able to easily get in and speak with an Advisor. She was extremely nice and gave me all the information I needed to get started. Unlike at ASU where they wanted to push me to the Internet to every last piece of information I needed for admission. MCC, on the other hand, guided me through the process so that I would not make any mistakes. It is as if I made a connection with the staff at MCC. Now, admittedly, I have visited the ASU campus several times since the incident I’ve talked about and I have found the people there for the most part very friendly. But when you are making a decision on which college to attend initial impressions are everything.
In addition to initial impressions, I was equally impressed with the fees of Mesa Community College. I really was happy with the amount of money I would have to give up to attend Mesa versus the endless fees for ASU. I do not want to be one of those people who have a ton of college loan debt. I work part time to pay for my books and my housing. My parents are helping me pay for tuition at Mesa. At Mesa, I found that I would pay for Tuition, Books, some administrative, math and science lab fees. And that is it. Wile at ASU in addition to what I already listed, there were parking fees, dorm fees (if I chose to live on campus) and other “nickel-and-dime” fees. I thought the fees charged at ASU were too much in compared to Mesa Community College.
When I complete my final research report I will have identified most of the prevalent stigmas of attending a community college given my experiences from family and friends. As I do my research I will use the internet and the Mesa Community College Library to find resources that will further explain these stigmas. I plan on discussing why these stigmas exist as well. I will expose the pre-conceived ideas of the lifestyle, the quality of education and the image of the community college attendee. I will ensure that I stay within the boundaries of my initial research question. I have a tendency to drift away from discussing and defending my main point at times in my writing. I will also make sure that I show an opposing point-of-view as well. I mentioned that the decision to attend a community college was good for me. Both my parents are four-year college graduates and neither attended a community college. I will share their point-of-view on why they thought attending a community college would be bad for me. In addition, I have a couple of old high school friends that started out at ASU only to drop out. They are not attending Scottsdale Community College. I’d like to share those experiences as well. The one disadvantage that I have as an author on this topic is that I have not attended a big campus college. I can make for this deficiency but sharing the experiences of my friends who have attended both types of colleges. I will make my final report a well-round expose that includes a wealth of information and view points for a lot of different angles.
Finally, I may not be able to convince everyone that attending a community college is not as bad as some people make it out to be. That is not really my goal in selecting this research topic. My goals are two-fold: 1) allow me a forum to defend my decision to attend a community college before I transfer to a four-year school and 2) provide a resource for anyone else reading my research paper who may have had remarks directed at them because of their choice to attend a community over a four-year school.
D#4, HW#12 - Reflect on your learning
Post THREE different postings on D#4 HW#4
1 Summer Bretz, D#4, HW#4
2 Marissa Rodas, D#4, HW#4
3 April Boyd, D#4, HW 3 – 8
Post THREE different postings on any other homework post
1 Summer Bretz, D#4, HW#5
2 Corey Palmer, D#4, HW#1-8
3 Marissa Rodas, D#4, HW#8
Personal thanks to you guys for getting your homework done early this week. I really appreciate this!
Relect:
How did the reading and work this week help you achieve the course competencies?
How did the work this week help you achieve your personal course goals?
How did the work this week help you to better understand research and writing processes?
This week, through my reading, I was able to see how to manage my topic, focus my research topic, write my research question and figure out my place in the rhetorical situation. Each of these topics kept me focused on the course competencies. I am now better able to understand the research and writing processes with all these “reflections” we are doing. I like I said before, we are on a journey through learning how to do research writing. This week’s course work reinforces that big picture.
1 Summer Bretz, D#4, HW#4
2 Marissa Rodas, D#4, HW#4
3 April Boyd, D#4, HW 3 – 8
Post THREE different postings on any other homework post
1 Summer Bretz, D#4, HW#5
2 Corey Palmer, D#4, HW#1-8
3 Marissa Rodas, D#4, HW#8
Personal thanks to you guys for getting your homework done early this week. I really appreciate this!
Relect:
How did the reading and work this week help you achieve the course competencies?
How did the work this week help you achieve your personal course goals?
How did the work this week help you to better understand research and writing processes?
This week, through my reading, I was able to see how to manage my topic, focus my research topic, write my research question and figure out my place in the rhetorical situation. Each of these topics kept me focused on the course competencies. I am now better able to understand the research and writing processes with all these “reflections” we are doing. I like I said before, we are on a journey through learning how to do research writing. This week’s course work reinforces that big picture.
Friday, September 18, 2009
D#4, HW#11 - 2 annotated bibliography entries
O'Brien, George Dennis (1998). All the Essential Half-Truths about Higher Education. University of Chicago Press. Retrieved September 18 2009, from http://site.ebrary.com.ezp.mc.maricopa.edu/lib/mesa/home.action.
This book discusses some of the issues (half-truths) with higher education. I liked some of the information contained within it as the author confirmed some of my thoughts about value education. I could not find out how authoritative the book may be but it is loaded with reference materials from several reputable sources.
Ernest Calderon. (2009, September 1). “College must remain affordable amid cuts.” Arizona Republic. Retrieved on September 18 2009 from ProQuest Dtatabase.
I found this very recent article that discusses the need to keep college affordable at the three major state universities. Within the article is discussion on a 2+2 system where community college education is blended in with four-year schools. This is a relevant topic for me as it implies that more students can get a good education before transferring to a state four-year school. The author is the president of the Arizona Board of Regents.
This book discusses some of the issues (half-truths) with higher education. I liked some of the information contained within it as the author confirmed some of my thoughts about value education. I could not find out how authoritative the book may be but it is loaded with reference materials from several reputable sources.
Ernest Calderon. (2009, September 1). “College must remain affordable amid cuts.” Arizona Republic. Retrieved on September 18 2009 from ProQuest Dtatabase.
I found this very recent article that discusses the need to keep college affordable at the three major state universities. Within the article is discussion on a 2+2 system where community college education is blended in with four-year schools. This is a relevant topic for me as it implies that more students can get a good education before transferring to a state four-year school. The author is the president of the Arizona Board of Regents.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
D#4, HW#8 - Reflect: Take an inventory of what you know (page 47)
What are the stigmas of attending a community college is the central issue of my research question. The main controversy being the thought that attending a community college is not as good as going to a four-year school from day one. People disagree that going to a community college provides any advantage over attending a four-year school from the start. I believe that I can argue that attending a community college initially can provide me with many advantages that a four-school can’t. I base this on my own experiences here at MCC and those experiences of my old high school friends who attend ASU. I think a lot of the opinions are based on rumor and lies. I think those who have biases against community colleges hear stuff from others or many movies and television where community colleges are often depicted as being for losers. Typically, I have found that people discuss this in group environment like parties I go to where I have to defend myself as to why I am going to MCC instead of ASU. I am not really to sure what perspective I need to learn more about at this point.
D#4, HW#7 - Reflect: what is the writer's place in the rhetorical situation? (p.46)
My interest in this topic was sparked by the little comments my friends had (have) of my decision to attend a community college before transferring to ASU. I know that I have made the correct decision based on the amount and quality of academic work I have taken these past two semesters. I feel that I can answer my research question with my own personal experience as well as with information from other resources. I value this issue because I don’t want to be seen as a person taking the “easy way” to my degree. My perspective is simple – MCC provides me just a much quality of academics as I would get from ASU at this point. I think my values and perspectives will help me justify the silliness in having any stigmas toward attending a community college. My specific issue is with my friends with who I attended high school. They think that community colleges are for “losers”.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
D#4, HW#6 - Write a research question (p. 45)
After some brainstorming and following the five steps on page 45 of our textbook, I have settled on the following as my research question:
What are the stigmas associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University?
What are the stigmas associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University?
D#4, HW#5 - Write:focus your research topic (p. 44)
My research topic is focused on the stigma associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University.
Subtopics
Subtopics
- The campus facilities
- The out-of-class activities
- Athletics
- Nation-wide recognition v. local recognition
- Big campus v. high school-like campus
- Academic standards
- The Professors
- Alumni
D#4, HW#4 - Reflect: How can I make my topic manageable? (P.43)
I feel that my topic is appropriate. I have found a lot of information that will allow me to fulfill the requirements of the assignment going forward. I am motivated to write on this topic because the topic is personal to me and I will be able to satisfy my need to explore the topic.
I am very interested in the topic because I have made a commitment to get my lower division credits at a community college before transferring to the state’s biggest University. I had the chance to go to ASU as a Freshman but chose the path I am on now for various reasons which I may document in my paper. Finally, I think my writing task is doable as I will debate specific subjects within the topic and try not to stray out further than I need to.
I am very interested in the topic because I have made a commitment to get my lower division credits at a community college before transferring to the state’s biggest University. I had the chance to go to ASU as a Freshman but chose the path I am on now for various reasons which I may document in my paper. Finally, I think my writing task is doable as I will debate specific subjects within the topic and try not to stray out further than I need to.
D#4, HW#3 - Techno_Tip (p.14)
What are people talking about in this blog?
This blog was about the recent case of a New York City supermodel who sued Google to find the identity of the person behind some hateful blogs towards her. A New York Court ruled that the NYC supermodel had the right to find out who was behind the blog. So Google gave up the identity of the blogger. The blog asked if this was a major development in online blogging.
How do different blogs relate to one another? How are they similar? How are they different?
The blog I found on www.blogcatalog.com listed under the ‘Personal’ category with the tag ‘Totally Useless’. Most of the blogs are random thoughts and reactions to everyday news or issues. The only differences I saw were the topics discussed. The reactions were pretty typical - if you chose to critize someone in a blog be aware you may have to identify yourself.
What subtopics did you learn about while following the conversations? Do some of the subtopics cause you to reconsider your understanding of the issue?
The subtopics of this blog talked about a blogger’s requirement to identify themselves upfront if they have bad things to say about someone. I learned that you may not in the future be able to blog anonymously and say negative things about someone. The court ruling shows me that Blog owners are responsible for their blog’s content.
This blog was about the recent case of a New York City supermodel who sued Google to find the identity of the person behind some hateful blogs towards her. A New York Court ruled that the NYC supermodel had the right to find out who was behind the blog. So Google gave up the identity of the blogger. The blog asked if this was a major development in online blogging.
How do different blogs relate to one another? How are they similar? How are they different?
The blog I found on www.blogcatalog.com listed under the ‘Personal’ category with the tag ‘Totally Useless’. Most of the blogs are random thoughts and reactions to everyday news or issues. The only differences I saw were the topics discussed. The reactions were pretty typical - if you chose to critize someone in a blog be aware you may have to identify yourself.
What subtopics did you learn about while following the conversations? Do some of the subtopics cause you to reconsider your understanding of the issue?
The subtopics of this blog talked about a blogger’s requirement to identify themselves upfront if they have bad things to say about someone. I learned that you may not in the future be able to blog anonymously and say negative things about someone. The court ruling shows me that Blog owners are responsible for their blog’s content.
Friday, September 11, 2009
D#3, HW#1-12
3. What did I like about the essay? How does it fit WP#1 assignment prompt? If you were going to revise this to submit for WP#1, what would you change? Why?
I liked how the Author inserted her personal experience with breastfeeding into the topic. For me, it made the essay personal to the Author. The essay fit into the WP#! Assignment by staying within the 3-4 page limit, she reflected on a specific experience, she discussed her purpose in researching and writing about the issue, she gave the audience her opinion on the issue and she did write in a intelligible manner. I would make one revision – what are the opposing viewpoints? I think it is important to at least share an opposite viewpoint to her clearly pro-breastfeeding opinion.
4. Identify kairos.
Kairos is moment in which you receive a motivational influence to write something no matter how small or large. An example, the first week of school (at MCC) parking was ridiculous! I deal with it like everyone else does but on my second day of class someone chose to park within inches of my driver-side door. You could say I had a kairos moment right there. I left a nice little not communicating my frustration with their parking. The note did reference their mother – for that I guess I should apologize.
My motivation to do this research and writing is to get a good grade of course. But as I get to the upper division course there will be other writing assignments where my research skills will be needed. I need to learn these skills now.
Nothing is really affecting me now, other than the amount of time I am spending reading and going through the process of thinking of a research topic. I go to calls, I go to work, I study, I eat and I sleep. So far that has been the majority of my last three weeks!
I’m not too sure how to answer what has happened in the past or what may happen in the future to affect the topic I am choosing. I am still in the process of selecting a topic.
5. Find out what’s important to you
The swine flu scare, will I be able to find a job once I am done with college, I live in a place that is not the safest neighborhood, Football players get away with a lot of stuff because they play on the varsity team.
I’m not too sure how to answer the remaining questions on page 39
6. Generate topic ideas
1. The stigma of attending a community college versus a four-year University
2. Our economic times and my place in this economic timeline
3. The ghetto-like atmosphere of my apartment complex in Mesa
4. The privileges given to Sports stars on the college campus
5. The Swine flu outbreak that may hit the college campus this year
6. Poor people are getting poorer and high unemployment may be here for a while
7. Social networks are great. But they can cause more harm than good
8. All this talk about going “Green”?
Rephrased:
Why is there a stigma associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University?
How do I fit in these economic times and what is my place in this economic timeline?
Why do the people that live in my apartment complex live in ghetto-like fashion?
Why are campus athletes given academic privileges?
How hard will the Swine Flu affect the Mesa Community College campus this winter?
Will the unemployment rate ever go back to pre-recession levels?
Social networking – do they cause more harm than good?
What does it really mean to “Go Green”?
Why is there a stigma associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University?
I have several friends attending Arizona Sate University who thinks that it would be beneath them to attend one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. I am annoyed by this attitude. I think that Community Colleges provide just as much of a solid education as most traditional four-year universities. I chose MCC for several reasons including financial, flexibility and academic success rate in getting into a four-year school. This does not make my education any least than the person who chose to attend a four-year school from the start.
The interesting idea within this topic is:
I think that Community Colleges can provide just as much of a solid education as most traditional four-year universities.
7. Consider audience and purpose
My audience for this research paper will be my instructor and my classmates in ENG102. I think they will relate to the topic as it seems most of my classmates may be in a transfer program to ASU. Or, if they are seeking an Associates degree, my consider further education at a four-year school down the road. I think my topic will satisfy the research requirement for this class. The criteria I have for this research topic is to stay focused and not let the argument drift out into areas not meeting my research goal.
9.
I wrote for about seven minutes about the prejudices of attending a Community college in the eyes of some people. How by going to ASU you prove yourself academically. By even being accepted into ASU, you are better. The thought that classes at Community colleges are at the high school level is a joke. The instructors at Community colleges are mostly rejects form four-year schools. The level of education is bad a community colleges. If community colleges are so good why do more people go to ASU than any other school?
10.
I didn’t know where to get this information? Was I supposed to find resources to do this one?
11.
Caporrimo, Rosaria. “Community College Students: Perceptions and Paradoxes” Community College Journal of Research & Practice, Jan 2008, Web. 11 Sep. 2009
Doyle, William R. “Community College Tranfers and College Graduation” Change, May/Jun2006, Web. 11 Sep. 2009
I liked how the Author inserted her personal experience with breastfeeding into the topic. For me, it made the essay personal to the Author. The essay fit into the WP#! Assignment by staying within the 3-4 page limit, she reflected on a specific experience, she discussed her purpose in researching and writing about the issue, she gave the audience her opinion on the issue and she did write in a intelligible manner. I would make one revision – what are the opposing viewpoints? I think it is important to at least share an opposite viewpoint to her clearly pro-breastfeeding opinion.
4. Identify kairos.
Kairos is moment in which you receive a motivational influence to write something no matter how small or large. An example, the first week of school (at MCC) parking was ridiculous! I deal with it like everyone else does but on my second day of class someone chose to park within inches of my driver-side door. You could say I had a kairos moment right there. I left a nice little not communicating my frustration with their parking. The note did reference their mother – for that I guess I should apologize.
My motivation to do this research and writing is to get a good grade of course. But as I get to the upper division course there will be other writing assignments where my research skills will be needed. I need to learn these skills now.
Nothing is really affecting me now, other than the amount of time I am spending reading and going through the process of thinking of a research topic. I go to calls, I go to work, I study, I eat and I sleep. So far that has been the majority of my last three weeks!
I’m not too sure how to answer what has happened in the past or what may happen in the future to affect the topic I am choosing. I am still in the process of selecting a topic.
5. Find out what’s important to you
The swine flu scare, will I be able to find a job once I am done with college, I live in a place that is not the safest neighborhood, Football players get away with a lot of stuff because they play on the varsity team.
I’m not too sure how to answer the remaining questions on page 39
6. Generate topic ideas
1. The stigma of attending a community college versus a four-year University
2. Our economic times and my place in this economic timeline
3. The ghetto-like atmosphere of my apartment complex in Mesa
4. The privileges given to Sports stars on the college campus
5. The Swine flu outbreak that may hit the college campus this year
6. Poor people are getting poorer and high unemployment may be here for a while
7. Social networks are great. But they can cause more harm than good
8. All this talk about going “Green”?
Rephrased:
Why is there a stigma associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University?
How do I fit in these economic times and what is my place in this economic timeline?
Why do the people that live in my apartment complex live in ghetto-like fashion?
Why are campus athletes given academic privileges?
How hard will the Swine Flu affect the Mesa Community College campus this winter?
Will the unemployment rate ever go back to pre-recession levels?
Social networking – do they cause more harm than good?
What does it really mean to “Go Green”?
Why is there a stigma associated with attending a community college versus a four-year University?
I have several friends attending Arizona Sate University who thinks that it would be beneath them to attend one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. I am annoyed by this attitude. I think that Community Colleges provide just as much of a solid education as most traditional four-year universities. I chose MCC for several reasons including financial, flexibility and academic success rate in getting into a four-year school. This does not make my education any least than the person who chose to attend a four-year school from the start.
The interesting idea within this topic is:
I think that Community Colleges can provide just as much of a solid education as most traditional four-year universities.
7. Consider audience and purpose
My audience for this research paper will be my instructor and my classmates in ENG102. I think they will relate to the topic as it seems most of my classmates may be in a transfer program to ASU. Or, if they are seeking an Associates degree, my consider further education at a four-year school down the road. I think my topic will satisfy the research requirement for this class. The criteria I have for this research topic is to stay focused and not let the argument drift out into areas not meeting my research goal.
9.
I wrote for about seven minutes about the prejudices of attending a Community college in the eyes of some people. How by going to ASU you prove yourself academically. By even being accepted into ASU, you are better. The thought that classes at Community colleges are at the high school level is a joke. The instructors at Community colleges are mostly rejects form four-year schools. The level of education is bad a community colleges. If community colleges are so good why do more people go to ASU than any other school?
10.
I didn’t know where to get this information? Was I supposed to find resources to do this one?
11.
Caporrimo, Rosaria. “Community College Students: Perceptions and Paradoxes” Community College Journal of Research & Practice, Jan 2008, Web. 11 Sep. 2009
Doyle, William R. “Community College Tranfers and College Graduation” Change, May/Jun2006, Web. 11 Sep. 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Grammar Assignment #1- #6
The problem area I focused on was not providing a strong enough thesis statement. I have been told in the past that I need to be more assertive with my thesis statement. I need to work on this to help “sell” my audience on my belief (or disbelief) in a topic.
I went to the Purdue Owl website under the topic Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements and found how I can make my thesis statement stronger by making a specific claim about a topic.
Here is my example on what I wrote in the past:
Original
I am the starting centerfielder on our baseball team. I have played baseball since I was a little kid. I take a lot of joking from my friends who do not participate in any sports program. For me, sports have been a very important part of my development into a young adult.
New
I am an avid sport participant. I am a starter on my high school our baseball team. I love playing sports and find that I do better academically than when I am not playing. It seems that I manage my time better during a sport season. Not everyone agrees with us “Jocks.” Lately, I have argued with my non-sport playing friends about the benefits of sport participation. I firmly believe that participating in sports-related activities has positive benefits on the development of young adults.
By the way, I did go to each of the other five websites and did not find any specific information on writing a good thesis.
I went to the Purdue Owl website under the topic Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements and found how I can make my thesis statement stronger by making a specific claim about a topic.
Here is my example on what I wrote in the past:
Original
I am the starting centerfielder on our baseball team. I have played baseball since I was a little kid. I take a lot of joking from my friends who do not participate in any sports program. For me, sports have been a very important part of my development into a young adult.
New
I am an avid sport participant. I am a starter on my high school our baseball team. I love playing sports and find that I do better academically than when I am not playing. It seems that I manage my time better during a sport season. Not everyone agrees with us “Jocks.” Lately, I have argued with my non-sport playing friends about the benefits of sport participation. I firmly believe that participating in sports-related activities has positive benefits on the development of young adults.
By the way, I did go to each of the other five websites and did not find any specific information on writing a good thesis.
D#2, HW#8--Deadline #8 - Reflection
After reading the assignment (finally, I had textbook issues), I am better understanding the course competencies. From what I have read, this course will not necessarily focus on the final project only but on the journey to get to the final project. I am beginning to understand the research elements – Topic, Author, Audience and Purpose a bit better, too.
This week I replied to:
Melissa Rodas, D#2 HW3-6
Lorraine Schmidt, D#2 HW3-6
Summer Bretz, D#2 HW#3-6
This week I replied to:
Melissa Rodas, D#2 HW3-6
Lorraine Schmidt, D#2 HW3-6
Summer Bretz, D#2 HW#3-6
D#2, HW#5--Deadline#2 How do rhetorical situations compare?
Purpose: Justifying getting my parents to buy me a truck.
Author: Me
Audience: My Mom and Dad
Topic: Buy a truck for school and work
What motivated me to conduct the research?
I was told that if I can justify my need for having a truck that they would get one for me.
What was the topic or subject or your research? Was the topic rooted to a specific time and location? Why or why not?
My topic was “the justification of me getting my own truck.” The topic was rooted in to a specific time and location because I was leaving home to attend college and to get a part time job to help pay for my college expenses. I need the truck as soon as possible.
Who was the audience for your research? Who was affected by the results? Who might have been an unintended audience that was affected your research? How did knowing your audience affect your research?
My audience was my parents. In addition to my parents, I was affected by the results. There were no other affected persons. By knowing that my audience was my parents, I was able to use some emotional pleas to get them to agree that getting me a truck was in everyone’s best interest.
As the Author, what was your experience with this topic before you began to research it? What was your experience with the audience? How did your experience affect your research?
I had a car in high school but I bought it myself. I have gotten things before from them – small experiences. This was my first time trying to justify such a big purchase with my parents so there was no real affect for anything before.
How do your rhetorical situations compare with those of other members of your class? How do your processes for adapting to the specific rhetorical situation compare?
I do not know. I’ll have to read some blogs before I can answer this.
Author: Me
Audience: My Mom and Dad
Topic: Buy a truck for school and work
What motivated me to conduct the research?
I was told that if I can justify my need for having a truck that they would get one for me.
What was the topic or subject or your research? Was the topic rooted to a specific time and location? Why or why not?
My topic was “the justification of me getting my own truck.” The topic was rooted in to a specific time and location because I was leaving home to attend college and to get a part time job to help pay for my college expenses. I need the truck as soon as possible.
Who was the audience for your research? Who was affected by the results? Who might have been an unintended audience that was affected your research? How did knowing your audience affect your research?
My audience was my parents. In addition to my parents, I was affected by the results. There were no other affected persons. By knowing that my audience was my parents, I was able to use some emotional pleas to get them to agree that getting me a truck was in everyone’s best interest.
As the Author, what was your experience with this topic before you began to research it? What was your experience with the audience? How did your experience affect your research?
I had a car in high school but I bought it myself. I have gotten things before from them – small experiences. This was my first time trying to justify such a big purchase with my parents so there was no real affect for anything before.
How do your rhetorical situations compare with those of other members of your class? How do your processes for adapting to the specific rhetorical situation compare?
I do not know. I’ll have to read some blogs before I can answer this.
Friday, September 4, 2009
D#2, HW#6--My writing Idiosyncrasies
I have a tough time providing and answering opposition viewpoints on a topic I am passionate about. I have a tendency to argue for a viewpoint but not take in any other viewpoints relating to the subject. I need to develop a more rounded writing style where I answer opposing viewpoints.
d#2, HW#4 Research Processes Comparsion
I feel that the Library provides me more source material quicker than the Internet. I think that the Internet has so much information that I get lost in trying to determine the best source for my research writing. And, again, I concern myself with the reliability of some Internet material.
D#2, HW#3--Deadline#2 Conducting Research Before
In doing research I have primarily used at least two resources - the Internet and the MCC Library. I have found that the Internet provides a convenient way to get information. The biggest concern with the Internet is how reliable or how relevant the information is to my writing. The library is my “old school” way of getting source materials. I do better at finding periodicals or trade magazine sources at the Library.
Textbook?
Hey Class,
Did everyone find the textbook at the MCC bookstore? I can't find The Concise McGraw-Hill READER. The bookstore has The Concise McGraw-Hill GUIDE but the chapters do not match what is listed in Deadline #2.
A little help please.
Did everyone find the textbook at the MCC bookstore? I can't find The Concise McGraw-Hill READER. The bookstore has The Concise McGraw-Hill GUIDE but the chapters do not match what is listed in Deadline #2.
A little help please.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Compare and contrast goals with course competencies
I work part-time and am taking 12 credits. I believe I can handle the workload as long as I stay organized. I look forward to this format. It has been hard at first but I know I can get the hang waht is required.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Questions, Concerns, Suggestions & Help
The only question I have is where can I find the Motivational Podcast (line #5 from the Deadline #1 assignment). I get a server error when I click on the link.
Andres
Andres
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Introduction
My name is Andres Cox. I am in a transfer program into ASU’s Kinesiology program. I am taking all of my lower division credits through Mesa Community College. My hobbies are exercising and playing baseball. I plan a career as a Physical Therapist for an athletic club/team or a university athletic department.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
