How Helpful Were Your Peers’ Comments To Help You Improve Your Writing? What Was Your Most Frequent Comment/Error/Recommendation?

Honestly, this time around, the peer reviews were not very helpful. I mean, I basically got the exact same comments from every single person. "Wow! What an interesting topic!" "I can't wait to see what you come up with! This is soooo interesting!" I mean, I guess I really should have for foreseen this. I probably have the weirdest topic out of the entire class. Who really in their right mind would pick something as weird as hula hooping? I just wanted to do something that wasn't as cliche. This was my thought process: I went through everything that I enjoyed for fun - volleyball, music, reading...I didn't want to do volleyball because everyone does a sport. I didn't want to do music because I didn't know how to be specific with such a broad topic and also, I'm sure other people thought of that. And with reading...I mean, how do you write a paper on reading books?! I just wanted to think of something that I enjoyed doing that would be new and interesting to the class since we had to present them. Then, halfway through the class, hula hooping just popped right in my mind! It was like a light bulb went on in my head. It had everything on my checklist. Original? Check! Fun? Check! Unique/Different? Check! Something I Enjoy? Check! And thus, my topic was born.

However, there were two helpful comments. The first said, “This is so interesting! I’m excited to see the history of hula hooping and how it got started!” I too was excited to see the history of hula hooping. So this comment made me start researching more and I was very excited to see what I discovered! This lead me to how Native Americans used hoops, and like I said in one of my earlier blog posts, I definitely find the Native American culture interesting. So thank you to whomever wrote that comment!

The second comment was much more entertaining. It said, “Just so you know I won a hula hooping contest before!” Well…to whomever said that comment, I would like you to know: At the final, let’s have a hula hooping contest! And the true hoop god or goddess will shine through…lol.

What Will Constitute a Successful Presentation? What Would Be the Ideal Presentation for this Class?

For our final exam, our presentations must be short. However, sometimes it is difficult to fit five pages worth of information in just 3-5 minutes. There is so much information and you wish you could say everything but time won't allow you. There are a few tips and tricks, however, that can aid you in having a successful presentation.

#1 - Keep your Audience Interested! Nothing is worse than boring your audience. You want to give them clear and concise facts but keep it lighthearted and entertaining. Don't stay on one fact for too long; it can lose their focus on your presentation.

#2 - Make Eye Contact! Making eye contact with your audience means that you are confident in yourself and confident in your material.

#3 - Smile! Be Personable & Confident! Anytime you seem warm and inviting, people will always be more receptive of you. Also, having confidence is a huge key factor in successful presentations. If you are confident in what you are saying, then I will automatically be drawn to listen to you more. It's because when you are confident, you tend to receive more respect from your peers. Confidence is the key is almost every aspect.

 

 

What’s the Most Important Thing you Have Learned about your Topic thus Far?

 

The most important thing (or in my opininon, certainly the most interesting thing) that I have learned about my topic thus far is the fact that Native Americans used hula hoops as a form of storytelling. I have always loved the Native American culture.

Growing up, I was always a kid who loved the outdoors. I just loved feeling in touch with nature. Whether it would be feeling the blades of grass between my toes or watching a spider spin its web or watching a deer drink water from a lake, I always enjoyed watching the natural things in life. Then, the Disney movie Pocahontas came out. I was obsessed with her! I wanted to run barefoot through the woods and jump off of a cliff into the river. I wanted to play with animals and genuniely feel the movement of the wind. So ever since then, I was always fascinated with the Native American culture.

I would definitely say that my newly acquired understanding of this topic certainly comes across in my draft. I never felt stuck of what I should say next; the words would just flow out of hands and onto the computer screen.  However, I do think that my draft is certainly rough; there is definitely room for improvement and in certain places I can definitely expand my research. But as most writers would agree with me, that is the entire purpose of a rough draft. 🙂

History of Hula Hooping

“Definitive Guides to Hoops and Hooping.” Hula Hooping. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov 2011. <http://www.hulahooping.com/hoop-history.html&gt;.

 

The information presented in this site certainly affects my understanding of my topic; I have gained new insights by reading it. This source will definitely help me write a stronger paper because it provides me with the evolution of hula hooping throughout history, plus it gives me some fun facts at the end. The new insights that I gained from reading it include how far back we have traced hula hooping, how it was named and how different cultures used hula hoops. I originally chose this source for my paper because it gave me the information I seek without giving me useless and exhausting details. This source could lead me in new directions such as the history of Native Americans and their stories told through hooping.

 

This information is presented to me in a way that is accessible to me as a reader because it is an online document. The information itself is not super detailed, yet it provides me a clear picture of what the source is about. The information isn’t generalized; it’s organized with concise and simple details. However, it does allow me to go broader or more narrow based on the information it already provides. Although I can’t seem to find any clear documentation at the legitimacy of this source, I do not think that the information is discredited.

 

If I had to explain this article to a friend, I would just mention a few facts: how hula hooping got its name, how far back hula hooping has been dated and finally, how different cultures would use the hoop. The main points that the source wants to communicate to me are exactly what I just stated previously. When it comes to writing my paper, the best way to help me jog my memory about this site is actually visiting my own blog post; I have the main points already written down here.

How Would You Convince Someone Who Is Uninterested In Your Passion That It’s Valuable?

This is a really tough question. I actually think it’s really hilarious at the thought of trying to convince someone that hula hooping is valuable. I mean, at first thought, most people would not think this is a valuable activity or even an interesting activity. However, hooping is actually really beneficial for you.

First off, hula hooping is really good exercise for you. You can burn up to 600 calories in an hour and half! Plus it tones your arms, legs, shoulders, and most importantly, your core. And if you don’t already know this, a strong core helps support the rest of your body. They actually offer hula hooping fitness classes. The hoops actually go up in weight just like your regular weights or dumbbells do.

Besides the exercise benefits, it’s also a good social outlet. Many hoopers tend to hoop with friends. You also are able to meet new people through hooping. For example, my friend Vicki is an extreme hula hooper and has met so many people from all over America and Canada that she is still in contact with today.

Another benefit is that you have to possibility to travel to new places.  Hoopers can travel all of the globe and compete or just get paid to show up and hoop for fun. My friend that I mentioned earlier has been all across the United States including Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee. Can you imagine getting to see tons of new cities all because you can hula hoop? I always loved traveling and the idea of traveling to preform your hula hooping skills definitely excites me!

All of these are very good examples of why hula hooping could be considered valuable.

What Am I Passionate About?

 

When asked in class what I was passionate about, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to write about. I thought back through memories of my childhood and many ideas did come to mind. For instance, I thought about all of the activities I have participated in the past. Activities included sports such as volleyball, swimming and dancing. Then I thought about things I do that I enjoy…such as reading, playing the piano, listening to music and reading. All of these things to me I definitely and could easily write about but they seemed so boring, and frankly, I wasn’t entirely sure how to incorporate a visual aid with these ideas. Then, towards the end of class, something came to mind. I recently (and by recently, I mean this summer) got into hula hooping. The moment I thought of this, I realized that this would be the perfect topic to write about.

I actually couldn’t hula hoop at all until this past July. Growing up, we used to have hula hoops at the playground and in physical education classes and I never could do it! (Although I was very jealous of those who could…especially the boys!) I would always try and just keep failing and eventually get too frustrated to continue.

However, this past summer I attended a lot of music festivals and noticed this trend of hooping. The things people could do with a hoop amazed me! I knew right then and there I wanted to learn. So this summer, my sister and I hosted a bachorlette party at my family’s campsite in West Virginia. One of the bridesmaids that came was really into hooping. The way she just moved with the hoop up and down her body and over her shoulders and arms and neck made it seem so easy and fun. Right then and there, I knew it; I was hooked!

All in all, I’m really looking forward to this assignment. I feel that I can bring something new and refreshing to this assignment and I’m really looking forward to sharing my passion with the rest of my classmates.

High School Biology Teachers in U.S. Reluctant to Endorse Evolution in Class

“High School Biology Teachers in U.S. Reluctant to Endorse Evolution in Class.” 01282011: n. page. Web. 27 Sep. 2011. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110127141657.htm&gt;.

 

This topic affects my understanding of the topic in the sense that it provides me with information and statistics on my field controversy which is teaching evolution in high school biology courses. This source will help me to write a stronger paper because it provides me with information on what topics teachers are saying evolution applies to or even if evolution is being taught in the classrooms at all. This source actually does not provide me with any new insights; in fact, it is very similar to the first article I read. I originally chose this source for my paper because it had sound research and seemed like a reliable source. This source could lead me in new areas such as the information for the National Survey of High School Biology Teachers.

 

The information is definitely accessible to me as a reader because I can easily access it and I can quickly comprehend it. The information is detailed but it is very concise with clear, straight to the point facts. This information is pretty generalized because it doesn’t lead to many other sources but I like it because it does have only necessary information. This source is legitimate because it uses statistics from a research case study.

 

I would explain to someone that this information lets us see the statistics of teachers who teach evolution in high school biology courses.  It also provides us information on what some teachers say evolution applies to, such as on the molecular level, although it applies to all species. The main points that it provides me with include the percentage of teachers who teach creationism, creationism and evolution, evolution or nothing at all. What will help me best jog my memory about this source includes the statistics and what levels some teachers say evolution applies to.

What are my strengths in writing and how will I use them for my projects?

When it comes to my strengths in writing, I do think I have a few. In my opinion, I do not think I am terrible at writing; in fact, I think that I write actually quite well and it is something in which I certainly take pride.

One thing in which I feel I exceed is transitions. I believe all good papers should have a natural, unforced flow between each thought and each paragraph and this is achieved by transitions. Many people I believe overlook this when writing but it is one thing that I always make sure I have. Have you ever read something and there is no transition between two thoughts? You almost have to go and reread it because it catches you off guard due to no flow.

Another thing in which I feel strong is my vocabulary. Every time I write, I literally think about each word and how I want it to sound. I always am searching for synonyms and different phrases in order to make sure that I write exactly what I mean to say. This, I feel, makes my paper stronger and more clear and concise. One thing that is actually quite interesting is the fact that I have improved my vocabulary since I began to write.

A final aspect in which I take pride are my introductions and conclusion. I always spend the most time on these two paragraphs. I feel that when your audience reads your paper, they need to be interested from the very start. Also, I feel that audience always remembers your last paragraph the most out of your whole paper since it is the last thing that he or she reads. Because I care so much about my introduction and conclusion, I always save these two paragraphs to type last.

What is Important to you in a Paper? What are the Traits of a Good Paper?

What is important to me in a good paper or what are the traits of a good paper are very similar questions. For me there are two main traits that really stick out to me when I am a member of the audience: grammar and emotions. I know that the first of these two traits may seem obvious to the reader but it honestly makes a huge difference in the paper. As for the second characteristic, I think that emotions are not as easily as to convey as some may think.

One trait that I find makes a good paper is having good grammar. I hate when I read papers that have too many grammatical errors…especially when they are easy to fix. For example, I hate when I see sentences end in a preposition. If the writer were to just read it aloud, then he or she would realize that it does not sound right. The same also applies to when a question is asked such as, “Where are you at?” Now I do understand that there is character in writing and sometimes using poor grammar is acceptable, but that is all situational. If you are writing a piece, please use proper grammar!

Another trait that I think is important is that papers need to convey emotion. Whenever I am emotionally invested, interested or curious in a paper it makes it much easier to read. How many times have you read something that catches your interest and keeps you interested during the entire story, that it is hard to stop reading? Also, because I am emotionally attached to the story, then I automatically think that it is a great paper. The same should be said for whenever papers are being read aloud. If the narrator puts emotion into every single word that comes out of his or her mouth, then I always enjoy the paper.

Post #1 – On Evolution, Biology Teachers Stray From Lesson Plan

Bakalar, Nicholas. “On Evolution, Biology Teachers Stray From Lesson Plan.” New York Times 02072011. n. pag. Print. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/science/08creationism.html&gt;.

This article reports on the percentage of high school biology teachers that are teaching evolution in the classroom, and of that percentage, who is teaching creationism, who is telling students that the don’t actually have to believe in anything, and those teachers who choose not to teach evolution at all.  Also, there are different opinions from professors of biology and political science on how to handle this situation.

This information affects my understanding of my topic because it provides me with the statistical information on the percentage of Biology teachers that actually teach evolution in the classroom. This source will help me to write a strong paper because it provides well-researched results. This article will definitely provide me with new insights. For example, I was surprised to read that creationists weren’t more of an influence in the study. I originally chose this source for my paper because it seemed to fit the biggest controversy within my field. This source could lead me to other articles concerning creationists versus evolutionists.

This information is presented to me in a way that is accessible to a reader in the sense that I was able to quickly comprehend the facts without having to look up anything I didn’t know; the grammar wasn’t difficult.  As for the information, it isn’t entirely detailed but it does provide me with a clear thought with its straight-to-the-point facts. The information itself isn’t generalized either. Like I stated earlier, it contains more of straight-to-the-point, no bullshit facts. And I wouldn’t say that it is very broad either, but it does allow you to think more and research the topic further. The source is definitely legitimate because all of its information is from a study.

If I had to explain this article to someone, I would begin about what the issue actually is: high school biology teachers not teaching evolution in the classroom. Then I would summarize the article and state what high school teachers are doing instead. The main points that the source wants to communicate with me include the statistics and how we might handle this situation. When I need to start writing this paper, I think that coming back to this blog can help me remember my source’s content.