My favorite memory about English 202: Research Writing

I can’t believe the semester is already at the end! I feel like it goes so fast. I was talking with my friend the other day and I remember when I was a freshman and how sick of school I was and how ready I was to go home. At Thanksgiving break, I literally cried when my mom picked me up! But now as a junior, I am actually sad and surprised that this semester went by so quickly. I don’t know if it’s because I have established who my friends are or I am enjoying my classes more, but I am sad that this class is coming to an end. 😦

 

With that being said, I often have a favorite memory or two from each class. I’m sure that you understand; sometimes you just go to class and you find yourself really enjoying it and laughing with your classmates. For this class, I have two memories. Once during the peer editing portion of our field controversy paper, I got into a really great discussion with my classmates about religion and evolution. I love discussing this topic but especially when people can do it respectfully, which my classmates handled in a respectful manner. I was really happy to find that young adults who didn’t really know each other were able to open up and speak so freely yet respectfully about a topic that I am passionate about.

 

Another one of my favorite memories was when collectively as a class, we had to come up for the grading rubric of our papers. I was honestly laughing at loud at how much we debated about this. It was really funny to hear everyone’s opinions and sometimes, as ridiculous as they sounded, they actually had a good point. I don’t know..I think it was just funny to see everyone get so emotional about it and obviously, I always remember it. 🙂

How I’m going to present my topic in Class

I’m not gonna lie; I picked a very interesting and very original topic: hula hooping. Now how in the world am I going to present my topic? Let me explain.

Based on the information I talked about in my paper, I am planning on giving a short lecture on the history of hula hooping as well as the physical and mental benefits of hula hooping. I think the only way to present this type of info is in lecture form. However, if anyone  has any suggestions on how to present my information in a more interesting way, I would greatly appreciate it. 🙂

The most exciting part (I think at least) of my presentation would be to demonstrate certain tricks and moves that you can do with a hula hoop. I absolutely love hula hooping and I think it would be really fun for me to show a few tricks during the presentation. I would also really like to be able to take a few volunteers from the class and teach them how to do one or two tricks. There is only two things that I am worrying about though. First, I am worried about the time. I originally planned to have ten minutes for this presentation but now it has been lowered. I don’t want to cut out the hands-on portion of this presentation because I think it will be entertaining, but I’m not sure what to do. Finally, I am worried about people getting injured. I’m not worried about the person hula hooping him or herself, but rather about the people sitting in the audience. If that person lets go of the hoop, it may end up hitting someone! And in all honesty…I really don’t want to feel obligated to pay for someone’s hospital bills. 🙂

My Expectations from the course and how they were met or not

Well, prior to myself taking this class, I had talked to my friends who have already taken this course and they all had different experiences. My friend Alex for instance, had to write a short paper every single week with one or two citations and had to go to the library three times during the semester. My friend Nick had to write three papers and they had to read one book for one paper. And finally my friend Adrienne had to write two papers and turn in a portfolio at the end of the semester. So as you can see, I was expecting many different possibilities for this class.

I initially was expecting to write more papers than just the two we had to complete. However, putting together the portfolio is extensive enough in itself so that makes up for that expectation. I also was not expecting to give any type of presentation. But in the end, I’m glad that we get to do this because it has broken up my finals week and I’m actually really excited to see what my classmates are going to present on. Another thing I was expecting was perhaps going to the library more often. I was expecting to utilize the books more but my expectations were exceeded because I had no prior knowledge of the online tool our library provides for us students. A final thing I was not expecting was the use of Twitter and WordPress. I’m not gonna lie…I really do not understand the idea of Twitter. I mean..essentially it’s just a Facebook status with a limited character count, so essentially, I did not find this beneficial in any sort of way. However, I really ended up liking the blogs. I really liked the fact that all of my sources were in one location and I could reference them at any time I wanted to. I also liked the blogs because I felt like I was able to free write and it helped get my mind off of things. I am now considering creating a permanent blog after this class…just so I can document my life and share it with my friends and family.

All Over Albany

All Over Albany. N.p., 19 10 2009. Web. 28 Nov 2011.

<http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2009/10/19/wendes-happy-hula-hoops&gt;.

 

 

The information presented in this site certainly affects my understanding of my topic; I do not think I would use a source that did not increase my knowledge on said topic. This source will help me write a stronger paper because it provides me a few facts about how popular hula hoops are at music festivals and how hoops can be used in a positive light. The new insights that I gained from reading it include what I just previously stated. I originally chose this source for my paper because it gave me some information that I wanted as well as providing me with a different perspective because it comes from a woman who sells hula hoops. This source could lead me in new directions because I could be led into buyers of hoops at festivals or how much money is made at festivals from sells of hoops.

 

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 because it is a newspaper article, but the picture is clear and easy to comprehend. The information isn’t generalized; it’s provided with clear and concise and simple details. However, it does allow me to go broader or more narrow based on the information it already provides. The legitimacy of the source is not up for debate because it is a newspaper article and therefore, it is a question-answer based interview.

 

If I had to explain this article to a friend, I would just state that this woman got into hula hoops at music festivals, and then decided to start making them, and now she donates them to local schools and YMCA’s. 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 would be to actually visit the newspaper article itself because there is some precise information there that I would not want to mess up (i.e. how many hoops are sold).

Spiral Hoop Dance

“Performance.” Spiral Hoop Dance. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov 2011. <http://www.spiralhoopdance.com/performance.php&gt;.

 

The information presented in this site definitely will help me to write a strong paper. I have gained new information; specifically following the life of professional hoop performer Spiral. The new insights that I gained from reading it include her background training besides hula hooping as well as what her performances usually include. I originally chose this source for my paper because I wanted a popular expert who could give me his or her professional opinion on hula hoop performances based on his or her personal experiences. This source could lead me in new directions such as further research in the background training in yoga, ballet and tumbling.

 

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. Although the information is written in a simple and clear and concise manner, I do find it hard to expand my research on hoop performances themselves. My research could only be expanded in the training aspect.  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 because it is the professional hoop performer’s website.

 

If I had to explain this article to a friend, I would just state that it’s a professional hula hoop performers website that shows her background training, and how she got into hooping, as well as upcoming tour dates. 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 would be to visit the actual site itself. I think the site is very interesting and it’s best to get a second look.

Pick the source that was the most challenging to read or understand. Why was it a challenge? What strategies did you use to overcome that challenge?

Out of all of the sources, the one that I found the most challenging was problem to read to definitely the source that talks about how many calories you can burn while hula hooping. The reason I found this as the most challenging source was because of the way it was worded. It was definitely more of a science based background; it was more facts and statistics along with some charts.

 

Some strategies that I used to overcome this was to actually reference some of my books from my freshman year of college. I am a biology education major and needed to take many science courses. In those courses, I always had to write lab reports and that is an entirely different language. The same goes for people of business majors and nursing majors; when you type a report you are using a language that is filled with terminology geared to that field. However, using my background in science helped me decipher the information on this site.

Hula Hooping Attire

http://www.hulahooping.com/how-to-hoop-clothes.html

 

 

The information given at the site definitely affects my understanding of this topic. I honestly never knew what the best clothes to wear while hooping, but this site covers that and more . I originally chose this source for my paper because I was just genuinely curious about what to wear, especially for performance or show, and I was pleased with everything so I decided to use it.

 

This information is presented to me in a way that is accessible to me as a reader because it is an online website. The information is presented clearly in outline form. Also, it does not really lead me to any other new sources, but there are links within the site that leads me to other subtopics that I have found beneficial. This site is credited because of its labeled use of sources within the information.

 

If I had to explain this article to one of my friends, I would definitely just say that you should have your hair pulled up if it’s really long, that form fitting clothes are preferable and that stage makeup is acceptable for shows. I was actually mostly surprised about the clips that you should use so they won’t get in the way of the hoop tricks. When it comes time to write my paper and I need to jog my memory, I actually just remembered all of this information. But if for some reason I was to forget, the best thing for me to remember would be just to revisit the site itself.

Burn Calories – Definite Guide to Hoops & Hooping

“Burn Calories.” Definitive Guide to Hoops and Hooping. N.p., 23 09 2011. Web. 11 Nov 2011.

<http://www.hulahooping.com/fitness-burn-calories.html&gt;.

 

The information presented in this site definitely affects my understanding of this topic. This source will help me write a stronger paper because it provides me with more information regarding the physical benefits of hula hooping and specifically, how many calories you can burn while hula hooping . I originally chose this source for my paper because it provided me with information concerning what I wanted to write about in my paper.

 

This information is presented to me in a way that is accessible to me as a reader because it is an online website. The information is comprehensible and clear. However, it doesn’t really lead me to any new sources and it’s not very detailed. I only took a few pieces of information from the actual website. Although I can’t seem to find any clear documentation at the legitimacy of this source (other than the sited information for the chart) I do not think that the information is discredited.

 

If I had to explain this article to someone else, all I could say is really that you can burn a lot of calories while hula hooping. Of course though, it depends on the weight and size of the hoop and how long you keep your heart rate up and your body moving. The main points that the source wants to communicate to me are exactly what I just stated in the previous sentence. When I have to remember what I read at this site, the best way to jog my memory would most likely to be to revisit the site again; that way I know exactly how many calories are burned.

Fitness and Weight Loss: Benefits of Hula Hooping

“Fitness and Weight Loss: Benefits of Hula Hooping.” Weight Loss Triumph. N.p., 23 09 2011. Web. 11Nov 2011. <http://www.weightlosstriumph.com/fitness-and-weight-loss-benefits-of-hula-hooping.html&gt;.

 

The information presented in this site certainly affects my understanding of my topic; I have certainly learned new information. This source will help me write a stronger paper because it provides me with the physical and mental benefits of hula hooping. The new information that I learned from reading this sites include fat burning, core muscle workout, posture and back health, mood and self-esteem, and coordination and balance. I originally chose this source for my paper because it gave me information that I wanted to use in my paper. This source did not really lead me to any new sources.

 

This information is presented to me in a way that is accessible to me as a reader because it is an online website. The information is informing enough without bearing over-exhausting details. The information is generalized but it is still clear and comprehensible. However, it doesn’t really lead me to any new sources it does allow me to think for myself, and if I wanted to, I could research anyone of their subtopics further. 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 someone else, I would just state what the benefits include: fat burning, core muscle workout, posture and back health, mood and self-esteem, and coordination and balance. The main points that the source wants to communicate to me are exactly what I just stated previously. When it comes time to write my paper, the best way to remember this information would actually to visit the website itself.

What Have You Done to Overcome Your Concerns With Transitions? What Did You Have To Do Mentally To Make Your Paper “Flow” Better?

Well, most of the time when I write my papers, I never usually have a problem with transitions. In fact, I am almost anal when it comes to the flow of my paper. I pick apart every sentence and read it aloud until I make it completely and utterly perfect. I think that's just my perfectionist side of me coming out. However, for whatever reason, I was having such a tough time with my transitions for this paper. I was literally lost on how to connect two different points. I just kept drawing a blank and wasn't even able to make a feeble attempt. However, one thing that I did really helped me.

When I went to meet with our professor during our scheduled conference time, I explained to her my frustration. She gave me some really good advice. She said that you should always ask out loud what two ideas in the two paragraphs you are trying to tie together. I know it seems simple, but I never really had a strategy before. I just sort of made transitions without thinking about how I was making the connection. However, I went back to my paper at my house and went immediately to some of the transitions I were stuck on. Once I finally started asking myself, “Okay…what two different thoughts am I trying to tie together?” a transitional sentence instantly came to my mind. It was that simple! I went through my entire paper and fixed all of my transitions. When I read the paper aloud, I was relieved; my paper had amazing flow! I am really glad that I learned this simple trick. Sometimes, as writers we get stuck on little things sometimes, but those little things can make the difference between a good paper and a bad paper!