Reading through our first three blog posts and series of comments, I am struck by how well you’re all collectively responding to my initial questions. It seems to me that as a class, you’re able to respond quickly and thoughtfully to the ideas we’ll be wrestling with and the kinds of writing we’ll be doing in the first part of this course. In this way, you’ve made a really good first impression. Thanks.
When I use technology like this blog in my writing courses, I am often struck by the quality of student writing. Sometimes, though, it seems like students find it challenging to move from this online environment to the writing of papers, and I’m wondering, is this true in your experience? As a writer, do you find it easier to write an effective blog post than you do a formal essay? If so, why do think this might be the case? What’s the difference, for you as a writer, when you write for your peers in a digital situation versus when you write for a professor in a more formal, academic way?
On a related note, how would you describe your expectations for the writing in this course? Are you nervous at all? Do you feel confident? What questions do you have? What are you curious to learn from me, the course, or each other about writing and research?
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Writing for online sources as opposed to a formal paper for class is different for me in that I feel more pressure to make it academically correct and well-written from an academic voice whereas sometimes in online blogging I feel like since it is more of an impersonal and somewhat informal environment, my writing may tend to reflect that. Not to say I take it any less seriously, but there aren’t quite as few drafts or the same mind set as when I am writing a paper for a class. I find that I can write both effectively, but that they hold me to different standards or expect different material from me. I put the same amount of thought into both, but maybe it’s that I am not used to writing online so I have not found a routine or realized what makes it so different. I know for certain that I am more nervous knowing others are reading my material because I am somewhat shy and can generally handle knowing my teacher is reading my work, but the idea of other students reading my works makes me more timid, maybe. I know the professor teaches many courses a year and reads many pieces by people my age, but I am not used to writing for people my age who maybe aren’t as exposed to other peers’ writing and, therefore, maybe a little more judgmental.
What I expect from the writing in this course is a writing style I am maybe not as familiar with or comfortable with than other types of writing in courses in my past. I typically enjoy writing fiction pieces or maybe research pieces that aren’t focused on the research but simply enhanced by its presence. I feel like this course is going to put much more emphasis on the research for our pieces, and I am worried that I won’t be very good at writing them. I have a hard time researching and I feel like some of my pieces where professors require me to put so much research in feel forced and don’t let my voice out from behind the quotes and analysis. So, in all, I would have to say I am very nervous and hardly confident. However, I am anxious to see if I surprise myself and surpass my expectations.
I do think that writing an informal blog post is easier. There's less pressure that goes along with a post than does with an essay. In an informal environment, I'm aware of that fact, that it is informal, which makes it easier to sit down, write it, and not worry too much about the effectiveness or quality (or at least not as much as I would with an essay). I think that essays are also a little more difficult because we all want to write that perfect one, but we're really all probably still learning in one way or another with the essay writing process, which adds a little more pressure to make that essay perfect.
My expectations for this writing course are really just to learn about an interesting subject and really learn how to research effectively. I would say that I'm aware of the issue we're studying and maybe know a little bit about it, but I definitely want to know more. As far as the research aspect goes, in my profession, research plays a huge role, so learning how to incorporate that into writing effectively would help tremendously.
I think that writing in a digital environment reduces the stress of writing in a classroom environment, the informality of the situation allows students to express thoughts without worrying about the strict guidelines typically associated with a formal essay. I do not believe that a student’s experience with writing in an informal web based environment would reduce the student’s ability to write an effective formal essay considering the fact that ninety nine percent of the average student’s writing experience is based on formal essay construction. I believe the blood based writing allows students to further flesh out their ideas which could be later integrated into a formal essay, in this respect web based writing is not a bulwark to formal essay writing but instead an additional tool.
I expect this class to be my final instructional course in literary research, in that regard I would like to finish the class better equipped to involve myself in recreational literary research. I feel confident entering the course, the work load seems fair and our course concentration seems like it will be quite interesting.
For me writing a blog vs. an essay is not very important. A lot of people like the blogs because they do not require preparation like an outline. When I write essays I use a very basic outline or no outline at all because my words flow much more effectively without one. As far as others reading my work on a blog I have no problem with it. I am honest and opinionated in what I write and if people like it, that's great, and if they don't, that's fine too. I have never done online blog writing before, but in my high school classes we often did journals about similar topics and shared them. I think it is a great way to initiate conversation in the class over important topics and I really enjoy it.
Overall for this course I just hope to get interesting topics to write about. My last WRIT class had really boring writing topics that were all analytical with no room for opinion. I find writing to be much more interesting when it is more opinion bases than analytical. Anybody can read a book and analyze characters, but it is far more fun to hear what people think of the characters personally and how they relate to them. I am pretty flexible as far as writing goes. As long as the topics are interesting (usually would make for a good conversation) I find writing and hearing what my peers write to be pretty interesting.
I am not used to the idea of posting something important, for a grade online. In my mind blogs are used to entertain friends or to casually or anonymously post an opinion. I rarely read blogs so using one in this class is a first for me.
I can see how blogs are effective in creating an open discussion, but I think it I am better at expressing myself in a formal essay. In assignments I like structure and knowing what is expected for a final product and in the blog format I don’t feel like I have that. For example, do we write to the professor or to our peers? On the upside, I’ve enjoyed reading how my classmates respond to topics. The blog seems like a good tool to get us familiar with each other.
As for the writing in the course, I expect that it is going to be researched based and I hope the assignments are interesting. I’m nervous because research papers are not my strong point and not my favorite thing to write. I also realized though that I’ve never really written one on a topic that I’m genuinely interested in. Homelessness is something I want to learn more about so hopefully I’ll have a better experience writing research papers in this class than in the past.
From my experience so far, I have not found any difficulties in transitioning from informal to formal writing. I feel this way because I take a certain mindset intodifferent writing scenarios depending on the task at hand. For example, I can talking to somebody online using terms such as brb, lol, jk, and wut up while I can also be typing a formal essay without any difficulty. When i consider writing for peers as compared to writing in a more academic way, I see the main difference is structure and planning. When I write for this blog, I want to make it somewhat conversation like as opposed to when I want to prove a point or analyze something in an essay.
In this course, I describe my expectations as getting an A first of all, as well as broadning my understanding of research. Since I am planning on attending graduate school, research will be a huge part of my career and life in school. This class will hopefully be the first of many steps towards some of the tools I will need for my higher education. I am not nervous for this class but rather confident. I see myself as a very good writer and I hope to raise that level in this class. I do not have many questions as of now but I am very excited about moving deeper into the course and learning about research to help prove points that I come up with.
Yes, I find it a little difficult and challenging to shift from the online environment to writing papers. For me I think it is difficult because with the online environment the writing is brief and the questions are clearly outlined. I write less and usually its not as structurally organized as a formal paper making it easy to get the point across. With formal essays, the structure is a lot more difficult to figure out because generally there is so much more information to get across. Blog posts are short and more informal allowing me to write what is exactly on my mind. I feel more conscience of what I write on blogs because it gets posted on the internet where lots of other people can read it. There is a lot more pressure when I write formal essays for a professor because it counts for a grade and you’re trying to do a good job and impress someone a little older than you are. When I write for my peers, I write in a style similar to how I talk on a daily basis versus for a formal paper I try to use advanced words and structure my essay very formally. My expectations for this writing class are the same as any other writing class that I have taken because I expect that we will be writing a fair amount of formal essays. I am not too nervous for the class because I feel I have a fairly solid background in writing. I don’t have any questions at the moment regarding the class.
Blogging for me is something totally new. While I have ran into them before I certainly have never contributed to one. So now as I enter the blogosphere I find myself trying each time to go about doing that correctly. One thing that has been particularly different for me is that fact we can look back and see what the other students have written on the same topic right above. I try not read their comments before I write mine because I feel as If I will try to mimic their responses and I don’t want to do that. One thing that I definitely like about the blog is the less formal nature of the writing. By this I mean that there is less of a pressure to create polished pieces of writing as a response to a blog prompt. Clearly, we are all used to writing formal essays, and there is a certain level of comfort that develops with that. At this point I defiantly feel comfortable writing formal pieces and find blogging more of a challenge. I anticipate that as I gain more experience with the online format I will enjoy it equally. Right now, I am not sure that I could convey my ideas in a blog as thoroughly as I could in a normal essay.
I’m not really sure which would be harder for me. Posting on an online source is definitely different than writing an essay, and as such, I view them as separate from each other. In essay writing, I feel I need to use the best language I can use and make it flow as best as possible. An online source is different. I feel that it is less formal and that I don’t need to worry as much about structural things and the overall flow of what I am writing. However, when writing for online sources, what you write is able to be read by anyone who wishes to read it. As this is the case, I feel the need to make what I write decent. I would say that because of its less formal feeling, writing for an online source is quicker and easier. Though it may not be my best work.
I have noticed the difference between blog posts and formal writing. Blog posts enable me as a writer to speak freely, opening up ideas and forgetting about structure and format. I am able to be more personal. I feel comfortable opening up more when there are fewer boundaries. Formal writing has structures. You must have a thesis, and your paragraphs have to be structured a certain way in some cases. Blog posts are more of a free write, where I can forget about structure and express myself in a way that makes sense to me rather than following a precise way. As a result, if I feel more comfortable with the writing style and expressing myself, then there sometimes is a better turn out.
I do not, however, find it difficult to switch back and forth from formal writing styles to blog posts. I am able to turn that lack of formality off and transition to structure and organization, fortunately. Blog posts are like everyday conversation. You can say what you’re thinking about without having to revise and think about things. It’s all natural. However, I am able to bring out that structure when the situation calls upon it.
I personally like structure and feel a sense of pride in academic writing to professors rather than to peers. I am capable of writing to peers, and am able to let my guards down, but I know there are certain guidelines to meet when writing to my professor, which sometimes eliminates thoughts and ideas that may not exactly pertain to the topic, although they convey important themes, if that makes sense. I like to have a set plan, but do enjoy blogs. It is good to have experience in both areas of writing. Everything in life is not formal, and I feel as though blogs help me to express myself better and to manage my thoughts to convey what I am trying o say.
I am a bit nervous for the writing of this quarter. I am curious as to how service learning will be tied to research. I do not quite understand that, which is what makes me nervous. However, I am one who takes things one step at a time, and will address the issue when it comes. I feel confident that I will earn an A and know that the loose ends will soon be tied. I expect to acquire better research skills that will benefit me in future courses and magnify my writing skills. I anticipate in engaging in challenging assignments that will make me think and challenge my intellect. I do not want everything to come easy and expect to be challenged.
Blogging for me is much easier than writing in any academic sense. It is much easier for me to just write and put my thoughts on the computer, rather than having to try to put them on paper and organize them in a way that has an academic structure. For example, writing my final paper for WRIT 1122 took a long time and there was a process to how it was put together, and now, as I am writing this post for our class blog, I am able to just let my thoughts flow. They do not necessarily need to be in a specific format. It is also easier to write when you do not have to worry about all of the rules that go along with writing a formal academic paper. Also, because I am writing for my peers, it just feels like there is that underlying connection that helps us understand each other’s writing because we all have the same assignment and have to think about the same issues.
As far as my expectations for this class go, I expect to continue to improve my writing and editing skills. I would also like to be able to implement and include those skills in a well written research paper. I am nervous about the rigor of this course because I know from last quarter that is going to be a lot of work. However, I do feel that if I keep working hard and worry more about the assignment and less about the grade that I will succeed. I am most curious about learning different ways to go about writing research papers, like the different sources to use, the different kinds of information that other people use in their essays, and how to still make the paper interesting when it is filled with facts and data.
I’ve always felt it easier to write something concerning my opinion than it is to write an analysis or an actual essay. I think it is easier to write down your feelings and I think it takes more effort and research to write an actual paper. I’ve always been pretty in tuned to my opinions and find blogging easy in this sense.
I am nervous about the course simply because my writing teacher last quarter didn’t instill a lot of confidence in me concerning my writing. Initially I am very confident about my writing, but throughout the course of last quarter, that confidence has seemed to dwindle. I don’t really have too many expectations for the course simply because I don’t really know what to expect at this point. I’m curious to see what topics we are going to cover concerning homelessness and how exactly we are going to go about discussing it. I’m also curious of how other people feel about this topic and I’m interested to see what is to come out of the class.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful reflections. I'm struck by your collective awareness of the role that context and situation play in how you approach writing. I'd say you're all thinking very rhetorically, which will definitely help you as we progress through the quarter together.
I also think it's interesting to read how for some of you commenting on this blog is easier, or at least seems to come more naturally, given that you imagine you're writing more for your peers than for me (which can be a good thing). Equally interesting, is that for others, this situation is more daunting, for its public nature. And for others it's simply just another context within which to write. Regardless, it's good to understand how you're approaching this part of the course.
In terms of your expectations--thanks to those folks especially who were able to acknowledge where they might feel less confident or a bit nervous. As we continue to work together, please let me know if I or the class can do anything to make you feel more certain of what you're doing.
I believe that writing for an online source is much easier in my case. This is because this somewhat gives me the opportunity to write my opinion without trying to prove it with any background. When we write to our peers i believe is more of a get your point across and give your opinion as oppose to writing for the professor who has more knowledge in the topic because it's theres and also knows exactly what they are looking for in it. I as student am trying to make my point so that the professor approves of it and gives me a passing grade by integrating everything they asked for it to have.
My expectations for this course is for me to learn much more than I already have in 1122. Also for it to make me a better writer and researcher. Also to be less ignorant about the topic of homelessness. I am very curious to maybe get some tricks on how to look for information in scholarly sources in a very fast way.
When writing on this blog, I usually don't stop to check myself and see whether or not my writing is entirely grammatically correct. Thats just a start. I think there is a massive difference between writing for a blog and writing in a formal academic situation. I am much less apprehensive about going through in a stream of consciousness matter on an internet post than I would be if I were writing for a professor. I am much more worried about the little details of clarity: syntax, grammar, and speling. In academia i am much more concerned with impressing my audience (whether for a grade or to prove adequate interperetation) than I would ever care about conveying to my peers.
So far, even now during april, I feel a little excited about the writing for this class. I have so far been happy with the way the class has been going, and have found some of the aspects of the class very favorable and others are still tough. I so far have very much appreciated the feedback I receive especially from the teacher. WE are soon to receive our first papers, and I actually don't know how the difficulty expectations I have will be actualized when I receive it back. However, I can say after receiving my first draft I was very happy with the information I was given to help improve.
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