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14. Final Post !!!

So, in looking at what others have written, I can see that a a class, this course has broadened all of our horizons. Two people in particular have stood out in what they have learned. One is Tiffany Dunham. I like how she took and explained her struggles with MLA formatting and how she has worked to resolve it as seen here, " MLA and the works cited portion was the biggest obstacle for me. I feel confident now that I am able to execute it more effectively.". Tiffany was able to demonstrate that even though she struggled with something in the beginning, she found a way to make it easier on herself. I also took notice to the blog of Luke Grimes. MY favorite part of what he has learned is that he had a personal and educational list of what he had learned as shown here,  " Personal: 1. How to manage a large workload and can make it work from home.  2. That using a physical calendar is great when going into a new and demanding school schedule.  3. That if you are organised, t

13. What Did I Learn?

So, in looking back at everything I have absorbed during these last 8 weeks there is a lot I can take away from this course. One of the main things I was able to take away is that I can always learn more about a certain area than I think I can. For one example, rhetorical analysis. I just spent a whole year in AP English Language learning how to rhetorically analyze almost every single thing I read. But, taking this course it allowed me to see that there are so many other things that are considered rhetorical, such as how citing sources is considered rhetorical. Being able to see a bigger picture has allowed me to develop my writing into something much better than it was before this class. And, everything I have learned here will allow me to apply it to my future classes and career

12. An Illogical Argument

Our Vice President, Mike Pence, made an illogical argument about the amount of COVID-19 cases showing up in the states. When asked about why cases were going up across America, Pence replied,  “And that in most of the cases where we are seeing some marginal rise in number, that’s more a result of the extraordinary work you’re doing.” Pence states here that due to the amount of testing being done, there are more cases present. This is illogical because there are still a lot of cases, they just aren't shown due to people being tested. Numbers aren't rising because people are being tested, they are rising because people are getting infected. A better way to say this would be to explain that even though there are more tests being administered, it's because of the rate of infection that there is a rise in cases. This would correct saying that just because people are being tested there is a rise in cases because the amount of cases would be the same even without testing. 

11. Text Messages

The messages on my phone are ordered oldest to newest, with a tab that filters out any unknown/spam numbers. I don't have any messages that delete after a certain time period since I view that all conversations are important and so if there is information I need I can easily search for it. All of my contacts are named with first and last name, save for the most important people I constantly talk to such as my Mom, best friend, and boyfriend. I mostly sends songs and pictures to whomever I'm texting as well as general texting. 

10. Organizing a Paper

When organizing a paper for writing, there are many aspects to choose from. I personally prefer to list the point I view the most important before going down in scale by importance. This allows me to get the strongest point across before delving into sub-topics that clarify more of the main topic. This method also allows me to make sure I have all areas covered so that there should be little to no questions about what the reader is learning.  Another way to organize is a question-answer method. This is used to answer questions the reader might have and further explain the answer in more detail. This allows the reader to have a fuller understanding of what they are looking for, and answer any further questions. 

9. MLA Formatting

MLA is the traditional form of formatting used in professional papers. Do I like it, not really. Will I do it, most likely. My problem with this formatting is that the structure is confusing. Citing a source that is not only indented but always placed in a certain order is taxing. It takes away time and you get points knocked off if you didn't do the slightest thing correctly. When first learning MLA as a middle schooler, I was never taught to indent or do anything specific, just make sure all the information was there. As a high schooler I was taught just to have page references in the initial citation. I was taught to write fast and to the point, not formal and constructed. The most confusing thing, and hardest is making sure everything is in perfect order and construct. 

8. Why Academic Writing is So Freaking Hard

As I sit typing this late at night, already having procrastinated to the very last minute, this topic should com easy, it's the problem I'm facing at this exact moment. But, in fact, I'm just exhausted and would rather type this as a text instead of formally. Academic writing has such a structured and rigid feel, that while trying to write, you are trying to remember every single guideline and rule to writing a good enough paper. Texting comes at such an ease, there are no strict rules and regulations for what it has to look or sound like. Instead of writing a minimum 5 page paper to explain my beliefs, I get to write a few sentences maybe a paragraph. Texting seems faster and simpler and just all in all a better way to write. Writing for academic purposes is often put off until it seems like an almost impossible task. With so many rules to follow, it becomes a struggle to feel free as a writer, instead you feel trapped in a cage.