Project 3 Reflection: Interviews

           Of the three projects in my English 101 class, I found project three to be the easiest. I did a few things well throughout the project that helped make it easier. I did not procrastinate as I usually do, which helped me come up with better ideas, a better draft and a nicer final draft. I think I did a nicer job at giving feedback to others while peer editing. Although I found having to choose an interesting topic quite strenuous, I thought I chose an effective topic that was unique. When I first heard of project three I thought I was going to have a challenging time making an audio recording because I am not skilled at all in that area of work. I was surprised to find that I did do a great job at knowing how to work Garage Band. I believe I adjusted to the program fast and I learned how to cut things out, add things and join things together quickly.
            I struggled with writing the context of the paper. My draft was not what was expected and it was very poorly written because most of my paper was filled with interviews. I think that since I did not know what to write about at the beginning I filled my paper with interview questions, rather than information. I struggled with coming up questions for me to answer in the paper and with knowing how the proper format of the project should be. I did not know when to include interviews so that it could flow well with my paper. For my interview I found someone who was against what I was talking about and I included what he had to say into my draft so that I could write an opposing argument but I did not know how. Instead of helping my argument, it weakened it so I had to exclude that whole interview from my project.
            I learned that to receive what I wanted to hear in my interview, I needed to dig deeper. I asked very broad questions that did not help my argument for my paper but I soon learned to ask more detailed questions that could really strengthen my argument. I learned how to write as if I were a reporter and how to properly write an introduction with background information for my audience. I learned to minimize the amount of quotations I use from my interviewees in order to include more factual information from my part and how to record and properly put together an audio recording.
            I would have to say that I did make a strong argument. I listed ways that ASU benefit from having my topic and incorporated it into my essay. I interviewed students as well as people who took part in my event, so that I could get a closer look. My interviewees gave me the responses I wanted that helped strengthen my argument and prove my point. I will apply this work outside of the University in case I ever need to make an audio recording again, perhaps to apply for a job or while working. This project was very useful to me because I had never done anything like it and it really helped me as a writer and also with learning how to use technology to record.

Script Draft: Arizona State Orientation

(Intro music plays)

Speaker: While most students are asleep on this summer Wednesday morning, these incoming freshmen are getting ready for their college orientation. Freshmen orientation is taking place in the center of campus at Arizona State University inside of the Memorial Union. Orientation is well organized months in advance by staff members and community assistants. Although the event is time consuming, it is filled with various lectures, power points, information and a lunch, which is very enjoyable for students. Many Arizona State students believe that orientation was very beneficial in helping them understand the expectations of the University and the attempts the staff will make to help students succeed. It also motivated students to attend, while making them less worry some about the grand change.

The large amount of students scheduled to arrive at orientation are separated into smaller groups. Looking around there is an array of things for students to do while at orientation. There are students who are being lectured, meeting their advisors for the first time and students enrolling in their fall classes for the semester. The students are being helped by given the support they need to be motivated and are meeting people at the same time.

Student: I thought orientation was going to be a waste of time however I signed up and came and found it to be very comforting. There are many students here who are all at the same stage of entering college as I am and it’s a comfort that I am not alone. There is also much information being shared by advisors and upperclassmen here that I would have not known had I not attended the event.

Speaker: What is the most helpful component of your orientation experience?

Student: I would have to say signing up for classes. It is a difficult process and the advisors do a great job at separating the students and giving them information about the classes they need to be taken and then help students enroll, while also giving them one on one attention. This made it extremely easy for me to sign up for classes using the ASU website.

Speaker: There is much knowledge that is being communicated at orientation that could not be given on a website. It is hours of compiled information regarding the school itself, its’ expectations and classes. At the beginning of orientation students confirm their identification and take a picture for their Sun Card. The staff explains to them what the Sun Card is for and how it gives them access to the library, their dormitories, meal plans, M&G dollars and much more. Students are also given the option to set up a bank account with MidFirst Bank, the bank that is used primarily by ASU. The benefits of using this account is that there are MidFirst ATM’s found all over campus. The orientation also offers various pamphlets to students and parents about books, safety, the ASU police department and clubs. Orientation is not completely informational but is fun as well. Students receive free T-Shirts, water bottles, bracelets, pens, and much more. They are also served a delicious meal at lunchtime with breakfast, lunch and desserts for everyone’s craving. Lunchtime is the break during the orientation however after it is over it is straight to the halls where they continue their orientation.

Speaker: Did you find orientation to be boring after a while?

Student 2: I did get bored of orientation after a while but right when that was happening we had our lunch break so it was refreshing to just sit down and eat for a few minutes. Sparky was at the lunch in, so I took a few pictures with him and that was exciting.

Speaker: Would you recommend going to orientation to other incoming freshmen? If so, why?

Student 3: I would strongly recommend going to orientation because it is important information that is given and honestly you get a lot of free stuff. It also makes it less stressful when really preparing to go to college because you are already more aware and knowledgeable about what is going on.
 
Speaker: One big support in preparing for orientation is the community assistants who have been training and preparing to help students, not only in the dormitories but at orientation as well. They help students find their way at orientation and help them go through the correct steps and find their destination because it is a very long, confusing process. They also help in handing out the free ASU merchandise and help with taking pictures, and giving students pamphlets.

Community Assistant: I enjoy helping out at orientation because it is completely new faces and I remember being a scared, little freshmen and it is that much easier when someone is there to help. I enjoy helping the students and parents find their way and in welcoming the students in order to help them feel at home away from home.

Speaker: Would you say that orientation is beneficial for students?

Community Assistant: Orientation is definitely an essential event to attend. There is so much effort and planning that is put into this and I do not see any reason why someone would not want to. Plus there is free stuff, free food and it gives students a chance to interact with others and become more familiar with the school.

Speaker: People feel very passionate about this event and feel that it is of crucial importance because of the benefits it serves and the overall welcoming feeling it brings to students. It is important for students to feel welcome, and to feel the support the Arizona State environment brings and that is why ASU freshmen and upper-class men feel so strongly about ASU orientation.

ASU Reacts: Loughner Trial

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Jullisa Sanchez, Host:

Jullisa: As most people recall, January 8^th 2011 marked the Tucson shooting tragedy.    Twenty-four year old Jared Lee Loughner was responsible for killing six people and leaving thirteen injured outside of a local grocery store. Congressman Gabriel Giffords miraculously survived a gunshot to the head, but not all were so lucky. He is also responsible for the death of nine year old Christina Greene, Congressional Aid Gabe Zimmerman and Federal Judge John Roll. The trial recently took place and he was said to be mentally incompetent, diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was sentenced to seven life terms, six for murder and one for attempted assassination of a member of Congress, along with fourteen years for the other attempted murders. However, some ASU students disagree with the sentence he was given. Amongst these students is Emily Michelle Robertson, a freshman living on the Tempe Campus.

Emily Robertson: I think Loughner should have got a worse sentence than what he did. He killed an innocent nine-year-old girl, along with so many other people who did absolutely nothing to him to deserve that. Being mentally incompetent is no excuse to just go off and kill random people because you feel like it.

Jullisa Sanchez: What do you think would have been a reasonable sentence for Lougner?

Robertson: I think he should have gotten the death penalty for sure. For taxpayers to pay for him to live his life watching TV and getting free meals is ridiculous. Might as well just pay for him to die; he deserves it after all the tragedy he has caused.

Jullisa Sanchez: Arizona State students feel very strongly about the lack of justice in this case, one can only hope that something like this never happens again.

Genre Analysis: "Tucson Shooter, Loughner, To Spend Life In Prison"

I listened to the podcast “Tucson Shooter, Loughner, To Spend Life In Prison” which is mostly informative, however consists of various opinions as well since it is such a sensitive topic. It starts with an introduction that includes facts about Jared Loughner and his trial; it does not include a thesis. It then gives background information on who Loughner is and the crime he committed. The podcast goes on to describe how many people he killed and injured, including Gabrielle Giffords (congresswoman), and further gives information about his mental disorder and his medications.
        The article then turns from being very factual to more opinionated because it begins to quote family members of the people who lost their loved ones on that day. It also contains clips of people who knew Loughner at a news conference. It then transfers from talking about Loughner, to talking about gun safety. Gabrielle Gifford’s husband, Mark Kelly states, "We have a political class that is afraid to do something as simple as have a meaningful debate about our gun laws and how they're being enforced." The article goes on to describe previous gun laws and how much damage the current gun laws have caused our society today all over America.
       At the conclusion of the article, they go on to sum up everything that had been stated in the first sentence of the intro but in detail. Rather than just saying Loughner will be locked up for the rest of his life, they say, “ Jared Loughner was sentenced to seven life terms - six for murder and one for the attempted assassination of a member of Congress - plus 140 years for the other attempted murders.”
        Distinct from an academic essay, an audio essay needs to get to the point quickly. Since it is being heard by the audience it cannot take a long time to explain. It should be brief and not very broad to keep the audience interested. The essay I read had a lot of opinions and quotations from people who were affected by this tragic event which made it much more interesting. It makes the listener feel more engaged and more sympathetic than they might feel while just reading an essay. I think this audio essay was more similar to the annotated map because it branched out to other areas in detail, specifically the gun safety topic that was mentioned.

For my Project 3 audio essay I am thinking about discussing the ASU Orientation or perhaps the community assistants found at the dormitories.

Project 2 Reflection: Progress

                                                           [source: Arizona State University]
        Although some students believe that this map project was more difficult than the first one, I strongly disagree. I felt more confident with this project because I knew more of what was expected of me than the last one. I think I did a good job at deciding what to focus my project on. I also think I did a good job at describing the main points in my argument. Asking questions sooner than later was very beneficial for me to gain a better understanding of this project, unlike the last project where I waited until the last minute to ask questions. That was probably my best improvement with this assignment because it really helped me know what I was doing.
One of my biggest struggles was separating pieces of information and deciding where to put it. I had a bit of confusion with separating my thoughts from my four annotations and the synopsis. Last minute I also decided to change my project from the Student Recreation Complex to the North Campus, which was also a struggle because of the lack of time. I had already checked out books pertaining to the SRC and I had to go back and restart my project by gathering new information and choosing a whole new topic.
        My evaluation of North Campus and the resources it provides to residents was good, in my opinion. I did a lot better than I thought I would and I did try to ultimately answer the “so what” question at the end of my conclusion in order to find out why my argument would matter to people. I am hoping that I did a good job with that aspect but I did try my best to answer it. My project included detailed resources found all over the North Campus which really helped my project out in trying to send my message across, which explained that living on campus is very beneficial to students because of its resources. Although I do think my evaluation was strong, I still believe there is always room for improvement. If I had to improve my project in anyway I would have established my topic from the start so that, in my case, I could have spent more time evaluating the resources and criteria for my paper instead of switching topics.
        Making a map will probably never be on my agenda outside from schoolwork at the university however I think much of this work can be applied to the outside world. Regardless of the topic or project, it is always a challenge in some way or another and always offers something new. This project has helped me as a writer and helped me with brainstorming ideas, coming up with topics to write about and pushing myself with my writing techniques and all of those qualities will help me in various tasks outside from the university.

Research Sources: Student Recreation Complex

My project is going to be done at the Student Recreation Complex (SRC) at Arizona State University on the Tempe Campus. Although there are many other great places to evaluate on campus, I decided to evaluate the SRC because I feel it offers many resources to students. Being at the University can be excruciatingly stressful and many students often need a place to relieve their stress in a positive way, either by playing sports, engaging in circuit training, swimming or taking classes inside. This topic is really important to me because relieving stress, being healthy and fit; are all very crucial in a students’ life. The SRC really helps students, including myself, by offering a place that can provide all of these things. Not only is it beneficial in the ways I previously stated, however it is also an enjoyable place for individuals to relax and enjoy themselves.

Many times people change their eating habits when going to college and their first worry is gaining weight because of their body image and health. In todays society it is quite evident that body image is really important and the SRC also serves as a place to become stronger, muscular, thinner, or whatever it is that someone wants to be. This is quite important because it reflects how people feel about themselves and how they perceive themselves. Students’ should not have to stress about lack of exercise or fitness, or gaining weight on top of all their other worries involving school, and the SRC eliminates that one less stress. It provides students with the tools needed in order to feel better about them selves and become their ideal image.

My plan is to transform this very broad topic into a very detailed evaluation. I plan on evaluating many different aspects of the SRC in order to paint the bigger picture of how important it really is. I want to evaluate the positive effects of physical education and how it leads to better academics and a healthier, fitter body. I also want to evaluate how exercising relieves stress. Aside from its effects, I want to separate different parts of the SRC, such as the outside field, the pool, the rooms for classes, the weight room and the exercise machines. I want to describe the purpose of these different locations are and how there is something to do at the SRC for many different people of different taste. 

I found three sources that will help me with project two and evaluating the Student Recreation Complex. The first two are books and the third is a scholarly article. All three of my sources deal with the idea that fitness is very important in order to have a healthy lifestyle. The second source is quite different because it related more to pool exercises. All of these sources interest me because they will help inform me more for my project.

Cundiff, David., Brynteson, Paul. Health Fitness: Guide to a Lifestyle. Hunt Publishing Company. 1985. 252-299. Print.

Gibson, Terry-Ann Spitzer. Water Aerobics for Fitness and Wellness. Australia; Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. 2003. 160. Print.

Nakamura, Y; Kikuchi, H; Oka, K; Ota, A; Miyauchi, T. (2006). Stages of Change of Exercise Affects Health Related Quality of Life.
International Journal of Sport and Health Science. 67-73

Evaluation: Gossip Girl

        The well- known television series Gossip Girl has been providing entertainment for millions of viewers worldwide since 2007. Not only has it been airing for quite some time now, however it is still just as exciting as episode one. It is on its final season; Season six is scheduled to air on Monday October 8, 2012 on the CW Channel at 9/8c. This television drama is based on the books written by Cecily Von Ziegesar and is directed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Salvage. It takes place in Manhatten in present time. The show stars various wealthy, beautiful individuals who are seen as the “popular kids”, all attending the most prestigious high school. They live their luxurious lives with limo drivers, big fabulous parties, and beautiful clothing. One might ask, what could possibly go wrong? The answer to that is Gossip Girl. Gossip Girl played by Kristen Bell; plays the third person omniscient. She is never seen in any episode, nor is her identity ever revealed. She is a mysterious character running a blog informing everyone about everyone’s business, drama, and secrets. People are constantly sending her information via text in order to tell her about the juiciest secrets and rumors going around. The show also stars Blake Lively, portraying the role of Serena van der Woodsen and Leighton Meester, playing the role of Blair Waldorf. The drama begins when Serena has come back into the city. She had been gone for quite a while now and nobody knows where or why, nor does anybody know why she came back. Amongst all of the people wondering is also her ex best friend, Blair. As Serena returns, Blair finds it her mission to make Serenas life miserable and to find out why Serena left in the first place. Serena holds many secrets that unfold throughout the series, which affect many others and tear everything apart. Amongst all of this drama there is also a love triangle between Blair, Nate Archibald (her boyfriend) and Chuck Bass (Nate’s best friend) that is revealed. It is a show filled with rich kids struggling with their daily dose of drama, dealing with friendship, affairs, sex, love, family and money. All of it is for the world to see as Gossip Girl reveals their deepest secrets to everyone. Each character plays a very distinct, unique character that provides so much thrill and excitement in the show. This show will leave you on the edge of your seat, always asking for more. It takes so many twists and turns, leaving you wondering what will happen next. Every episode is a “cliff-hanger”, making it unpredictable to know what will happen next. Unlike many shows that do not make it even past one season, gossip girl has been very successful in providing various seasons and much excitement to young people all over. 

Project 1 Reflection: Brainstorming

        I found this project to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. Brainstorming ideas was probably one of my biggest struggles, as well as really understanding the concept of the assignment and really knowing what I had to do. At first, I found myself completely clueless on what I was doing and my first draft was completely wrong. My first draft only described the physical features of the Devils Diner, however I soon learned that my paper was supposed to describe the Devils Diner using the lens. Once I figures out the whole “Lens” concept, I continued to struggle in my thought process and in how to put my ideas onto paper into one big essay that made sense. I constructed several outlines to gather my thoughts but I constantly found myself not knowing what information to put into which paragraph. Structuring my paper was definitely the most difficult paper and so was coming up with the right amount of words because at some point I felt I had said everything I had to say and I was at a loss of words. I had to figure out a way to add more sentences to it and that was pretty difficult too.
        I think I did a good job on trying to figure out what the concept was when I really did not know. I did attend the workshop on the Thursday before the paper was due and discussed my questions about the paper with Professor L. and that was extremely helpful. I felt more confident in what I was writing and I had more ideas gathered together for my paper, as well as a better understanding of what was expected from my paper.
        I will admit I did learn a lot from this writing experience. I learned a lot about the way people perceive things and that things are not always “Black and white”. I had never taken the time to look at a place so deeply and that really changed my outlook on the way I now see places. Although I still have a lot more to learn, I did improve the way I organize my thoughts onto paper.
        I am still not certain if I did reach the deep analysis that was expected of me to conclude with, however I did try my best to do so. I reread my paper several times in order to come to a conclusion and I felt as if it was quite evident what my conclusion should be, however it could have been something deeper than my conclusion so I cannot really say if I did reach the conclusion I needed to reach. I do not know many ways I could improve my writing or conclusions for the next time, however I do feel that if I had attended more workshops and have discussed the project more with Professor L., then maybe I could have had an even better understanding of it all and a better conclusion. 
        I am not sure how I can apply any of this work outside of Arizona State University however there are several things I can take from this writing assignment to help me within ASU. It has definitely helped me become a better writer, analyze places more and become a deeper thinker. Most importantly, it has helped me ask questions and not be so embarrassed to admit that I do not understand an assignment.