Course Projects

1. What are you most confused by or nervous about in regards to the four major projects?

·      I am most nervous about managing my time. I am the type of person who likes to finish what is due first. However, I am going to have to figure out how to balance completing the modules and blogs for the week, along with working on the projects. The projects are going to take a lot of planning ahead and intense research, which takes time. I am also nervous about figuring out how to make the podcast, video essay, and quick reference guide. I have never had to use any of those genres before so it is going to take longer for me to complete than writing an essay!

M.G, Laur. "Frustrated Man at a Desk." 5/24/2011 via Wikipedia Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported

2. What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects?

·      Although I am already stressed out about not having enough time, I am also excited about all of the in depth research I get to do. This is mainly because I get to chose topics that I am interested and passionate about. I am also excited that throughout these projects I get to learn more about myself and my writing process. The last project will be interesting to see how I have progressed during this semester.

3. Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignment sheets challenge your time management skills this semester?

·      It is important to plan ahead on all of the projects and figure out which genres to use for each. For project 1, it is necessary to accomplish the research ahead of time and find a SPECIFIC and recent controversy to discuss. For project 2, it is vital to set up the two interviews in advance. For project 3, you have to develop a real argument and be an expert at supporting it. Finally, for project 4, it is smart to take notes throughout the semester about your experiences with accomplishing each project. This course will challenge my time management skills by making me balance the projects, blogs, and readings for this class, along with my other homework and activites.

4. How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?

·      My past English classes have prepared me for this course by the immense amounts of work I had. In AP English, we always had essays due, along with readings for homework, and many tests during class. As a result, I have had to learn how to manage my time in order to finish all of the work on time. That is the skill I will bring with me into this course.

5. Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?

·      Are you going to give us information about how to use and make each genre, such as the podcast and video essay?

Reflection:

     After reading and commenting on Jacob's and Arun's posts, I feel better knowing that I am not the only one who is stressed out about these projects. We are all in this together! However, it made me realize that the projects are separated into four weeks each, which forces us to plan ahead and not procrastinate. That is perfect because I am a "heavy planner" and will be given time to plan everything out.