This project aligned more closely with project #1 than project #2. With this project, project #3, I felt that I had more of a direction to go and the writing came more smoothly. All drafts i did for this project tended to be over the word count as I just always had more to say. I found it better to just continue to a new paragraph and idea when one came to me and go back to finish the other paragraph once I got my thoughts out. I normally like to finish the paragraph before moving on to the next but found that it was much easier to write when I just wrote what came to mind and then came back to wrap things up. I have learned that I write much better in steps than doing it all at once. I felt good about meeting deadlines and getting everything done on time. I learned that I notice my spelling and sentence mistakes easier when I read it aloud or someone else reads it aloud, rather than when I read it in my head. I would like to highlight the fact that in this project my problem was having too many words than not having enough. I was extremely focused when drafting this essay and felt my words kept flowing. Next time I would rather meet with Alexa more than once in the project. I found it immensely helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off and turn them into sentences that made sense. I would also like to change how I edit; I think that it would be helpful if I read it outload more often, not just at the final draft. I believe that I put in the same amount of effort for all projects but found this one easier to write. It was easier to relate to students, so I had more opinions when being put into “conversion” with them.
To start my process off, I began with finding the quotations I wanted to use in my essay. After I do that, I move on to pair them up, fitting the quotes that are about the same thing essentially together. Then I move on to develop my introductory paragraph, introducing the authors of whatever article or essays I decided to use. Once I have the framework of my essay established I move on to starting the first body paragraph, then the second and third and I save the conclusion until the very end. Before I work on the conclusion I have to make sure I feel like I’m almost to completely done with my other paragraphs that come before hand. Then I will work on my conclusion to wrap the essay up. This writing process is the same as any essay I’ve written before, pretty much. I think it will be pretty hard to try to get out of the same writing habits, I have become so accustomed to using. I’ve learned that the peer reviews are very predictable to me. Like I know what I need to work on and change to make my essay better, it is just a matter of actually doing it and I always eventually will get there. This time around with the essay, something felt off at first. It was hard to figure what to write about and how to get my essay started but eventually I found my footing and everything came easily. I got myself to be ahead of the work at the end and it allowed me to feel accomplished in my work. Some things I am particularly proud of is my introduction paragraph and first body paragraph, along with the other body paragraphs’ use of the barclays paragraph. I feel like I did a good job with barclays paragraph this essay more so than the previous one.
For this project my writing process stayed relatively the same. Starting with thoroughly reading Nicholas Carr’s writing “ Is Google making us Stupid” as well as the new addition of peer sources from Cassie Sanger and Celia Caron. In order to understand all of their core arguments on technology’s impact and better see where I can make connections. I planned out the main points I would reference across the three sources where they agreed and or disagreed as well as picked a few quotes I could potentially use. Differently to other times I think I spent more time in this reading phase. I think that after writing about Carr already I had a pretty good idea about his arguments, but the addition of sources from my peers made me need to take a longer time to really understand their points well and connect them all back to each other. I think this time around I did much better time management wise, I had completed a majoring of the paper earlier than needed and was able to fully revise it and make some needed changes, which I wouldn’t have been able to had I procrastinated too long. I think a big thing that’s helped with this still is having different times of uploading our progress, making me more committed to keeping up. One struggle I had was writing quite long paragraphs. I struggled with knowing where to split things or which thoughts were necessary to keep in and which just sounded like filler content, but I’m aware of it so it’s something I can work on for any future writing assignments I may have. Compared to previous projects I think I’m developing a better understanding of how to integrate multiple sources into a conversation rather than just comparing and contrasting them, as well as making sure I incorporate my own voice and equal amount. Overall I think that as I have with other past assignments in this class I have grow as a writer in some way due to this project.
My writing process for this project was a little different than my past few. I had to do some pre-planning before I got started with the writing, just so I could have some thoughts about where the essay would go. I first had to pick my sources, then created a rudimentary venn diagram which just showed a couple of overlapping concepts. Then I got started on my introduction like I usually do, coming up with a general theme for the essay (in this case, a healthy balance). I then created my thesis off of this, and then went back and introduced the sources I was working with. When I started my first body paragraph, I started with my topic sentence, really trying to make sure it was solid on the first try. Then I kept writing the paragraph, filling in the parts of Barclay’s formula. On the first pass, it was my priority to make sure I had all the parts. I did the same with the second body paragraph. At this point, I didn’t have a conclusion paragraph and I was already at the word limit, so I went back through and tried to see which parts of the essay I could move to the conclusion. After this, I made sure those parts fit together, and that the paragraphs they were taken from still got the point across. Then I went back through my essay from the top to delete anything I thought wasn’t necessary. I went through a second time to make sure my points were clear and the structure was set. After this, my essay was pretty much complete, and I just had to proofread it. In the last few essays, I feel like I edited less than I did in this essay. I focused a lot more on those about the words and sentences being good on the first couple passes, whereas on this one, I just focused on the structure-with the exception of the introduction, which I wanted to be pretty solid on the first pass. Also, my main focus for this editing was being more concise because I had too many words. I really liked my process for this essay. I like the editing process more than the chugging out words, so I feel like a longer editing and shorter writing time will continue to benefit me in the future.
I feel like I have came a long way in my writing journey but every time I write I try and focus on one thing only so I can put all my attention to that specific thing. This essay I tried to work on really making sure my ideas alined and both of the quotes came together. This essay was harder for me because I had three writers and myself to put in this essay and for everything to make sense. So my writing proccess was a lot different from my other essays. I first tried to come up with a thesis and then I went and found my writers that went along with my thesis. I figured this process would work best for me. One thing that I tried hard on a lot was upping my and tried to make better word choice. this was very hard for me because I am trying to have words flow but also have a better word choice. I believe I could’ve done better with this ,so This wasn’t very good in this essay. Another thing was I had a lot of quotes in my paragraphs which was hard to take out because I had like 6 one time and it just seemed like a lot. so cutting out parts of my body paragraphs was very tuff for me also. this essay and the two others have made me better in different ways and I am hopping I can combine everything that I worked on seperterly on the 3 essays to all come together for the final.
When reflecting on my development of my english essay number three, I had a similar method to my last essay. I first started by deciding who’s essays to work with. Once I decided to work with Nicholas Carr, Nolan SIbley, and Alicia Burr, I found quotes from each. I found 2 quotes from Carr, one to relate to Nolan Sibley’s ideas and one to relate to Alicia Burr’s ideas. Once I had an idea of what the main point of my essay would be, I then made my introduction paragraph. I started by introducing the topic of technology and introducing the authors like I had done with my other essays. Then I made a draft thesis that I would go back to fix later which is a method I had started doing in essay 2. Then I made a body paragraph connecting Carr’s and Sibleys ideas followed by a paragraph connecting Carr and Burr’s ideas. Once I had my body paragraphs and fully knew what I was arguing, I went back and tweaked my thesis to make it as clear as it could be. Next I used the same method I used in my last essay to give a rebuttal and then further prove my point. I really like this method and I think I will continue to include it in future essays. After that I made my conclusion by wrapping up my main points like I do with every other essay.
I think I did a good job at writing my introduction paragraph this time. I felt like it was a strong intro that invited the reader in well. I also think I did better at balancing what the writers who I was working with said vs what I had to say. In the future I would like to continue working on procrastinating less. I would also like to continue to work on my thesis statements and also make it more clear what my thoughts are vs the writers I’m working with.
Overall I did a lot of similar things as my last essay but of course tweaked a few things that I’ve learned from previous essays. I think with every essay I’ve learned more and more. I think I’ve learned skills to become a better writer and a lot of my skills were beneficial to this essay but there is always room for improvement so I will continue to improve.
In reflecting on my writing process for this project, I noticed several key differences and improvements compared to my previous essays. In this assignment, I focused on refining my approach to organizing and integrating multiple sources, as well as tightening my thesis and argument. Unlike earlier essays where I sometimes struggled to manage a large amount of information, this time I took more time upfront in the planning phase. I carefully selected my sources and spent extra time analyzing them before I even began writing. Specifically, I used a Venn diagram to map out the overlapping ideas in my sources, which helped me better visualize how to weave them together into a cohesive argument.
My process for writing the body paragraphs also shifted. Instead of diving into drafting immediately, I first worked on creating strong topic sentences that would anchor each paragraph. I then carefully added quotes, making sure to connect them clearly to my thesis. I also paid closer attention to word choice, trying to elevate my language while still maintaining flow. Though I found this part challenging, I believe it was a key area where I improved over my past essays.
One area I struggled with was managing the amount of quotes in my paragraphs. In some cases, I had too many, which made my writing feel crowded. Cutting down on excess quotes was tough, but necessary for clarity and conciseness. I also encountered difficulty with time management in terms of splitting up my writing process. While I had more time to revise this time around, I still found myself wrestling with procrastination, something I’ve struggled with in the past. This project did, however, push me to start earlier and make revisions with more focus, which I believe improved the final product.
In terms of revision, I focused heavily on structure and conciseness. I made sure that every paragraph served a clear purpose and didn’t include any unnecessary content. I also spent more time on my conclusion, ensuring it tied all the points together effectively. I feel this was a success in my process because I could see the clarity and focus of my essay improve during the revision phase. Moving forward, I’d like to continue working on being more concise, especially when integrating quotes, and I will work on avoiding procrastination by setting earlier deadlines for myself.
Compared to my last project, this one felt more deliberate and well-planned. I believe my ability to integrate multiple sources into my argument has improved, and my writing feels more cohesive overall. That said, I still see areas where I can improve, such as refining my thesis earlier in the process and being more confident in cutting unnecessary details. I’m proud of how I managed to balance my sources and my own voice, and I hope to continue this trend in future essays.
One of the main similarities between this project and ones I’ve done in the past is the deadline. In the past, I would procrastinate day after day, and I would get my work in the night before. I’m glad that, this time, we were forced to turn in 400, 800, and 1000 word drafts in increments. If we didn’t do this, I would have had a really rough time trying to procrastinate our projects. I would probably tell myself that I would get a jump on it early, but deep down I know that wouldn’t happen. I liked how the process for these projects consisted of analyzing works, discussing main ideas in class, and then making drafts. The process was easy to follow and made the content less complicated to write about. Another thing I never did in the past that I do now is making drafts in general. Usually, when I made a draft it was a bulleted list of ideas that only just skimmed the surface of the topic. They were never meaningful and I never saw the point in doing them. They just seemed like a waste of time, since I would usually write a paper all in one day and night. One success I would like to spotlight is the fluidity of my writing. Compared to the first project we had this semester, I feel like there was a lot less to revise in my third project. That being said, there was still a lot of fixing to do, but not nearly as much as the first paper. I also feel that I included the rubric much better in the last paper. For the first project, I had to go back and edit or add a bunch of paragraphs to fit the rubric. For this project, I had the rubric in the back of my mind while writing it out, and it worked for the most part. An approach I might change in the future is stopping procrastination. I tell myself this all of the time, but it never gets done. Maybe it is because I didn’t have a legitimate plan that I could pursue. In the future, I will start by doing assignments just two days before. Maybe not papers and projects, but the simpler assignments. If I can get into the habit of doing a bunch of easy assignments early, it might carry over to all of my assignments and I will be less stressed.
Completing this project was both challenging and rewarding. My process started with careful reading and note-taking on the essays by Sherry Turkle and Nicholas Carr, as well as creating examples like Giella and Sanger to make their ideas relatable. I focused on breaking down their arguments to understand how technology affects connection and empathy. This helped me create a clear outline, which is something I’ve always done, but this time I paid more attention to organizing my ideas logically. Unlike previous assignments where I rushed through revisions, I worked harder to improve my draft in stages. For instance, I initially struggled to balance the pros and cons of technology. In my first draft, I focused too much on its negatives, but during revisions, I added examples of how technology helps us stay connected. By revising multiple times, I was able to strengthen my argument and create a more balanced essay.One success I’m proud of is how I explained the points from Turkle and Carr. I tried to write in a way that made their ideas clear and connect them to everyday experiences. For example, I highlighted how Turkle’s idea of being “alone together” is something many of us feel when we spend time online but still miss real human interaction. This connection between abstract concepts and real-life experiences is something I improved on in this project. However, one thing I need to work on is managing my time better. I still left too much of the work for the last minute, which made it stressful to meet the deadline. Going forward, I plan to start writing earlier and break my work into smaller steps to avoid procrastination.
For this project, my writing process consisted of reading through my peers’ work and deciding which ones fit best with each other, with my opinions, and with one of our other sources. I spent about half of a class doing that and the other half drafting my introduction. Following that, I did a lot of drafting focused on how to piece everything together and figuring out which quotes I wanted to use to drive home my claims. After peer review though, I realized I didn’t have enough of my own words and wasn’t really including myself in the conversation, so I did have to go back and basically rework everything I had done. It was definitely pretty hard trying to stay under the word limit after that, and I didn’t end up meeting that, but I did get it down to only slightly above the limit. This essay was pretty much as hard as the last one to draft because it was essentially the same concept, just with one more source. However, I had an easier time actually writing this essay than the last one simply because we had already done this with project 2. I know I also had an easier time meeting the deadlines in the past, and I didn’t meet the deadline for the 800 word draft for this project mostly because I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to decide on how to piece everything together. However, I would say that my essay and my writing overall for this project was something I can be somewhat proud of. I don’t think it’s my best work, but it definitely isn’t my worst. And I was definitely successful in my revisions as I had a lot to work on and had to basically rewrite my whole essay. I did end up doing that and I think it turned out pretty good considering. In the future, I just need to make sure to include myself as a source and not just write an essay with my claims and only talk about what other people have said. Going forward, I also need to set aside more time for myself to just sit, plan, and draft and not just try to get it done. And I definitely need to stop procrastinating with my work, because that was definitely half of my problem. I was stressing myself out because I wasn’t allotting enough time to write anything of good quality. And not that I didn’t put forth effort with this project, but I do think I put forth more effort with the first 2 projects and that is likely why I think those essays are better.
10 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 27”
This project aligned more closely with project #1 than project #2. With this project, project #3, I felt that I had more of a direction to go and the writing came more smoothly. All drafts i did for this project tended to be over the word count as I just always had more to say. I found it better to just continue to a new paragraph and idea when one came to me and go back to finish the other paragraph once I got my thoughts out. I normally like to finish the paragraph before moving on to the next but found that it was much easier to write when I just wrote what came to mind and then came back to wrap things up. I have learned that I write much better in steps than doing it all at once. I felt good about meeting deadlines and getting everything done on time. I learned that I notice my spelling and sentence mistakes easier when I read it aloud or someone else reads it aloud, rather than when I read it in my head. I would like to highlight the fact that in this project my problem was having too many words than not having enough. I was extremely focused when drafting this essay and felt my words kept flowing. Next time I would rather meet with Alexa more than once in the project. I found it immensely helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off and turn them into sentences that made sense. I would also like to change how I edit; I think that it would be helpful if I read it outload more often, not just at the final draft. I believe that I put in the same amount of effort for all projects but found this one easier to write. It was easier to relate to students, so I had more opinions when being put into “conversion” with them.
To start my process off, I began with finding the quotations I wanted to use in my essay. After I do that, I move on to pair them up, fitting the quotes that are about the same thing essentially together. Then I move on to develop my introductory paragraph, introducing the authors of whatever article or essays I decided to use. Once I have the framework of my essay established I move on to starting the first body paragraph, then the second and third and I save the conclusion until the very end. Before I work on the conclusion I have to make sure I feel like I’m almost to completely done with my other paragraphs that come before hand. Then I will work on my conclusion to wrap the essay up. This writing process is the same as any essay I’ve written before, pretty much. I think it will be pretty hard to try to get out of the same writing habits, I have become so accustomed to using. I’ve learned that the peer reviews are very predictable to me. Like I know what I need to work on and change to make my essay better, it is just a matter of actually doing it and I always eventually will get there. This time around with the essay, something felt off at first. It was hard to figure what to write about and how to get my essay started but eventually I found my footing and everything came easily. I got myself to be ahead of the work at the end and it allowed me to feel accomplished in my work. Some things I am particularly proud of is my introduction paragraph and first body paragraph, along with the other body paragraphs’ use of the barclays paragraph. I feel like I did a good job with barclays paragraph this essay more so than the previous one.
For this project my writing process stayed relatively the same. Starting with thoroughly reading Nicholas Carr’s writing “ Is Google making us Stupid” as well as the new addition of peer sources from Cassie Sanger and Celia Caron. In order to understand all of their core arguments on technology’s impact and better see where I can make connections. I planned out the main points I would reference across the three sources where they agreed and or disagreed as well as picked a few quotes I could potentially use. Differently to other times I think I spent more time in this reading phase. I think that after writing about Carr already I had a pretty good idea about his arguments, but the addition of sources from my peers made me need to take a longer time to really understand their points well and connect them all back to each other. I think this time around I did much better time management wise, I had completed a majoring of the paper earlier than needed and was able to fully revise it and make some needed changes, which I wouldn’t have been able to had I procrastinated too long. I think a big thing that’s helped with this still is having different times of uploading our progress, making me more committed to keeping up. One struggle I had was writing quite long paragraphs. I struggled with knowing where to split things or which thoughts were necessary to keep in and which just sounded like filler content, but I’m aware of it so it’s something I can work on for any future writing assignments I may have. Compared to previous projects I think I’m developing a better understanding of how to integrate multiple sources into a conversation rather than just comparing and contrasting them, as well as making sure I incorporate my own voice and equal amount. Overall I think that as I have with other past assignments in this class I have grow as a writer in some way due to this project.
My writing process for this project was a little different than my past few. I had to do some pre-planning before I got started with the writing, just so I could have some thoughts about where the essay would go. I first had to pick my sources, then created a rudimentary venn diagram which just showed a couple of overlapping concepts. Then I got started on my introduction like I usually do, coming up with a general theme for the essay (in this case, a healthy balance). I then created my thesis off of this, and then went back and introduced the sources I was working with. When I started my first body paragraph, I started with my topic sentence, really trying to make sure it was solid on the first try. Then I kept writing the paragraph, filling in the parts of Barclay’s formula. On the first pass, it was my priority to make sure I had all the parts. I did the same with the second body paragraph. At this point, I didn’t have a conclusion paragraph and I was already at the word limit, so I went back through and tried to see which parts of the essay I could move to the conclusion. After this, I made sure those parts fit together, and that the paragraphs they were taken from still got the point across. Then I went back through my essay from the top to delete anything I thought wasn’t necessary. I went through a second time to make sure my points were clear and the structure was set. After this, my essay was pretty much complete, and I just had to proofread it. In the last few essays, I feel like I edited less than I did in this essay. I focused a lot more on those about the words and sentences being good on the first couple passes, whereas on this one, I just focused on the structure-with the exception of the introduction, which I wanted to be pretty solid on the first pass. Also, my main focus for this editing was being more concise because I had too many words. I really liked my process for this essay. I like the editing process more than the chugging out words, so I feel like a longer editing and shorter writing time will continue to benefit me in the future.
I feel like I have came a long way in my writing journey but every time I write I try and focus on one thing only so I can put all my attention to that specific thing. This essay I tried to work on really making sure my ideas alined and both of the quotes came together. This essay was harder for me because I had three writers and myself to put in this essay and for everything to make sense. So my writing proccess was a lot different from my other essays. I first tried to come up with a thesis and then I went and found my writers that went along with my thesis. I figured this process would work best for me. One thing that I tried hard on a lot was upping my and tried to make better word choice. this was very hard for me because I am trying to have words flow but also have a better word choice. I believe I could’ve done better with this ,so This wasn’t very good in this essay. Another thing was I had a lot of quotes in my paragraphs which was hard to take out because I had like 6 one time and it just seemed like a lot. so cutting out parts of my body paragraphs was very tuff for me also. this essay and the two others have made me better in different ways and I am hopping I can combine everything that I worked on seperterly on the 3 essays to all come together for the final.
When reflecting on my development of my english essay number three, I had a similar method to my last essay. I first started by deciding who’s essays to work with. Once I decided to work with Nicholas Carr, Nolan SIbley, and Alicia Burr, I found quotes from each. I found 2 quotes from Carr, one to relate to Nolan Sibley’s ideas and one to relate to Alicia Burr’s ideas. Once I had an idea of what the main point of my essay would be, I then made my introduction paragraph. I started by introducing the topic of technology and introducing the authors like I had done with my other essays. Then I made a draft thesis that I would go back to fix later which is a method I had started doing in essay 2. Then I made a body paragraph connecting Carr’s and Sibleys ideas followed by a paragraph connecting Carr and Burr’s ideas. Once I had my body paragraphs and fully knew what I was arguing, I went back and tweaked my thesis to make it as clear as it could be. Next I used the same method I used in my last essay to give a rebuttal and then further prove my point. I really like this method and I think I will continue to include it in future essays. After that I made my conclusion by wrapping up my main points like I do with every other essay.
I think I did a good job at writing my introduction paragraph this time. I felt like it was a strong intro that invited the reader in well. I also think I did better at balancing what the writers who I was working with said vs what I had to say. In the future I would like to continue working on procrastinating less. I would also like to continue to work on my thesis statements and also make it more clear what my thoughts are vs the writers I’m working with.
Overall I did a lot of similar things as my last essay but of course tweaked a few things that I’ve learned from previous essays. I think with every essay I’ve learned more and more. I think I’ve learned skills to become a better writer and a lot of my skills were beneficial to this essay but there is always room for improvement so I will continue to improve.
In reflecting on my writing process for this project, I noticed several key differences and improvements compared to my previous essays. In this assignment, I focused on refining my approach to organizing and integrating multiple sources, as well as tightening my thesis and argument. Unlike earlier essays where I sometimes struggled to manage a large amount of information, this time I took more time upfront in the planning phase. I carefully selected my sources and spent extra time analyzing them before I even began writing. Specifically, I used a Venn diagram to map out the overlapping ideas in my sources, which helped me better visualize how to weave them together into a cohesive argument.
My process for writing the body paragraphs also shifted. Instead of diving into drafting immediately, I first worked on creating strong topic sentences that would anchor each paragraph. I then carefully added quotes, making sure to connect them clearly to my thesis. I also paid closer attention to word choice, trying to elevate my language while still maintaining flow. Though I found this part challenging, I believe it was a key area where I improved over my past essays.
One area I struggled with was managing the amount of quotes in my paragraphs. In some cases, I had too many, which made my writing feel crowded. Cutting down on excess quotes was tough, but necessary for clarity and conciseness. I also encountered difficulty with time management in terms of splitting up my writing process. While I had more time to revise this time around, I still found myself wrestling with procrastination, something I’ve struggled with in the past. This project did, however, push me to start earlier and make revisions with more focus, which I believe improved the final product.
In terms of revision, I focused heavily on structure and conciseness. I made sure that every paragraph served a clear purpose and didn’t include any unnecessary content. I also spent more time on my conclusion, ensuring it tied all the points together effectively. I feel this was a success in my process because I could see the clarity and focus of my essay improve during the revision phase. Moving forward, I’d like to continue working on being more concise, especially when integrating quotes, and I will work on avoiding procrastination by setting earlier deadlines for myself.
Compared to my last project, this one felt more deliberate and well-planned. I believe my ability to integrate multiple sources into my argument has improved, and my writing feels more cohesive overall. That said, I still see areas where I can improve, such as refining my thesis earlier in the process and being more confident in cutting unnecessary details. I’m proud of how I managed to balance my sources and my own voice, and I hope to continue this trend in future essays.
One of the main similarities between this project and ones I’ve done in the past is the deadline. In the past, I would procrastinate day after day, and I would get my work in the night before. I’m glad that, this time, we were forced to turn in 400, 800, and 1000 word drafts in increments. If we didn’t do this, I would have had a really rough time trying to procrastinate our projects. I would probably tell myself that I would get a jump on it early, but deep down I know that wouldn’t happen. I liked how the process for these projects consisted of analyzing works, discussing main ideas in class, and then making drafts. The process was easy to follow and made the content less complicated to write about. Another thing I never did in the past that I do now is making drafts in general. Usually, when I made a draft it was a bulleted list of ideas that only just skimmed the surface of the topic. They were never meaningful and I never saw the point in doing them. They just seemed like a waste of time, since I would usually write a paper all in one day and night. One success I would like to spotlight is the fluidity of my writing. Compared to the first project we had this semester, I feel like there was a lot less to revise in my third project. That being said, there was still a lot of fixing to do, but not nearly as much as the first paper. I also feel that I included the rubric much better in the last paper. For the first project, I had to go back and edit or add a bunch of paragraphs to fit the rubric. For this project, I had the rubric in the back of my mind while writing it out, and it worked for the most part. An approach I might change in the future is stopping procrastination. I tell myself this all of the time, but it never gets done. Maybe it is because I didn’t have a legitimate plan that I could pursue. In the future, I will start by doing assignments just two days before. Maybe not papers and projects, but the simpler assignments. If I can get into the habit of doing a bunch of easy assignments early, it might carry over to all of my assignments and I will be less stressed.
Completing this project was both challenging and rewarding. My process started with careful reading and note-taking on the essays by Sherry Turkle and Nicholas Carr, as well as creating examples like Giella and Sanger to make their ideas relatable. I focused on breaking down their arguments to understand how technology affects connection and empathy. This helped me create a clear outline, which is something I’ve always done, but this time I paid more attention to organizing my ideas logically. Unlike previous assignments where I rushed through revisions, I worked harder to improve my draft in stages. For instance, I initially struggled to balance the pros and cons of technology. In my first draft, I focused too much on its negatives, but during revisions, I added examples of how technology helps us stay connected. By revising multiple times, I was able to strengthen my argument and create a more balanced essay.One success I’m proud of is how I explained the points from Turkle and Carr. I tried to write in a way that made their ideas clear and connect them to everyday experiences. For example, I highlighted how Turkle’s idea of being “alone together” is something many of us feel when we spend time online but still miss real human interaction. This connection between abstract concepts and real-life experiences is something I improved on in this project. However, one thing I need to work on is managing my time better. I still left too much of the work for the last minute, which made it stressful to meet the deadline. Going forward, I plan to start writing earlier and break my work into smaller steps to avoid procrastination.
For this project, my writing process consisted of reading through my peers’ work and deciding which ones fit best with each other, with my opinions, and with one of our other sources. I spent about half of a class doing that and the other half drafting my introduction. Following that, I did a lot of drafting focused on how to piece everything together and figuring out which quotes I wanted to use to drive home my claims. After peer review though, I realized I didn’t have enough of my own words and wasn’t really including myself in the conversation, so I did have to go back and basically rework everything I had done. It was definitely pretty hard trying to stay under the word limit after that, and I didn’t end up meeting that, but I did get it down to only slightly above the limit. This essay was pretty much as hard as the last one to draft because it was essentially the same concept, just with one more source. However, I had an easier time actually writing this essay than the last one simply because we had already done this with project 2. I know I also had an easier time meeting the deadlines in the past, and I didn’t meet the deadline for the 800 word draft for this project mostly because I underestimated the amount of time it would take me to decide on how to piece everything together. However, I would say that my essay and my writing overall for this project was something I can be somewhat proud of. I don’t think it’s my best work, but it definitely isn’t my worst. And I was definitely successful in my revisions as I had a lot to work on and had to basically rewrite my whole essay. I did end up doing that and I think it turned out pretty good considering. In the future, I just need to make sure to include myself as a source and not just write an essay with my claims and only talk about what other people have said. Going forward, I also need to set aside more time for myself to just sit, plan, and draft and not just try to get it done. And I definitely need to stop procrastinating with my work, because that was definitely half of my problem. I was stressing myself out because I wasn’t allotting enough time to write anything of good quality. And not that I didn’t put forth effort with this project, but I do think I put forth more effort with the first 2 projects and that is likely why I think those essays are better.