adaywithcarlos

Midterm Reflection about English414. October 21, 2011

I smiled when I saw a young teacher in front of the class. As I walked into the classroom trying to add English414, all the students were seated on a circle trying to figure each other out; some were already talking, others were shy and quit, and I was happy to finally see a teacher that was not over fifty.  The professor said that her class roll was filled but I decided to stay, not because I needed the class right away but because I liked the makeup and feel of the class. There are very few classes that bring enjoyment and this is one of them for me.  I was very antagonistic at the idea of taking this class having failed the JEPET; however, I am so glad to be part of this class.  I didn’t even know what a blog was, and now I am enjoying posting and commenting and even friends and family are reading my blog.  In previous classes I read and wrote in such a superficial and uninteresting level and now I can’t wait to read my classmates’ posts and comments and checking my posts constantly smiling at my classmates’ comments on my posts.  Now I pay more attention to the details and references when writing in the hope of making my readers understand and enjoy my ideas.  It is surprising to me how a 50 word comment makes a whole night of writing and creating a post worth the effort.  I am very glad that with our very own contributions, ideas, interactions and freedom, this class has turned from a required course into an exploring, learning, and rewarding experience.

I’m not a fan of writing, but the class dynamics keep me focused and willing to explore and share more about the development, usage and accessibility of 3D Imaging Technology.  When I read my group’s posts and comments and understand how precious their time is; I find myself writing not just for my enrichment but for my readers’ enjoyment as well.  When I chose this topic, I did it because I wanted to learn about 3D technology trying to be objective and fun but now I find myself emotionally tied to my blog and reflecting on personal experiences.  I want readers to understand the amazing range of technology around them for instance, in their kitchens when cooking their loved ones favorite dish.  For a typical guy, I want him to visualize the future and see himself in a 3D exercising environment at home while reading my blog.  If my reader travels abroad I just don’t want her to focus on common sense and safety, but also on ways of improving the lives of less fortunate people with safe and affordable technology.  Pay more attention to imaging and video technology when hanging out with friends at clubs and perhaps enhanced by a couple of cocktails.  These are just a few ideas picked from my group’s posts which show how brilliant it is to incorporate blogging in English414.

I sometimes find myself questioning and or doubting my topic from and I wonder if my readers are getting bored with the topic or my writing style.  Are they as excited about my topic as I am or are they just tolerating me?  I went back and read some of my postings and was shocked with the amount of information I collected and expressed from readings and personal experience.  I shared information about Sexually Transmitted Diseases, cancers, family experiences, treatments and technologies.  I read my group’s blogs and they too have an equal amount of great information obtained from research, personal experience and imagination.  I am sure that we all question are blogs and topics sometimes, especially when we get not so positive comments.  Nice comments make us feel good about our post, but negative comments may help us improve our writings and avoid future mistakes.  If we give up on our blogs or topics, we would deprive the reader from knowing our interests and experiences and our writings will be much less enjoyable.  I am still very enthusiastic about blogging as well as my class makeup and setting.

I am happy with the reading subjects chosen by the students.  It is very helpful to read the essays then hear student interpretations and their questions each unique point of view.  As a reader I am encouraged to read an essay knowing that perhaps the student who chose it has the same knowledge of the subject as I do.  That makes me less nervous when commenting online or in class.  Leneah lead a very smooth and interactive discussion the other day, but I am a little scared of leading the class discussion.  The Teacher’s views and interactions are extremely helpful when students are to lead the discussion. Two of my favorite readings are “Coatesville” by Lineah and “How It Feels To Be Colored Me” by Maria.  Lineah’s essay talked about a white man defending a black man, which lead to a very interesting discussion about racism.  Maria’s essay talks about the achievement and strong personality of a black woman.  These two essays are very inspiring as they encouraged taking action and not be defeated by differences in skin color or ethnic backgrounds.

I shall always have room for improvement in my grammar; having student do the grammar presentation makes it less rigid and more comfortable for me when I make a mistake in class exercises.  Overall, I am very impressed on the amount of skills we are developing in this class.  At the end we will be better at writing, analyzing, researching, blogging, presenting and perhaps all due to our initial failure of the JEPET.