Research Reflection

Maritza Roman

Professor Jennifer Zukowski

English 121

December 3, 2015

English is a hard subject for me which lead me to set many goals for English 121. I had too many goals but only focused on three. I focused on writing strong thesis statements, being able to browse the web to find legit websites and helpful information, and on organization. I’ve always had trouble coming up with a good and strong thesis statement. Unfortunately, I still need practice on creating an effective thesis statement. I looked at many tips but I believe I have to take a minute and think thoroughly about what I want to talk about. I also need to be specific when creating a thesis statement. Maybe when I am able to do this I will improve my thesis statements. On the other hand, after doing the research paper I can say that I have improved my web skills. I liked using Wikipedia because it is easy to understand and provides a lot of information. Though I thought it was a good website it is not a good website to use on essays. I found many proper websites, such as, database and WebMD. I was also able to analyze the websites to determine whether they were proper to use in my essay. This skill will continue to be helpful. Whenever I browse the web to find information about something I will be able to know if the information provided can be trusted. I think I improved on organizing my ideas and placing them on the right paragraphs. However, I can still work on organizing paragraphs on the right sequence.

In English 121 we did an argument essay. Mine was on cosmetic plastic surgery on teenagers. At first I was for it but to my surprise after doing a lot of research it changed my point of view on the topic. I read many articles that explained why plastic surgery at a young age might not be the best decision. All the new information that I was reading was very interesting. Throughout my research I came across many stories in which women who are now adults had plastic surgery as a teenager and after they matured they regret getting it. This was something I did not know. I have always thought that since it was something they wanted they would always love it. I realize it is just like any other thing.

Doing the research paper made me realize many things and it also made me think differently. I enjoyed finding new information and reading the experiences that the young women went though. I read many things that could support my argument but I was skeptical on some of the websites. There were some sources that I think were great to add to my paper but after analyzing them well I decided not to include them because I was not sure if they were credible. It was a little disappointing that I was not able to use them. It was difficult to find good sources and to write some information in my own words since I did not understand some of the articles writing. However, I really liked that while doing the research process I improved on using different keywords to have specific information. I spent a lot of time doing research because there were times where I was not able to find what I needed. For me it was not enough time and it was probably because I spent way too much time looking for the right source. Next time I will try to spend less time and focus on the big picture and not so much on details.

One thing that I did notice that was very helpful while researching about plastic surgery was that when I did not find what I needed I would use different words to what I had. It would give me specific information about my topic. For example, when I did not find information about the risks in some articles I would look for them specifically in another search. Using keywords and different words that mean the same as the terms used before are very helpful when researching. This also helps the research process go a lot faster. I could have used more time on the whole process of researching and writing the paper. I could use help finding more websites that can be trusted like WebMD and database. I really liked these two websites.

Rough Draft Improvements

image: http://rainmaker.fm/series/draft/

Improvements

One way that I improved my draft was by adding a little more statistics to my paper. I also, changed the way my conclusion was organized. Oksoon made a comment that my F.P did not match the one from y introduction. She said that it should match because the paper did not make sense the way I organized it. Therefore, I changed some sentences in my conclusion. I have not yet but I am in the process of adding more information to my paper and adding all the sources I used to my works cited.

Irina improved her paper by organizing her paper a little different. She also added a little more information to it. It looks like she tried to add more of her opinion to it.

Chapter 17

Integrating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism

In this chapter it talks about how to avoid plagiarism. Sometimes it is intentional but other times it is unintentional. It gives us many tips which are very helpful. Sometimes I caught myself plagiarizing but sometimes I don't. This chapter will help me know if I do or not. I learned that even if we paraphrase we have to document the source. Also when paraphrasing we cannot include our own opinions. I used to think it was alright to include our own opinions in this section but I was wrong. I think that everything in this chapter is very important. It is a great guide and it gives great tips on how to paraphrase, summarize, quote, and synthesize.

Image: http://www.avatargeneration.com/2013/01/10-high-profile-plagiarism-scandals-that-rocked-higher-ed/

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

Ethos, pathos, and Logos

Ethos: 

It is the credibility of the author. This means how much of authority does the author have on the subject. Does the author know a lot on the subject or not. This usually helps readers determine whether a paper is worth reading.

Pathos:

This means persuading through the readers emotions. This can be used by the word choice used in the paper. It can change the way someone looks at a subject.

Logos:

This is the way of persuading by the use of reasoning. This is the part in which we give reasons to support our claim. It's probably the most important one to use in our paper.

S.B.S

Ethos:

1. I can get well informed on every single thing that I want to talk about, that way my readers will know that I know what I'm talking about.

2. I can set a tone.

3. I will also, include the opposite point of view which will let my readers know that I acknowledge the other point of view.

Pathos:

1. I will tell stories from teenagers who have had a cosmetic plastic surgery for themselves and turned out to be great.

2. Also, I will include stories from people who have had a horrible experience getting such surgery. This can either be from not knowing the risks and choosing a bad surgeon. Or from teenagers who have been bullied and get a surgery but still continue to get bullied.

3. I can include stories from what parents think about this and how they dealt with their teenagers getting the surgery.

Logos:

1. I will have a clear message on my paper.

2. I can include this in my paper by having good supporting evidence that will actually have an impact on my argument.

3.  I can also include this by having logic on my reasons otherwise this will affect logos and ethos, making my paper weak.

Reading Response Chp.16

Finding and Evaluating Sources

        There are many things in which one can look at to determine whether a source is legit. One of the things that stuck out to me was the part that talked about how to determine if the source is objective. It tells how not to disqualify a source just because it is reflecting a bias. As I started reading this section I thought it was going to say that a source that reflects the authors bias should not be used. To my surprise it did not say this but it did say to what limit bias is fine. In my opinion the most important points in this reading are the how to evaluate sources. This is important because one has to know if we are using the right information. We shouldn't be using sources that do not look trustworthy. However, even if a source does look trustworthy we should still evaluate them. The reading gives great tips on how to evaluate a source and it is very helpful. 

Maritza Roman

Image: https://sites.google.com/a/hesperiausd.org/cedar-tech/notes/evaluating-websites

Video Assignment

 

 

 

Evaluating Internet Resources

Part One:

Searching many things on Google is very common to do by many of us. I searched about cosmetic surgery affecting teenagers and there were many results. On the sides of this website there are no advertising but as soon as a link is open there are many advertising on the sides of the page. All the information about the topic is in the center of the page. The advertisements are a little distracting to me because when I see something moving I usually get distracted. However, sometimes there are additional information that can help and these are usually located at the left margin of the page. These are somewhat related to the topic but not exactly. At the bottom of the articles there's always information on where the author got their information from and some include certifications. The article provided all the sources that the author used. The site that I looked at looks credible. The Google result took me to a website called WebMD and the tittle name of the article I looked at is Teens and Plastic Surgery. In this article it tells why teenagers seek for plastic surgery. Would you like to know why? According to this article, most teens seek plastic surgery to improve their appearance or to increase self-esteem ("Teens and Plastic Surgery"). This article provided a lot of information that to me seemed credible looking at the sources. This article was is meant to inform and is an appropriate publication. 

Part Two:

I tried searching my topic on databases but it was really hard to find at least one article under the peer-reviewed journal section. At last I was able to find a source that might be useful. I noticed that on database there are no advertisements which is a really good thing. This shows right away that everything on database is professional and credible. Even though the source that I found does not give me the full text it tells me what it will be about. A part of the summary made me think that this would be a good source for my essay because it says "The second part of the book is probably the most useful since it focuses on specific body issues" (Eames). This can give a lot of information regarding the issues that surgery has. I know that everything said on this article is credible because it provides a source. The source that this article provides is named Consumer Connections. It has all the information needed to prove that everything is correct. Comparing it with the WebMD I have to say that to me both seemed like they have their sources in place. The only thing is that on the database everything seems more credible because not only it doesn't have any advertisements but it also provides all of its sources. In my opinion I like the database a lot more but there are not enough articles on my topic and on Google there are many articles about it. The styles are also a little different but similar in a way. The text is set up the same, however, on the right side margin they are way different. On the database it provides many useful tools which I love and on the WebMD it has many advertisements.

 

Works Cited

"Teens and Plastic Surgery." WebMD. Ed. Stephanie S. Gardner MD. N.p., 25 Jan. 2015. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.

Eames, Brenda. "'The Safe and Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery." Consumer Connections 26.3 (2010): 1-1 1p. CINAHL Complete. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.

 

By: Maritza Roman

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Internet1.jpg/745px-Internet1.jpg

Blog Review 2

 

Creative Minds

      As I was looking at every class blog, one blog really stuck out to me for many reasons. The  way the blog is structure makes it really easy to understand. It looks neat and it also has a nice background. The blog that I liked the best is called Creative Minds. I also liked their tittle, I think that it's a good tittle. I could learn some things from this blog to make sure my blog looks nice as well.

      The blog has pictures on every single post which makes it look nice. It's not all about writting and by having pictures on every single post doesn't make it look boring. On the contrary it makes it look very interesting. On my blog not every post has a picture and that's something I should change. For example, on the outline I made for my partner I did not include a picture to the post. The blog Creative Minds actually included a picture to their outlines.

      Their writing is also well organized. It looks very proffesional to me. All their writing have a great structure which makes their writing easy to read and follow. The content it self is also well written. It all makes sense and most of the posts have a lot to say which is a good thing. There's plenty to read but not too much to make someone bored of having to read too much. I could probably write a little more on the reading responses.

      Overall, this blog is doing a great job. I like everything about the blog. They have a nice background, writing, and looks neat. It's also easy to understand the blog which I found difficult on some other blogs. I really liked the Creative Minds blog.

 

By: Maritza Roman

 

Image:  http://addicted2success.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/cultivate-a-creative-mind-creativity.jpg





Argumentation

An argumentative essay sounds very interesting. It can change the way one views an idea. Something that stuck out to me was that persuasion and argumentation do not have the same meaning. I always thought that they were similar. But by putting these together can give you a strong essay. Something I learned is that having the right topic to write about is very important. The topic should also have enough evidence to support the debate. The most important points here are how to use deductive and inductive arguments. It teaches us how to use them and personally it was a little hard to understand at first. It's a big part of the essay. I'm looking forward to writing this challenging essay. It sounds interesting to read and write about an argument.
Maritza Roman
http://reology.org/2012/07/yes-you-are-argumentative-if-you-do-this/

outline

English as a second language can be very frustrating and difficult.
1.Practice makes people perfect.
2. Reading the book which make you feel good and which you enjoy.
3. Try to make habit to use English in your daily conversation beside you own language.
4. Give priority to learn the basic structure of word, and arrangement of sentence.

outline

Love can be expressed in words, but it can also be shown in many little ways.

1. Make time for your loved one.
1. Phone calls
2. Picnics
3. Lunch
2. Random surprises.
1. Gifts
3. Cook for them
1. Special meals you normaly don't eat.
4. Support them

Logical Fellacy

1. Red Herring: The fallacy in which writer directs the reader from the main issue to another issue. 

2. How to avoid red herring?

- Keep in your mind about the thesis statement and the main topic sentence.

- Try to be logical as you move from one idea to another.

- Keep appropriate track on your ideas.

Thesis Statement

English as a second language can be very frustrating and difficult.

Exemplification

       Exemplification writting is a very interesting way to writte. After reading the chapter I learned many things. One of the things I learned is that using examples in exemplification is very important. It helps to prove your point and it also helps readers understand your point. Using a lot of examples makes your papper stronger. Another thing I learned is that the examples have to be well organized and the examples also have to good. Otherwise, the writting will end up being slopy with no organization. All this will be very helpful when I writte my paper. It'll be a little challenging for me but I can always refer to the book for guidance. It has many good writtings in it which I really liked. The most important thing that I have to keep in mind is that I have to provide many examples. I'm looking forward to it since it looks very interesting. 

Maritza Roman
http://bayantwopointoh.blogspot.com/2012/08/illustrating-exemplification-using.html

Exemplification

1. To show the main idea.

2. His experience many events where people were afraid of him.

3.  Staples walks the streets at night because he has insomnia.

4.  The power to frighten and intimidate.

5. Move with care, give enough room to people, and be calm in any difficult situations.

Purpose and Audience

1. "It was in the echo of that terrified women's footfalls that i first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I'd come into- the ability to alter public space in ugly ways." He implied it.

2. Combination of both. Its is appropriate because he mentioned both sides.

3. Racial profiling and discrimination. He challenged himself by being more careful.

4. He is trying to emphasize his main point and bring reader's attention. yes, he succeeded because his first sentence is intersecting and feel like to read more.

Style and Structure

1. To show more clearly with facts that people are afraid of black people. yes, he could but that sentence make his statement stronger.

2.It is an effective  way how  he start his explanation. 

3. Yes, a lot of examples. Yes, they are representative. 

4. chronological order.

5. assassin, bandit, criminal, gang member, gangster, goon, killer,rowdy, troublemaker.

Journal Entry

No.

 

Writing Workshop

3. Not too accurate. maybe he means that gangs get together to intimidate.

 Combining the Patterns

yes, several examples would have better explained how a youth becomes a thug, because there are various ways.

Thesis Statement

Making It More Specific:

• Does technology replace teachers?
• Advantages

Forming Arguable Sentence:

• Students feel like they don't need a teacher anymore since technology can do so much to answer questions.
• It seems like in modern world technology in education has many advantages. 

My favorite one:

It seems like in modern world technology in education has many advantages.

Blog Review

     We all have different favorite blogs. Oksoon's favorite blog is Underground New York Public Library. Irina's favorite blog is Mark Reads, and Maritza's favorite blog is Mental_Floss. We all reviewed them and came to a conclusion that Mental_Floss is the best one.
      In Mental_Floss blog, there is a lot of information in the different forms like interesting facts, big questions, hypersonic, videos, lists, and quizzes.In contrast, Underground New York Public Library has the good information about books, but it has not sufficient information. In Mark Reads blog it is a little hard to understand for us. Unlike on Mental_Floss everything is well  organized and easy to understand.
     In our point of view,  the Mental_Floss blog is  the most informative to follow. However, it is the people's choice which blog they want to follow.

http://www.allposters.com/IMAGES/POMNC/7492.jpg

By: Irina Pokharel, Oksoon Park, Maritza Roman

Blog Role

RamblingsofArk.blogspot.com

FiveBrainsareBetterThanOne.blogspot.com

CreativeMinds276.blogspot.com

jamesthetheifgray.blogspot.com

sdegottalovepizza.blogspot.com

technogourge.wordpress.com

http://mentalfloss.com/

Outline

Introduction:
Thesis statement: "See, the e-blurt, like so many modes of personal expression, is all about power." 
Body
Supporting point 1:
"Im busier than you, hence I am more powerful than you."
Supporting point 2:
 Nowadays there is no proper signs of grammar while writting emails, like it used to be before a long time ago.
Supporting point3:
"If the reader cannot understand what you are saying in an email then that shows the work have done is incomplete"
Conclusion:
"Which only confirms what I've always felt about power; that the people who really understand it don't say anything at all."
By: Maritza Roman Irina Pokharel Oksoon Park

Arrangement

As I was reading chapter 3 many things captured my attention. I learned many things throughout. The first thing that stuck out to me was the title a”Arrangement.” As soon as I read it I immediately knew it was going to be helpful. Structure really captured my attention. I’ve had assignments where structure is not specified which made the assignment twice as hard. Knowing what structure to use in an essay always gives me a headache. Fortunately, the checklist the book has to recognize a pattern is descent to go back and use as a guide. However, when I read the checklist of what not to include in an introduction really surprised me. The reason why is because in a few of my past essays I’ve included some of the points mentioned. For example, “don’t apologize.” For this reason the main important points in the reading are the checklists in chapter 3. Even though, all the information given in the reading was great I wish “How to make a great thesis” was amplified. I know I'll learn this throughout the semester. Overall, I learned a lot in this chapter even things I thought I already knew.

By: Maritza Roman

Image: http://writemypaperxdp.theclever.me/