Blog 10: Reflexion on Skills

What do you think you have learned in terms of writing skills?

Every single class of my writing course was really useful, since the annotation which helps me a lot when I was creating the blog 8, to summarize the ideas of the article that I was looking for, and identify the claim and thesis are great strategies to use at writing time. “The Allegory of the cave” was a excellent, interesting, and useful method to makes me think deeply in what could be the other authors point of view. I really really like to do that; find the hidden meaning of the story or situation. Actually I felt that I learn a lot, but also I feel that I need much more, that it’s not enough.

What proves that you have learned what you say you have learned?

My blogs proves if I learned or I don’t. I’m aware that I need to learn too much more, also that I constantly make many mistakes especially in grammar, that I try to fix, but I found so hard fight to a foreign language. I find so productive the class, because while I´m receiving the information about how could be a good writer, I’m fighting whit my number one enemy “the grammar mistakes”

What of the material we have covered is still unclear or confuses you? 

I think the class is completely clear, the materials, pages, blogs, teacher, homework, explanations, exercises.  Just sometimes the vocabulary used in some articles at reading time confuses me a little bit, but I’m aware that I should learn it to use them later.

Would you say that overall you feel more confident about your understanding of basic writing skills, less confident, or about the same as when we started class?

Seriously now I feel that I’m improving my writing skills, I know that the grammas is killing me most of the time, but the idea of how to prepare a composition I think I already got it. (I hope so; the last word belongs to Dr. X.) What makes me feel this way?  Because now I´m feeling more comfortable at writing time.

Anything else I should know about?

Yes, that you are the best teacher I ever had. Thank you so much for be so patient with me. And please be completely honest and sincere about my works. :D 

Blog 9: Reflexion on Paragraphing

What have you learned from the paragraphing class?

I learned the strategies or the step to create a good paragraph using the information that Dr. X gave in past classes, such as annotation, summaries, claims, thesis statement and put all this things together to be understandable.

How do you know that you have learned it?

Actually, I´m still doubting if I really could create a good paragraph with my language limitations, which make my compositions’ kind non understandable, but the basis of what paragraphing is and how make it, I think I learned “I hope so”

Can you describe how you learned it? 

I cannot describe how I learned. I just can say that practice is the better way to know if I really learned the lesson.

What helped your learning?

In the class I said some ideas which some of them were wrong, but Dr. X, Spicy Mom, and Spicy Boy gave me some extra explanation that helps me to understand the idea.

What made it difficult?

Well paragraphing is not difficult. My difficulty is to find the correct words and the correct way of how to use them to create a composition in a foreign language.

How do you feel after today's class? 

Despite writing it’s hard. This is my favorite class, because is really funny, interactive, and not stressful. Writing is one of my favorite hobbies “but in Spanish” because I can express what I´m feeling, and I already know what kind of appropriated words use in my works. But it doesn’t mean that I would not open to learn the English language and then enjoy writing as much as in Spanish.

Blog 8: Paragraphing "I know the truth, so don't bother me with facts"

According with the article "I know the truth, so don't bother me with facts" of Jeffrey Kluger. People are being tricked about the truth, and sometimes they know it, but they decided to ignore it. And I’m completely agreed with him, because humans are constantly believing in rumors and lies, are not paying attention to the contradictory evidence or facts, and don’t accept being called wrong. They are giving to unscrupulous liars the big opportunity to play with their feelings.

Rumors of lies are the main reason of the fakes. Regularly, people believe in it because that lies has logical arguments and are really organized with too much time invested calculating how to convince naive people to believe and defend their criterion. In some aspects of the life’s people are being tricked such as economics, religious, political, cultural. But I want to make reference to the economic, because it’s not strange see somebody who we knows or on TV programs different situations respect to the issue. As an illustration I´m going to present a situation in when people is constantly deceived most commonly in underdeveloped countries, and I´m talking about the  clandestine lottery, which the seller offers better prizes to players than the legal’s one; and people due to their money necessities, or just anxiety of win, spend their money in this kind of business which at the end the seller just disappear, and the naive who was looking for solve some economic problems, just find another problem trying to recovered the lost money.

Despite to whatever contradictory evidence could be found in the arguments of the lie, people is willing to look for another reason which will justify the negative fact because of the magnitude of their beliefs, that is already ingrained in people´s mind. In many cases, the same people ended believing again in the same kind of tricks, because it has other arguments most logical and secure than the first one. As it could be happen in the example above of the lottery. Everybody is free to select the better way to live; or in what kind of thing put their trust, but when the fraud is obvious and people is trying to avoid the true is when the society denies the possibility of letting them continue to believe blindly on it and starts acting. That´s why Isn´t strange find some TV commercials which warns everybody fall back in fraud. But humans are like the insects than more we take them out of the house more they want to be in there.

People usually stick to biases more strongly, and simple obstinacy is one of many other reasons of why people end doing once and again the same nonsense several times. and I takes again the example above as reference of this stubbornness, there is not logical reason that people do not accept to be called wrong, it could be ego or arrogance, but the result would be the same; they still believing in lies because it is their free decision.

Even though the obvious facts of lies are in front of the humans eyes as a big billboard, people will still believing and supporting their own ideas and beliefs’, and with obstinacy giving the less appropriated answer to others "I know the truth, so don't bother me with facts".

                                      

Blog 7: Reflexion of Claim and Thesis Statement

        Today in class I learned about claims and thesis statement, which difference is really big. Claim is an small composition with an argument that we have to prove. Thesis is a complex essay that include and claim, topic, and details which support the reasons. Also I understood how we could identify the claim and thesis in the article. 

      I really like this class, because is not the typical class when the teacher is talking, talking talking and everybody is quiet, tired, bored, with angry faces wating for the end of the class. Today I felt particulary good, because the class starts remembering me some funny situations and beliefs in my childhood, like something that I already put out of the cave "my cave", and it remember me when I used believe in "el coco", who will takes me with him if I behaved as a bad girl, It was like 20 years ago and for a moment I couldnt avoid laughing of me. ;D

Blog 6: Things I don't believe any more

Santa Claus, which is "The Baby God" as we named him in Colombia: I used to think that he came at christmas night with all present that I wished because of my great behavior during the entire past year, but then I knew that "The Baby God" was my parents. although now I new the truth I still receive my presents on Christmas from my parents in name of "The Baby God".

"El Coco", Is the other name of "the devil", which my mother said that would appeared if I do something wrong, such lie, steal, and so on. and I felt so scare all the time trying to do always the right things and be a good girl. Later I hear my grandmother telling to me mother, that stop telling me that kind of thing because later it would cause disorders in my life.


Tooth Fairy, which in Colombia is "El Raton Perez"  the belief is to put the tooth under the pillow and the mouse pick the tooth and later he will bring to you another most beautiful. "WITHOUT MONEY" I think the mouse who picked the teeth in my family was stingy and he still remains so; now here in USA I heard almost the same story but with money instead to another tooth most beautiful, now I'm feeling stolen by this cheap mouse. Well now seriously I knew that was just a fantasy because I couldn´t believe that a mouse could grow something in my mouth without me noticing, so I told that to my mom and she laughed of me and told me the truth, but she added saying that the only way that I could get beautiful teeth was eating the soups which I didn´t like and keep them very clean. which in few words is the truth.

Blog 5: The Allegory in the Cave "Plato"

In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates tells a story to his student Glaucon to explain how people deny the possibility to walk for other ways and is accustomed to live in a limited world of appearance which is represented in the story as shadows. Socrates starts the story showing the prisoners in the cave tied with chain which doesn’t let them move, as a representation of the people enclosed in their own ideas without the possibility to be out of them. Then he said that far behind the prisoners there is a fire, and in the middle of the fire and them is a raised way which when people walk through it creates shadows which are the only thing that prisoners can see and believe as a real world. In this part Socrates shows how we develop ideas according to appearances and believe of the things we consider real due to how it look from outside which are not more than illusions, because we’re just limited to live with the superficial ideas we are trapped in our perfect world of naivety.

The story continues with the release of one prisoner which was compelled to stand up and look around him suffering sharp pains, and then the firelight makes difficult the possibility to see clearly the things around him. Next somebody told him that what he had seen all the time was just a fantasy, and now he was confused looking how the things start becoming clear and more realistic than before. Then he were kicked out of the cave and exposed to the sun being impossible to see something while accomplished his eyes to the light, noting that his past life wasn’t real and there was a great world to explore out there. In my opinion, Socrates in this part was trying to explain that we can be exposed to be out of the cave due to some circumstances which would giving us other point of view much clears than before that could change something usual in our lives, such as ideas, beliefs, and the ignorance of the realty. The pain is seen in a symbolic way of how difficult is to face the barriers to change, such as doubts and our own past ideas. The things outside of the cave is the world of the ideas, which the knowledge is represented by the sun that is who brings clarity to everything out there for better perception.

Finally Socrates shows the prisoner out of the cave fascinated of the new things, and he felt the necessity to tell this to the other prisoners in the cave and decides to go back to take them out, but when he was telling that extraordinary story they didn’t believe him, because it sounds so wonderful to be true and when he went back to the cave the possibility to see the shadows wasn’t good because his eyes weren’t yet accomplished to darkness, Therefore they doesn’t wanted lose the ability to see their realty which is the shadows world, and they warned with kill him if he release them. There is no another symbolic representation of the prisoner out of the cave more that a philosopher, which is a person who attain the knowledge when he face to reality and starts getting logic conclusions. A philosopher is also always interested in shows to people the real truth, although this will cause his death, as happened to Socrates in real life.

In conclusion, this story is a parable which shows that we can be out of the cave or stay in there; we just need to make the decision. The only risk is to achieve the knowledge facing the chains that is stopping us to stay in the world of the ignorance or darkness unlike to be in the world of light or ideas conquering it in their entire splendor.

Blog 4: "HYPE" Longer

Every single place where the human eye can reach it’s being invaded by at least one commercial ad becoming as a prevalent mental pollutant and saturating the human brain of information, which in many cases isn't relevant. It’s what Kalle Lasn made reference in the article “HYPE”. Arguing that commercials are pulling unnecessary information into North America’s mind, that actually has no importance. If we look at the amount of marketing messages perceived daily we could be surprise and notice how absurd it is becoming. An estimated of 12 billion of ads we perceive daily and stifle our mind, via radio, TV, interactive screens, billboards and so on.

It is usual prepare a vacation plan where we can relax and be a part of the technology for some days, but on the way we find many billboards which are inviting us to enroll in a cell phone company, or telling us that now we can buy almost everything online, pay facilities from your cell phone via internet, get some discounts on computers or electronics in a specific store, and so forth. At the end of the day we ended up feeling the necessity to use even the cell phone or at least the radio changing the purpose of the trip, as if there was a subliminal message hidden in the ads. it's completely true that marketing is really important for business and for us too, and we cannot change it, but is also true that we have to start thinking in how ridiculous is this situation and give the correct relevance to the real important things which is the peace of mind, suggesting to businesses just think on give space and place to peace with appropriate billboards in calm places.

In the article Kalle Lasn cites that “the silent moments of my life, I often used to hear Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony play in my head. Now I hear that kid singing Oscar Meyer winner song”. The big difference between the times she cited and now is the technology advances. The world is changing day by day, and we’re constantly contributing with these changes with TV, radio, internet and so on, which are important tools on our lifestyle that we wouldn’t be willing to leave, even for our health. But we can use the conscience to create other solutions instead to be part of the pollution with criticism without action. We can start at home giving the appropriate use to time for ourselves more than TV shows, to find more silent moments than spent hours in the internet. All of this could be suggestions to find exits of the toxic pollutants while there is a general solution that will benefit everybody in the world.

Blog 3: Reflecting on Summary

1. What have you learned from the Summarizing class? 

Summarizing is to rephrase in our own words the main idea of the text making it smaller, but completely understandable for the reader. Summarizing with the class is a good method because we can exchange ideas and express every individual point of view of each person of the group. 

 

2. How do you know that you have learned it? 

The only way to know if I learned it or not is practicing and receiving comments about it, because when I write something I'm always convinced that it is right, but at the end I notice that wasn't.

3. Can you describe how you learned it? 

Reading again and again the notes. Checking the practice we did in class with the group. Reading the blogs of the other people as examples, and rewrite is a good strategy to check the mistakes and remember do not write them again, although, I have not tried it yet I know it's a very useful tool.

4. What helped your learning? What made it difficult?

First I have to mention that summarizing it's not so easy. Because there are rules to keep on mind at writing time, such as, do not repeat the same words of the text and look for synonyms sometimes is frustrating. Do not extend the details. Suppress ideas and select the appropriated one which will make understandable the summary is sometimes makes me crazy, but at the same time isn't hard, because it is just to write my best idea of the text in a few words. -although this may sound like a paradox is not- because summarizing is like whatever another method which at the beginning is hard, but at the end it becomes a easy thing just with practice. 

5. How do you feel after today's class? 

Being in the class I felt that I will be able to write a good essay or composition in the future, the teacher knows how to send the idea, and the method to work in groups is useful to understand better, the class is fun since the beginning to the end,  actually I'm a shy person and in this class I feel the confident to talk, and I'm surprised with that. Summarizing my ideas and details I felt "satisfied with the developing of the class" :)

Blog 2: Reflecting on Annotation

1) What did you get from thinking about annotations with the class?
To practice with the class is a great method to interact with the other classmates, and loss the fair while we are learning the lesson. To use this method with the annotation strategy was fun, in particularly I enjoyed the option to explain my point to my partner and listened their ideas, and then notice that were some similar. 

2) What did you get from writing annotations for "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"
About the "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" lecture. The author is showing us how we can't do many things at the same time and succeed in each one, and I relate this suggestions with my own experiences about the use of facebook, cell phone, messenger while I'm performing another tasks, and of course the answer isn't different to author's main idea "my concentrations is not showing good results"

3) What did you learn about the reading by annotating it?
Annotating is an effective strategy to prepare a essay. Because is the pre-writing in your own words the main idea of the topic based on key words, important clues, brainstorm in your opinions that we will post in the lecture.

Blog 1 "HYPE"

Every single place where the human eye can reach, is invaded by at least one commercial ad. Becoming as a prevalent mental pollutant and saturating the human brain of information which in many cases isn't relevant. If we take a look of the amount of marketing messages received daily we can surprise and notice how absurd it is becoming. An estimated of 12 billion of ads we perceive daily and stifle our mind, via radio, TV, interactive screens, billboards and so on.
Is usual prepare a vacation plan where we can relax and be apart of the technology for some days, but on the way we find many billboards which are inviting us to enroll in a cell phone company, or telling us that now we can buy almost everything online, pay facilities from your cell phone via internet, get some discounts on computers or electronics in a specific store, and so forth. At the end of the day we ended up feeling the necessity to use even the cell phone or at least the radio changing the purpose of the trip, as if there was a subliminal message hidden in the ads. it's completely true that marketing is really important for business and for us too, and we cannot change it, but is also true that we have to start thinking in how ridiculous is this situation and give the correct relevance to the real important things which is the peace of mind, suggesting to businesses just think on give space and place to peace with appropriate billboards in calm place.