Response to Bawarshi, Allen, and Magee

After reading Bawarshi, I realized that what the author states about social environment and writer not existing without one another. I believe that most of the things I read were caused by the author’s environment. For instance, I would love to write about athletic training because that is the environment I am in for most of my day. I take athletic training classes and then go to Peden and spend three hours with the athletes.

            If I were to write a professional published work it would most likely be about athletic training because I have the most experience there.  If I were to write a personal narrative or a paper that wasn’t to be published and didn’t need to be perfect I would probably write about one of my personal experiences such as snorkeling in the Florida Keys or visiting Salem, Massachusetts for Halloween. I am a product of my environment so therefore so are all of my writings.

            Allen states that rhetoric is “always persuasive” and that discourses cause change. By creating a very different, out of the box, discourse it encourages people to think. I feel it is deemed sufficient when it causes people to change their minds or even act on their feelings about the writing. I see this in a lot of the books I read. I love mysteries and crime novels. The books that I am more inclined to read again or recommend to a friend are the works that blew me away with their endings. If I cannot guess the ending and it keeps me in suspense the whole time, I consider it a great book.

            The same goes for professional writings. If I read a text book or article that touches on many different points of view and makes me second guess my own opinion, then I am more inclined to read on and learn more. As for Magee’s writing, I agree that men and women do not have a distinct style that defines them. Sometimes reading these articles for class I did not look at the author’s first name until I was done. There were quite a few articles that I could have sworn were written by men but they turned out to have female authors. I think the way you write is all based on how you view the world and your education background.

Response to Dirk and Devitt

These articles have changed my understanding of genre dramatically. Dirk speaks of it as though it is something with a negative connotation. I feel that it is thought of in this way because not many people understand all the types of genres. Devitt on the other hand sees genres as constraining at times but depending on how they are taught can be liberating.

            I agree with Devitt partially and Dirk partially. To me, genres are constraining. I don’t like to be told how to write or what to write about. I find it so hard to be creative and write a decent paper when I’m told what to write about. If it is a dry topic that I am not interested in or have no background knowledge of I will not be able to write a well thought out paper. If I am given a very broad topic that I can twist into something of interest then I will run with it.

            If I am given the chance I can be very creative; however, when I am forced to write about a boring topic I cannot bring myself to make the paper flow. If I had to define genre I would say it is the style of writing that an author follows. These two articles have changed my opinion of the way students and teachers view genres. Dirk’s article describes them in terms of how students see them and how they could be taught differently to be made more enjoyable. I found Devitt’s article to be hard to follow.

            I seem to relate more to Dirk because that article explores both ends of the spectrum. I can see how genres would be much more enjoyable to and open depending on how they are taught. I’m sure I would have an easier time with genres if I understood them better and was given a broad topic to follow. I also like how Dirk wrote using common language. It seemed to me like Devitt tried too hard to sound professional which made the article very hard for me to follow and become interested in.

           

Response to John and Harris Discourse Communities

In John’s article it seems to group discourse communities based on something people were forced into. For example, the author talks about religious and cultural discourse communities that our parents put us in. Harris sees a discourse community as sort of a club. If you’re not a member of the club then you don’t fit in it.

            I seem to agree more with John than Harris. I do see discourse communities as more of something I was born into. Yes there are some I chose to be a part of but most of them were my parent’s choice for me. I am Roman Catholic but not by choice. I live in the south but not by choice. I went to Catholic school my whole life but not by choice.

            Harris believes that discourse communities can be good and bad. He speaks of them like they are clubs and only members are in the know. In some ways I agree. When it comes to sports teams or religions I wouldn’t fit in. I would be the without a membership on a football team because I’m a female and I’ve never played before. I would also be without a membership in a Jewish temple because I’m not Jewish.

            I can see where Harris is coming from and both he and John have changed my views about discourse communities. I always thought of these communities as a choice but once I really thought about it I realized that most of the discourse communities I’m in have been chosen for me. Harris opened my eyes to the fact that they can be good and bad. I never really saw the sort of strict side of these communities before reading this article.

            I think we have been spending so much time on these readings because it is important to understand what our readers believe and how to persuade them especially with resumes. It is important to be on the same page as your reader.

                

Response to Wardle, Johnson, Clark, and Burton, and Windsor

Wardle's ideas relate to ecologies and discourse because it is talking about engineering specifically. I would not be able to understand an in depth engineering article just like an engineer would not be able to understand an athletic training article. This article tells me to write professionally and the proper terms to use in order for other athletic trainers to take me seriously and understand my document.  Windsor compared to Johnson, Clark, and Burton is much more professional in her approach. She seems to be writing to be published while the other document seems to be just for peers.

Response to Gee, Boyd, and Cooper 4/13/11

I think we had to read these articles because they teach us to elaborate on our writings. The reader can gain more insight into our writings if they have more details to read. My freshman year in high school I remember writing a personal narrative and having to read it in front of the class. Mine was a scary story that actually happened to me. I had the hardest time elaborating on it but when I finally did it came out well. I described every little detail down to color, size, smell, sound, and emotion.

            From the Gee reading, I gathered that discourses are the way we speak and act based upon our surroundings. For example, a doctor would be a master of medical terminology while a car salesman would be a master of persuasion. Both of these fields require a certain language in order to be successful. Gee said that discourses were hard to join but I disagree. I think that you can join any discourse at any time as long as you can speak the language

            I think of discourses as different cities. I am from the northern suburbs of Chicago. We tend to speak slower and with less of an accent than the people in the city. When I would go down town on the weekends all of the locals would talk extremely fast and draw out their “A’s.” Especially in Chicago, if you don’t speak the lingo you are not openly welcome. People in the city tend to be much cruder than those in the suburbs. I had family from Boston who came to visit Chicago and were not impressed by the attitude the locals possessed.

            Hopefully I can learn more about elaborating on my writing and what terminology to use based on my audience. We all have our own styles of writing that pertains to our majors. In my major for example we use a lot of medical terminology. As athletic trainers, we write documents called SOAP notes. They are summaries of the athlete’s injury and rehab process. The entire document is medical terminology and abbreviations for words that we use. This is a perfect example of both rhetorical and discourses. When writing a soap note we have to include every detail but in terms that only other medical professionals will understand, otherwise it is considered unprofessional. I would much rather just write it out in my own words but I do what I’m taught!

            

Resume 4/11/11

This year I drafted my resume for the first time. In high school we never really talked about what to put in them or what they should look like. I was really nervous when I heard that I had to make one for my internship. With the help of one of my professors and a mentor from back home, I ended up creating a better document than I thought. I didn’t think I would have enough information to fill an entire page because I have only had two jobs in my life and only one of them had anything to do with sports or athletic training.

As I began to create my resume I found that a lot of my experiences here at OU were worthy of the document as well as a lot of the volunteer work I did while living in Chicago. Luckily, with the help of my superiors and peers I was able to land an internship at Harvard University this fall. I strongly believe this would not have happened without the help I received to create a great resume to represent myself. I am very happy with the final document but I feel as though it needs to be spiced up a bit. Can’t wait for suggestions!

As the resume article stated, resumes are written to “explain intent” to different audiences. I was told when writing my cover letter that it needed to be addressed specifically to the head athletic trainer where I am applying or to whomever will be hiring me. I was also told to explain why I was so interested in the position for personal and professional reasons. I try to make a connection between the work I have already done and the work I hope to do at the job being offered.  This better explains my intent and hopefully persuades the reader to consider me for the position.

As for audiences, there are multiple audiences I could be writing to. Athletic trainers can work anywhere from profession sports such as the NFL, to high schools, to fire departments. This poses the opportunity to network and get my name out there. It is important to cater to the different audiences I may face. For example, I would go into detail about my work with high school athletes if I was applying to a collegiate setting. I would focus more on the work I did with OU teams and how they would qualify me to work in another collegiate setting.

As for my resume, I listed my CPR/First Aid certification and all of the clinical experiences I have had. I think this is extremely important because in my field if you don’t have experience, you don’t know anything. I could have aced all of my tests and had the highest GPA in my class but if I haven’t physically worked in an athletic training room and had contact with athletes I wouldn’t get hired by anyone.

I also feel that the right references matter. My references include one of my athletic training professors, the head athletic trainer for OU football, and two athletic trainers I worked under in high school. All of these people know me well and can give an employer an accurate account of my work. 

Response to Klein and Shackelford

Designing a resume can be somewhat challenging. Design refers to the way the resume looks and what aspects of it attract the reader’s attention visually. Klein and Shackelford describe text and type as font type, line spacing, and font size. I was always taught that you need to pick a font that is just right, not too big and not too small. I usually just stick with font size 12 to be on the safe side.  I will make my headings or important points bold and a bit of a bigger font such as 14 so that they stand out.

            Imaging is also an important part of design. I have never put a picture on my resume but I have heard from friends of mine that it is becoming more and more popular. It makes me a little uncomfortable putting my picture on the document because I would rather stand out for my talents and accomplishments. When reading a document I always flip through it to see if there are any pictures before I start reading. I would agree that a good photo should be included to draw attention and make the reader want to continue reading. This is known as contrast. The bigger the font and picture the more attention they draw. As Klein and Shackelford mentioned, a color photo is better than a black and white photo because it contrasts with the white background of the paper.

            Repetition on resumes I one of my biggest pet peeves. I don’t like when people switch between bullets and squares or dashes. I don’t like all different types of fonts and colors and spacing. I think everything should match so that it flows and looks more organized. Along with organization and repetition comes alignment. When building my resume I made sure there were just enough sentences so that the paper wasn’t cluttered. I also made sure that all the margins were the same as well as the spaces between the lines and sections. If I were looking at a resume with a bunch of white space and dates and bullet points all over the place I wouldn’t take the time to read it.

            Proximity is probably the most important element of design in my eyes. I hate when papers are unorganized and switch back and forth between topics. I like to have all of my main points supported within the following paragraph(s) and headings above the correct paragraphs when called for. I remember in grade school getting a paper I wrote back completely covered in red. My teacher told me it was unorganized and I was completely embarrassed. After that I paid extremely close attention to how my paper was organized.

            Not only is proximity important but so is the style in which the paper is being written. I am the most familiar with the MLA style but I have written a paper in APA format as well. Hopefully I can continue to critique my writing styles in this course!