Multimedia

           It is extremely important to be able to use all forms of composition. I have had my experiences with various forms of multimedia through various outlets. Being able to experience these different forms of multimedia has prepared me somewhat for this group assignment.

Figure 1 depicts students being fully engaged
in reading the school year book.

          In high school, I had the opportunity to serve as the head editor of the 2011-2012 School Yearbook Club. While serving as head editor, I was given the opportunity to produce a farewell senior PowerPoint. To complete this task I was required to arrange photos and videos, select entertaining transitions, select musical selections, and collect short videos and pictures from the seniors at my school. While putting a power point together is not exactly hard, this assignment was not technically about the power point itself but about putting it together in a way that I could get the response we intended from the audience.

Figure 2 depicts a news reporter in a somewhat
comical way giving her stereotypical features.

           I was also a broadcaster in 9^th grade for my High School News Show. This was an awesome opportunity for me and due to it and some other things I have acquired some amazing speaking skills. In doing this, I had the duties of reporting the news to my fellow classmates every morning and afternoon. Being a reporter may sound like an easy task but, it was somewhat difficult having to read off the teleprompter while trying to present the information in an extemporaneous style. After the recording was complete, me and my classmates were responsible for editing the recording and adding in videos and music,          In doing this multimedia assignment, there are things that both excite and intimidate me. I am excited about being able to work in groups and present our final product to the class, but I am somewhat intimidated when it comes to my writing. I believe that everyone has there own style of writing each being different from another. Although, I think my writing is decent I am concerned about my group being pleased with it.URL's for pictures:

http://www.pike.k12.in.us/schools/fishback_creek_public_academy/activities/Pages/Yearbook.aspx

http://wordpress.bhmschools.org/retter/2010/02/08/what-is-jourlsim/11361-female-news-reporter-clipart-illustration/

Reflection

My experience in English 103 with Mr. Evans has been extremely beneficial. His style of teaching is very laid back and informal which, I think makes the class more comfortable for my peers and I. My writing has definitely improved since I began his class. I have learned how to effectively use rhetoric in order to persuade my audience, how to analyze literature and images for rhetoric, how to effectively take feedback from my friends and give it with peer review, and also how to analyze sources and understand how they will be beneficial to my writing. Before this class, I didn’t’ really have a clear understanding of what rhetoric was because in my high school English class we just simply defined what it was never really using it.  Mr. Evans has given us many resources to help us with our research.  The assigned reading from our book along with the workshop in the library helped me with creating my annotated bibliography and will continue to help me on my research paper as I look for various sources to support my thesis.

I can use the information we have learned in English 103 on our upcoming Research Rhetoric Assignment but, also in other classes. For instance, in my communications class, we have an upcoming persuasive speech.  In order to persuade my audience to support my opinion I will be using many different rhetorical strategies and devices. For example, I will be establishing my ethos by using credible information from experts and logos by finding accurate statistics and data on the topic. These are only two examples of how I will use my recently learned information but I am certain it will be valuable in various other situations. The information I learned in Mr. Evans English 103 classes will always be useful to me. I challenge all my teachers to make the information taught relevant in some how to the rest of my life and Mr. Evans has meet that challenge. 

Research Log 2

Friday, March 8, 2013

Health Website Article

"Sleep Deprivation: Most Underlying Causes Treatable." Mayo Clinic -. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2013.

This article gives a detailed list of cause of sleep deprivation. The article is credible and published by the Mayo Clinic. This article offers a key counterargument for my paper. It will do this because; it does not include my claim that technology is a cause of sleep deprivation. It is important for me to have an counterargument in my research paper to help prove how my these is correct. I can form more than one counter argument with this source since it includes a list of other reason that sleep deprivation can be caused. While, some of these may be a small cause of it, I am looking for the major cause which I believe is the use of technology an hour before going to bed.

Screenshot:

After analyzing and grasping exactly what rhetoric is, one starts to recognize it more in their daily life. We are constantly exposed to rhetoric everywhere we go whether it’s visual, conversational or written. I’m exposed to rhetoric starting early in the morning in my dorm with posters and bulletins boards posted by my Resident Assistant. There are even flyers in the bathroom stall persuading me and my other fellow residents to attend various events taking place on campus for the month. “The Toilet Paper”, depicted in Figure 1.1, consists of movies, meetings, and campus wide events that we are recommended to attend.

 Figure 1.1 “The Toilet Paper” which is posted in every bathroom stall displaying ads from various organizations on campus.

I’m not only exposed to rhetoric but I also use it myself. Most times I don’t even realize that I’m using rhetoric when trying to get my friends to come to lunch, the gym or even the library. I try to persuade them by telling them the benefits of coming and how it would absolutely kill me if they didn’t come. Just like the ads and commercials that are shown on TV, I use the same rhetorical devices to encourage my friends.

Although many forms of rhetoric are easily recognized after further examining my everyday life, I’ve realized that the simplest things around me are trying to persuade me. For example, the way my roommate and I refrain from putting our names in the door because we like to be left alone. Also, how majority of my RA’s bulletin boards include tips on studying in hopes of keeping us on track, shown below in figure 1.2. These bulletin boards are strategically placed at the end of the halls and right next to the elevator to ensure that we see them on our trips to and from our dorm. Their placement can also be a form of rhetoric because the people who placed them put them in areas they knew would persuade us to read them.

                       

Figure 1.2 The most recent bulletin board posted by my Resident Assistant that has 5 tips about starting this semester off strong.

On a day-to-day basis, I am exposed to numerous types of rhetoric. The radio, television, bulletins, posters, Internet, and billboards are apart of my everyday life. Although, I might not always think of them as rhetorical devices but I realize now that they are. All of these things are used to either persuade me to buy a product, feel a certain way about an idea, or even support a cause.