Active reading is the first step of writing about a text. Active reading includes highlights, making notes, underlining main points and maybe circling ideas that spark your interest. Reading the text several times will give you more perspective and ideas of what the author is trying to relay.
The next helpful step in producing a brief outline to help yourself understand the author's thesis and main points. This puts the main ideas down in your own words and starts to help yourself start thinking about how to interpret what the author is trying to convey. Next, write a summary of the text referring back to your outline. This will require choosing the ideas that you think are most important since the summary is a short writing of the whole article. Then you must select a few points to analyze and make an argument either for or against the authors views. This will require evidence to support your arguments.
Active reading is definitely in my plans because it allow you to put your own thoughts and ideas down about what the author is saying on paper and it provides a great start to producing an outline. I would like to attempt to use an outline, which seems like a bit of work to me, but it seems like it could be very useful in formulating my ideas. My challenge will be creating arguments. As a reader, I am passive and am not usually judgemental. Hopefully this chapter will help in my writing about texts.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Frewriting Exercises Dialogue
The definition of freewriting is writing down your raw thoughts for at least ten minutes which out interruption. You must let your mind open up and free itself of grammar, punctuation or editing. This means you write non-stop without stopping for any reason. Your thoughts may drift out of the subject that you originally have started with but let your thoughts flow. Your thought might even be blank or seem to be about nonsense but the only important thing is that you do not stop writing for the duration of the ten minutes.
When one is consumed with premeditating their thoughts and editing the words before they appear on paper, it inhibits the contents of their thoughts and feelings. Freewriting allows one to drop the obsessive thoughts of making mistakes. This can be difficult for some who have a habit of thinking things through before it appears on paper. Some, like me, may have the feeling that once on paper it is semi finalized. When we let all our thoughts flow onto the paper in front of us we give ourselves more ideas to work with and later choose the ideas that we think are the best and we can edit these after the fact.
Although the whole idea of freewriting is new and surprising to me, I find it interesting that it can help and improve your writing skills. Even though you may produce some garbage out of letting all your thoughts go, you may also get some excellent and intriguing thoughts that otherwise might have been skipped over due to your internal editor. I look forward to freewriting and seeing how it affects and improves my writing.
When one is consumed with premeditating their thoughts and editing the words before they appear on paper, it inhibits the contents of their thoughts and feelings. Freewriting allows one to drop the obsessive thoughts of making mistakes. This can be difficult for some who have a habit of thinking things through before it appears on paper. Some, like me, may have the feeling that once on paper it is semi finalized. When we let all our thoughts flow onto the paper in front of us we give ourselves more ideas to work with and later choose the ideas that we think are the best and we can edit these after the fact.
Although the whole idea of freewriting is new and surprising to me, I find it interesting that it can help and improve your writing skills. Even though you may produce some garbage out of letting all your thoughts go, you may also get some excellent and intriguing thoughts that otherwise might have been skipped over due to your internal editor. I look forward to freewriting and seeing how it affects and improves my writing.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Autobiography
Currently I am employed by L-3 Communications Wescam Sonoma Operations as the Lead Test Technican of the Test Engineering Department. L-3 Communications Wescam Sonoma Operations design, develop, manufacture and support ultra stabilized, high performance electro-optical and infrared imaging turret systems for ground, airborne, manned, unmanned aerial vehicles, military, and commercial applications. I am responsible for scheduling of all subassemblies, circuit boards and turret systems coming to the Test Engineering Department before final shipment. I am also responsible for managing and overseeing the productivity of five test technicians.
My short term career goal is within the next year to be appointed as the Test Engineering Supervisor. My short term educational goal is to complete English 100 in order to receive an Associates degree in Electronic Technology. My longer term educational goal is to pursue a Bachelors degree in Business Management.
I have lived in Sonoma County for 26 years which has been most of my life. I am hoping to receive from this class, better write skills and grammar. This would benefit myself and my employer in my writing reports, emails, etc. My goal is to get my work in early. This will be a challenge with my hectic work schedule and responsibilities. I usually pace myself by trying to engage in my school work at least a little everyday. I look forward to the interaction of online learning, by this I hope learn about the views of others and hopefully a little more about myself.
My short term career goal is within the next year to be appointed as the Test Engineering Supervisor. My short term educational goal is to complete English 100 in order to receive an Associates degree in Electronic Technology. My longer term educational goal is to pursue a Bachelors degree in Business Management.
I have lived in Sonoma County for 26 years which has been most of my life. I am hoping to receive from this class, better write skills and grammar. This would benefit myself and my employer in my writing reports, emails, etc. My goal is to get my work in early. This will be a challenge with my hectic work schedule and responsibilities. I usually pace myself by trying to engage in my school work at least a little everyday. I look forward to the interaction of online learning, by this I hope learn about the views of others and hopefully a little more about myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)