Process Memo

Daniel Lewis

Professor Rinke

October 10, 2012

WRT 150

Process Memo

            This entire project was very unique and definitely different for me. It really made me think about the things that I was going to write about instead of jumping right into my paper. While doing my timeline I had to really think about where I wanted to start. It was difficult at first but once I figured out how sports related to my success academically it became easier. I had a pretty good memory of how I began playing sports so it was a little easier for me to remember how I began reading.

            Before I began this assignment I never really knew how much sports impacted me academically. I knew my family played a big role in my academics but I did not realize that they used sports to push me to be the best I could be in the classroom also. It amazed me that I had never stopped to think and analyze this process. I looked back at every little thing that I learned and saw how it related to sports. I guess this is part of maturing. By realizing this I see why I am still so addicted to sports today. There are so many aspects from sports that you can apply in the classroom. It still amazes me to this day.

            This is how I chose my theme of sports. Once I thought about how much sports influenced me academically I wanted to write about it. It made me want to share the journey of this process so most of this kind of flowed naturally. This also helped me stay within the same theme. The experience of creating a timeline told me that everything happens for a reason. It makes me want to look at all of the other aspects of my life to see what actually influenced them. I want to make sure that I am not missing anything. The timeline was really an eye opener for me because I thought I knew everything about myself but now I know I must analyze myself also.

            I thought the narrative would be very difficult but once I got into it, it became easier. Getting my area of focus was pretty easy because sports jumped out at me while I was brainstorming. This made it easy for me for to focus on sports throughout my essay. They helped my get an understanding of what I wanted to say before I actually typed it into my paper.

            When I began to write my paper I organized it chronologically. I felt that this would be the best way give the readers a feel of where I was coming from and how I got here. It was somewhat difficult to organize at first but eventually I figured it out. I used the timeline to really help me through the process. Once I knew for sure that I wanted to follow the timeline it really helped the flow of my paper.

            The entire time I was writing the paper I was thinking about turning it into an animoto slideshow. I knew I would have to do it so I made sure that I included many of the points that I wanted to hit in the essay. I made sure that if I knew what I wanted the title of a slide to be, I found a way to include it inside the essay. It did not affect the flow of my paper and it still was easy for me to write.

            My peer review partner was really great. I had sentences within the essay that I knew I wanted to use for my animoto. When she picked the sentences that she thought were good for the animoto, most of them matched with mine. I was happy that she saw things the same way I saw them. It definitely was difficult limiting my characters for the animoto slides. It was very challenging because I had my mind set on the things that I wanted to say and it didn’t sound the same when I had to eliminate some of the characters. I felt like I couldn’t really say what I wanted to say in my animoto in the beginning. Once I figured out how to re-word some of the slides it became easier.

            The pictures within my animoto were used visual aid. They were used to help give the audience a better understanding of what I was actually talking about. They could now put names with faces so they could get a better visual picture of what things were like. Pictures helped them see me in an athletic mindset and in an academic mindset.

            I chose my images because they were pictures of me and my family. Like I said earlier it helped put names with faces and gave the audience a better visualization of the point I was trying to get across. They were very personal because I wanted the audience to feel like they were actually observing my life.

            I chose “Gimme a Second” by Lecrae as my song because it brings the positive feel that I was looking for to my paper. In the song it is talking about overcoming obstacles and obtaining your goals no matter what obstacles are thrown at you. I felt like this is the message that I was trying to get across to the audience so this complemented the animoto in a great way. Now that I’ve had the chance to reflect I would include more information about where I am from and how most of the kids either play sports or get involved in the streets into my animoto. I should have talked more about my city and how it made me stronger and got me where I am today.

            Overall this essay was really fun. It helped me realize something new about myself that I had never really sat and thought about. It was also a good way to express myself and to let someone else know my story. I really enjoyed doing this project because it was about me and that made it easier to find things to speak about. Overall this was a really fun assignment and a great experience.

A letter to myself

As children people make lots of mistakes. It is a part of growing up. I was another average kid, making mistakes, getting bumps and bruises, and living life. As we grow older we should mature. This was not one of my most mature moments. In my sophomore year it was around my favorite time of the year. Basketball season at Flint Northern. We were playing against our rivals Flint Northwestern. This game meant a lot to me, my team, the fans, and the coaches. It was a tight game from the opening tip to the last seconds of the game. I was having a great game. It seemed like I could do no wrong. I was scoring, rebounding, passing whatever my team needed I did. It came down to the last few seconds of the game and we are down by one point and this is when everything went downhill. I got the ball with 10 seconds left in the game and drove to the basket. I saw one of our guards in the corner open so I passed to him but the ball slipped out of my hands and I watched my pass sail over his head and out of bounds. Later my mom told me that I had the open shot even though it didn’t feel like it. If I could go back and give myself a note it would say a few things. First you must continue to do all of the things your team needs. You must be an all-around player and show no weaknesses. You must play smart but remain aggressive. Make them play at your pace do not let them control the game. Make sure you are in a good place mentally. In order to win this game you will have to focus. As time runs down you are going to have to make plays for your team. Keep the mindset that you are better than anyone Northwestern has to offer and no one can stop you. Focus on the game and do not get distracted by the crowd. You must leave everything you have left out on the court and don’t leave with any regrets. You must lead your team by example and vocally. If your game speaks your words will mean more to your teammates. You must trust yourself as well as trust your teammates. As the time runs out be aggressive and think about what their defense has been doing all day. They have been forcing you left when you make a move the entire game. Even though you are not bad with your left hand you are more comfortable with your right hand. Knowing what they like to do on defense you must make a move left then quickly back right to get the defender off balance then go hard and strong to the basket thinking shoot first pass second. Force them to double team you and if they do find your open teammate. Play it smart but go for it yourself first since you’ve been having a great game so far. Trust yourself and take what the defense gives you and get the victory!

My Essay Reflection

 My Essay Reflection

This assignment was a great experience as well as something fun to do. I went into this assignment thinking that is was going to be difficult and frustrating. I didn’t know where to start or any idea of what I wanted to do. I was upset at the fact that I had been enjoying all of the other papers we had been doing and then this one came along and ruined everything. I was wrong though. I really ended up enjoying this project because it gave my creative side a chance to come out in the writing.

I decided on the Nissan Ad with Robert Griffin III because it actually caught my eye. It was in a sports illustrated magazine and it made me stop and read the captions to figure out what the picture was all about. It was such a good advertisement in my eyes that I looked forward to recreating it for a new audience. I took it as more of a challenge than an assignment. Once my competitive side came out it made the assignment easier for me because I don’t like to lose or be defeated.

When I found the advertisement that I felt was right for me I first analyzed it to make sure I had a great understanding of the ad and the reasoning behind each and every little detail. Then I let my mind take over. I not only had great ideas on how to redesign the ad in my head but I also had reasoning for every new design and how it would attract my new audience.

When I first started the essay the main challenge that I faced was making sure that my paper was at least five pages long. I was not sure if I could write for that long about one picture. It was really frustrating because sometimes I felt like I had to add unnecessary detail. I overcame this by realizing that going deep into detail is what I was supposed to do. Lots of detail is what was required for this paper and I didn’t realize that at first.

I really liked how it was such a wide range of things that we could do with the redesign. It was great knowing that the I was pretty much free to do what I pleased with the redesign of the picture. This gave me a chance to show my creativity and let my mind go to work.

I learned how to better analyze a picture and look to find the reasoning behind each and every element of the picture. I also have a better understanding of how to go deep into detail when explaining something. Details are all throughout even the smallest picture but it is up to you to figure out its meaning.

If I got a second chance to do this essay I would pick my initial picture out of a women’s magazine so I could redesign it for a male audience. This would have helped my come up with even more ideas because I would be pretty much focusing on the things that I like. It would be easier and much quicker if I was writing to an audience much like myself.

Subaru commercial

I chose the Subaru commercial because it pulled me in. The way they connected the loyalty of the dog and the loyalty of the car really drew my attention. They emphasized the loyalty of the dog and how he/she had been there since the man was alone, then again with the man and his girlfriend or wife, then again with the man, his girlfriend/wife, and their child. The first thing that stands out is the loyalty of the dog but if you pay attention he is in the same car in all three scenes. The main ideology is that when you have a chance to get a car as long lasting as this one don’t pass on it. In the commercial years were going by and as the family grew bigger and the dog grew bigger they were in the same car. The car had been there since the beginning just like the dog. The main emphasis on this video is loyalty and durability. It is showing you that the car is long lasting and will work for you in the long run. The intended audience is people who look to own a car or have it for a long time. The use of family is the rhetoric that is being used. Family is a big factor in the lives of many people today and this car shows how it is a perfect fit for someone who takes pride in their family. I believe that this is a dominant hegemonic commercial. I feel like many if not all of the people who what this commercial can relate to it in some way. It is hitting the points of family and durability if the car and these common fields have a lot to do with what people are looking for.This Subaru commercial commercial hits close to home.

My view on digital literacy

“Simply put, we can’t keep preparing students for a world that doesn’t exist. We can’t keep ignoring the formidable cognitive skills they’re developing on their own. And above all, we must stop disparaging digital prowess just because some of us over 40 don’t happen to possess it. An institutional grudge match with the young can sabotage an entire culture.”

                This quote explains my feelings exactly. I do not want to learn about something that has been used in earlier years and is not being used anymore. I want to learn how to work with different forms of technology that are being used now and potentially in the future. Some teachers don’t believe in working with computers or enhancing computer skills. I believe computer skills are going to be needed in over 50% of jobs in the future. Schools should want to give their students the best opportunity possible to be prepared for the future. Before they can do that they must look to see what skills are needed in the world today to make a prediction on what will be needed in the future. Some institutions want to teach the same things that were taught years and years ago. That is a problem because it only prepares students for the past. It should be a requirement if you teach certain classes you must have some sort of experience with technology. Everything is evolving in today’s world as we know it and students can’t afford to be stuck in the past. In the future, in order to be successful you will have to use technology in one way or another. Not only will it enhance ones learning abilities but it will also improve your everyday lives. We can’t change the fact that the world is evolving but we can take it upon ourselves to evolve with it. We can’t change the way the world works but we can change the way we live in it.

Literacy Timeline

Literacy Timeline
 

At the age of 2 I picked up a basketball before I picked up a book. To some people this was considered a good thing but to others this was terrible. By the age of 3 my mom taught me how to read. She believed that if I was smart enough to dribble a ball, I was smart enough to read. While learning to balance both sports and smarts my brother showed me how to become dedicated to sports around age 5. I had become very focused on sports and getting better. My sister then stepped in around age 6 and showed me that I could use the same dedication for school. Shortly after that I developed a love for sports books and magazines. This encouraged me to read more and around the age of 8 I started to take reading seriously. I took it so serious that I subscribed to SLAM and Sports Illustrated magazines. Around the age of 13 I started to lose the love of reading due to lack of interest. When I got to high school the readings for class were no longer interesting to me anymore so I did not want to read at all. About a year later I saw the importance of reading and knew that it would do nothing but help me. I developed a love for reading and writing poetry at the age of 15. This helped me enhance my reading and helped me learn to enjoy it also. It made me read for a purpose again and now my love for reading is continuously growing.

 

 

"Superman and Me!"

The literacy narrative that I read was “Superman and me” by Sherman Alexi. This passage really showed me that being a good reader or writer is not just given to you. If you want to become a great writer or reader you have to be self-motivated. Something inside of you must push you to find out what your best ways to read and write are and how you can improve them. Sherman Alexi was very determined. He had it hard growing up as an Indian. Most people expected Indians to fail but he refused to quit. He feels that writers should not give up because it is possible to become a great writer. He also came back to encourage younger kids to never give up and that anything is possible. This story meant something to me because I never really liked to read until I found out that I could read about things that are interesting to me. By reading things that interested me it helped me improve as a reader which is similar to Sherman Alexi.

Why is writing important

I am aiming towards the goal of being a physical therapist and it took me a while to think of how I could use writing and communication in this field. Communication is necessary for pretty much everything you do involving more than one person. In the field of physical therapy you must not only communicate with your clients but you must also communicate with your co-workers and staff so everyone can be on the same page. You must let your clients know what you are doing to help them regain movement in a certain body part and also let them know how they can help themselves also. Writing is not used very much in the field of a physical therapist but it is used in some cases. It is used when the doctor takes it upon himself to do extra research to learn about certain areas of the body. I was told that research is a big part of being a physical therapist because there is always something new to learn about the human body. When doing research you usually write down the new things that you saw or learned. Although both are needed there is more communicating involved in physical therapy than writing.