Reflective Essay

Over the course of the semester, I have worked on four major writing assignments in English 328 that required me to use different strategies and methods when addressing my topic or argument. When examining a text to write about, some of the strategies included looking for strategies that the author used in their work, and then analyzed it. Other strategies included collaborating with other classmates to generate more ideas, and also giving presentations through power point and or video to better illustrate my ideas or arguments. This reflective essay allows me to think back and recall these strategies and consider how they can be applied in future assignments during my college career.

Group Discussion: “Cold Comfort”

My class group and I had the opportunity to study and analyze Atul Gawande’s essay, “Cold Comfort,” and discuss it with our class. Gwande’s essay discussed the curious nature of the common cold. It explained how the common cold has intrigued scientist for years; everyone gets the common cold, but scientist are still not 100% clear on how it is transferred and how to cure it. Our group, which consisted of four group members, decided to read the article and address the issues brought up in the essay by each of us focusing on a section, and discussing it with the class.

Technology as it changes the world

If you haven’t already noticed, the world around us is constantly changing, and the continuous advances in communication and media brings curiosity to how things we will be living 20 years from now.

Creating My Multi-Genre project: Organize your Time and Become a Better Student

Coming up with an idea for my multi-genre was a difficult task in the beginning, but as a future educator I began to think of an issue that myself, along with many other students, tend to struggle with. I thought of an issue that I could address and create a solution for, and that issue was organization. My students tend to have a problem with organization, which includes time organization and the organization of school documents.

Too Cold for Comfort ( Short Essay Extra Credit Blog)

“Cold Comfort” is a very interesting article, written by Atul Gawande, that explores the curious behavior of a friend we all know too well, the common cold. After years of investigation, scientist have established different beliefs as to how we catch colds, but no one knows exactly how it is transferred, and the 100% effective way of treating it. The article explores a number of experiments, scattered over different time periods, that test the many notions that society believes are the reason behind catching the common cold. The article also explains how the common cold affects the body and ways we have tried to cure it.

“The Twouble with Twitter” YouTube video analysis

Social Networking sites such as Myspace.com and Facebook.com have grown over the years to become culture phenomenon. People from all over the world with different backgrounds and ages, have joined these sites in-order to connect or re-connect with friends, family, co-workers and associates. Lately however, a new social networking site called Twitter.com has begun to take over and become extremely popular. The site allows you to share what you are thinking or doing at any time of the day ,in a small box called a “status bar”. Many people seem to really enjoy sharing their lives on this website; others think it is a waste of time. Youtube.com provides a very entertaining animated video that informs the viewer what Twitter is, and why so many people enjoy being part of it. My analysis of the video points out important scenes that highlight important factors of the communication aspect of Twitter, and how it is changing it.

“A Vision of Students Today:” Youtube analysis

Youtube.com is a website consisting of thousands of up-loadable videos. Some of these videos showcase music, people discussing different topics and some are meant to be humorous showcasing hilarious events and situations. Among these videos, however, lies an informative video titled, “A Vision of Students Today, “which brings attention to the many issues and problems college student’s face during their career. The video is plain; however, it possesses a unique quality in its cinematography. The quick movement of the camera shows a college classroom full of students, who hold up different messages that uncover the weaknesses of the Americas college institutions. The video contains different themes and messages that speak a sad truth; however, the information given provokes a call to action in college institutions, and remains to be an important video for any college student or professor to watch.


In the beginning of the video, the camera shows an empty classroom, and then moves at a quick speed to focus on a series of questions written in different areas of the room, such as

“If these walls could talk, what would they say?” and “if students learn what they do, what are they learning here?” The underlying theme of this video is the future, and the future of our college students preparing to go into the real world. The camera quickly jumps from student to student who hold up signs saying such things as, “my average class size is 115, 18% of my teachers know my name. I complete 49% of my assigned readings and 26% are relevant to life. I buy hundred dollar textbooks that I never open.” A number of other students hold up similar messages that pose the question, are these institutions really preparing students for the future? Or are they just taking their money?

The video speaks manly to college professors and administrators. College students already know these issues, but many instructors and administrators seem to forget how much pressure is put on students. We have no idea of what the future holds, but one thing for certain is that our future leaders feel unprepared and that things need to change.