Kody Moody

English 2010
H. Brown
04/27/15
ePortfolio Reflection Essay
Writing and learning to write well takes much practice and research.
Throughout this semester, we have been given many different objectives to
help us better understand the tactics and methods for certain writing
scenarios. We were given the tasks of learning to write in different genres.
In doing so we learned about writing in the style of an Argument to a
particular topic, write a profile on somebody that knew something of the
topic and also write a memoir of your experience on the matter or
commentaries in relation to the topic at hand.
We learned how to adapt strategies of argumentation for a given
writing situation, like taking on a certain stance, then using facts or recent
data to justify your stance on the topic as well as trying to persuade your
reader through the points you make. When writing in any situation, we
learned to write according to the situation at hand. While I was writing my
commentary paper, it was important that I express my concern about where I
stood on the topic of how the government is handling our air pollution
problems but I had to show many examples of support for my argument and

give a clear conclusion to reiterate my stance. When I wanted to show

support for my argument, I had to research my evidence and make sure
there was data to back up my claim to avoid it looking like propaganda, I
wanted it to be reasonable, not outrageous. The data and Information I used
was also up to date and news sources, reliable.
When doing research and looking for sources for certain writing
assignments, it was important that we looked at these sources critically and
rhetorically as stated in our objectives. One example is when I was writing
my argument paper about the links between pollution and mental health
illnesses, I had to make sure that my sources were without bias and credible.
I leaned on using scientific studies and research essays to show establish
credibility in my argument.
I approached each writing assignment differently with the intentions of
getting my desired effect for each one. When conceiving each one, I wanted
to come up with something along the same lines as my main topic yet, by
learning the different writing styles in the text book, it helped me draft each
one accordingly. My profile writing assignment focused on the life of the
person being interviewed and showed his expertise on my subject matter as
well. On the other hand, my commentary was written to express my stance
on government vs. pollution and was drafted and revised with different
strategies in mind.

When citing my sources, learning to use the proper MLA formats were
helpful and I got better at doing so as the semester went forward. Learning
when to use the in-text citations and how to cite the source shows the reader
if your sources are credible. Also, learning to be proficient in citations when
interviewing somebody proved helpful in learning the different angles of
appropriate citations.
Throughout each discussion we were to write our thoughts on, we
participated in each others conversations on the subject by commenting and
expressing differing opinions, stances or maybe shared constructive criticism
to help the other writers think about something in a different light or help
them to become better in there writing. When writing our CWP assignments,
we posted our drafts for critical peer review from our fellow writers in the
project. The goal was to go over a list of peer review assessment questions
to help the writer meet the goals of the paper which included proper
citations and helpful advice on how to stay on task as far as meeting those
goals. These suggestions given to me included proper uses and citations of
images within the paper, specifically my profile paper, as I did not fully
understand the proper use of them. The input helped me tremendously in
using the right image and when it is best to use an image in your writing.
Overall, the most helpful knowledge given to me by my peers was staying on
point with my citations.
When I would review a writers work, I always tried to keep an open
mind and try to help them expand on their ideas, which I feel is my greatest

strength as a peer reviewer. If I felt that the essay was too short or could use
a little more data, I would suggest so. One writer had written about the
benefits of diesel fuels as opposed to the standard unleaded. I really liked
his ideas and his points were always very clear. There was not much input I
could give him except that I offered my ideas on expanding his comparisons
to electric and hybrid motors versus diesel motors to provide more insight
because that is what I would also be interested in as a reader. I would also
take what I had learned about MLA format and give my best advice when
someone needed it. Peer reviewing for someone helped me in a lot of ways,
but the most beneficial was being able to compare someones format versus
my own. If I felt that someone used a certain technique to make a solid
point, I would look at my own to see if my points came across as strongly. A
lot of my revisions to my own papers included those of changing my citations
or adding/changing an image to enhance the paper. One reviewer did not
understand how certain images applied to my Profile writing assignment so I
took them out and put new ones, per his advice, added proper citations and
it made my paper better for that.
When coming up with our topic for our CWP, we all expressed different
ideas that we could expand on. The best idea was ultimately Utah air
pollution during the inversion months as we could gather tons of data and
explore many different aspects of this topic in coming up with concerns,
solutions and ideas. In creating the e-portfolio for the magazine, we all
volunteered to cover different tasks for building it and implementing

deadlines in which to complete these tasks. Everyone had some great ideas
on what to put in the magazine which included comics and the use of high
resolution pictures which made it beautiful. The editors notes explain our
magazine perfectly and it was a nice touch.
When creating my e-portfolio, I went for the use of creative, artsy
photos to try and make it fun for the reader to look at. I chose the use my
Argument paper and my Commentary paper from the CWP because I felt
they were my strongest of the writing assignments. I feel my strongest
attribute in my writing is keeping an open mind and thinking about what the
reader would want to read. I try to make valid points and to use facts and
data instead of propaganda or bad sources.
If I had to do it all over again, I would write a stronger paper when
profiling someone and focus more on the person instead of trying to force
the emphasis of my topic. I now have a better understanding of what would
be expected when profiling someone.