Semester Artifacts

1. First day of class journal entry.

Question for that day was: What is rhetoric?
This is worth including in the artifacts section because this discussion about what rhetoric is set
the tone for how the course would go. I thought I knew what rhetoric was but the ensuing
discussion changed my understand of what rhetoric is.

2. ILA 1

Above is the first ILA from this semester. The chart discusses public support for different energy
sources. One of which is fracking which would eventually become the focus of my research
project. Having done that research I have a better understanding of how the data on this chart is
relevant to real world practices.
 3. Blog #4 Becoming Part of Something Bigger from Carolina Reader

The reason this makes the artifacts list is this was my favorite journal assignment of the
semester. The reading was fun, talking about the Halo games flashed me back to middle school,
going to my friends house and playing Halo instead of doing homework. This was one of the
most relatable readings I had this semester.

4. Journal Entry March 28, 2017

This was the day we started out discussion on plagiarism. Something that has been mentioned in
every English class I have ever been in. The question for this entry was What is plagiarism?, of
course everyone had similar responses having discussed it before. The reason this makes the list
is after this day I saw a quote about plagiarism I wanted to share with you but forgot: to steal
ideas from one person is plagiarism, to steal from many is research. Would be interested in your
thoughts on that one.

5. Blog #5 What is lost as handwriting fades

This was the most thought provoking journal. The discussion about benefits of handwriting and
how it was being phased out by typing are something I have considered before but not to the
depth discussed in the article. I always try to take my notes with pen and paper as I find it helps
me to learn material better.

6. Journal Entry January 17, 2017

This journal was the lecture where we worked on how to create a research question. How the
subject of a paper needs to tie the writer to the audience through the text. Material covered in this
lecture laid the groundwork for my research project by helping me develop an inquiry question.

7. ILA #5 Source Mining

My final research paper would have been much different had it not been for this ILA. This
assignment led me to an peer review journal that published a paper by a professor at Denver
University named Robert Jackson on the environmental cost and benefits of fracking. This paper
gave me lots of useful information relevant to my discussion and enhanced the quality of my
own research paper.

8. Blog #7 Our Future Selves

This article assessed some of the implication of how increased connectivity through technology
was changing society. A thought that crossed my mind when reading this article was having to so
an assignment such as a research paper without a tool like google or the internet in general.
Having to use something like an encyclopedia, I have never opened one in my life, to look up
information.