Daniel Rey

My thoughts on rhetoric from the first week compared to now has definitely changed. In week 1, i saw rhetoric as just a means of persuading someone and providing information through the use of ethical appeals. And by week 14, I see that rhetoric is such a wide topic that includes many more aspects such as audience, multi modalities, visuals, technology, etc. In the beginning of the class, I thought that using tumblr as a way of submitting assignments would be somewhat difficult, because I had never used this platform before. But now, I see that it is a great social media platform that allows a student to express there views and thoughts through multiple means. Through multi modalities, one is able to accentuate an idea by a different way other than text. I learned that using visuals/ pictures can make your argument more effective and persuasive. The use of these multi modalities did influence my perception on rhetoric because it helped me understand that rhetoric is much more broad than just text or oral. There are several small aspects of rhetoric that can really make a difference in a presentation. Some of my top posts in this class include the following.

https://danielrey5.tumblr.com/post/156336547341/reading-response

I liked this response because I feel the message as well as the visuals are very cohesive in their delivery.

https://danielrey5.tumblr.com/post/157288594221/week-5

I also found this post to be one of my top posts because of the content. The topic of posing questions that mean something to you and your purpose is something that affected me. Also this post is when I decided to do my literature review on technology and how it affects the youth. 

https://danielrey5.tumblr.com/post/156243545146/intro-to-me

Lastly the last post in my top three is the introduction post. This post shows a brief summary of who I am and I think it is important to reflect on what your thoughts used to be and how you have grown and learned. My tumblr experience in general was a very positive one. Not only did I learn how to use tumblr, but I learned that you are able to use social media in a classroom setting. I think that using tumblr in the class was very effective and i would much rather prefer this over blackboard. Where blackboard lacks interaction, and visual attention grabbers, tumblr has entertaining features that helps the student pay attention. My favorite part of using tumblr would be that there is such a variety of multi modalities available to integrate into your post. Along with the use of hashtags which makes it easier to interact with a large community, using pictures and visuals is what makes a post more interesting and entertaining. Some things I did not like about tumblr is that there is a bit of a learning curve, and I continue to learn new things about the platform every time I use it. But along with everything else, there will always be a learning curve and tumblr is not a difficult social media outlet to use at all. I think my tumblr experience has been nothing but a positive one. I actually really enjoyed using this platform over something like blackboard where it gets boring and I lose my focus quickly. Tumblr is interactive and entertaining and that is why I would’nt change anything about my experience using it.

The article Developing Multimodal Academic literacies among college Freshmen talks about how her research on freshmen and how multimodal texts helped with their development in writing. The author, Gloria E. Jacobs, combines technology with writing, as a way to bring students of different cultures together. Jacobs states that in combining students interests through technology, it leads to a better understanding of the material that is taught. 

The students in the research work on visual assignments similar to our current AVA project. This article helped me understand how the use of multi modalities can lead to stronger content, and clearer understanding. In my major multi media journalism, there is a obvious use of multi modals. Whether presenting a visual, text, poster, powerpoint, film, etc., it is important to understand how multimodal work and how to utilize it properly. As the article states, it is important that freshmen gain a better grasp on how to use multi modalities because it will inevitabely be used in their future, regardless of major. 

As of right now, all we need to do is structure and organize the video to make it come out the way we want it to. We have the concept and information, we just need to actually edit the video to make it informative. Some obstacles we encountered is actually downloading the videos into my computer so that we are able to edit/ customize them. Another obstacle is finding videos and pictures that are specific to our topic. 

Some questions we have for other groups is “How have you approached your topic, and what have you learned in terms of your topic?” “Did you any have any issues deciding which topic and research they wanted to build off of?” “What has this project helped you learn to apply in real life in our community?”

When shaping an argument, it is vital that a writer uses formats and modalities. The modalities that one can use include verbal, written, and visual. Depending on audience and purpose, one modality might be more effective than another in getting a point across. Formats are used to help a writer develop their argument  through a document, letter, research poster, etc,. Formats are important in arguments because it will help structure your topic more wholly.

Much like in Chapter 10, Yancys article discusses how arguments, rhetoric, literacy, and structure are all hand in hand. Because literature is a broad subject, rhetoric exists within it. When reading something and analyzing it,there are both rhetoric and literature components. Yancys arguments further the notion that there are types of rhetoric that come within a literacy. She basically breaks down the types of composition and goes in depth for each one so the reader has a better understanding.

I did personally grow in my understanding of literacy and rhetoric. There is a lot that goes into writing reading, and there is a whole mental process behind choosing a medium, and analyzing a document so that it is structure properly and more effective. These readings showed how important it is to choose a media, and how vital it is to format it correctly.

This weeks readings impacted my understanding of multiliteracies/ literacies positively. Yancy used examples to show the reader how diverse literature really is. In chapter 10, the topic of modalities/ formats introduced me to solid understanding of why an argument needs to revolve around certain things. Because of technology, society, and other things, media is changing and so is literature, but the core principles of rhetoric and literacy remain the same.

In this weeks reading of chapter 8 and 9, the topic is of structuring an argument, and how to adapt it to affect an audience. The two chapters go over how to revolve an argument around a writing discipline, and what it should consist of to make it stronger. In order to have a credible argument, ones research must be relevant, and credible. You cannot structure a discussion around an opinion, because that is not a logical source. In chapter 9, we look at how you can tailor an argument in a certain way so that it reaches the audience more effectively. There are different ways to organize an argument so that it is valid. In the video, there is the discussion of visual rhetoric and how there are several things to look at when constructing a video, or poster, etc. Any small thing can make a difference as to how the audience perceives the message. Things like font, color, contrast, pictures, camera angles, are all part of creating a strong visual rhetoric.

In my major of multimedia journalism, understanding what makes an argument strong is important. As a journalist, you might cover a story is biased, and picking a side to support requires there to be research and credible sources, as well as structured writing style. These chapters will help in my ongoing AVA project because it elaborates on what makes a visual rhetoric strong, and how to make you argument better. Through this information, I can tailor the presentation and information so that it is more understandable and credible to the audience.  I chose the gif of beauty and the beast because it shows them arguing, and the gif below because it shows how texts, colors, sizz on the soda, and effects make the visual rhetoric more appealing.

this project will continue to revolve around my technology theme. The topic will be of cyber bullying, and how it has taken both a physical and emotional effect on almost anyone who surfs the internet and takes part in social media. My AVA will be group project with Victoria Avila.

The two topic preferences will be either the film documentary, or the research poster. We feel that the best way to convey our message clearly is through the presentation of a lot of facts and information. 

the purpose of this AVA project will be to spread awareness and shine light on the issue, and provide some solutions that we feel can help end it entirely. Cyber bullying has many cases of leading to self abuse, and even suicide, and through our choice of presentation we want to inform the audience on what is a very real issue in our society. The audience, besides out classmates, will be anyone from ages 10-20, because that is when the majority of cyber bullying takes place.

Solution: One solution that we have to this issue is to collaborate with social media platforms, and encourage them to use signs and banners to deter cyber bullying. Labels like “Think before you act” etc, will discourage the bully from saying harmful things. With that and with bringing awareness to the community problem, it will help stop cyber bullying in the future!

This weeks reading of chapter 11 revolves around the picking and choosing evidence or data so that is is more relevant to your topic and discussion. Selecting the proper evidence when writing an article is vital because it gives the paper a strong structure. In chapter 11, we learn that evidence can be presented in a few ways, such as through data, peer reviewed articles, credible websites, books, and charts. As the variety of the evidence selection grows, so does the strength of the article. With a stronger variety of articles and research, an article is more likely to keep and audience engaged and interested in the topic. 

Examining the importance of evidence and research goes hand in hand with my major because there is a lot of that in multimedia journalism. In order to establish a credible article and keep and audience engaged, an author must be able to collect and gather important data that supports the theme of the paper. In journalism, you are de constructing events, trends, stories, etc. to give the reader a clearer point of view on the subject. In order to do this more effectively, the author must be able to integrate relevant data and information, which is what chapter 11 teaches.

This chapter taught me a lot about the importance of selecting the proper evidence to examine in my upcoming literature review assignment. For the lit review, we will have to dissect sources of our choice and relate it to our topic. I learned that when choosing a piece of evidence or data, it is important to not try and make it say something it doesn’t because then it loses credibility if you are saying something that the author doesn’t really mean. Instead, this chapter helped me focus on choosing a variety of sources and evidence, and really breaking them down so that it is more relevant to my paper. 

I chose the gif above because it makes fun of how someone can write an article with the right structure but it would be for not if it does not have any credible resources and evidence to back it up. The gif below is just a representation of my personal opinion on how the use of data and information can make all the difference in persuading and informing an audience. When examined properly, and with relevant choice of evidence, an author is able to make a paper much more credible and in depth. 

 The readings of the Literature Review in chapter 5 is basically about how important the lit review is, and how it requires you to ask questions that will ultimately lead to a further understanding of your topic, and a strong perception of the research. The lit review is important because it helps establish the author as credible, because of the extensive research being done on a topic. The reading also discussed how important it is to ask strong research questions, and be able to analyze and answer them without taking a side. 

The readings connect to my major in that scholars often use lit reviews to stay updated on the latest trends, or practices. Scholars use it to keep in touch with what is current in the field, and being that my major is multimedia journalism, it is very important to know what is going on around me. Through creating this lit review, I hope to have a more solid understanding as to what is good and bad research.

I chose the gif above because it puts into visuals how when you are conducting a literature review, you are dissecting and absorbing what the author has written so that you have a better understanding of what it is you're trying to argue. I learned from the reading that it is important to stay unbiased and to be as structured as possible, so that you can answer your research questions in a professional and logical way.

I find that when I am reading something, my mind starts to slowly drift if I don't focus on what I am reading. I can read an entire page and still not retain any information unless the content is actually interesting or engaging. My reading process is to just sit in a quiet, comfortable place, and really focus on what it is I am reading with no distractions. I focus on key terms and I try to analyze concepts that the author is displaying. For the most part, my reading process is effective. I do get distracted, but not as easily as other people. If i keep my phone in my pocket, and noises distant, I can usually  read and understand clearly. The only down sides to my reading process is that it doesn’t consider when I just don’t want to read an article or something school related. But when that happens, I usually procrastinate and repeat my process over and over. 

This weeks reading is about scholarly sources and how to analyze if they are  credible or not. There are primary, secondary, and tertiary sources that are correlated to the number of people who witnessed or experienced an event, or conducted research. I read rhetorically for 1302 by asking questions that can help me further understand the reading and by looking at what type of source the article is being presented in. The video discusses the CRAAP method of analyzation a source. The video and chapter 4 helped my understand what makes source credible and meaningful. It will definitely help with my lit review in that I will analyze my sources more carefully.

In this weeks reading, the concept was to ask questions that mean something. Not only does this help with our own understanding of the subject, but it also helps to develop skills that will help us in the future. Asking meaningful questions can lead to a stronger understanding of any concept, and it can help focus on minor details that are often overlooked. This practice of asking questions is important to my major because it helps me look more in depth into something that will lead to more information. Multi media journalism is essentially gathering information and presenting it to others in different forms, so asking important questions about any subject will mean stronger content.

As for a lit review question, the topic I chose is similar to my genre analysis topic. I want to talk about how technology is taking over our jobs, our lives, and even our reality (virtual reality). Some questions i am thinking about posing is if “at the rate technology is evolving, can it lead to takeover of jobs for teenagers who are living in urban, large cities.” I chose the gif above because it engulfs the concept of the reading, which is to asking meaningful questions. The gif below basically represents my  topic of how technology is taking over a lot of aspects of our life. 

 The article is mainly about examining the purpose of writing, and analyzing the audience so you are able to create stronger text. According to the Merriam webster dictionary, to analyzing something means to “examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of.” That is not the only definition, and there are various ways to break down a genre and analyze it. 

Being that my major is multimedia journalism, the concept of analyzing a text and breaking it down ties in strongly with that. There is a lot of studying audience behaviors, and constantly evolving to put out the strongest possible content, whether it be a video, or blog, or article etc. The reading helps me have a clearer understanding that the process of analyzing is important when studying visual, textual, and aural data. The reading also helps me with the current assignment of the genre analysis because it opened new ways of looking at a genre, which helps me get into more descriptive detail.

I used the gif below because I feel that when you are analyzing a genre, you are taking a much deeper look at what exactly the audience is perceiving, and what the author meant to say and so on. You are essentially unraveling your own mind and thoughts so that you have a better understanding of what it is you are trying to say.