#learning reflection

Hi all,

My name is Raisha and I am from Indonesia. The reason I  decided to take this course is because I want to improve my financial literacy. I can say that my current knowledge in finance is 4 out of 10. I am currently interested in financial appraisal of infrastructure project because I work closely with an expert in finance. I want to start small and learn the basic from personal financial decision-making first before jumping into the bigger pool.

For this writing, the instructions said that I have to share a recent news that will have a financial impact on my community and my opinion on it. We are on a pandemic and I am sure that the world is struggling. The recent headline that caught my interest in my country can be seen below.

Source: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2020/08/02/govt-to-provide-cash-transfers-working-loans-for-12m-msmes.html

The government is set to provide cash transfers and working capital loans for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in its latest bid to boost economic growth amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today there is good news: we have two more days to polish our project #2 and we will be skipping due date 12 and 13. I am really happy because I think we would just rush to finish project #2 without focusing on the quality if we have to submit it today. Now that we have two more days we can proofread and edit more to make it better. Today’s reading provides me insights about how the technical writing process should be like, and how should we revise the drafts. I think user testing is really a good idea, because in this way I can see the weaknesses of the draft more clearly from the users’ perspective. After all, the writing has to be usable by the users, or else it would be pointless. Crafting a reviewer guide is an interesting experience, I myself reconsidered many criteria of the report and found out that there is still much to do to revise the draft. Reflecting on GSP topics is very useful and I feel that I have learned new things. After finishing the GSP memos, I feel like a job done and never went to look back at them again. When I was revising today, I realized that I have already forgotten many things. Applying the knowledge will mean that I have truly learned them.

http://kandisangeley.tumblr.com/

I think Kandis has a good revision of the sentence focusing on GSP topics. The revised sentence is more clear and better structured.

http://jakextein.tumblr.com/

Jacob’s learning reflection as a mind map is clear and easy to understand, showing his understanding of the concepts covered today.

http://nonblondebabe84.tumblr.com/

Today the readings are mainly focused on ethical considerations and intellectual property, which I feel are very important in technical communication. So far my skills in technical communication have improved a lot, but skills are not enough for good communication. Ethical considerations are equally important, if not more. If the work is unethical, no matter how good the skills are, it cannot be considered as a good piece of work. Therefore, I feel that today’s learning has been very meaningful and enriching. Though I already know about the importance of ethical consideration, it serves as a good reminder for our project #2 and future projects.

Today I also conducted peer review of other groups’ report draft. As I have already conducted peer review in project #1, it becomes easier for me this time. After reading others’ draft, I learnt about their strengths and plan to revise our report into a stronger one. Today’s “focusing on sentence” homework is interesting, because I have not analyzed sentences like this for a very long time. It made me realize that when writing I have to carefully think about the sentence structure. It would be unprofessional to use many simple sentences, but using a lot of complex sentences together makes it hard to read. Thus, the mix of the two types are required, and it is not easy to mix them just right. I will watch out for sentence types in the future.  

https://d2l.arizona.edu/d2l/le/475468/discussions/threads/3223930/View Replied to Katie Pritchett’s group

http://jakextein.tumblr.com/

I feel that Jacob has done a good job in analyzing the ethical considerations in project #2. The part about work division is something I have not thought about, and I think it is a real concern.

http://nonblondebabe84.tumblr.com/

Today it is a big step for our project. We have completed the first draft of the project, which was not an easy job to do. Our team has worked very hard to complete each section, and proofread each other’s work to make sure everything is alright. It is certainly a challenge to finish the draft in such a short period of time, but the process has been enriching and fun. Today’s reading does not have much to do with the report, but I still read carefully because I might be using them in the future, and it is always good to learn. Conducting the resource evaluation the needs assessment is not new to me, but in the process of doing it I feel I have improved from before. Finding images is also a challenge, because our topic is hard to express through images, but we still managed to finish the task. Next the job is to revise and polish the report, and I am looking forward to it.

http://nonblondebabe84.tumblr.com/post/136513395064/dd9hw6-grammar

Kaitlyn has done a good job in the GSP Memo. She discussed idioms and inclusive language, which I had also discussed before, but I learnt new things in her post, such as avoiding jargon.

http://jakextein.tumblr.com/

Jacob has done a good evaluation of the resource he chose. I like that he specifically discuss the issue of bias of the resource, as bias can be misleading.

http://kandisangeley.tumblr.com/

Today’s reading is again all about reports, which is useful for us to do our project 2. I feel that chapter 8 is especially helpful for our project, because our research will be conducted mostly through analyzing existing resources and information. After reading chapter 8, I learnt about how to critically evaluate the resources and decide whether to use them for our research. I also followed the guidelines to finish the individual resource evaluation homework. Before this I was pretty sure we can use all the resources that I have found, but after evaluating I realized that some of them may not be very useful or suitable for our research. Today I added on to my mind map of synthesized research and produced an updated version. As I read the new chapters each day, I am gaining better understanding of the research.

https://docs.google.com/a/email.arizona.edu/document/d/1fKGhBpeCq9NRTxOVsEXM2IZkSJLqWbjpC6apo79DIZQ/edit?usp=sharing Commented on Katie Pritchett and Michael Gildea’s project

http://nonblondebabe84.tumblr.com/post/136478309789/dd8hw3-conduct-individual-resource-evaluation

I think Kaitlyn has done a good job in evaluating the source, as she followed the guidelines in TC strictly.

http://jakextein.tumblr.com/

Today we got started on our project by finishing research proposal and annotated bibliography. The readings today helped us a lot in drafting the proposal, as well as carefully thinking about the research process. The sample proposal proved exceptionally helpful as we drafted our proposal according to the sample. Everyone in the team is working hard and I wish we can get good grades for the two components. I am excited to work with them and I am sure we can produce a good report.

There is no comment function on Tumblr, so I will just include my comment in this post.

http://nonblondebabe84.tumblr.com/post/136297189614/dd7hw1-overcoming-reading-distractions

I think Kaitlyn’s self-talking is a good strategy which I may use in the future. I can self-talk to motivate myself to make my focus better.

http://kandisangeley.tumblr.com/

Kandis’s GSP Memo is interesting to read. Precision and clarity are indeed very important in our research, especially the proposal we are writing now, as we want our proposal to be approved.

http://jakextein.tumblr.com/

Today’s homework is mainly the preparation for starting project #2. The reading provided me with a general idea as what a formal report should be like. Global consideration is the key focus for project #2 and I find it very interesting. The guidelines for communication in a global team serves as a useful guide for our tip sheet in the project. Chapter 22 will aid us a lot in outlining the report and revising the report.

I am also glad that I have joined a team focusing on the country of my interest, which is China. Our team is now using the project management application that I have suggested, which is Quip. In the next few days we will be working on the project and I hope everything will be fine.

The process of searching for project management application is an interesting one. Before this I did not know there are so many applications available for project management, and I once again feel the advantage of being in an digital age. No application is mentioned more than once in the discussion post. After reviewing the applications that others have found, I still think Quip is the best application to use for project #2 because it is easy to use and free of charge. However, maybe I will try some of the applications that my classmates mentioned in the future, when I can afford an expensive application.  

https://d2l.arizona.edu/d2l/le/475468/discussions/threads/3221935/View Replied to Kaitlyn Elizabeth Riley

https://d2l.arizona.edu/d2l/le/475468/discussions/threads/3221824/View Replied to Jacob M Eckstein

Brevity story

I found the first comic strip story on brevity that I have seen yet, and I was excited and surprised due to the fact that the curated works seem to only be literary writings.

The strip is short but strong, and strange at the same time. It took me a few reading to really start even trying to analyze it. I'm still not sure exactly what the author means to get out of it, but the emotions are raw and evident in the images and concise writing.

I think I really liked it for that reason: even though you might not gain full understanding of the author's intent, you can still relate to the emotions in the story.

Hippocampus Memoirs: 

Laughing in Navajo by Dorothy Brooks

This excerpt from a book strikes me as one of the most memoir-like stories I have read yet. Brooks has a simplistic yet beautiful writing style that drew me in for the entire excerpt, even though it was quite long.

The sub headings made it more interesting, but the depth of personality kept my attention even more. You can sense the fears and joys Brooks felt during the times which she is describing. It is honest and open, and that makes it interesting in itself.

Seek and Find by Lori Jakiela

This is more similar to the other short stories we have been reading for class. It is a bit on the dramatic side, but not at all in a negative way. The curt sentences about this mother's situation drew me in.

The self reflection, and self analysis Jakiela describes make the story feel very personal and display a struggle we can all relate  to. 

Audio Student Sample

The Graveyard Shift

This audio narration was great, Stephen's voice has a low melodic quality that added to the tone of his story. He begins with a descriptive scene in his new job, and the way he does it puts the listener in the bread factory with him. 

You can imagine the sunset as he is going in to begin his shift, and hear the tone of accusation and anxiety as he describes the clock: his enemy. I felt closure near the end, as i was hoping I would, when he finally quits this job that he hates, and the time he takes to return to a normal sleep schedule sounds stressful but also comes as a relief.

Moth Story

Franny's Last Ride by Mike DeStefano

What an incredible piece. Having an oral presentation of this piece made the entire experience. As I listened, the pain and emotion emanating from this man's voice was palpable, I was practically crying with him toward the end.