Reflection on Project #1

What challenges did you face during the Quick Reference Card project and how did you deal with them?

     I faced a few challenges in different categories throughout the Quick Reference Guide Project.  During the thinking and organizing process, I dealt with a lot of papers and articles that had to do with my topic, but I did not feel as though they were adequate for what I wanted to say. I dealt with this by continuing to research until I found articles and sources that I desired and were content with. During the drafting phase, I think I had some issues on trying to incorporate multiple sources in the QRG without the paper getting too foggy and hard to understand. I did a lot of thought planning outside of the paper in order to realize what quotes and what ideas I wanted to borrow from my sources. In the final drafting of the QRG, I had a hard time with layout of pictures and where to place visuals in order to get them to capture the audience like I wanted them to. Google Docs did not let me move the images around very well, so it took extra time for me to carefully place the citation under the picture and to keep the pictures in tact and in the right area that I desired.

What successes did you experience on the project and how did they happen?

     I felt as though, when I got on a role, I was able to really get done with a lot. I took more breaks than I normally take with homework. I think that gave me the opportunity to subconsciously think about what I wanted to say so that when I got back into homework mode, I was able to really bust out a lot of work in a little amount of time. I also found it "successful" that I enjoyed learning about the topic. I thought the research that I did was interesting and entertaining and that helped me to be able to get through the project without hesitation.

What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you 

find the most effective for your project? Why?

     As I mentioned earlier, I found breaks and outside thought that most effective. It was nice to be able to lazily think about what I wanted to do, but when it wast time to do work, it was easy to get a lot done because I really knew what I wanted to talk about. I didn't plan a lot though, as in written planning and thought bubbles, etc. I found it helpful, for this project, to do more revision than planning. It was easier for me to see what I needed to improve on.

What kinds of arguments, rhetorical strategies, design choices and writing practices did you find were not effective for your project? Why?

     In contradiction to what I said in the previous answer, I felt semi-rushed for this project. I did not feel as though I had quite as much time as I would have liked to have to fully development my thought process. I wished the project would have been drawn out a little longer so that I could really think about how to perfect the ideas that I had in mind. I enjoyed learning about this topic and really wish I had more time.

How was the writing process for this project similar to other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?

     The writing process was similar because it was writing. I was assigned what to do, and thus, I did it. There was a prompt of how to make your writing gradable and nice, and I followed it, as I normally would for a school writing experience.

How was the writing process for this project different from other school writing experiences you’ve had in the past?

     The writing was different than other school writing experiences that I have had in the past because there was a lot more research involved. Normally, anything that I was supposed to quote was already given to the class, and all that needed to happen was for the students to find the quotes in the source. This project was different because it called for me to find the source of the quote, along with the quote for citation.  It seemed more like a real-world assignment.

Would any of the skills you practiced for this project be useful in your other coursework? Why or why not?

     The research aspect of this project will be particularly useful in a lot of other coursework. I feel as though I developed more skill in finding reliable sources, both academic and emotional, that allowed me to further my thought process so that my details were more exemplified and strong. Many courses require a vast amount of research and thought development on the researched material. This was a good project to gain some knowledge and experience in those fields for further study.