Class Portfolio

Introduction

During the first half of the semester, I learned how to look at various point of views, use clear, organizational patterns to present content, as well as how to showcase my knowledge of a subject by using compelling and relevant content. What I enjoyed the most was our dicussions in class because it was a safe, open place for us to throw out ideas, opinions, comments, etc., and I found myself looking forward to it more and more. What I struggled with the most was keeping up with deadlines because once you get behind, it seems like assignments are being due every other day. However, once you get back on track, it gets 10x more easier. The goals that I believe I excelled at meeting the most was goal 2c and 13b. The reason why is because I believe I did a good job on transforming my work from the edits I was provided, and I also believe that I was able to use appropriate, relevant, and compelling content for my Digital Project #2 video to showcase my knowledge on the reading. What I want to continue developing during the second half of the semester is my knowledge and skills on implementing sophisticated, workable solutions to resolve global problems, as well as my ability to present content cohesively.

Goal 2c (20%)

Transforms ideas by gaining knowledge from multiple sources and point of views that have been researched.

The artifact I chose to submit for this goal is the rough draft for Digital Project #1. The reason behind this is that I believe my ability to enhance my project based on the edits I received showcases how I achieved this goal. The evidence is posted below.

After receiving an edit suggestion to go deeper into my experience, these are a few quotes I added:

“At times I would have to watch all the other kids fit in and understand each other while I would sit on the outside looking in. I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about when it came to talking about boys and their crushes, so I found myself picking random boys to like so I could feel included in the conversation.”

“I remember searching up things like “what is lgbt,” “what is the difference between gender and sex,” and so much more. I was so desperate to find out more so I can at least have proper closure if it turned out that I was actually the only one feeling this way; if I ended up being the weird one. However, I was met with the complete opposite of what I was expecting.”

I believe this assignment has helped me to develop a new skill of transforming ideas because I had to learn how to take constructive critcism and apply it in a way that enhances the items at hand. In addition to that, the process of learning how to execute the edits by going off of the few words provided, proved to be difficult. It was hard to figure out exactly what was wanted and how to structure it, but what helped was going through and seeing how each idea flowed with what was already in place. Something I might do differently next time, would be to communicate more as I go through with applying the edits. I believe it provide a different outcome as my current method does.

Goal 4c (30%)

Gain knowledge and skills to implement sophisticated, workable solutions to address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives.

The artifact I chose to submit for this goal is Digital project #3. The reason I chose this project is because it showcases how I gained knowledge and skills to implement sophisticated, workable solutions to address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives. A description from the map is pasted below.

“The Hennepin Canal is in Illinois and connects the Illinois, Des Plaines, and Mississippi Rivers. It was made completely of concrete without stone cut facings in 1907, the first of its kind in America. It consists of 33 locks, and 32 are still visible. 14 of the locks had Marshall gates, which are raised and lowered on a horizontal axis. 5 locks are not used but have been restored to working condition and all the gates from the remaining locks have been replaced with concrete walls, which creates a series of waterfalls. The canal was used for transportation, cutting the distance from Chicago to Rock Island by 419 miles. However, by the 1930s this canal was primarily used for recreational activities such as camping, snowmobiling, kayaking, and many more. The canal was created for an alternative to shipping by rail because there was a demand for a cheaper transportation system. There was a lot of hesitation because the state had financial problems that held back a lot of social works projects such as this. That tentative stance lasted decades with the topic of constructing a canal that connected Illinois and Mississippi rivers being in circulation since 1834. When construction finally started in 1890 and finished in 1907, there was a problem. The cost of shipping by rail became cheaper and barge sizes and freight loads increased, so the canal was no longer a viable option for that sort of transportation. Even though the canal could only be used for a short period of time, the engineering innovations used in constructing it proved to be a benefit for the construction industry. This is seen in the construction of the Panama Canal with some of the building techniques being based on how the Hennepin Canal was built. “

This assignment showcases how I achieved this goal because by researching these topics and structures, I was able to gain knowledge to implement sophisticated, workable solutions to address complex global problems using interdisciplinary perspectives. I believe this assignment helped me to develop a new skill because I struggled with showcasing my research in a way that it can be understood by many. However, I was able to overcome that challenge and find information that clearly gives a description of what I am talking about, while also sticking with the argument we introduced. What I might do differently next time would be to choose structures that have more information on them because for the Marseilles Lock and Dam and the Keokuk-Hamilton Bridge, there wasn’t much research on the internet that could be easily accessed because a lot of it was out of date.

Goal 8a (10%)

Uses clear organizational patterns and is skillful at presenting content cohesively.

The artifact I chose to submit for this goal is my script for Digital Project #2. The reason I chose this assignment is because it showcases how I used clear organizational patterns to present content cohesively. A part from the script is posted below.

“Ayiana: The way Blow structures his argument is by introducing a claim, providing written and visual evidence, and then following it up with a conclusion. The written evidence he uses is work he and his team has done, as well as outside sources such as Sarah Lewis, while his visual evidence is the images of the murals then and now. This is also how he employs Ethos and Logos. He uses individuals who have the authority to gain the reader’s trust while also providing data and sources as evidence to back his claims.
picture of quote and mural before and after
Ayiana: The way that Blow structures his arguments help the reader to better understand the claims. It is easy to follow along, but it is also simultaneously effective in delivering his information.”

This assignment showcases how I achieved this goal because I used my script to set out a clear, organized way for my to communicate my content cohesively. I believe this assignment helped me to develop a new skill because I struggled with presenting content in a way that the audience can understand. However, this assignment helped me to learn how to organize my presentation in order to present cohesive content. What I might do differently next time would be to add in more details, such as time length and transitions, because I then would not have to work as hard when it comes to producing the actual presentation.

Goal 9c (30%)

Learn how to address multiple contextual factors by implementing solutions.

The artifact I will submit for this goal will be the final project for my research team. The reason I chose this project is because it will showcase how I completed this goal. A part of the document is posted below:

“The third thing I want to talk about is the solutions for this problem. I have already explained what rain gardens are, as well as how they function. However, I now want to further explain the next steps that we will take in order to get closer to resolving this problem. In order for us to make an action plan to address the problem, we must get involved with the community. We need to ask the residents what they know of water retention, as well as if they currently have any solutions in place to try and fix this problem. We also need to keep the community up to date with solutions we believe will help so we can run them by the residents. In addition to that, we need to talk with the mayor about ways we can implement solutions that we and the community have come up with. By including the community in our next steps, we can make sure that we come up with a solution that actually helps the people being affected.”

I believe this artifact helped me to learn how to address multiple contextual factors by implementing solutions because of the process that I had to go through. There was a lot of trial and error trying to understand the assignment as well as get it right, but I believe that in the end, I accomplished my goal. During this project, I realized that in order for us to solve this problem we need to understand how much the corresponding factors influence it. The “solution” I ended up utilizing for this problem was the community. In order to solve our wicked problem of water infrastructure, we need to realize that the actual people in the community are a key part in the solution. They are the people living through it day after day, so they see things that other people don’t. They have ideas, thoughts, and other valuable information that we need in order to completely solve the issue. What I might do differently next time, is actually go into the community to conduct some sort of informal survey that can help me to figure out the best next steps to take.

Goal 13b (10%)

Use appropriate, relevant, and compelling content to illustrate mastery of the subject.

The artifact I chose to submit for this goal is my script for Digital Project #2. The reason I chose this assignment is because it showcases how I used relevant and compelling content to illustrate my knowledge of the article. A part from the script is posted below.

“Ayiana: In this article Blow talks about the diminishing support of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as black lives in general, and he uses the murals that were made after the George Floyd incident to center his story around.
picture of George Floyd mural
Ayiana: After reading this article, I believe his argument was very straightforward with how it was structured, who the audience was, and how the topic was delivered.
picture of thesis written out“

This assignment showcases how I achieved this goal because my summary and thesis shows that I used relevant and compelling content to illustrate my knowledge of the article. My summary talks about what the article is about in general, and my thesis talks about the key points that I made in my analysis of the article. I believe this assignment helped me to develop a new skill because it pushed me to learn how to talk about relevant information without veering off track or talking about too much. The process was a struggle because I had to narrow down what was important information that needed to be shared from the information that wasn’t. What I might do differently next time would be to annotate the reading in hopes that it will make it easier to find the most important information.