Introduction
CODES has been a great resource from me. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with every single person and every conversation we have in class. I think this section of CODES has been a struggle simply because I love math and English is not my strong suit. The work load has been tough, but I make strides to make sure everything gets done. I enjoy that the material is about topics I typically wouldn’t choose on my own.
I have grown a lot from the beginning of the semester up to now. College is becoming a reality and adjusting has been an experience. Throughout the semester I learned a ton of great qualities but I can say I have improved the most on collaboration and communication. When I was in high school, I was usually the leader in group projects, but I have learned to let others carry their own weight as much as I do mine.
Ethical Reasoning (20%)
Recognizes multilayered ethical issues and the cross-relationships among them.
“Instead of just focusing on the problem at hand, I will dive deeper into the ethics with more thorough research.”
Digital project #2 is a great example of ethical reasoning. I switched my choice of multimedia journalism after I wrote reflection #3, so as a replacement, I brainstormed on a piece of paper:
This, along with several points made in my DP #2 show that I have studied various types of argumentation and ethics.
I enjoyed reading Eddie Kingston’s Got No F***ing Business Being Here. It allowed me to analyze an article with various ethical issues. I remember the class discussion after was very engaging and I had a lot to say about his rhetoric.
Critical and Creative Thinking (30%)
Takes risks in approaches to learning to create new knowledge.
“Wicked problems are multilayered, so taking risks will be critical to assess all sides of the problem.”
Digital Project #2 was interesting to compose, and something I hadn’t really done before. This project in it of itself is a risk for me. I have never been a creative person, so trying to make an informative and entertaining video was a struggle. I have never worked with video editing, but this video I found on YouTube was a huge help! iMovie Basics: video editing tutorial for beginners
Digital Project #3 was the hardest to do. Thinking about what kinds of places I wanted to put on the map was difficult, but deciding what our argument was going to be was even harder. Actually doing the project wasn’t strenuous, but brainstorming was.
Oral Communication (30%)
Uses clear organizational patterns and is skillful at presenting content cohesively.
“I will take a more detailed approach to presentations, create in depth outlines, good questions, and focus on word clutter.”
Below is the script I wrote for Digital Project #2
I am very proud of this outline, I think it is chronological and well thought out. I even had some peers review this to make sure it was in its best shape.
At the end of the semester, I still feel as though the script I wrote for DP #2 is the strongest piece of evidence for oral communication, but here are also some annotations on Braiding Sweetgrass for our class discussion:
I pulled these 3 annotations from the rest because I felt they had a lot of meaning to them that I could mention in our class discussion.
These two artifacts show that I was dedicated to making well thought out presentations, which I would never have done in high school, or even early in the semester.
Problem Solving (10%)
Implements solutions to address multiple contextual factors.
“It is hard for me to think outside of the box. I will jot notes and participate in discussions. I will focus more on what other people think and really incorporate others’ perspectives.”
The photo essays were something that were extremely interesting to me, and unlike anything I’ve been required to read before. My favorite one I read was about getting your first car. This essay hit close to home and made me excited to make my own photo essay. I don’t usually do well in group projects, but Ty, Angel, and I worked together to make an interesting piece.
Below I have attached a picture we chose not to include, but still has a good message and mended us as a group.
If I had to do it all over again with more time, I would think through it harder and choose a more compelling topic.
Working in groups for the first time as a cohort was a challenge for us all. These presentations and projects were more wholly and thorough, and maybe something some of us weren’t used to doing in high school.
Here is our group charter that serves as an example of what our group wanted to accomplish with DP #3:
This showed that we had to put all differences aside and work together to get our project done, one way or another. This project had multiple contextual layers that each group member played a significant role in. Throughout the semester, I feel as though I improved on this goal by making sure everyone was on the same page and sending out reminders or feedback to my fellow group members
Written Communication (10%)
Uses language to skillfully communicate with clarity and fluency.
“I want to decrease verbal clutter and focus on using less passive voice. I want to get better at providing sufficient research with valid points.”
Below is an excerpt from Reflection #2.
“The photographer really tied the writing together. I loved the picture of one friend opening the other’s eyes. I interpreted this to believe that one friend was opening the eyes of their friend, figuratively. Opening your eyes to new experiences and memories you will never forget. Opening your eyes to see what is right in front of you and to encourage you to live in the moment. An eye opener is so clever, and it had a double meaning in that picture. It lets the audience interpret the image however they’d like.”
This paragraph I wrote early in the semester meant a lot to me, as I resonated with the photo article about having your first car quite a lot. Later on in the semester, though, we read about symbolism. This paragraph really foreshadowed what I would learn about good writing. I used to not like poetry until we read You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie. When we all sat outside in the quad and talked about symbols, it was interesting to hear how everyone interpreted the poems because everyone had something different they found.
Here, I talk about how much I related to the magic of having your first car. I didn’t know about symbolism just yet, but it allowed me to want to make my written pieces more compelling.