I hate reflections, simply because it means that something is coming to an end. I mean, who really likes endings? But, as APELC comes to a close, it is time for that reflection I dislike so much. Going back looking back at my TOWs, I started with a post which was viewed internationally, for some reason. That was a TOW post from the summer about an essay called Insert Flap "A" and Throw Away. As one of the first TOW post, it was pretty strong. I did not realize how sassy and jovial I was in my writing. Like, I do not remember writing phrases like "calling out those barons of insanity" or "obviously foaming at the mouth". My voice was definitely strong in this TOW. I also tried to substantiate my statements, a practice I may nor may not have forgotten to continue after about the halfway mark. However, the word and sentence choice was weak and repetitive, which made the essay seem less sophisticated. Overall though, I thought I started off strong.
Next, we travel to about the halfway mark, for TOW post #11, entitled Darwin's Dilemma. It was before I may or may not have stopped quoting the article. One thing I noticed was that I was really trying to analyze the rhetorical strategies used in the article I read. I noticed things like expert testimonial and the use of visual texts to augment understanding. It seems to me that I was really using TOWs to my advantage, using them as another little practice analysis essay. My writing style seemed more varied, using a combinations of long and brief sentences, which made it seem more sophisticated.
Finishing our tour of my APLEC year through TOWs, I go to TOW post #22 The Protein Merlin. As one of my final TOW posts, I could really see how well my writing has come along. Not only in this essay was my word choice better, but also my ideas were better formed. I not only used information from the article, I also successfully tied in knowledge from other subjects (biology), which greatly built my ethos as a writer. I also used this TOW post to work on the "so what" of the essay, which I often have trouble writing. This so what, connecting the discovery to how discoveries, even simple ones, can have major effects to understanding in biology. That was a pretty good way to wrap up a possible paper on the discovery. Overall, I saw the quality of my writing improve in both content and style over the course of this class, invaluable skills as I am sure to learn very soon.
Next, we travel to about the halfway mark, for TOW post #11, entitled Darwin's Dilemma. It was before I may or may not have stopped quoting the article. One thing I noticed was that I was really trying to analyze the rhetorical strategies used in the article I read. I noticed things like expert testimonial and the use of visual texts to augment understanding. It seems to me that I was really using TOWs to my advantage, using them as another little practice analysis essay. My writing style seemed more varied, using a combinations of long and brief sentences, which made it seem more sophisticated.
Finishing our tour of my APLEC year through TOWs, I go to TOW post #22 The Protein Merlin. As one of my final TOW posts, I could really see how well my writing has come along. Not only in this essay was my word choice better, but also my ideas were better formed. I not only used information from the article, I also successfully tied in knowledge from other subjects (biology), which greatly built my ethos as a writer. I also used this TOW post to work on the "so what" of the essay, which I often have trouble writing. This so what, connecting the discovery to how discoveries, even simple ones, can have major effects to understanding in biology. That was a pretty good way to wrap up a possible paper on the discovery. Overall, I saw the quality of my writing improve in both content and style over the course of this class, invaluable skills as I am sure to learn very soon.
