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Demetric Davis Jr.

English 1102-095 Portfolio Essay Suzanne Ingram Finalizing the organization of my e-portfolio was much easier than I initially projected that it would be. I had done all the hard work already, all I had to do was present my pieces to the public. The pictures were my very last priority because I wanted them to resemble each piece on each paper appropriately. In the final days of class I remember Ms. Ingram saying, I incorporated multimodality into this semester because I got seeing nice pictures that had little if any relevance to the text. If you look closely, the labels of each page go not only with the text on that page but the picture as well. For instance, on the page with Thoughts From My Notebook I have a bear scratching his head in a thinking pose to spark some humor and show relevance to the picture. There were three modes that I showed in just the pictures alone; spacial, gestural, and visual. By putting the pictures at the top of each page. I was able to alleviate cluster on each page and help my audience navigate through my project. In all of the pictures you can easily pick up on the message of the page through the excitement on a face, exuberant personality, or overall proximity to the label. When finally coming to a conclusion as to the order in which my portfolio would go I knew I had to first have an introduction. One of the first things you read after the title page on almost anything you read is a table of contents and that is why my portfolio essay comes second on the order list. The puzzle piece at the top signifies a collaboration of multiple pieces (assignments) blending together to form something that is great and stands out. Following my portfolio essay is my feedback page because the level of

development that I have gone through as a writer would not have occurred if I did not have insightful peers and teachers to assist me through my journey in this course. Two of my peers that I gained the most from would have to be Mr. Paul Gaines and Aashish Shah. That is why the feedback papers were mostly accredited to them. Mr. Gaines having a large hand in the development of my exploratory essay and Aashish having the largest contribution to the progression of my most difficult piece (the annotated bibliography). Following the Feedback Page I had the annotated bibliography. Although we started that project much later in the class it was one of the most helpful in completing other assignments. Such as all three of my multigenre assignments that come later in my e-portfolio. The two papers that I decided to incorporate into my Writers Notebook page were based on the topic that I received the most from. Aristotles appeals were very helpful in my progression through this course. Bringing to my attention new ways to relay different messages to different audiences when writing. Subconsciously, I was performing pathos and logos all along but had neglected to incorporate kairos and logos into the majority of my papers effectively. Kairos and the three appeals were key to me completing my portfolio successfully. Initially I was not sure where to put my midterm paper, because it could have went in several different places. At the end of my portfolio serving as reflection. I could have placed it in a random place just to meet the requirement, or place it where it is now. The midterm assignment is best served in the middle of my sequence of papers because it really did serve as a Halfway Mark for me as the label states. When completing the midterm response I realized that I was reflecting on the work that I had done thus far, and setting goals for where I wanted to be by the end of the semester. When I found the quote at the top of my Processed Works page I knew it would be perfect to introduce the work on this page. Through the semester I DID NOT do all of the assignments correctly on the first

draft and needed serious help on the annotated bibliography, and the multi-genre assignment! Getting that feedback and incorporating those notes into my revisions helped me move my assignments forward. I actually enjoyed going out and talking with my friends about the topic I chose for my multi-genre assignment. Their feedback helped me move my Extended Inquiry Project Forward. I placed my multi-genre letter, dialogue, and reflection under the same label. Although they were all different as far as providing insight into my project. All three pieces were so close in the purpose that they served for my overall project. The wild card page was one of my favorite pages because I had fun with it. The label coincided perfectly with one of the pictures that I had in my phone of my buddy Aashish and I. The two papers that are on this page were done spontaneously during two class periods hence why I labeled this page Picking 2 Wild Ones. The concept map was one of my favorite notes because it served as a reflection for some of the key points that I learned in this course. While the notes from Wisdom (consisting of Mr. Gaines, Cody, and myself) paved a wave for how we would learn this class, and how our professor would go about guiding us through our peer workshops. I did not want my blog going in the front of my portfolio and I did not necessarily going in the middle so I placed it towards the back. All of my posts made me think about how I could progress as a writer. Keeping me constantly checking if I was becoming complacent or really looking to pull something from this course. My Exploratory Essay was my favorite, so I took into account Saving the best for Last. I received the most from the process of completing this paper. During that process, I gained amazing feedback from my peer editing team, and discovered how Abraham Lincoln used to revise his papers. President Abe being one of my political role models, I had to try the method of cutting up my paper and moving around my paragraphs. What a great guy, and idea as well!

My blog posts helped me reflect on my progression this course. Acting as personal milestones, my blog posts helped me link the topics we were discussing and how they would help me as a student. The process works helped me take in criticism better on my writing and move it forward. The feedback served the same purpose. Coming into this semester I was very shy concerning who I let read my papers, slightly out of fear that it would get degraded. Through feedback, warm-ups (tracking my progress), and my notes collected through the entire semester, I realized that I had to have my papers torn apart to dissect the issues that I am struggling with as a writer. The annotated bibliography and multi-genre pieces alone proved this to be true. My first draft of both assignments were not remotely close to what Ms. Ingram was looking for. The annotated bibliography improved my researching and citing techniques. As a credible writer I have to be able to do both, so doing that assignment was essential for me as a growing individual. Who knows what job opportunity I will take in the future, and researching/citing may be a part of that job description. Reflection is key to development as a writer and that was the primary purpose of the midterm response. To bring light to where my standing was during the midterm and give motivation to get where I wanted to be as a student by the end of this semester. The multi-genre brought credibility to the two controversial sides in my thesis statement. The interviewees that I had chosen were honest friends so their input was very helpful and thorough. The multi-genre brought into play the modes of communication, such as linguistic, and visual when interviewing Toneisha. Toneishas description of the pose in her yoga lesson could also be seen as a gestural mode. The letter to John helped me use the spacial mode when incorporating tables to identify the upsides to both resistance training and yoga. Having the input of my friends really support the teachings of my 1101 professor Ms. McAlister when she stated often how Everything is a text. The exploratory essay was the most fun to me.

Having me go outside my comfort zone and revise more than I have ever done in my life. The revisions seemed to just keep piling up because I was constantly being exposed to different ideas in class and feedback from my friends. Having Mr. Gaines look over my work and say, Good job Demetric, but you need to put in your paper how you love the art. You have told me so much sitting here in this conversation but reading your text does not show that same passion. Give your audience more. Helped me move my exploratory essay to new heights and improve from then on as a writer. The exploratory essay has allowed me to pull together all of my transitions together that I have experienced as a writer going through this course. Allowing me to reflect and relay what I have learned and what I have been taught has helped me communicated more effectively as a writer. Improving is the key to becoming a better writer. Reflecting back over this semester I have obtained so much. Coming into this semester was a bit of a challenge, because there was so much I had never done before. In one of my first Warm-Ups I said, I dont know everything, and as a student I have to be open to constructive criticism. The criticism that I was given was always respectful and always managed to help. For instance, when letting Aashish read over one of my drafts I remember the smile that came over his face when he said, Man, you write the same way you talk. You speak very well dont get me wrong, but you cant write that way. You sound very colloquial. Sometimes you have to be precise and just get to the point and say what you need to. This advice was very recent and helped in the revision of my final annotated bibliography and reflection paper. Another struggle that I was facing coming into this semester was the correct word choice. While editing my paper I remember Aashish saying a few times Demetric, that sounds good, but is there anyway you could rephrase that to make it sound better? I would reply with a quick, Yes!, and keep working. Taking into account the all of the criticism from the peer work shopping has elevated

my level of writing tremendously. In one workshop after going through my multi-genre project, Savanna said, I like your project it is very informative and has motivated me to try yoga, but you may want to take a look over it again to correct those grammar errors. This helped me see that grammar was my weakest point and had to be improved by the time this e-portfolio was due. So, I took matters into my own hands and had a good friend break my writing up and help me establish new ways to rebuild it correctly. Going into our first paper I remember thinking that I would be able to knock it out with one draft and be finished with it long before the semester was over. After my first peer workshop I knew it was necessary to go back to the drawing board and produce a text that was worth putting in my final portfolio. Mr. Gaines after reading my text said Tell me more about how basketball has instilled in you the love for working hard and achieving goals. This quote made me reroute my exploratory and make it stronger through more description appealing to pathos, and the visual mode of communication. Supporting how I felt through description and concision. In the syllabus on the first page one of your key concepts was to take responsibility for my growth as a writer, and my motive throughout this semester was to do just that by doing multiple drafts. Coming up with unique ideas for my e-portfolio, and heeding to the information given during class. Knowing that I wanted an A on my e-portfolio, I had to do all of my work to the best of my ability as stated in your syllabus, and that required more than just one draft. The primary key concept that I have engaged with would be the responsibility for my own work. All of the papers in this class required work and if I wanted a C I would have done the minimum amount of work and prepared a mediocre portfolio. Not neglecting the time it took to complete a thorough and exemplary piece tested my responsibility as a student. Making sure I came to class prepared with my draft so that I could get feedback was being

accountable for my own work, papers, and projects. The other key concept that I believe I engaged the most with was risk-taking. One of the biggest challenges with most writers is becoming susceptible to correction. I take pride in what I write because I worked hard to compose it, but I can always grow and obtain more knowledge. If that is not the case then I should not be here in this English 1102 course with Ms. Ingram. Taking those peer evaluation risks were hard at first because no one can predict the level of intelligence that your fellow classmate has in this subject that you do not, and in many cases they had more than I did. Not allowing were I was at the moment keep me from improving was a risk because it pulled me out of my comfort zone as a writer and as an individual. Comparing my work to each one of the grading scales I have come up with a selfevaluation. My portfolio is easily navigable providing relevant pictures and tabs through the project. The work that I have placed in my portfolio is complete to my maximum potential. Given everything that I have obtained from this course, my peers, and my instructor. The level of engagement with the key concepts is clear and can be seen through my work. My growth as a writer has been explained, and is compatible with the work found in my e-portfolio. My classmates, teacher, and friends have all given me information that I have quoted through my project. I believe that I deserve an A, not because I have done the project, but because I have done it to the best of my abilities coincided with the description on the grade scale.

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