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Kearsten Jones
Mr. Neuburger
Comp 102-102
12 December 2011
A Semester in Review
When looking back at this semester our Composition 102 class has been a great
experience. I Ieel as though I have learned a lot oI new things and honestly more helpIul things
in this English class as compared to the other English classes that I have taken. I really appreciate
the Iact that Mr. Neuburger created a learning environment that was not only positive, but was
open to questions, new ideas, and trial and error. He made it so that writing and trying new
methods oI research were enjoyable. Now, at the end oI this semester, I can honestly say that I
have improved greatly on my quality oI writing, methods oI research, and with using new
websites to help simply the stress oI the overall writing process.
I Ielt like the Ieedback that we received on our papers was very helpIul. Instead oI just
giving us a grade, Mr. Neuburger wrote comments on things that he Ielt would make our papers
more detailed or Ilow together in a more eIIective way. I also really liked the Iact that he gave us
an opportunity to correct our mistakes and to learn the proper or better way to write a certain
sentence or use a more appropriate word. I Ielt as though we were being given constructive
criticism, which I Ieel is one oI the most eIIective ways oI learning. Mr. Neuburger would teach
us a method oI writing and instead oI just expecting us to go write something perIect, he showed
us examples in class and even let us try our hand at writing beIore our actual Iinal copy was due.
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We were given the ability to test the waters beIore we were Iorced to dive right in and I really
Iound that helpIul. For example, the restricted paragraphs were one oI the most challenging
pieces that we had to write this semester, but beIore we had to turn in our own, our class was
shown multiple examples and we even got a chance to conIerence with Mr. Neuburger in order
to see iI our writing was on the right track. By doing this, the experience did not seem as
challenging and actually turned out to be kind oI Iun. Not only was the Ieedback we received
helpIul, but the new research techniques were extremely helpIul as well.
Writing research papers is something that I have never been Iond oI. Although it is
practically the same as writing a regular paper, it always seems as though there are so many
restrictions and rules that you have to Iollow in order to guarantee that you will not plagiarize.
The process always becomes long and drawn out and ultimately very stressIul. This semester,
however, the research paper was one oI my Iavorite units. I really loved the Iact that our papers
were broken down into various subjects that way iI we got stuck on a certain topic we had nine
other ones that we could start writing on. Another thing that always seems to be a challenge is
incorporating sources appropriately and I Ielt like the examples that we were given in class were
very straight Iorward and helpIul. With this research paper, I Ielt like I knew what direction I
was supposed to go and I Ielt like I had all oI the proper tools that I needed in order Ior me to be
successIul.
In addition to the techniques that were taught to us, I thought that the Iact that we were
given a background to the subject that we would later be researching was very eIIective as well.
The Iact that we were able to watch survivor testimony and various interviews online, gave me
more oI a drive to really put eIIort and compassion into my own paper. AIter seeing the
devastation that the Holocaust caused so many people, I really wanted to do what I could to write
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a paper that would honor their people and all oI the pain and suIIering that they went to. I really
liked the Iact that we were able to Iorm more oI a personal connection with our topic as opposed
to just writing very generically. The Diigo accounts that allowed us to compile our research were
awesome! I loved being able to go to one single website and have all oI my sources in one place.
Instead oI me having to keep track oI tons oI printed out sources, I could just login to my
account, keep it open, start working on my paper, and then reIer back to my sources as needed. It
was very easy and made the overall writing process so much smoother. The new technology that
was introduced to us was at times Irustrating, but did a great job at easing some oI the challenges
that we may have Iaced in our writings prior to this class.
As I said beIore, I really loved the Diigo website. I thought it was a great way to compile
all oI your research into one area without having to keep track oI it while you are writing.
Another thing that I thought was very neat was the class blogs. I liked the Iact that we were able
to have a place that we could see what our classmates were doing and how creative they were. I
liked the Iact that this allowed us to get to know each other on a creative level as well as a
personal level. The Twitter accounts were probably my least Iavorite things. It might be because
oI my lack oI social networking, but I just Ielt like I did not get much out oI using it. I
completely understand using it instead oI a class discussion in order to get everyone in the class
involved, but I still Ieel like I would get more out oI a class discussion. With the Twitter
accounts, we were restricted to a certain amount oI words and I personally could not tell whether
a classmate was writing a comment out oI angry, amusement, or sadness. By not having an
actual class discussion, you are not able to experience the emotion and conIlicts oI the subject,
which are all things that enrich the topic. However, I Ielt that most oI the other online blogs or
technologies served an important purpose and turned out to be very eIIective. I would say that
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the only thing that I would have changed about this course is the lack oI class discussion. I just
Ieel that it would have added just a little something extra to all oI the other great things that we
have learned this semester.
Overall, I would say that this Composition class was awesome! I have learned so much
about being an eIIective writer and how to make research papers better. I have been introduced
to new websites that will deIinitely serve me greatly in the Iuture and will make my Iuture
writing much easier. There have been times when I have been Irustrated and hated computers,
but it was all worth it in the end. Mr. Neuburger created a wonderIul learning environment and
was a excellent teacher. He did a great job with interacting with us and really making sure that
we were executing the skills that he has taught us. I am very happy to have been in this class and
am very appreciative to my teacher. He has helped me become, not only a better student, but
more importantly a better writer! Thank You!