I have never created a portfolio before and after creating this one I see how it can be a great way to organize and present major assignments. Instead of looking through saved documents I can come to this portfolio and look at all of my writing assignments for ENGL 211. I feel like I have created a visually boring portfolio and I hope the organization isn't confusing to anyone. I wish I could share certain documents that I wrote on paper, but all I seem to be able to do is provide a link. I think showing the actual document would help with the visual aspect of this portfolio. This is still a great way to present my writings to others.
After writing all of these assignments I learned how important it is to have an outline and plan when creating an essay. For the research paper I not only needed an outline, but a plan or list of steps to get through my paper. During the research paper I had a lot of sources and information to look at and that made organization a key part. I learned quickly that if I didn't have an outline I would struggle to begin my essays and the way I structured the essay would become messy. Now that I have this portfolio I can easily compare my past and present essays to see if I have grown or what strategies are used for each assignment. Also, if I have an assignment that is similar to any of these papers I can come back to this portfolio and get good idea of where to start and what the process will be.
For every assignment I had to look or read a source. The way I thought about the source and evaluated it changed how I was going to write my paper. For example, for the diagnostic writing someone could have looked at the quote and thought it was dumb and that it is not true. While I looked at the quote and thought there was a lot to think about and that it is true. Also, during the process of the research paper I looked at over 20 sources. Some of the sources were more scientific and some made fun. I had to evaluate if the source would actually help my reader understand the purpose of my essay or if it would just be useless filler. The way I interpret news from my local area or a place on the other side of the world changed how I felt about the source and the way I would write about it.
My most enjoyable writing assignment was the research paper. I got to talk about subjects that I am apart of in school and out of school. I also learned a lot about the local area and the environment. This paper helped me keep up with the local news and decisions within our government. The paper also opened me up to renewable energy and the pros and cons of it. Also, after I wrote the outline and gathered my sources, this paper basically wrote itself and that made the process a little easier. I still feel like I have too many sources and that I didn't share enough of my own words.
The evaluation essay was the least enjoyable. It is all my fault that I didn't enjoy this assignment. You would think that I would have liked it because I wrote about one of my favorite books. At first, it seemed like it was going to be the easiest essay because all I had to due was prove why it was a good book. I try to prove things to my friends and family everyday, so why couldn't I do it in an essay? Unfortunately, I was never able to organize my ideas and provide strong enough examples.