Initially, I planned on speaking about safety reasons in Gillson Hall. I got this idea from the possible topics listed on the PDF. However, as I was researching about this topic it was difficult to find sources to support my argument. The topic is narrow but is a topic I will keep in mind. Other issues I feel strongly toward are poverty levels, dining hall hours, and issues in the education levels with students who lack food at home. I feel like poverty levels and lack of food availability for students at school are topics related to one another. The issue with dining hall hours is it usually opens late or closes too early. The only issue with this is that there is a lack of variability for students who wake up earlier or tend to eat later in the day. Additionally, during weekends services are decreases, and hours are cut as well. Majority of students don’t have the money to be buying food. They rely on the school to provide such things for them.

Tentative Outline:

 Topic: As a resident of Gillson Hall, a co-ed residential hall, I feel uncomfortable with the lack of safety precautions established.  

Topic: The policies of the Market Cafe at USF should be improved due to a lack of variability for students.

Individual writing on the blog

Emma had good volume throughout her whole speech. Her tone was very engaging and she maintained a confident tone in her argument. She seemed like she was very well prepared because her slides always correlated with her speech, although she did not turn around once. She maintained eye contact with her audience throughout the whole speech. She kept contact with her whole audience rather than just one portion of it. Her body gestures were smooth and made her look more credible with her argument.

1. White rhinos are famous for their big horns; however, they are among the endangered species.
2. The teacher didn’t know if she should laugh or cry, but she knew it was quite hilarious.
3. Three things matter in life: perseverance, commitment, and aptitude for learning.
4. A dog trotted over to the computer in Sara’s office, typed out a perfect letter, and printed it!
5. The manager was stunned, but she told the dog: “The sign says you have to be good with the computer; just because you’re good at typing doesn’t mean that you are good with it.”
6. A man walked into a pet shop and ordered three things: a centipede, a kitten, and a parrot.
7. Sama was the best person for the job because she had an excellent service record in one key area:/, community health training.
8. Amy served with 4 stars in the army; therefore, she was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Adobe Express Link

Storyboard Template

Script

Ella, Pavni, and Cynthia

Exercise 1

1. Pets are not allowed in Mr. Taylor’s building, although he owns several cats and a parrot.
2. New legislation prevents drivers from sending or reading text messages while driving; however, many people continue to use their phones illegally.
3. The coroner concluded that the young man had taken a lethal concoction of drugs, and by the time his relatives found him, nothing could be done.
4. Amphibians are vertebrates that live on land and in the water, while flatworms are invertebrates that live only in water.
5. Ashley carefully fed and watered her tomato plants all summer; consequently, the tomatoes grew juicy and ripe.
6. When he lost his car key, Simon attempted to open the door with a wire hanger, a credit card, and a paper clip; furthermore, he called the manufacturer for advice.

Exercise 2

1. Jake is going to Mexico, where there are beautiful beaches. 
2. There will be long delivery delays this week because a snowstorm has disrupted traffic all over the east coast. 
3. My neighbor had his television volume turned up too high, so I banged on his door and asked him to keep the noise down.
4. Jessica prepared the potato salad and the sautéed vegetables, while Ashley marinated the chicken.
5. Romeo poisons himself, and then Juliet awakes to find Romeo dead and stabs herself with a dagger.

 Anti-racist approaches to education

I consider effective measures for anti-racist approaches to education to be inclusive for all students. Just because they are “accessible does not mean they are accessible to all students.   Jack speaks about his journey of becoming a Harvard professor and how high school was the finish line from where he was from. He spoke about his challenges growing up as a low-income student. Many people have the idea that students from minority groups are disadvantaged and because of this, it forms a boundary between other students. Students don’t feel included and it becomes an issue when they are not able to reach out to their professors for academic support for example. Effective measures take into account students of all groups and take into account students who are not as privileged as others.

The video helps reinforce my ideas based on the reading excerpt from Tatum’s book. the excerpt I read from Tatum’s book discusses how these black students were black but did not associate with other black students. They looked the same but grew up differently and did not experience similar life experiences. Due to this, they felt as if they did not fit in with the black students or white students. Furthermore, the video helps reinforce my ideas from the book because there are many disadvantaged students. Jack spoke about food insecurity as an issue in the education system.

Writing on the blog: Freewriting

A few social issues I am passionate about are climate change, cost of education, food quality, healthcare, mental health, Genetically modified food, pollution and poverty. Climate change and pollution are similar topics. With these two topics, we can write about how pollution has affected climate change. Cost of education is something that many people struggle with. Many individual don’t continue with an education which can help with having a better salary. Cost of education is very expensive and is a contributor to the levels of poverty in the U.S. Levels of poverty don’t seem to improve money is the only problem stopping many individuals from receiving an education. If education was free we would have high levels of individuals with degrees and higher-paying jobs. GMO food and food quality also are similar topics. The food quality if getting worse and more people are facing the consequences of it. With an incline in health issues, only individuals with no healthcare face the risk of receiving no medical support for their illnesses. So the issue with healthcare originates with the food we and what we put into our bodies. Mental health issues is a topic I can relate to but since it is a broad area, I will need to condense it into a smaller topic. Nonetheless, feel more passionate about GMO food, food quality, and healthcare. As well as, the cost of education and its effect on poverty levels. Many students pull out loans to go to school and when they fall behind on payments is when the issue begins. The student is surviving on little to no money and is more prone to fall into poverty.

Introduction: What’s your claim for the essay and why is it important? How would you hook your audience?

Cost of education and poverty

How has the cost of education has contribute poverty, we are all students and are aware of how much our education cost. We may all be receiving financial aid, help from parents, loans. etc. Whatt would you do if one day you did not have any money to pay for your education, loans, etc. You have money and fall into the category of poverty.

Context: What background information would help the audience understand your essay better?

Explain the education system in america, explain factors that lead to poverty, and tie the idea of how the cost of education can hinder poverty

Evidence/Support: What evidences or support sources can you incorporate to strengthen your main points?

Opposing Viewpoints: What opposing views may exist against your argument?

There are resources to the cost of education

Counterarguments: How do you respond to these counterarguments? Which additional research may help you validate your points more convincingly?
Conclusion: What do you learn working on this assignment? Any takeaway points?

Individual writing on the blog: Reading response analysis

After reading Sabrina’s post states how “we should not judge people’s identities”. She also states that “Developing good stereotypes is a good way to maintain interactions with people. It’s also a key idea to get along with people together in a place or a public area.” Based on Sabrina’s key points, she was able to understand the main ideas from the reading. I also said that we should move away from the bias and stereotypes. We should move toward being an inclusive society here ethnicity, race, etc. do not play a role in the person we are seen as. Sabrina points out that “we should dive a little deeper into understanding other people’s stories”, after reading Jennifer Eberhardt’s essay. This supports the claim that we should be more inclusive and take the time to understand other people. Many individuals tend to close off because they are afraid of what others will think but letting others know the challenges you face as well opens up the opportunity of an inclusive society

Writing on the blog: Identifying plagiarism

Part C

Excerpt from page 23 of an article in 2011 by William Ellis entitled “Culture in Transition”

World problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent in the current systems of world order based on nation-states and economic competition. They can be solved if people know and understand one another on a global, grass-roots basis. By developing people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders, we can start to ameliorate global tensions and inequities.

Student Versions:

___Yes___ 1. William Ellis (2011) asserts that “world problems such as poverty, pollution, war, and hunger are inherent in the current system of world order based on nation-states and economic” (p. 23). 

• completely copied the first sentence of the text and added the writers name. 
• didn’t add the date after author’s last name
• The words are exactly the same, but there are no quotation marks, meaning that this is an issue of plagiarism

__No__ 2. Global tensions and inequities can be solved if people begin to help one another on a grass-roots basis, moving beyond the current world order of economic competition (Ellis, 2011, p. 23).

__No_ 3. Ellis (2011) argues that global problems are often a result of exploitation inherent in economic competition. He contends that “grass roots…people-to-people linkages irrespective of national borders” can do much to ease global tensions (p. 23).

__No___ 4. Economic competition is at the basis of many of the world’s problems (Ellis, 2011, p. 23). Only by seeing ourselves as 

a single family without the separation of national boundaries can world tensions begin to be eased.

__Yes__ 5. Ellis (2011) argues that world problems are caused by overpopulation and that the only possible solution is an enforced tax on families who have more than one child (p. 23).

• Although it was cited, in the excerpt they didn’t talk about overpopulation being a world problem in families w/ more than one child. 
  • The information is completely different from the text.

Original Text :

Alaska’s wetlands provide many benefits including: food and habitat for wildlife, fish and shellfish species, natural 

products for human use and subsistence, shoreline erosion and sediment control, flood protection, and opportunities 

for recreation and esthetic appreciation.

Hall, Jonathan V., W. E. Frayer, and Bill O. Wilen. Status of Alaska Wetlands. 4 Nov. 1997. Web. 12 Mar. 2011.

Student Version:

Alaskan wetlands offer advantages such as erosion and flood control, homes and food for wildlife, and natural beauty

and products for humans’ benefit.

Yes, because there is no in-cite citation in the students version. 

Revised version: Alaskan wetlands offer advantages such as erosion and flood control, homes and food for wildlife, 

and natural beauty and products for humans’ benefit (Hall, Frayer, and Wilen, 1997)

Original Text: 

Assertive individuals tend to feel more in control of their lives, derive more satisfactions from their relationships and achieve their goals more often. They also will obtain more respect from, and inspire confidence in, those with whom they interact since they tend to be viewed as strong characters who will not be easily swayed.

Hargie, O., Saunders, C., & Dickson, D. (2000). Social Skills in Interpersonal Communication. 

London: Routledge, p. 271.

Student Version:

Because they are not readily influenced, assertive people gain respect from others, and they experience success in 

guiding their own lives, nurturing good relationships, and achieving their goals (Hargie, Saunders, and Dickson, 2000, p. 271).

No

3. Original Text:

A new to recycle bald tires has been developed by researchers at the University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station. Instead of hanging them on trees as swings, they’re using them as mulch around the base.

“Tires Return as Mulch.” Popular Mechanics 94.2 (2000): 22.LEXIX-NEXIS. Web. 31 July 2011.

Student Version:

A Popular Mechanics article notes that University of Georgia researchers have found a new use for worn tires: instead 

of having them on trees as swings, they’re using them as mulch  (“Tires Return”).

No

Group work on the blog: Evaluating an artifact

Individual blog writing

Taryn Coe’s discussion helps me better understand key ideas in relation to Carmen Kynard’s essay. Taryn Coe explains in her discussion how she has worked against racist ideas in education, an issue that is ongoing but is underseen. She speaks about how there is this idea formed around students of color and how they should be focused on the fight against racism. However, this is just another racist idea that should not only be focused on students of color but on white students as well. By involving white students in this issue we can observe where these racist ideas originate and how we can work toward putting an end to them. Moreover, Coe’s ideas are related to Kynard’s essay because Kynard speaks about these struggles. Coe on the other hand exhibits possible solutions that we can use in the education system to move away from the issue spoken in Kynard’s essay.

Based on reading and social justice activist work we could be active students, scholars, and educators for social justice and equity. This would require work from all with the overall goal of moving away from belittling minority groups. Although many students, scholars, and educators have started working toward diminishing racism in education it is an issue that has unfortunately been engraved in the education system. It will require teamwork from everyone because the change will have to originate from the school system itself. There can’t be a diversion in this process because everyone must acknowledge that racism in education is an issue that needs to be removed from the system.

Group writing on the blog: Eliminating wordiness

Cynthia and Micheal

1. Many local farmers plan to attend next Friday’s meeting.

Local farmers plan to attend next Friday’s meeting.

1. Although Bradley Hall is regularly populated by students, close study of the building as a structure is seldom undertaken by them.

 Bradley Hall regularly meets students who refuse to study close to the building.

1. He dropped out of school on account of the fact that it was necessary for him to help support his family.

He dropped out of school to help support his family.

1. It is expected that the new schedule will be announced by the bus company within the next few days.

The bus company will announce the new schedule in the next few days.

1. There are many ways in which a student who is interested in meeting foreign students may come to know one.

There are many ways for a student to meet foreign students.

1. It is very unusual to find someone who has never told a deliberate lie on purpose.

It is unusual to find someone who never told a lie on purpose.

1. Trouble is caused when people disobey rules that have been established for the safety of all.

Trouble is caused when people disobey rules.

1. A campus rally was attended by more than a thousand students. Five students were arrested by campus police for disorderly conduct, while several others are charged by campus administrators with organizing a public meeting without being issued a permit to do so.

Out of a thousand students, five were arrested for disorderly conduct while several others were charged with organizing without a permit.

1. The subjects that are considered most important by students are those that have been shown to be useful to them after graduation.

The subjects useful after graduation are considered the most important by students.

1. In the not too distant future, college freshmen must all become aware of the fact that there is a need for them to make contact with an academic adviser concerning the matter of a major.

In the future, college freshmen must all be aware that they need to make contact with an academic adviser concerning a major.

1. In our company there are wide-open opportunities for professional growth with a company that enjoys an enviable record for stability in the dynamic atmosphere of aerospace technology.

In our company of aerospace technology there are several opportunities for professional growth.

1. Some people believe in capital punishment, while other people are against it; there are many opinions on this subject.

Some people believe in capital punishment, while others are against it.