WP#4 (final) Reflective Cover Letter

Jason Bloom
July 30, 2007
ENG 102/ Section 3952
Professor Shelley Rodrigo
Summer Session 2
Writing Project 4

WP#4 Draft

Dear Professor Rodrigo and class,
In four short weeks I have learned a lot about myself and writing. I also learned that writing can be simpler if you follow the proper steps. Knowing the who’s, what’s, when’s, whys and how’s can start you off on composing a great paper. Even though I struggled at times, rereading the work made me understand the outcomes more.
To start, course outcome number one introduced me to the components a paper should possess. Identifying your audience is crucial. If you write for the wrong audience, you may not get your point, or ‘topic’, across. I believe that with learning this key element, I will be able to write a well constructed and focused paper for any occasion. WP#1 is a good way to start thinking about a paper. After constructing a proposal, you have a step by step key to what information you will need. However, I do need to continue working on the purpose of a paper. This is where the question should be answered. Yet I look past this too often and rush into it. I will use what I have learned from this outcome in preparing proposals. In the golf business you have to make a proposal for work that you would or need to do. Being able to do these could help my supervisors in seeing the why, when and how I am planning to complete these tasks.
Next, outcome number two tends to end up like the purpose. I rush the development and lose the focus. Keeping focus on this outcome helped in making my paper stay on point. Unity is where I need the most work because writing a paragraph is not well-structured can be easily misunderstood. Reading as well as writing the peer reviews is where I believe I realized this. http://jcbloomeng102.blogspot.com/2007/07/d5hw3peer-review-reflection.html. By reading other people’s work, I was able to notice my mistakes by comparison. The reviews helped me revise my WP#1 to be more specific. I know that I will use this feedback on a day to day basis, not just in writing but also in communication. Being able to get my point across by clearly speaking makes my job as a superintendent easier.
After that, outcome number three really showed me that I need to be consistent in tone and structure. I still tend to write in phrases, not complete sentences. I noted that throughout my postings. The grammar exercises I did helped, but I still catch myself.
At first, finding online resources was the most difficult part for me. I wasn’t finding any sources that dealt with my topic sentence. Then I made the list of key words to widen my search, and I found a lot more articles. http://jcbloomeng102.blogspot.com/2007/07/d5hw7.html. As I put my paper together, this new keyword list helped me narrow my research. I could find research to back up my ideas. I definitely improved my internet research skills as the three weeks progressed. My final paper had better sources than my WP#2 did.
This next outcome, using sources, was one of my stronger suits. I think I was able to pick out relevant quotes, quotes that supported my thesis the best. However, looking back at my paper, I noticed that I did tend to use direct quotes the most. I think I did that because I thought my sources said things more succinctly than I could. For future improvement in this area, I would try to put their ideas into my own words, and cite them. Also, I learned how to evaluate a source—is it a reputable author, or someone just ranting? This is helpful for the future because I should always understand the source of any materials I read, whether it’s a media story or someone trying to sell me “the best” fertilizer.
Learning APA documentation style was a challenge for me. At first I thought I was using the correct format, but I learned that there was specific information (such as when I retrieved an article) that I was leaving out. In fact, it was a peer review that pointed out these deficiencies. I appreciated that. I also struggled with correctly citing sources that didn’t fit the format in the book. For example, one article I quoted said it was written by “staff”, so that is how I credited it. However, I was later told that it was the wrong way to do it. I will use this knowledge in the future because I really think I understand the proper way to cite a source now.
The feedback that I got was mostly helpful. As I mentioned, it was a peer reviewer that pointed out my incorrect APA documentation style. Comments made about my WP#1 helped me consider other ideas for my topic. I think I did a good job incorporating suggestions that others made. I took criticism well. This is a skill I’ll carry with me because I need to realize that when my boss comments on my projects, he, like my peer reviewers, is trying to help me improve, not criticize me. I also learned that sometimes I need to actively seek out others’ ideas about my project. Overall, this was a strength for me.
I think my greatest strength is that I present a fair, balanced review of an issue. I have the ability to look at all sides, evaluate them, and present them equally.
I definitely started off slowly learning the new technologies required by the course. I was intimidated by the use of a blog and the number of postings we had to do. However, with practice, it became easier. I also struggled with Turnitin because I wasn’t always sure how to share. My favorite program, however, was Delicious. This is a program that I’ll use in the future to continue to tag my favorite websites or articles I’d like to refer back to.
I would like to thank everyone for their support and feedback during this process. I feel I learned the process of how to write a research paper. In the future, I won’t feel so overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. I wish everyone the best of luck!

Best regards,
Jason Bloom