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Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

Final Portfolio Essay

Your paper is due next week. Make sure it meets the requirements
5 paragraphs; be sure there is a paragraph strictly for an introduction and a
conclusion. Typical statement heard every few weeks as a graduating
senior. Walking into this class I was FOR SURE Id be in writers hell again. I
was accepting the fact that Id be graded based on an unrealistic rubric for
every paper I mean it is a University WRITING course right? Wrong. I was
all wrong. And quite frankly, Im glad I was.

Note: I have composed this essay for easy navigation. For example,
my subheadings have been color coded; words relate to the writing beneath
the subheading of the same color.

About Me
My about me page is also my homepage. Therefore, it is the first thing
you will see. Here you will read a little about me as a student; my aspirations
and major. Also, I introduce viewers to my e-Portfolio. The main purpose of
my e-Portfolio is to showcase my work and progress in this class.

Blog Posts

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
On my portfolio, my blogs will be one of the first tabs youll see aside
from my About Me page. The blogs Ive written are composed of responses,
thoughts, or brainstorming to required readings or questions sought out by
Ms. Ingram. I wrote these to provide my readers with a snippet of my logic;
whats going on in my head. I had never blogged before in my life. To be
honest, I wasnt completely sure what the purpose was. When writing my
first blog, I was confused. What format was required? Is there a rubric? Is this
even considered formal writing?! The ghost of high school writing crept upon
me as I wrote my first few blogs. I was stuck in my comfort zone. I wrote in
my Midterm paper that, However, for me, my comfort zone is writing for a
grade and not for myself As time progressed, I realized the writings we
were assigned were for our own benefit. With these blog posts, I wrote for my
own self-reflection and purpose. Each blog posts contributed to the MultiModality of my portfolio. On each blog post, I strived to include an animated
gif, which related to what the blog post covered. Also, I tried to have an
interesting title for them. The wix website builder sparked this actually. Every
time Id begin a blog post, the title box would read Add an engaging
title. On my first blog post, I paid this no mind due to my comfort zone.
As the semester progressed, I found titles that were related to the context of
the blog posts, although some were clich or corny. Many of our blog posts

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
were insights to our research paper. Here, most of our brainstorming was
done.

Traditional Research Paper/Visual Bibliography

The blogs were predominately focused upon our research, thats why I
chose to reflect on this next. It is the last tab on my portfolio. Blog post #3 is
when/where my deliberation for a research topic began. As topics began to
flow in my mind, I knew exactly which one I wanted to do. Sure I had plenty
of ideas and concepts, but this one struck me personally. My nephew was
diagnosed with Autism when he was around 2 years old. Before this, I barely
even knew what Autism was. As embarrassing as it seems, I assumed Autism
had physical defects such as Down syndrome. With this research, I
broadened my knowledge on the disorder. Prior to this assignment, I
completed a research paper on Autism. However, it was pretty juvenile
compared to this one. My research wasnt as in depth. Before actually writing
the paper, we were given the option to either, 1) Create 3-column notes for
our research topic or 2) Create a visual bibliography. I chose to make a Prezi
(visual bibliography). I felt like this would contribute to the Multi-Modality
of my portfolio. Also, because Prezis are fun to produce. I watched my Prezi
grow from 2 sources to 10. A Prezi is beneficial in several ways. However, I
used my Prezi to help organize my research paper; how things would flow

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
into each other. I composed it so that the information would go more and
more in depth.
As I began writing my research paper, my comfort zone began
kicking in again; 5 paragraphs, conclusion, did I mention 5 paragraphs?!
However, during an inclusive peer review session with Ms. Ingram, I was
reassured there were more ways of formal writing than I thought. I
approached this assignment as a TRADITIONAL research paper, but as Ms.
Ingram explained to me, there was plenty of opportunity for my paper. Ms.
Ingram suggested using, subtitles, personal language as in you and your
child. Upon leaving the session, I was already thinking of new ways to steer
my paper. Now, I have constructed it into a type of brochure reading; like
one youd find in a clinic. Ive taken into account the suggestions I was given,
and now it is more appealing to my chosen audience.

Mid-term
The first half of the semester seemed to have blown right past me. I
am already writing my first mid-term paper as a freshman in college. Believe
it or not, I was actually stoked about it! Now it is the end of the semester,
and the little voice in my head keeps saying, My, look how much youve
grown. In my midterm, I was able to reflect on my growth as a writer. I
tend to have trouble with achieving is making connections. Ive always

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
had trouble doing so. I can make connections, but it is hard to convey that
connection with my audience. Sometimes those connections are quite
vague. As I read this, I can honestly say I see improvement. Making
connections has always been a troubling task for me. This caused a HUGE
problem when I was writing my exploratory essay. But you could always
expand and include how your phone is your passion, was a suggestion one
of my peers wrote me. After going back and reading draft one, I realized he
was right. Throughout the whole paper I was telling why my phone was my
passion, not how. My, look how I have grown! Since writing this, my
exploratory essay took a turn for the better. I was able to portray
meaningful connections through my words. You seem to be learning a lot
about your own composing processes. When I was first introduced to the
writing process, I took it as a joke. I didnt take into account how much of
an impact it would have on the growth of my drafts. My midterm can be
found under the Blog tab.

Exploratory Essay
I wanted to save the best for last. When I say the best, I mean the
best transformation. My exploratory essay has changed for the BETTER!
My first two drafts were poor in context and difference. I wrote my first 2
drafts about my cell phone. It took me awhile to figure out my passion. I

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
contemplated on what passion meant to me. I made a list of objects and
hobbies I liked. From shoes, to cheering, to listening to music, none of these
seemed to be fit for a passion. I decided on the most obvious. In fact, Im not
sure that this is a true passion. The first paragraph of both drafts 1 and 2 of
my essay. It was true though, I wasnt even sure if it was a passion. I think
thats what brought me down. How do you explain a passion if you dont
even know if its a passion? In class a few weeks ago, my professor said,
among all my classes this bunch had the shortest essays , and I felt as if
she was talking directly to me. This was from my Blog post #4. That feeling
of Ms. Ingram talking directly to me became a reality during a peer review
session. Ms. Ingram wrote, This is rushed + doesnt give me much to
respond to I expected more. My heart dropped, not because I was
surprised she would tell me this, but because I knew it was the truth. The
only difference between my first 2 drafts was a paragraph. I expected more
from myself; I knew I could do better. This was just what I needed; my
motivation. Ive written my exploratory essay on a brand new topic, a
fresh start if you will. I am honestly proud of my final draft. I put more
thought and time into it.

Writers Choice
Feedback Artifacts

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
Both of my feedback artifacts derived from peer reviews of my
exploratory essay and they can be found under the exploratory essay tab
on my portfolio. I chose to use feedback artifacts only from that essay
because; I think, this essay has shown the most improvement. My first two
drafts; as stated above; were both rushed. I didnt put my best work out
there. They differed by one paragraph. However, I received beneficial tips
from my peers.
The first piece of feedback artifacts comes from the first peer review
we conducted in class. Towards the end she finished off with a comment
that kind of trashed her own passion. Maybe something more positive? Make
a conclusion. In my first draft, my final paragraph contradicted my passion. I
wrote, My cell phone may be a passion, but it is also a distraction. I find
myself reaching for my cell phone during some classes. I have even found
myself replying to a quick text while driving. Both of these are harmful; one
mentally and the other physically. My peer was right; I negated the fact that
my cell phone WAS my passion. When writing this essay, I was thinking back
to high school and how we formally wrote papers. Given the prompt,
Compose an essay that conveys and explains your passion(s), the type of
essay wasnt specified. I took that and ran with it. I was aiming for an
argumentative essay and in high school, a counter-argument paragraph was

Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
required. So as you probably guessed, the last paragraph was the counterargument. I dont know what possessed me to choose that route.
My second feedback artifact is from Mrs. Ingram herself. This is

rushed + doesnt give me much to respond to I wouldnt say it does much

more than tell me that you like your phone. The first two drafts lacked detail
and imagery. I merely just told that my cell phone was my passion, not HOW.
Ive always struggled with including strong detail in my papers, and it
showed in this essay. Now that Im looking at these drafts, I see what was
missing. I couldve expanded on the things I used my cell phone for in much
more detail.

Wild Cards
My wild cards have derived from this course and another course
Im taking this semester. However, they both can be found under the FPE
tab, titled Where the Wild Things Are. The first wild card is a syllabus
reflection Ive written for my Liberal Studies (LBST 2101) course this
semester. In the paper, I decided to reflect on the syllabi of both my UWRT
and LBST course. During this reflection, I noticed similarities within the two
courses. Both the UWRT and LBST course require time management, as well
in other courses. Time management has been somewhat my secret to
success. There have been times that I had essays due in both courses, which

Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
was overwhelming. this course and my UWRT 1103 require some sort of
essay paper. As I look back, both writings in both of these courses were

pretty in-depth. I was able to use resources given in my UWRT 1103 towards
my LBST, and vice-versa. This wild card highlights me discovering the skills I
needed to be successful in my classes.
My second wild card is Kendra Andrews blog on e-Portfolio design; the
homepage guidelines. I wanted to include this as a wildcard because, when I
began my blog, my homepage was pretty vague. I composed it like a social
media homepage; giving just enough information for my viewers to get an
idea of who I am as a person, not a writer. After looking at Kendras blog, I
realized theres more to an about me page than my name and major. I went
back and revised it based upon the information she provided.

Writers Notebook
My writers notebook artifacts can be found under the tab
Writers Notebook. The Seeing the Moment activity was a worthy artifact to
include. This activity helped me figure out ways to had strong sensory
details. Although this activity was solely for our exploratory essay, I use it as
a reference for other assignments; not just in this course. My second writers
notebook artifact was the Dos and Donts of Peer Review. I was relatively
familiar of peer review. I did it in high school a couple of times, but as a

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Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
student, I didnt fully understand the purpose or concept. What was I
supposed to be looking for as a reader? As a writer? After completing this
assignment, I had a better understanding of what was expected of me. I used
this new knowledge towards peer review conducted later in the semester.

Process Work Artifacts

The bulk of my process work focuses on my exploratory essay. I
chose to use drafts 1 and 2 for this essay. They can be found under the
exploratory essay tab on my portfolio.
Draft 1: This draft was pretty rushed. However, it did take me awhile to
finally figure out to write about. I was asking my siblings and friends what
they thought a passion was. Based on what they gave me as examples, my
mind went blank. Half of the examples I couldnt relate to! As I began writing,
I didnt put much thought into. The words just sort of flowed out, like word
vomit. After a peer review, I started seeing my mistakes and where I
shouldve improved, when in reality I didnt.
Draft 2: I put off the writing of this draft until the day it was due. Im not sure
if it slipped my mind or because I was slacking; either way, theres no
excuse. As stated above, during a peer review I was given great tips on how
to expand and show my passion. Instead, I just deleted the whole last

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Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
paragraph because as my peers stated, she has a negative tone towards
her own passion. I assumed by deleting the paragraph, the negativity
would also be deleted.
The third process work artifact derives from my traditional research paper. It
can be found under the Traditional Research Essay tab on my portfolio. I
chose draft 2 as process work artifact because, here is where I physically
revised my paper. I highlighted areas that needed work using italics, bolded
letters, and strikethroughs just to name a few. This is the draft I presented
to Ms. Ingram during our conferences. I was proud of my work and so was
she. However, I did have areas where I could have expanded.
My fourth and final process work artifact, is pretty abstract. I decided to use
my About Me paragraph. This artifact can be found under the Writers
Notebook page, within the subpage Process Work (1). When I began
building my website, my about me page was basic. It reminded me of a
Facebook or Twitter accounts bio. I included my name, major, and high
school. It introduced me as an individual. It didnt introduce my portfolio
whatsoever. After reading Kendra Andrews blog, I decided to revise and add
onto my about me paragraph. Now I feel like it addresses me and my ePortfolio. My viewers will have an idea on what to expect.

Reflection

Gianna Bell

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Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015
After reviewing my e-Portfolio, I feel like it very clear to navigate and
understand. I was sure to refer back to the grading during the composing
process of my Final portfolio essay and e-Portfolio. My e-Portfolio is multimodal. I was sure to grasp the visual mode by the use of animated gifs and
photos throughout my blogs. Also visually, I was sure to use italics, bolded
texts, and color coding throughout my essay for various reasons including
quotes from others or identifying key concepts. Links have also been
provided that relate to a specific portion. I took the spatial mode into account
when building my e-Portfolio; everything aligned and good amount of space
between objects and texts. Over the course of the semester, I have grown as
a writer. I now have resources and skills I have use in the future for other
courses. I feel like I deserve an A. As a midterm grade, Ms. Ingram specified
that I would have a high B, due to the lack of work put towards my
exploratory essay. However, I have worked diligently to improve this piece of
work. I usually find myself becoming nervous about writing paper, but now I
have strategies I can use. The biggest takeaway from this course, is breaking
out of your comfort zone. My papers have thrived since doing so. Leaving
this course, Ive found my niche in the writing world.

Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

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