How I Have Grown

Throughout this course I have been focusing on the topic of guns and what would be the
best solution for gun violence in our country today. The difference between how gun rights and
gun control affect the issue in society. Throughout my research and writing progress I have
done many different things like asking questions that I want to get answered for the topic and
then finding reliable resources that answer those questions and give statistics to back up what
they are saying. I also found stories and used real life examples to fully research my topic as
well. As far as my writing process goes I have used my research to answer the various prompts
for the class and then write what I think and then I go through and revise my writing until both it
makes sense and I’m happy with what I have created. 
While working on my projects for this class I have had the opportunity to work with many
different mediums. I have used just writing to really get a story through. A comic which I think
really adds a visual while still being able to tell and explain a short story. I have done an audio
podcast which adds more emotion to what I am writing. For my adaptation I chose to change my
informative piece which was just writing into an infographic. This adds a more visual element
and helps to better understand the data and everything that goes into the data. I learned how to
short all of my info into a concise version and still make it understandable which was a useful
skill to learn.
Throughout the design process I was able to learn how the various colors and
backgrounds and how this can add to the theme and really change the feel of my writing pieces.
I learned that the design process is important and should not be overlooked. I have been able to
get more ideas on my design process throughout getting ideas off of my peers and seeing what
my other peers did for their project while I was doing peer reviews.
When I started this course I wanted to improve my writing and get a better
understanding about a problem in our community and learn how to research so that I can learn
how to do so in my future when I am in a similar situation. This course has helped me to learn
how to go more in depth with my writing and learn how to revise it. I also learned how to
research future issues by finding credible sources. I have been able to see how I have grown
and achieved my goals throughout this class.
The first idea that we have focused on while in this class was, language and writing are
resources people use to do things, be things, and make things in the world. I have seen that
while I have been researching my issue that I was able to more fully form an opinion about my
topic and see how various decisions could affect not only my own life but also the life of many
other people around me. While working on my writing during this course I have had the
opportunity to see how my language and writing have the opportunity to change things in the
world around me. When I was able to make an online magazine that focuses on this issue that I
care about I was able to see how my writing could change the world in the way I want it to be
changed. Through my influence I have been able to change other people's opinions and just
overall educate them on all of the points of this issue. There have been a lot of things that I have
learned throughout this class but one of the biggest things was learning the power and influence
that my writing can have.
The final idea that we focused on while in this class was, Rhetoric provides a method for
studying the work that language and writing do. I have been able to learn more fully what
rhetoric is and the various rhetoric techniques. I learned the power of rhetoric techniques and
how that when they are used properly they can have a major impact on how your writing sounds
and how your reader responds to your writing. Learning rhetoric in this class has also caused
me to look more closely and recognize these kinds of techniques in the other writings that I have
the opportunity to read which helps me to get deeper into the writing and understand what the
author is trying to say more fully. Both of these ideas that we have focused on in this class have
given me a better understanding of writing and writing skills and have taught me a lot. I’m glad I
have had the opportunity to learn and grow through this class.