One
of the most important skills that I learned was how to use an online data base
for researching. For English 101 I used a library or Google to find sources. The
first time I used Y.C.’s online data base was for our Winter Bones essay, it was
overwhelming. I’d type one word in the search engine and then get 200+ responses.
What a waste of time, reading each or guessing which would be a supportive,
valid source. Then out of necessity, I began to experiment with “and” or “or”
selection and other tools (printing, citing, abstracts, folders). Quickly, I found
that I could narrow those 200 random papers into 50 useable papers. This saved
both my time and my sanity. I now favor online data bases to libraries and
Google. As a forester I will be required to locate, analyze and report on existing
research. This class has given me an edge on the first step in this process. I
can now quickly locate creditable information in my P.J.s. I feel learning this
skill has improved my writing drastically, as I can incorporate more
significant and creditable sources. Good sources add interest and validity to
the author.
A
second skill I learned that is invaluable to me was citing sources. This
semester I became very familiar with my Little Brown Handbook and with Owl
online writing lab. Citing sources can seem like a foreign language. Through
our essays, I became better. I am still a novice at this, but I now know how to
find resources to assist me. It is so important to avoid plagiarism
and give credit to the author. My new best friend, http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Becoming familiar with online data bases and citing source were two challenges that I overcame this semester. I conquered these challenges by using the resources Mrs. Cline provided us with (I loved the Y.C. plagiarism video…laughed very hard) and by her holding high expectations for us to meet. These techniques improved my writing as it makes me a more creditable and professional writer. I will use both in my future classes and in my career.
Wow David, Its good to hear someone else had some of the same struggles. I learned how to properly cite sources as well, and the little brown handbook became very familiar to me too. This has really been a challenging class for me. Although there have been so many struggles, we are finally at the end. I have enjoyed your blog posts and I wish you nothing but success in the future. Good luck man and take care!
ReplyDelete-Kyle Audis
I am glad to hear that we had some of the same issues. Based on reading your papers it sounds lie you got the hang of it pretty well. The online data basis were probably one of my main struggles and how to cite them. I should have purchased that Little brown book but I guess it is to late now. Well good luck with everything and nice post.
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