Post Ten: Group Project

Throughout the semester, the students in my English 104 class have been given time to work in small established groups. In our group, we have used this opportunity to get to know each other and have spent a good deal of time talking and evaluating each other's written works. I believe that the members of our group (Valerie, Dan, Matt, and myself) have developed a good working relationship and think that this has helped us achieve our primary goal (to conduct a field study and develop a class presentation based on the information we gathered).

Yesterday, it was our turn to speak to the class about what we found concerning student library use. The delivery of information went well and I believe that we all felt a great sense of relief after it was over. During the presentation, some members (including myself) ran a few seconds short on the time parameter while other team members, went slightly over. Fortunately, the total time we spoke seemed to be very close to our over-all targeted time limit. I am pleased with how our program unfolded. The material was organized and each member was prepared in advance to say something unique.

Other groups in the classroom also chose the library as their field study topic. It was interesting to hear what they had to say, and I found myself internally comparing and contrasting their findings with ours. I was also amazed by the different questions that other groups asked while conducting research at the library. I can honesty say that I was not bored during their presentations(even though this was where we conducted our investigation) and have acquired new knowledge about Bracken Library.

Post Nine: An Afternoon At Bracken Library

Instead of having class in our classroom, our group met at Bracken Library and we worked on a field project that is due next Tuesday. Our topic discusses library use and investigates what changes have been made to bring students back into Bracken. We are especially interested in the social aspect of utilizing the library as a place where people can interact.

All group members were present and we spent our time dividing the workload into categories that would be personally interesting and appropriate to each. After that was done, each person then decided which pictures that they would like use in their portion of the powerpoint backdrop. The meeting went smooth and we all agreed to develop an outline of what we wanted to talk about next Tuesday and be ready to present our findings.

Post Eight: Powered By Coffee

Are you currently getting the grade that you want in this class?

Today, I would like to give praise to the Writing Center and encourage my classmates to check it out. It really is a valuable asset on campus and all types of students (undergraduate, graduate and doctoral candidates) use the center. Whether you are struggling with writing assignments or just need to have another person proofread what you have written, this is where you can go. Students can make appointments in advance or you can show up and often, someone will be available for a walk-in session.

It has always been my experience that the tutors are friendly and very helpful. No, their job is not to write your paper. But if you need help with organizing your thoughts/paper, grammar, punctuation, formatting citations, etc., they are eager to help by explaining some of the finer points of writing well.

Like others, my time is precious too. Before I go to an appointment, I like to be as organized as possible. I usually read through what I have written and highlight anything that might be questionable. This way my sessions are short and action-packed. So if you need to but have avoided going, give these individuals a chance to show you what they can do. There is still time to improve your English 104 experience and grade.

Be safe and have a great Spring Break!