Portfolio James.
Seaman Lake RD.
Befootown, VA 20101
December 6, 2018
Mathew Gwangwaa
Rainbow Gate Way
Black Side, VA 22590
Dear Mr. James,
I hope you are doing fine. My name is Mathew Gwangwaa, and I am here to share some of my experiences at Old Dominion University. I am going to tell you about my English 110C class in general.
Experience
Applying what I learned from English will be very easy since I also learned from my teacher that “you will be writing professionally for the rest of your life” (Emerson). The knowledge from my English class helped me learn more about my present and future college life in general. I also know that my food review will come in handy for Culinary since it is one of my favorite hobbies. The food review will help me get my culinary master’s degree when I pursue cooking later this year. I want to do Culinary Arts on the side of what I want to do when I finally declare my major. I’ll be able to give more descriptive words than the usual, “good” or, “this is nice,” which will help me be more credible when I give my opinion on food or anything else that’s needed. Previously, I was not confident enough to write for any scholarships, since my grammar will continue to haunt me whether I like it or not. Now, I can apply for any scholarship I want in the future, since I have more control over my mistakes. I am planning on using my new-found knowledge as much as I can to catch up for many missed opportunities lost in the past. I’m now more confident to take the steps I need without grammar holding me back.
Discipline
Speaking and writing are interchangeable since writing is the same as speaking but done on paper. Public Speaking is about how to persuade, inform, or get your point across to your audience. Writing is the exact same concept since you must choose your words carefully that better your message rather than making them misinterpret it. Speaking can easily transfer to my English since I can speak as if I am telling my audience my message for each prompt as I write my papers. I also learned Monroe’s Motivated Sequence which is the key to persuasion that can give me an easier time persuading my audience. Writing without confidence can reduce your credibility just like in Public Speaking where it shows and makes your audience wonder if they can trust what you’re saying.
Transfer My outside papers, for example, my second paper from my Intro to Visual Arts class connects to my English class. I learned how to fix my grammar mistakes by reading Everyone’s An Author and doing activities in class to sharpen that skill. Thanks to English, I was able to get a 90 on my second paper, instead of the 63 I received on my first paper. Another example that relates to English is my informative speech from my Public Speaking class. From English and Everyone’s An Author, I learned how to give credit to the sources I used by going to a site called Owl Purdue to check when in doubt. I used the new information in my presentation so that I did not plagiarize anything accidentally and as a result; I got a 90 on this as well. I had countless papers like my film analysis from history class that I got a 71 on due to the many grammar errors I had. Now, I’m more able to find my grammar mistakes on my own without too much assistance. I have a good imagination and some knowledge for the prompt that my teacher gives me. I am a better writer now, thanks to what I learned from English.
Integrated Communication
I would be able to use my e-portfolio for much more than school. I would be able to use my portfolio for when I get a job when I graduate. I can give potential employers my work as an example to show how capable I am at writing. I can use the informative speech that I previously made in public speaking to show improvement in my grammar and sourcing mistakes. My English class helped me site, source, and give credit to the info I used that didn’t originate from me. I also will be doing my shark tank speech on 12/6/18 using what I learned from English to properly inform and persuade my audience to buy the product that I’m selling them. C:\Users\Mathew Gwangwaa\Documents\culinary2.pptx
Self-Assessment and Reflection
I faced the stress of many college freshmen, for example, the new workload that comes with more responsibility. Work wasn’t too prevalent in the first few weeks of class, but suddenly got to a level that was much more than high school. Starting in September, I had to look at my biggest weakness in the face, which was the English class itself, and work on it until it was no longer a concern. I was getting B’s and A’s when it doesn’t concern writing anything in words, for example, in math. I had to now look for a way to make my weakness into a new strength that I never had before by continually writing. The English class had me regularly writing journals and essays, and with the in-class lectures, I learned where to find my mistakes. I also learned why some wording doesn’t work, as it may make your reader confused or even not see your message. I was getting frustrated since I’m doing something I was poor at and seeing the failure that came with it. That failure and frustration were short-lived, as my grip got tighter on my mistakes. By my last essay, my food review, the amount of grammar or wording errors could almost be around 6 or less than opposed to 20 or more. I would be able to use my knowledge for this letter and future assignments, like my final reflection in my public speaking class. I could use this for my resumes that I would write when I leave ODU in a few years or help other people with their weaknesses as they did for me not so long ago. I would be able to follow the prompt well without making my message hard to understand due to vague wording or misplaced grammar like I used to.
English is one of my subjects that either I am good at or I fail miserably in and I happen to be miserable at it. Though, what makes English 110C hard is the writing involved that makes my grade suffer. I got better as of December 2018 since I can write with fewer errors and can use this new knowledge to anything that is not English.
Sincerely,
Mathew Gwangwaa