Considering Genre

Woo! I have reached the end of Pre-Production week! #survivor

Chen, Duncan. "Rocky Balboa". 2/12/06 via Flickr. Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

Now that a good bulk of the research is over, it is time to pick a genre for Project 1.

(Queue the mental drumroll please)

1. I have chosen the Quick Reference Guide! Honestly, At this point I do not think I am prepared to complete anything else but the QRG. And none of the other genres seem appropriate for my topic at the moment. The QRG will allow me to:

• summarize the main arguments
• make lists and add links
• organize information into subsections

I believe all of that will definitely help me express what I have learned.


2. Before I begin production, I will have to:

• view the example QRG's on D2L
• read some one my peer's "Investigating Genres" blog posts
• figure out a way to minimize word count while maximizing efficiency (interestingly, I don't talk a lot, but I do write a lot)

I need to master the art of subsections, word condensation, and organization in order to present my research in a successful way.



3. How am I feeling going into Project 1? Um, I think I have lost the ability to feel. I am so stressed, I cannot even feel the stress. The stress has become a quiet hum along my entire body and mind.

"Learning" 7/12/12 via Flickr. Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

I'm kidding, of course. I feel weirdly excited! I will be writing about the lives of medical residents. I hope to be a medical resident someday, so I am looking forward to continuing to research a topic that truly interests me and that will teach me something that will last way past this semester.

Brown, Gerard. "Excited Dog". via Getty Images.

I can't wait to share the information I have found! And I've never written a QRG before, so this is overall a new experience.

What are you most excited for?

Cluster of Stakeholders

Hello friends, I have news. I completely love Coggle! I cannot believe I did not know this existed before. It's as if I can make little trees of knowledge whenever I want.

Nagy, Csaba. "Oak Tree". 8/13/15 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.

For the first research project, I have decided to focus on the job hours and salaries of medical residents. I came across this topic when I read about Katie's experience as a pregnant medical resident.

I created a map that shows the different motivations, opinions, and relations of stakeholders to the topic of investigation for my research project.

Evaluation of General Sources

One topic that came up over and over during my exploration of online sources was the issue of medical residents' job regulations. Many sources believe residents are underpaid and overworked.

Hours of research have me feeling a little like

Gellinger, Gerhard. "Tiger". 12/24/12 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.

But I've finally found a topic!

I was touched by the story of Katie, who had to take a leave from her residency due to pregnancy issues from the stress of her job.

I researched the topic further online and am now going to use rhetorical analysis to exmaine the credibility of two online sources.

"Here's the Real Reason Medical Residents make just $47,000 a year" found here.

• URL
•  The first word is "blog", so this website is a blog set out from the business section of the Wall Street Journal
• This indicates the source is credible for the most part
• Author
• Angela Chen
• Reporter for WSJ, takes an interest in technology and health
• Email, phone number, and twitter is provided
• Last Updated
• Article is from March 2015
• Links are still working, website is updated
• Purpose
•  To provide an economical explanation to why medical residents are being paid $47,000 a year, which many people agree is not ideal.
• Main argument is that the supply and demand chain is loopy.
• Graphics
•  There is a picture of a surgeon, used as part of blogging conventions.
• There are also links to other posts and sources.
• Position on Subject
• The author seems rather neutral. She is not a medical doctor, which helps eliminate bias. She studies economics so her main purpose is to explain the issue from an economical perspective.
• Links
• There are links to other posts, but they are not entirely related to the issue of medical residents. 

"The Residents Rise Up" found here.

• URL 
• The article is branched off of Slate Magazine, which is a .com site.
• It focuses on technology, politics, business, and is mostly credible.
• Author
• Jacob Sunshine
• President of the University of Washington Housestaff Association
• the association comments on job contracts
• Second year resident
• Studying anesthesiology
• Twitter account provided 
• Last Updated
• Article is from May 2014
• Website is updated, links working
• Purpose
•  To inform the audience of how residents feel towards their wages and contracts. He explains how the process works and why some suggestions will not solve anything. Mostly, he wants to make sure residents' voices are still heard.
• Graphics
• One picture at the beginning of the post 
• Links with pictures to other stories on the side
• Position on Subject
• He is a resident himself, so there may be some bias in his writing and claims.
• However, the details of his experiences offer unique insight to readers.
• Links 
• There are hyperlinks embedded in the text that lead to other sources where he got initial information for his writing.

I think I will keep these two online resources for my research project! I am aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each, so I will use them adequately.

Let's just say I'm feeling a little bit more like this now
 

Louie, Kenny. "A stray kitten". 2/21/09 via wikipedia. Attribution 2.0 Generic.

 What are your thoughts on using this type of rhetorical analysis to evaluate the credibility of sources?


 

Reddit and What I Found There

I've heard mentions of Reddit every now and then, but I've never been on the site.

I will now evaluate the site and determine if I can use it for my research project.

The two accounts that I thoroughly explored seemed to be composed of mostly medical students and young residents.

"Medical Team at the Hospital". via shutterstock.

Account 1
Meddit

• Topics Discussed

• AMA regulations, links to funny videos (parodies of songs, relating to medical field), hospital stories, hospital rules, hours/pay of attending physicians and residents 
• less formal, community sense when discussing regulations and hours

• Interesting Debates

• "Ridiculous" hospital policies discussion
• Someone asked the people what they thought was the most ridiculous rule at the hospital they worked at. People were very responsive and talked about parking issues, who is allowed to handle what equipment, linen policies, and who has to get called in to file an order.

• I found this informative and amusing at the same time. Some of the issues were silly and others I had no idea existed. I like that the tone on the discussion is rather informal and it just sounds like regular people talking. It makes the field seem more "real" in a way.

•  Work hours and pay of residents discussion
• There is a link provided to an article that tells the story of how a UW medical resident was put under so much stress during her pregnancy, she was taken out of work by her doctor due to medical issues caused by overworking. Details are given about salaries, debt, living costs, and rough hours of residency. In the discussion, people are outraged and sharing their own experiences and thoughts on the issue.

• I found this interesting, because it is a significant issues for medical residents. Since I hope to be in their shoes someday, these are factors I have to consider and think about.

• Overall Impression

• This site is definitely less formal than the others I have explored, so there is a lot more information here. However, because of this, it is less credible. 
• I expected these topics to be covered, but the informal tone really surprised me.

Account 2
Medical School

• Topics Discussed

• medical residencies/fellowships, medical questions, advice, med student lifestyle questions
• younger people, usually undergrads, med students, or young residents

• Interesting Debates

• Questioning career path discussion 
• A pre-medicine student has expressed doubt over whether they want to still attend medical school. Current experiences are discouraging because some physicians the student is working with are unhappy. The student is on reddit to try and make a list of pros and cons with the help of others.

• I found this interesting because it pertains to my life. Not because I doubt whether I want to go to med school, but because it is important to know the pros and cons of your prospective field.

• White coat honors discussion 
• A user questions why other schools that are not medical schools have white coat ceremonies at their graduaion. They believe this takes away attention from the doctors graduating from medical school. Other people have replied either agreeing or disagreeing and sharing their experiences.

• I found this interesting because it does not really make sense to me. My initial reaction was that the white coat should be used by anyone who wants to at a graduation. It serves as a symbol for dedicating a career to helping people. I never thought this was an issue, so it surprised me.

• Overall Impression

• These discussion threads are informal and read like an anonymous Twitter. I would consider this site to look into potential issues, but I would conduct the majority of my research elsewhere.

What is your opinion on reddit? 

Evaluation of News Magazine Stories

Honestly, I read magazines for entertainment purposes. Heck yeah, I want to find out about Zayn Malik's new single and to read about what I missed on Grey's Anatomy.

But now I am turning a new digital page. I am turning to magazines for research purposes!

Perez, Victor. "Magazines". 12/19/14 via pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.

Round 1

Time Magazine

Young Doctors and Depression, article found here.

• 4 W's for Understanding Argument
• Who: Doctors in residency and internship programs
• Where: hospitals in the U.S.
• When: Now! Study was released Dec 2015.
• What: A study of about 17,000 medical interns and residents were studied, and about 30% of doctors experienced depression and other mental health issues. It is argued that some reasons for this are the long hours, stress from the job, demands of attending physicians, and lack of emphasis on mental health. Dr. Schwenk and Dr. Nata are proposing more changes need to be made in the medical community in order to address these issues.

• Most Sympathetic Character

• Interns and residents
• After graduating from medical school, doctors typically join a residency program and complete a first year internship. If we assume no breaks from school were taken, this should put most doctors at the age of 26 after graduation. 

• These characters evoke strong sympathetic feelings from me, because they are who I want to be in 8 years! I want to find a career in the medical field, so these statistics are surprising to me. And these issues will still be relevant in the future.

• Least Sympathetic Character

•  Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) / Older generations
• This is an organization that determines the "rules" for medical education. They recently changed some rules on hours so that interns do not work shifts longer than 16 hours or work weeks that exceed 80 hours. The organization has been around for a while, so they are still using the education model from years ago.

• They are the least sympathetic because they continue to run medical education the same way they did years ago, despite the significant changes that have been made in the medical field. I like that they have made some adjustments, but it seems like more are necessary.

Round 2

Wired Magazine

Zika Virus affects Abortion Ban, article found here.

• 4 W's for Understanding Disagreement
• Who: Women and health organizations
• Where: Brazil and other Latin American countries
• When: 2012-Present
• What: The Zika virus is a big health problem in Latin America. Recently, many infants have been born with smaller brains than normal, and doctors have linked this to the virus, since it can be passed by the mother while pregnant. Health officials recommend women do not get pregnant. Abortion is illegal in Brazil, and can be punished by prison time. This issue is pushing the limits of the abortion ban and poses a confusing problem for citizens, the law, and health officials.

• Most Sympathetic Character
• Mother's who's infants have caught the virus
• Often the mothers will have to carry out the pregnancy against their wishes, perform an illegal abortion, or give birth to a child that will suffer from many health problems.

• They evoke sympathetic feelings because it being in that position must be extremely difficult. They battle between their religion views and the evaluation of the quality of life their child will have.

• Least Sympathetic Character
• Brazilian court
• They passed a rule that abortion is lawful under some conditions (baby being born with no brain), but not others.
• It is harder to feel sympathetic for the court system because they are restricting what many people think is a personal choice.

Overall, I have gathered new articles and have discovered more topics.

What do you think are the advantages and/or disadvantages of using magazines for research?

Twitter and What I Found There

The one piece of social media I've always avoided is Twitter. I just can't grasp a hold of it.

But, my for English grade, I will be brave. And into the Twitter world, I will venture.

Grable, Rori. "Bilbo Adventure". via photobucket.

First, I explored through Physiology (my major) feeds, and found one titled Physiology News.

• What is going on here
• This account has been active for almost six years, and always posts links to new medical and physiological findings. Although it has over 6k followers, there is not a lot of interaction happening. At most, other twitter users retweet the post. For the most part, the account only redirects people to other sources, but does not talk or give opinions.

• Top Two
• This tweet shares a link to a story from Tucson High School! It explains the impact an anatomy and physiology teacher is having on her students by encouraging them to engage with the material instead of just blatantly memorizing facts.  Although there was not any discussion going on, I am certain the curriculum of science courses is discussed somewhere. I will be sure to look into that through other sources and social media!

• This tweet caught my attention because it shares a link to an article on how teenagers who are sleep deprived have more difficulty dealing with stress. And, I mean, is that not the story of my life? Again, there was no discussion occurring, but I think that is due to the nature of Twitter. 

• Judgement Time
• The twitter feeds on Physiology are pretty much what I expected them to be. Tons of information is being shared, but there is not a lot of discussion. 
• However, I did expect to see more articles or tweets relating to the education side of physiology, but I only saw a few mentions of that. 
• Overall, I think the Physiology accounts are rather serious and heavy on reading. I would not look at these tweets during casual down time, but rather during "lets learn some cool stuff" time.

Then, I moved on to a Pediatric (my career goal) feed titled Medscape Pediatrics.

• What is going on here
• This account is almost seven years old and have over 14k followers. There is minimal discussion here, people who retweet the posts are usually just self promoting. Like the Physiology account, this one also shares many links to articles relating to Pediatricians and Pediatric practices. 

• Top Two 
• This tweet shares an article on how dogs help children who deal with anxiety. I was immediately interested in this because I love dogs, they have a special place in my heart, so I wanted to learn more about how wonderful they are. The article gives information on studies that are being conducted and expresses a hopeful note that more studies will arise. This is an interesting topic I might explore further.

• This tweet takes us to an article that kinda broke my soul. It provides recent statistics on various topics such as
• which physicians experience burnout
• the common causes of burnout
• what biases they hold towards patients
• does bias affect treatments
• what contributes to these biases
• which physicians are happiest in and out of work
•  For the mot part, these statistics were depressing to look at, especially since about half of the Pediatricians surveyed reported experiencing burnout and unhappiness. Since I am considering this job field, I will definitely be looking into this topic more.

•  Judgement Time
• This account offers a lot of articles and information, but a lot seem to come from the same sources, so it does not provide the best picture of what is happening in the field. 
• There is rarely any discussion on this feed, probably because Twitter is not the idea social media for in depth discussion. 
• Overall, this account is a bit serious and likes to look at social aspects on the field, not just the new findings and experiments.

Now that I am on the other side of that Twitter journey, I realize Twitter is not the ideal place to search for issues or controversies relating to my major or my potential job field.


 But I did find new topics I would like to explore further!

Do you agree Twitter is not the best place for these subjects? Or am I looking in the wrong sections of Twitter?

Evaluation of New York Times Stories

Why is research so difficult? I am never particularity excited to start, because I know I am just going to be reading huge blocks of text, and within the hour, I'll have forgotten half of what I read.

Kraft, Holger. "Doe Confused". 8/19/14 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication License.

Based on her facial expression, I think this doe understands the struggle of being 99% done.

There must be an easier way to break through the fluff and get to the main idea.


I will be examining two articles from The New York Times and narrowing down the information in order to understand context (which is honestly the truly important stuff).



Under Science, I found an article explaining the use of genetically engineered monkeys to understand Autistic behavior.

• Main characters: the genetically engineered monkeys
• Role: participating in experiments that will aid in understanding of the development of Autistic behavior, which will give scientists a better idea of what types of therapy may be successful in humans

• What is happening: Scientists are "changing" the genetic composition of monkeys so the monkeys express common Autistic behaviors such as repetitive actions and slight social isolation. 
• Influence on plot/characters: Monkeys are exhibiting some Autistic behaviors, and with further testing, scientists might be able to gain insight on how these behaviors develop, and maybe even lead to insights on what causes Autism (It is important to add this is probably way in the future, as this topic is extremely complex). 

• Disagreement/Debate
•  Ethical dilemma of using monkeys for testing
• Preferred because of they show similar behavioral and social traits as humans and their developmental stages are long (compared to mice).
• However, monkeys are not going to completely eliminate the use of mice for testing in these experiments.
• Brings up the issue of science vs ethics

Under Health, I found an article describing new guidelines concerning patients' access to their medical records.

• Main Characters: Everyone who has a medical record! And also doctors, workers, and health care professionals.
• Role: Both give different perspectives of who should be able to access medical records, what the process should be, and when they can access said records. 

•  What is happening: New legislation has come into place after complaints of the difficulty of getting a copy of a person's medical records. .
• Influence on plot/characters: People believe having a copy of their medical records will enable them to make better, more informed decisions concerning their health care. Some doctors and other professionals do not think this will be necessarily beneficial, and that mostly other doctors will get the most information from the records. 

• Disagreement/Debate
•  Many people say it does not make sense for vital information about yourself to be so inconveniently out of reach. 
• People used to have to give a reason why, wait over a month for a copy, and sometimes pay for the service of pulling up the medical records
• However, health care professionals are hesitant because they do not think all information should be shared with all patients (suicidal patients for example may be particularly sensitive). 

 After addressing those key points, a successful breakdown of a seemingly unconquerable article is complete!

We can now venture on to the next steps of research, and happier days!

McCaffrey, Jamie. "One Relieved Deer". 7/17/14 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Do you think this is an effective way to understand context of a story/news article? Any suggestions on how to improve?

Course Projects

I hope to someday become a doctor. Throughout my conversations with doctors, med students, and teachers, the concept of time managament and careful planning is always brought up.
To succeed in this class, I have to start thinking about those two things already.

Unsplash. "Stopwatch". 4/16/15 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication License.

What are you most confused by or nervous about in regards to the four main projects?

I am nervous about how I am going to manage to do everything! Time management is going to be absolute key to succeeding in the class and creating good projects.

I am most concerned about how much more emphasis is placed on the final project section of the grade and how much less emphasis is placed on the production section as the semester progresses. This means I will have to carefully plan my decisions so I save the genres I think I will be best at for the end.

Also, I am not too tech-savvy so there is a very real possibility that the production stage of all my projects are going to slightly drive me insane. 

 What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects? 

I am excited to explore new genres! I have never made a podcast, quick reference guide, or a video essay before. I feel like there is a lot to learn, and more importantly, the skills I will acquire as I work through the projects will be beneficial in the long run. :)

Also, I get to learn more stuff from the field I want to go into! 

What are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework challenge your time management skills this semester?

The one thing I am absolutely positively sure of is that I must give myself adequate time for the pre-production stages! Not doing so is not an option! I need to learn how to use the technology ASAP and figure out how to present the information early in the process.

I need to prepare for a lot of research! And I will need to conduct interviews for Project 2, so it is best to start planning that sooner rather than later, especially since I am a Pre-Medicine student (contacting doctors takes quite a while).

Part of my writing/working process involves waiting until I have huge blocks of time to complete the work for a project. Yep, not going to work here. I need to give myself some time every day. 

How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?

Throughout my experience with Honors/AP English, we did a lot of rhetorical analysis, argumentative essays and speeches, and we always had layers of projects. We never did only one thing at once, which is very similar to this class.

In general, I've done many research projects in school and have researched a variety of topics in order to start projects. I feel confident in my ability to find information. 

Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?

 @myself, how are you going to manage this?

I am wondering if it possible to switch to a different genre in the middle of the production stage? It will be much harder depending at what point I might want to switch, but if the urge to switch is strong enough, when and how is the best way to do that?

 Wishing everyone the best of luck as the semester embarks!

bykst. "Success". 10/24/15 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication License.

What project do you anticipate will be the toughest? How are you going to prepare yourself for success?


Reflection: After reading Avalon's post, I have more questions on the in-class schedule. I am not entirely sure if we are going to present our projects or only do the peer review. Either way, it will be fun and will push me out of my comfort zone! David's post brings up the issue of what to ask interviewees to get the best information for Project 2. I have a better idea of what to ask and why I am asking, but I will still need to plan ahead to make sure the interview flows smoothly.
 

Investigating Genres

The combination of words and video to deliver a message is quite powerful. Tons of famous YouTubers use this combination for make-up tutorials, funny stories, parodies, and many other things. The funny thing is, if you play your cards right, people are usually 100% engaged in your video.  
 

"Malinois Flower Meadow". 5/4/14 via pixabay. Public Domain Dedication.

 The goal here it to make your audience as excited and attentive as this cute dog!



Because of this, I will be exploring Video Essays!

1. The purpose of Video Essays is pretty straight forward--to deliver an essay in an engaging, informative, but concise video with text, images, and film snippets of various types included. The goal of the essay matched the goal of the video, so it can be informative, argumentative, a summary, analytical.


2. This genre is found online, mostly on YouTube, but sometimes on other websites with the video attached. The context varies with purpose, but video essays generally exist when someone wants to deliver a message by talking about it while using videos, pictures, and other resources for emphasis.

"I Used To" by YouTube user Cassette Tape was made for a college application, "Inside Out: Emotional Theory comes alive" by user Nerdwriter1 was made to analyze the movie and its impact, and "Toy Ad and Learning Gender" by user feministfrequency was made to argue why ads targeted at young children are harmful due to the gender stereotyping depicted in the ads.

Video essays exist in a less formal, more personal context where a person can use their voice and face to deliver a message, instead of writing it down.


3. The audience for video essays is primarily the general public, because anyone can see these videos. The secondary audience is connected to the purpose. For the three video essays above, the audiences are most likely college admissions team, psychology students, and gender studies students, respectively. 

However, the primary audience is more important because the video essay must be composed so the general public can understand it, not just specific people, which is what makes the videos so popular. 

4. Key Features and Characteristics

• Under 10 minutes long
• Uses video clips, pictures, and text
• Voice over expressing message

5. My personal definition:

Video Essay: A short video that utilizes pictures, video, and text to deliver a variety of messages by the person in the video.


How do you feel about video essays? Are they effective, why or why not?    



Reflection:  After reading Sienna's blog post about video essays, I realized my blog posts are probably too long. We both wrote about video essays, yet her post was clearer and more to the point. Throughout the semester, one of my writing goals is to condense my writing! 
Missy's post stated she was most terrified to do the video essay. This is also the project I am most nervous about. I like that she wrote about the genre that scares her the most, because know she has a lot of information on it and has seen examples so it will be easier to carry out the process later. Also, knowing about what to expect allows us to make important decisions that will dictate how we will create our video essays. 

My Writing Process

When I think about my writing process and style, I think of a hurricane. It is an organized mess! There is a lot going on and it is easy to get lost in it, but the center is pretty clear and focused.

It would probably be much easier to stick to one kind of process, but I tend to mix them all together when I write, which results in a hurricane of ideas and words, and decisions.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. "Hurricane Blanca Strengthens" 6/3/15 via Flicker. Attribution 2.0 Generic.

1. I fit into all four categories. Sure, right now I am completely demonstrating my Procrastinator side, but part of my procrastination is partially due because I am also a Heavy Reviser, Sequential Composer, and slight Heavy Planner. For me, the type of writer I choose to be depends on the assignment. 

2. The approaches I use when writing depend on how I feel about the assignment.

• Final Project? Important paper? Consider me a Heavy Planner! I will obsess and obsess over the content and plan during passing periods, as I'm making dinner, before I go to bed, whenever. Then, I will write the assignment without needing to revise much.

• An assignment I care deeply about on a personal level? Then it's time for me to be a Heavy Reviser. I will sit down with my trusty pen and paper, and write down absolutely anything that comes into mind for fifteen minutes. I do not stop to edit anything, nor do question whether I am making sense. I just want to write down everything when I am feeling it so I will write something genuine, without rewriting it twenty times. Once that is done, I'll let it sit for a night and heavily edit the next day, picking out the essential information as I go.

• A combination of the previous two? This is probably my most common--Sequential Composer. I like to create an outline in one sitting so I do not over complicate the process, then I write and revise. 

3.  I believe my writing process has been successful so far. No two assignments are ever the same, so it would not make sense for me to approach two assignments the exact same way. Before writing, I consider how I feel about an assignment and what aspect of it requires the most attention. From there, I make a serious of decisions on when I am going to start, how I am going to plan, and what I want the overall assignment to look like. 

The strengths of my writing process are that I have a lot of control over when I will be working on an assignment, so I can set aside special time to complete it. Also, because I know what methods help me express myself the best, I have an easier time expressing my genuine thoughts and beliefs. 

The weaknesses of my writing process are that sometimes I underestimate the time I need for an assignment, so I end up rushing through it. 



4. It would be beneficial to try some approaches more than others. I am mostly a Heavy Reviser and Sequential Composer, so I should try to plan more, even when I am not too worried about an assignment. 


Overall, my writing process involves a lot of decision making! Within the first couple days of receiving an assignment, I have to choose which approach/s to take and so on and so forth. 

Does anyone have a similar or completely different writing process? I would love to hear about it!