On Communicating and Collaborating

ENGL-2010
Rebecca Miner
Tawnia Page

The topic I selected for my social issue was Education vs. Workplace experience. I
chose this topic for many reasons one was that it is personal. Ive been a dedicated
employee for over 15 years as a public servant. Over the years, Ive had many
opportunities for advancement, which Ive been fortunate to do so. However, this
all changed in 2008 along with the market crash. A statewide hiring freeze was
imposed, no cost of living raises and with the increasing cost of medical, most
employees technically had a pay cut. But who could complain, we all had jobs,
while so many lost theirs.
When the assignment allowed to select a topic that I felt was worthy to discuss, I
chose this one. But now, I had to find a way to convey my thoughts and articulate
them into different genres and mediums. This has been an area that Im not
comfortable with. Throughout the semester, Ive been able to work on a variety of
modes such as Flash Memoir, Profile, Report, Position, Argument and then creating a
Translation/adaptation of one of these. I chose to use an informative medium for
my Report piece. I chose this medium because of the importance facts to support
my issue. The research has been the foundation to each piece which allows for a
strong ethos presence. I selected reputable sources to insure creditability such as
Government sites on stats and statics. Providing proper citation I provided and gave
proper credit to those who I borrowed information from. Although, this part has been
challenging at time, Ive reaped the benefits by providing credibility and accurate
information to my readers.
With each essay, I took full advantage of the peer reviews. The constructive
feedback was very insightful as well as appreciated. Taking the feedback of others
into consideration, I was able to revise and re-revise my pieces. The essay I felt I
had the most success and fun with was one of my notebook assignments. I was
able to insert my personal opinion, and who doesnt like to do that? The notebook
assignment that I used was a letter to Mr. Senator Sanders. I had the opportunity to
evaluate his six step proposal, if elected President, to implement a Free Tuition
policy. I happen to disagrees and find his plan incomplete and out of touch with the
United States free market system.
The process I used for creating the translation/adaptation piece was selecting an
essay that could take on a different view point without losing the intended message
and could remain informational. For this piece, I selected the profile essay. The
profile essay is a sit down interview with my mother. She is open and expressive
about her life struggles and how returning to school had a dramatic effect on her
and her families lives. To offer a different translation, I used a power point medium
to convey her message. By using the power point, I was able to tell her story in a

way that had less pathos and more logos with keeping true to her story. I found it
easier than I thought but still challenging.
Throughout the semester, Ive been challenged to think outside of my comfort zone,
to look at writing in way that are bigger than pen and paper. Ive learned that
writing is not just about what is written but how it is received by the reader and
more importantly, how it is delivered. Creating a magazine and incorporating
selected pieces was intimidating at first but having the opportunity to work in a
group setting and learning to collaborate and compile all of our works together has
been amazingly insightful. The team effort and the willingness of each team
member made the experience a success. As Editor in Chief, I had the role of
leadership however, leadership is not to be takin lightly rather with respect. Each
member had the opportunity to reflect in their own way and convey that though the
Editors notes. While this experience was required, Im grateful to have had the
opportunity to work in this capacity with my fellow peers. Together we learned from
one another and how we each see through different lenses. This brought a strong
diversity to our magazine which I hope those who read it will also find true.