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Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

Final Portfolio Essay

Your paper is due next week. Make sure it meets the requirements 5
paragraphs; be sure there is a paragraph strictly for an introduction and a conclusion.
Typical statement heard every few weeks as a graduating senior. Walking into this class I
was FOR SURE Id be in writers hell again. I was accepting the fact that Id be graded
based on an unrealistic rubric for every paper I mean it is a University WRITING course
right? Wrong. I was all wrong. And quite frankly, Im glad I was.

Note: I have composed this essay for easy navigation. For example, my subheadings
have been color coded; words relate to the writing beneath the subheading of the same
color.

About Me
My about me page is also my homepage. Therefore, it is the first thing you will see.
Here you will read a little about me as a student; my aspirations and major. Also, I
introduce viewers to my e-Portfolio. The main purpose of my e-Portfolio is to showcase
my work and progress in this class.

Blog Posts

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

On my portfolio, my blogs will be one of the first tabs youll see aside from my
About Me page. The blogs Ive written are composed of responses, thoughts, or
brainstorming to required readings or questions sought out by Ms. Ingram. I wrote these
to provide my readers with a snippet of my logic; whats going on in my head. I had never
blogged before in my life. To be honest, I wasnt completely sure what the purpose was.
When writing my first blog, I was confused. What format was required? Is there a rubric?
Is this even considered formal writing?! The ghost of high school writing crept upon me as
I wrote my first few blogs. I was stuck in my comfort zone. I wrote in my Midterm paper
that, However, for me, my comfort zone is writing for a grade and not for myself As time
progressed, I realized the writings we were assigned were for our own benefit. With these
blog posts, I wrote for my own self-reflection and purpose. Each blog posts contributed to
the Multi-Modality of my portfolio. On each blog post, I strived to include an animated
gif, which related to what the blog post covered. Also, I tried to have an interesting title
for them. The wix website builder sparked this actually. Every time Id begin a blog post,
the title box would read Add an engaging title. On my first blog post, I paid this no
mind due to my comfort zone. As the semester progressed, I found titles that were
related to the context of the blog posts, although some were clich or corny. Many of our
blog posts were insights to our research paper. Here, most of our brainstorming was
done.

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

Traditional Research Paper/Visual Bibliography

The blogs were predominately focused upon our research, thats why I chose to
reflect on this next. It is the last tab on my portfolio. Blog post #3 is when/where my
deliberation for a research topic began. As topics began to flow in my mind, I knew
exactly which one I wanted to do. Sure I had plenty of ideas and concepts, but this one
struck me personally. My nephew was diagnosed with Autism when he was around 2
years old. Before this, I barely even knew what Autism was. As embarrassing as it seems, I
assumed Autism had physical defects such as Down syndrome. With this research, I
broadened my knowledge on the disorder. Prior to this assignment, I completed a
research paper on Autism. However, it was pretty juvenile compared to this one. My
research wasnt as in depth. Before actually writing the paper, we were given the option to
either, 1) Create 3-column notes for our research topic or 2) Create a visual bibliography. I
chose to make a Prezi (visual bibliography). I felt like this would contribute to the MultiModality of my portfolio. Also, because Prezis are fun to produce. I watched my Prezi
grow from 2 sources to 10. A Prezi is beneficial in several ways. However, I used my Prezi
to help organize my research paper; how things would flow into each other. I composed it
so that the information would go more and more in depth.

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

As I began writing my research paper, my comfort zone began kicking in again; 5

paragraphs, conclusion, did I mention 5 paragraphs?! However, during an inclusive peer
review session with Ms. Ingram, I was reassured there were more ways of formal writing
than I thought. I approached this assignment as a TRADITIONAL research paper, but as
Ms. Ingram explained to me, there was plenty of opportunity for my paper. Ms. Ingram
suggested using, subtitles, personal language as in you and your child. Upon leaving the
session, I was already thinking of new ways to steer my paper. Now, I have constructed it
into a type of brochure reading; like one youd find in a clinic. Ive taken into account
the suggestions I was given, and now it is more appealing to my chosen audience.

Mid-term
The first half of the semester seemed to have blown right past me. I am already
writing my first mid-term paper as a freshman in college. Believe it or not, I was actually
stoked about it! Now it is the end of the semester, and the little voice in my head keeps
saying, My, look how much youve grown. In my midterm, I was able to reflect on my
growth as a writer. I tend to have trouble with achieving is making connections. Ive
always had trouble doing so. I can make connections, but it is hard to convey that
connection with my audience. Sometimes those connections are quite vague. As I read this,
I can honestly say I see improvement. Making connections has always been a troubling

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

task for me. This caused a HUGE problem when I was writing my exploratory essay.
But you could always expand and include how your phone is your passion, was a
suggestion one of my peers wrote me. After going back and reading draft one, I realized
he was right. Throughout the whole paper I was telling why my phone was my passion,
not how. My, look how I have grown! Since writing this, my exploratory essay took a
turn for the better. I was able to portray meaningful connections through my words. You
seem to be learning a lot about your own composing processes. When I was first
introduced to the writing process, I took it as a joke. I didnt take into account how
much of an impact it would have on the growth of my drafts. My midterm can be found
under the Blog tab.

Exploratory Essay
I wanted to save the best for last. When I say the best, I mean the best
transformation. My exploratory essay has changed for the BETTER! My first two drafts
were poor in context and difference. I wrote my first 2 drafts about my cell phone. It
took me awhile to figure out my passion. I contemplated on what passion meant to me. I
made a list of objects and hobbies I liked. From shoes, to cheering, to listening to music,
none of these seemed to be fit for a passion. I decided on the most obvious. In fact, Im not
sure that this is a true passion. The first paragraph of both drafts 1 and 2 of my essay. It

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

was true though, I wasnt even sure if it was a passion. I think thats what brought me
down. How do you explain a passion if you dont even know if its a passion? In class a few
weeks ago, my professor said, among all my classes this bunch had the shortest essays
, and I felt as if she was talking directly to me. This was from my Blog post #4. That
feeling of Ms. Ingram talking directly to me became a reality during a peer review session.
Ms. Ingram wrote, This is rushed + doesnt give me much to respond to I expected more.
My heart dropped, not because I was surprised she would tell me this, but because I knew
it was the truth. The only difference between my first 2 drafts was a paragraph. I expected
more from myself; I knew I could do better. This was just what I needed; my motivation.
Ive written my exploratory essay on a brand new topic, a fresh start if you will. I am
honestly proud of my final draft. I put more thought and time into it.

Writers Choice
Feedback Artifacts
Both of my feedback artifacts derived from peer reviews of my exploratory essay
and they can be found under the exploratory essay tab on my portfolio. I chose to use
feedback artifacts only from that essay because; I think, this essay has shown the most
improvement. My first two drafts; as stated above; were both rushed. I didnt put my best

Gianna Bell

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

work out there. They differed by one paragraph. However, I received beneficial tips from
my peers.
The first piece of feedback artifacts comes from the first peer review we conducted
in class. Towards the end she finished off with a comment that kind of trashed her own
passion. Maybe something more positive? Make a conclusion. In my first draft, my final
paragraph contradicted my passion. I wrote, My cell phone may be a passion, but it is also
a distraction. I find myself reaching for my cell phone during some classes. I have even
found myself replying to a quick text while driving. Both of these are harmful; one mentally
and the other physically. My peer was right; I negated the fact that my cell phone WAS
my passion. When writing this essay, I was thinking back to high school and how we
formally wrote papers. Given the prompt, Compose an essay that conveys and explains
your passion(s), the type of essay wasnt specified. I took that and ran with it. I was
aiming for an argumentative essay and in high school, a counter-argument paragraph was
required. So as you probably guessed, the last paragraph was the counter-argument. I
dont know what possessed me to choose that route.
My second feedback artifact is from Mrs. Ingram herself. This is rushed + doesnt
give me much to respond to I wouldnt say it does much more than tell me that you like
your phone. The first two drafts lacked detail and imagery. I merely just told that my cell
phone was my passion, not HOW. Ive always struggled with including strong detail in my

Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

papers, and it showed in this essay. Now that Im looking at these drafts, I see what was
missing. I couldve expanded on the things I used my cell phone for in much more detail.

Wild Cards
My wild cards have derived from this course and another course Im taking
this semester. However, they both can be found under the FPE tab, titled Where the Wild
Things Are. The first wild card is a syllabus reflection Ive written for my Liberal Studies
(LBST 2101) course this semester. In the paper, I decided to reflect on the syllabi of both
my UWRT and LBST course. During this reflection, I noticed similarities within the two
courses. Both the UWRT and LBST course require time management, as well in other
courses. Time management has been somewhat my secret to success. There have been
times that I had essays due in both courses, which was overwhelming. this course and
my UWRT 1103 require some sort of essay paper. As I look back, both writings in both of
these courses were pretty in-depth. I was able to use resources given in my UWRT 1103
towards my LBST, and vice-versa. This wild card highlights me discovering the skills I
needed to be successful in my classes.
My second wild card is Kendra Andrews blog on e-Portfolio design; the homepage
guidelines. I wanted to include this as a wildcard because, when I began my blog, my
homepage was pretty vague. I composed it like a social media homepage; giving just

Gianna Bell
Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

enough information for my viewers to get an idea of who I am as a person, not a writer.
After looking at Kendras blog, I realized theres more to an about me page than my name
and major. I went back and revised it based upon the information she provided.

Writers Notebook
My writers notebook artifacts can be found under the tab Writers
Notebook. The Seeing the Moment activity was a worthy artifact to include. This
activity helped me figure out ways to had strong sensory details. Although this activity
was solely for our exploratory essay, I use it as a reference for other assignments; not just
in this course. My second writers notebook artifact was the Dos and Donts of Peer
Review. I was relatively familiar of peer review. I did it in high school a couple of times,
but as a student, I didnt fully understand the purpose or concept. What was I supposed to
be looking for as a reader? As a writer? After completing this assignment, I had a better
understanding of what was expected of me. I used this new knowledge towards peer
review conducted later in the semester.

Process Work Artifacts

The bulk of my process work focuses on my exploratory essay. I chose to use
drafts 1 and 2 for this essay. They can be found under the exploratory essay tab on my
portfolio.

Gianna Bell

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Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

Draft 1: This draft was pretty rushed. However, it did take me awhile to finally figure out
to write about. I was asking my siblings and friends what they thought a passion was.
Based on what they gave me as examples, my mind went blank. Half of the examples I
couldnt relate to! As I began writing, I didnt put much thought into. The words just sort
of flowed out, like word vomit. After a peer review, I started seeing my mistakes and
where I shouldve improved, when in reality I didnt.
Draft 2: I put off the writing of this draft until the day it was due. Im not sure if it slipped
my mind or because I was slacking; either way, theres no excuse. As stated above, during
a peer review I was given great tips on how to expand and show my passion. Instead, I just
deleted the whole last paragraph because as my peers stated, she has a negative tone
towards her own passion. I assumed by deleting the paragraph, the negativity would also
be deleted.
The third process work artifact derives from my traditional research paper. It can be
found under the Traditional Research Essay tab on my portfolio. I chose draft 2 as process
work artifact because, here is where I physically revised my paper. I highlighted areas that
needed work using italics, bolded letters, and strikethroughs just to name a few. This is
the draft I presented to Ms. Ingram during our conferences. I was proud of my work and
so was she. However, I did have areas where I could have expanded.

Gianna Bell

11

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

My fourth and final process work artifact, is pretty abstract. I decided to use my About
Me paragraph. This artifact can be found under the Writers Notebook page, within the
subpage Process Work (1). When I began building my website, my about me page was
basic. It reminded me of a Facebook or Twitter accounts bio. I included my name, major,
and high school. It introduced me as an individual. It didnt introduce my portfolio
whatsoever. After reading Kendra Andrews blog, I decided to revise and add onto my
about me paragraph. Now I feel like it addresses me and my e-Portfolio. My viewers will
have an idea on what to expect.

Reflection
After reviewing my e-Portfolio, I feel like it very clear to navigate and understand. I was
sure to refer back to the grading during the composing process of my Final portfolio essay
and e-Portfolio. My e-Portfolio is multi-modal. I was sure to grasp the visual mode by the
use of animated gifs and photos throughout my blogs. Also visually, I was sure to use
italics, bolded texts, and color coding throughout my essay for various reasons including
quotes from others or identifying key concepts. Links have also been provided that relate
to a specific portion. I took the spatial mode into account when building my e-Portfolio;
everything aligned and good amount of space between objects and texts. Over the course
of the semester, I have grown as a writer. I now have resources and skills I have use in the

Gianna Bell

12

Professor Ingram
December 9, 2015

future for other courses. I feel like I deserve an A. As a midterm grade, Ms. Ingram
specified that I would have a high B, due to the lack of work put towards my exploratory
essay. However, I have worked diligently to improve this piece of work. I usually find
myself becoming nervous about writing paper, but now I have strategies I can use. The
biggest takeaway from this course, is breaking out of your comfort zone. My papers have
thrived since doing so. Leaving this course, Ive found my niche in the writing world.