What are your expectations for this class?
Things you might want to think about as you respond:
- your experience in 1101 or other writing courses
- your personal weeknesses/discomforts as a writer
- things that you have felt unprepared for in college writing
- what do you dis/like in class? from your instructor? your classmates?
Feel free to take this discussion where ever you see fit.
You file in the door after your new classmates, take a seat, and inconspicuously look around for a familiar face. Excited voices become whispers as the teacher approaches the front of the classroom. These hushed voices cease completely as the teacher introduces herself and asks the question every student dreads.
ReplyDelete“So can anybody tell me,” the teacher begins, “what are your expectations for this class?”
The class is silent. No one raises his or her hand to answer.
“No one? It’s not a trick question,” the teacher asks, anxious for someone to respond.
Sure, the answer is easy enough: I expect to make an A, meet new people, and hopefully enjoy how the course is taught.
But who is brave enough to speak up?
As I enter ENC1102, my goals and expectations are like the majority of the class. Seeing how this is an English course, I expect to learn how to write better, learn how to use more applications on the computer that will aid in my studies, such as how to blog, use wiki, etc. Furthermore, I expect to learn better research skills using the computer and other types of technology. I am looking forward to working in groups on projects that are unlike what I am used to.
Walking into ENC1102 for the first time, I was expecting a classroom full of desks and a podium with a teacher ready to tell us our first essay assignment. Instead of a regular classroom like my summer ENC1101 class, I found a computer lab with a huge wooden table within the middle of the room. I sat down at one of the computers and prepared for our first essay assignment. To my surprise, instead of putting all our attention on single written essays we will be busy with blogs, wiki’s, and our group produced website. Definitely different from any English class I’ve ever taken.
ReplyDeleteDuring summer term while I took ENC1101, we were required to write elaborate detailed essays. I learned that writing essays like that were my specialty, something I was prepared for. In the opposite sense, definitely wasn’t ready to write blogs or wiki’s or even create my own website. I’m hoping writing in these different ways comes easily as well. If not, I’ll find a way to make it work.
Some of my expectations for this class definitely include much classmate interaction. With groups and blogging, we get to know each other through many different ways. I’ll admit I’m nervous, but open to new ways of teaching.
The only expectations I had from this class were the ones I got from the same class I attended earlier that day. Different teacher, different time and the time is what I had a big problem with.. 8 am. No thank you. So when I found this 1:25 I was way more apt to do that one. From what I gathered from the earlier class we were going to have to write a lot of 6-8 page papers which I was NOT looking forward since I'm not one for writing, but then again who is? But this is a required course so might as well suck it up and deal. If this class is anything like 1102 then I'll be happy cause that class was pretty sweet. I think it has a lot to do with the teacher, how fun or not fun they try to make it. shout out to stacey suver, nice job. Anywhoo. Not a big fan of all the online stuff.. its always so complicated, looking for it, trying to figure it all out, making sure you don't miss anything etc etc. For example, not too excited about this blogging. I like the little journals we do in class way better. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI expected the class to be in a normal classroom setting with many desks and a computer desk at the front for the professor to teach from. This was my first surprise, as the classroom is more of a computer-lab setting. I also expected to read many books and write a ton of papers in my notebook. I did not expect to write online for ten minutes every class period. Another expectation was that the professor would lecture for fifty minutes every class. This was another surprise, as with wiki's, it is more my responsibility to teach myself what is going on in the course. Therefore, I guess you could say that all of my expectations were different than what the course will actually be like.
ReplyDeleteAs I begin my journey through ENC1102 I have many expectations for this class. As with any class that I take I expect to learn the subject matter better, to take something away from the class per se. As I have never taken an English class at Florida State University (I took English 1101 at a summer school in Quantico, Va.) I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was hoping to learn more grammar for one. I know that it is boring but I am a firm believer that one can never practice their grammar enough. I was also hopeful that we would focus on skills that will enable me to better write research papers because that particular type of writing will be most useful in my desired field of study. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that we would in fact be writing a research paper. Beyond that I expect myself to put forth the time and effort that is required to earn an “A” in the class.
ReplyDeleteOne principle of leadership is to know your-self and seek self improvement. I know that I am weak when it comes to writing about my feelings and emotions. I am much more comfortable and accustomed to writing from an analytical standpoint. I foresee that I will become more comfortable with this due to the fact that we have to write a memoir about our lives which will include our feelings and emotions. In the past I have been greatly hesitant about working with technology. I can see however, that by the end of this class I should be a lot more comfortable with this. This is something that I am both hesitant of, and looking forward to. All in all, by the end of this class I hope to be able to better express myself through writing and to become a more effective and proficient writer.
Ashley Koroshec, When I walked into the room for the first time I was struck with the same surprise as you. I literally walked in, saw one or two people sitting at the computers and walked out. I was definately not expecting a conference type room filled with computers. I had to go back outside, check the room number and then ask the teacher for further proof before I could be sure that I was in the right place.
ReplyDeleteDavid, haha I basically did the same thing. I looked, turned around, walked around the corner to see if I really had the right class number and then went back and just sat down and waited. Definitely wasn't expecting a computer lab as my english class.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteLikewise, I thought I was in the wrong place. I walked in, looked around, and was about to walk out. When I saw everyone typing away, I almost had a heart attack thinking I came into the wrong classroom. Needless to say, I Iooked at the whiteboard for the teacher's name and had a seat.
my expectations for this class are to write better and get my points across clearly. my english classes in highschool i dreaded i didnt like my teachers at all. when i took enc1101 over the summer i was not excited. we had to do things like peer editing and groups projects which i didn't think we'd do in college. when we first started doing peer editing, the main reason why i didn't like doing it is because i get really nervous about what my classmates might think. for example, what if i do pick a story that's important to me but they don't understand. but as the class went on i had a really great group that helped me out with it. i am still scared of peer editing and group projects because it's a whole new group of people but hopefully i'll be able to find another great group. this class seems to be completely different from any other english class i've ever take and it's because of how much we use computers. i'm kind of excited about the fact that alot of what we do is on the computers i just hope that i can figure it all out. i like how we listen to music when we write for the first 10 minutes of class. to be honest i got really excited when one of my favorite musicians came on..john mayer. listening to music really helps me write better i feel like. and that definitely made my day because it was one of my favorite songs by him.
ReplyDeleteMy expectations for this class are, for lack of better words to become a better writer all around. I don't feel like I have progressed as much as I might have hopped over the years in various english classes and I know that english isn't my strong suit but I still aspire to become a better writer nonetheless. I took an Advanced Placement English class my senior year and lets just say it didn't turn out too well. Not only did I not do well in the class I did much worse on the AP exam. My strengths are: being able to go with an idea and keep it going, however my weakness is that I sometimes get off track with those ideas and do not ocnvey them as clearly as I would like. Needless to say I feel somewhat unprepared for this class and everything that will be required of me in it. As I have said in one of our freewrites already I am not too fond of the wiki-ing and blogging but I will continue to do it in hopes that it will make me a better writer in the end.
ReplyDeleteNoel,
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to the experiences you had in your other english classes and all I can say is that you should just give this class a chance. And don't worry about peer editing, we all go through it and most likely we all feel the same about it.
As to the discussion on “peer editing”:
ReplyDeleteSure, the process of a peer review can be pretty scary. Personally, I am always nervous when my peers read my work. However, I like to balance the stakes of the situation with the ultimate review of my work – a professional situation. When my peers critique a paper or an idea I have we discuss and bounce ideas back and forth. They completely have by best interests in mind – to make my paper better. (This is in return for the respect and comradery I offer them when critiquing their work and their ideas.) Now, I would much rather they be thorough and force me to question myself and my paper than sit before an instructor and feel like an idiot.
We are never idiots with our peers during the writing process. This is because writing and thinking go hand in hand. As we read drafts we are still thinking and developing as writers and intellectuals. Thus, I NEVER refer to the process as peer editing! This is a REVIEW process! In this class we review each others’ writing and thinking. We push each other in terms of technical proficiencies as well as intellectual rigor. Our peers can be the greatest motivators. When our peers ask us, Why is this important? We are held accountable to a community, not merely an individual who will ultimately give us a grade.
Considering that I am in the same classroom as i was for enc1101, i already knew coming in to this class that it would be largely based on working with computers. Most people were probably surprised coming into an english class and having it be in a computer lab instead of in a regular classroom setting. If you think about it, most of the writing and reading most of us do these days is on a computer. Facebook, email, text messaging, myspace, the list goes on. Despite all of this my main expectation for this class is to become an overall better writer. I learned so much in my enc1101 class in terms of writing. Im hoping to continue with where I left off from my last english class and just build on to what i have already learned. Katie was one of my teachers for enc1101 so being in 1102 with her reminds me so much of my first college english class. Which to me is a very good thing because i learned so much in 1101 and i loved the way the class seemed to flow. In 1102 we have a very comfortable atmosphere which makes everyone feel much more open to learning and asking questions. Though it sounds like its not that big of a deal it really is because in many classes you feel so intimidated to a point where you are almost scared to ask questions which in turn prevents you from getting everything you should be out of the class. One of my favorite things about 1102 is that when we first come into class we sit down and listen to john mayer and write a simple journal for 10 minutes. The journals just get or minds flowing and the music gives us the relaxing atmosphere that I so much enjoy. I've always found myself to be a pretty decent writer. However my main weakness always seems to be just starting the paper in itself. I could easily sit in front of the computer for 5 hours and not think of a first sentence. However, once i have that first sentence down everything else seems to flow very easily. Most people tell me to just skip over the fist sentence and come back to it, for some reason though i can't seem to do that. The way i think of it, the first sentence is the foundation of the paper. With out the foundation where does everything else come from? I'm hoping this class will teach me some alternative method to writing my papers so that either coming up with a first sentence is or i can learn to write my paper without having a first sentence to start with.
ReplyDeletenoel,
ReplyDeletei completely agree with you when you say that writing to music makes you a better writer. Especially when the music you are listening to is something mellow like john mayer. For some reason the music makes my thoughts flow better. I mean, i can't write when the music is blaring from the speakers, but if the music is at a moderate volume and it is relaxing it provides for a great writing atmosphere.
Like most of the other students enrolled in this class, I'm only here to fill the second English credit I need to graduate. Although, at the same time, I do enjoy writing and I expect to be able to write about what I choose or whatever comes to mind; that is as long as what I'm writing is within the limits of the assignment. I suppose I expect to grow as a writer, whatever that means. Apparently the main focus is writing with modern day tools, something I'm not too familiar with. Like most of us, the only writing I've ever done was either for research papers or trivial comments on Facebook. Be that as it may, I'm definitely excited to learn more about blogging. A few of my friends from back home in Ft. Lauderdale have some blogs of their own and I think it'd be cool to start one of my own. I think initially, I expected the classroom setting to be like how my other prior English classes have been: desks, white board with a "quote of the day," and an old, yet wise, teacher. Basically ENC1102 was the opposite; there were no desks and my teacher is hardly an old woman. It's pretty sweet, though. I enjoy writing about little things that normally aren't thought of that much in everyday life. Simple questions, like. the best thing that happened that day. Writing with groovy music is just a big plus, too.
ReplyDeleteBrieonna,
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love listening to John Mayer while we write too. No doubt it makes the freewrites that much cooler and not like an assignment at all. All we have to do now is convince katie to start playing something sweet like Lil' Wayne or Jimi Jendrix. We'd be so set.
Sadly the only reason i'm in this class is because, like every body else that goes to FSU, i have to take this class. But my expectations going into this class are just the same as every other english class i've taken. I expect to write a lot, and not like it, then write some more. I guess the typical paper is 6-8 pages these days, so i expect a least a few of those. But the one thing i do want to learn how to do in this class is write a good research paper. Something that i know will help me in the future. And according to people i know who have taken this class, theres a 20 page one at the end of teh semester. Which i figure nobody i looking forward to, but im a little excited myslef.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this class will be different than my previous English courses. In English 1101 we focused a lot on writing 4-6 page papers. Matt Davis always had us write on different topics. Most of them were topics that I chose to speak about. I had to design a magazine for his class with three other students. Other than that all of our work was mainly individual. When I attended High School, I focused on all aspects of English. I studied grammar, writing styles, vocabulary and literature. As a writer I have always had a weakness in correcting my own papers. It is always very helpful for someone to peer edit my papers. I find that expressing my opinion is never an issue. I always know the specific information that should be in my paper. I just have trouble wording it in the correct ways.
ReplyDeleteCollege writing is more challenging than High school writing. I took a Religious Ethics class last semester. I was one of the only freshman in the entire class. I felt nervous at first because it was a class where my grade relied on only four papers. Whenever I would have to write a paper in that class I would always check my work thoroughly to make sure their were no grammar mistakes. I just want to feel confident in my writing. I am not really sure what I dislike in class but I love when the teacher is passionate about their job. It is very apparent when they are. I feel a vibe and it makes me want to learn what they are teaching. If the teacher shows obvious love toward it, it makes me want to learn even more. I like when a teacher helps guide me. I like to know exactly what the assignment is and not have any confusion on the subject. I also like that all the websites are linked in course materials. It makes it easier to complete assignments. I expect my classmates to respect what I have to say, even if they disagree with me. If someone were to shut down my idea completely, I almost would rather not share it. I do believe that it is very important to express myself. I am excited to find out what my peers would like to share.
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteyour right when you say everyone has to take this class. At least your trying to be positive about the whole 20 page paper. Thats always a plus. Your right though this will be beneficial to us in the future, even if it is not our most favorite thing to do now.
Walking in my expectations for this class was for it to be just another English class, 4 papers to decide everything and not much more. After the first ten minutes of class I realized that this would not be like many other English classes. For this class I now expect to not only become a better writer and things of that nature, but I will use technology to reach that point. This class has introduced me to Wiki and blogging, things I have heard of but never really thought twice about. I am also going on this journey not alone like most traditional classes but with my new group. This different way of going about English class makes my life a little easier. There are more grades than just the four papers so it really makes the class easier on my mind. Personally, I enjoy the way the class is set up. I am hoping to improve as a write throughout the next semester. I know I need help with grammar and flow, my ideas always tend to be there but when I put into words it doesn’t get my point across. This semester of English should be an interesting one to say the least.
ReplyDelete- Jillian, I think what you said is true and pretty funny aswell. Some classes people might have different motives. However, there are plenty of classes students walk into with only a few expectations. Having an easy workload, and getting an A
Things to expect from this class. I would hope to expect an A. But as it looks, that may take alot of work and blogging. Unfortunetly, that plays to one of my weaknesses. I hate blogging and strongly dislike writing in general. I've always been more of a numbers person. My enc1101 was a walkthrough, I lucked out with the professor and I'm not ashamed to admit it. We watched cartoons most of the time so yeah, it was a breeze. I like that this class is different. I like the freewrites in the beginning of class. They get me in the mood to do a little work and as long as they stays as short freewrites, I will continue to enjoy them. This class seems it's going to get very hands on with technology and writing on the web. That is something I look forward to learning because I think that very soon, paper is going to be outlawed for tree conservation. Okay maybe a little farfetched, but it could happen! So, my expectations is to learn alot in this class and to get at least a B and we'll call that a day.
ReplyDeleteYo Marcus-This class introduced me to blogging and wiki too, two things i heard of but never thought i would be doing. But your right it doed make it easier not having to do it alone!
ReplyDeleteAfter taking ENC 1101 I figured that the ENC 1102 class would be pretty similar. The class is supposed to be primarily based around community, so I figured it would be pretty simple. The first day, just like very other first day is completely silent. The teacher usually asks a few questions that are never answered by the class usually due to the fact that no one knows anyone. But to answer the question my goal for the class is to leave with an A and hopefully be a much better writer and especially be a lot more confident in my work. I don’t look at myself as the greatest writer which usually leads me to not want to share as much, but I understand that by sharing my work and having it analyzed is the best thing for it. One thing that I have come to dislike about the class thus far would have to be the wiki aspect of the class. Maybe its because at this point I don’t really see its purpose, not sure. I do however enjoy my group and hope that our projects and presentations go along smoothly.
ReplyDeletei would have to agree with marcus and aaron, this whole wiki and blog is a new thing to me too. i had heard of blogging, but never of wiki. it is a confusing concept but i think it will help us in the liong run.
ReplyDeleteComing into this class I have a lot of different feelings towards it. I expect it to be tough in a way because of all the writing. Learning the wiki part was also something that stressed me out a bit. I am not too experienced with using a computer so much in a class. So there are a few things that I am less enthusiastic about.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I always come into this class knowing that the reason I am here is to learn, so although I might not like everything I am required to do, it is all for the greater good. I am here to improve my writing, and along the way I can now expect to learn more about computer use and webpages. Blogging is new to me as well and even if I don't use blogs in the future, I can now feel more comfortable with the term. As far as a grade I expect to get the grade because I am sure that I have it in me to learn what is required and put enough work in to achieve that grade.
For all of you guys that enjoyed listening to music during freewrites, I definitely agree. The music brings a positive vibe that is relaxing. I'm sure it helps to have it playing during class.
ReplyDeleteMy expectations for this class are much better than my expectations for ENC 1101. Throughout the summer ENC 1101 was basically a painful experience and a complete waste of time during class time. The essays were not bad and I learned a lot about my writing, but most of this learning was done on my own, not facilitated by a "teacher". My teacher, dont get me wrong, was quite a talented writer but her communication skills as a teacher were not as good. Although I do have a lot of respect for this women I also think that she should stick to writing her own stories and not teaching others how to write. This class I see differently. Although there is alot of technological advances from ENC 1101, I do not see class time as a waste of time. We are writing and doing activities that will help us succeed in our projects. Our learning is facilitated and challenged every day of class. Even though some of the technology is not my favorite, it is somthing I will have to deal with. My first impression of our instructer gave me a pretty good bases for my expectations of this class. It showed that we would be challenged everyday whether we like it or not, there would be help available if we want it, and we would be introduced to new technology that will further our general knoledge in the general technology field.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all of you who enjoy the music in the beginning of class. Beyond it just being relaxing it is introducing me to some new types of music while playing old classics. Since music is a form of communication I believe that it is an important to have a wide base of knowledge in the field of music
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I had little expectation for this class. I expect to learn how to write research papers and improve my writing skills over the course of this semester. I did have expectations of a more formal classroom setting with desks in rows and a teacher's podium. I thought there would be more lecture type classes involved with this course. I also thought this would be really boring class and I thought I would be watching the clock waiting for the class to be over. I thought there would be more reading about writing research papers and other forms of writing. I expect to learn about more different types of technology that has to do with research. Now I see alot of my expectations are wrong because the course is much more laid back setting then a would have imagine.
ReplyDelete