The Many Weddings:
(1) Kait and Ray
(2) Cheri and Scott
(3) Kelly and Mike
Did I mention I had work 8:30 the next morning?
..I'm sure you can guess I went in late.
|
Well I figured since I made my twitterive about summer it's only right that I post a blog about how my summer actually went..I would try to explain everything, but we would be here for days. Instead, I'll just show you The Many Weddings: (1) Kait and Ray (2) Cheri and Scott (3) Kelly and Mike My 21st birthday at Fox and the Hound
Did I mention I had work 8:30 the next morning? ..I'm sure you can guess I went in late.
1 Comment
It seems like just yesterday I was creating my Twitterive saying,
"6 more months until summer, I can't wait!" but now it's finally here!!! My Weebly website is up to date and complete. This website used to be pretty bare, so it's weird seeing this website filled with assignments. Check out my final Reflection on the course. A week and a half left of the semester...wait what?! where did the time go? Since the semester is almost over my group and I have been working together, trying to finish up our collaborative research project. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to really work on my annotated bibliography (2 sources left to write up) and add information to the final collaborative research project. With a big exam tomorrow I've been overwhelmed with studying and finishing up smaller homework assignments. On Wednesday I plan on finishing my part of the annotated bibliography and adding more information to our collaborative project.
Looking back my group definitely struggled with finding a nutritionist to interview..we called about 10 people! The phones would ring off the hook, but no answers. If someone did answer they explained how their manager or a nutritionist would call us back, but never did. I was sick of calling people and started getting frustrated. There had to be at least one nutritionist in Glassboro, right?! Well, my group wouldn't know because we never found someone. After talking it over in class with Mickey and Sam we realized we needed to look for other interviewees. Luckily, Sam was able to get in contact with Dr. DiRosa, a doctor who worked here at Rowan in the Health and Exercise department. She may not have been a nutritionist, but she definitely knew enough about organic foods to help us with our project. Within no time we had an appointment set up and were conducting the interview. This part of the process went even better than I thought. Guess I'm not too bad at being an interviewer, but I hated watching myself on a video, yuck! We were able to receive just enough information that we needed to get us started on our project and in the right direction. After the interview we immediately figured out our main research question and how we were going to set up our final project. However, we reached a new roadblock..uploading the video. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Well who knew YouTube wouldn't accept videos that were about 30 minutes? My group definietly didn't. Luckily, Mickey was able to work with Viddler and after messing around with html codes and the website we were all able to post the video on our website! Right now my group is finishing up our part in creating the annotated bibliography and all contributing to add more information onto our site. Like I said I haven't had time to really work on this, but once my exams are out of the way on Wednesday I am going to work on finishing anything that needs to be completed for this class. In class we discussed how collaborative projects could be dialogical or hierarchical; I believe we incorporated both into this project. Is that even possible?! Together we found an interviewee, collaborated on our main research topic, and figured out how we were going to organize our final collaborative piece. During class we also worked together completing parts of our final project together. This is where our project seemed more dialogical. However, it was also hierarchical because we found it hard to get together outside of class. All three of us are never on the same schedule. Mickey and I conducted the interview because Sam could not be there. Sam and I are planning on recording a video to add into our piece, but this time Mickey has class. Since we are all so busy we also decided it would be easier to perform research and complete the annotated bibliography individually. We wound up each writing four. Overall, it seems like we have been doing research individually, but have collaborated our ideas together. In class today we were given time to work with our groups on our Collaborative Research Project. Since our Oral History video was already up on our website our group wasn't sure where we were headed next. We had planned to work on our Annotated Bibliography, but then our group agreed on dividing up this assignment. We figured this part of the project could easily be done out of class, on our own. I have three sources to analyze, along with explaining our video with Dr. DiRosa.
Now that we figured we would do our Annotated Bibliography on our own we were back where we began; saying "Now what?" After talking to Professor Mangini we decided to begin organizing our final collaborative piece on our website. Once we finally wrote an introduction and set up the three myths our main research question became clear. Our main research question is, is organic food more nutritious, safer to eat, and tastier? By safer we are referring to the use of pesticides and other chemicals growing the product. We decided our three claims are going to be: Is organic food nutritious? Is organic food safer? And is organic food tastier? However, to back up these three claims we realized we needed sources and information. Now that we have a main research question and have set up an organized layout on our website we realized our next step was to begin researching. Just as we began researching class was over. Therefore, we decided to do most of the research on our own, until next class. Now off to do the Annotated Bibliography... On Friday at 1pm Mickey and I were patiently waiting for Dr. DiRosa to end her class. Together, my group chose to interview this Rowan Doctor for our Collaborative Research Project. She has been teaching at Rowan University in the Health and Exercise Department for the past nine years. This semester she teaches two classes: Basic Nutrition and Consumer Health Decisions. Mickey was in charge of video taping the interview, while I was the person who conducted the interview. Unfortunatly, Sam could not make it, but she has helped our group by contributing to our research/interview questions and setting up this interview with Dr. DiRosa. Overall, the interview with Dr. DiRosa went better than I expected. I was extremely nervous being that I was in charge of leading the discussion. Trying to make the interview as informal as possible, while keeping in mind questions that I wanted to ask next was overwhelming. I asked questions that were not on the piece of paper in front of me. I barely even had time to look down and skim the paper for any questions I didn't ask. Therefore, I kept one or two of our group's interview questions out by accident. Maybe this was a good thing though; meaning the conversation didn't go the way we originally thought. In our Writing, Research, and Technology class we talked about how our interview was meant to veer off in a direction we didn't plan. As also discussed in class I also made sure to pull any personal stories or/and personal beliefs out of Dr. DiRosa. As a viewer can tell by the interview, I think this was a success. Unfortunately, I lost track of time and had no idea how long the interview was; I wound up concluding the interview five minutes short of thirty minutes. This is why my group and I recorded only twenty-five minutes of an interview -_- Sorry Mangini, I hope this is okay! The information we gathered from Dr. DiRosa was astonishing. We discovered there are indeed a lot of myths to organic food. Before the interview I didn't understand why all the websites discussed myths of organic food. However, after this interview I realize there really are many myths to organic food. Myth #1 - Organic food is healthier, more nutritional. Organic food has the same nutrients and proteins as non-organic. Even the vitamins are the same! An organic fried chip is a unhealthy fried chip, even the same amount of calories. Myth #2 - Organic food is safer. Organic food is still used with pesticides. Although there is a smaller dose of pesticides, they are still being used. (Some organic foods are exposed to more pesticides than others!) Cow manure is even still used in producing organic foods. If the cow manure isn't properly maintained and there is ecoli in that cow manure, than there will be ecoli in the meat. Therefore, there is still a possibility a consumer is still able to became sick after eating organic foods. Myth #3 - Organic food is tastier. Once again, there is no evidence. An experiment was done with an apple and based off of the researchers they found the organic apple tastier. However, it comes down to personal taste. It also all depends where and when the type of organic food is grown. Overall, I was even surprising to realize I was a typical victim of choosing an organic banana over a traditional banana just because of it's appearance! Such an amateur. Of course the bright yellow organic bananas I brought were more expensive than the dull rotten looking green bananas. According to Dr. DiRosa organic food is ten to forty percent more expensive than non-organic food! It all comes down to a consumer's personal decision, is eating organically worth the price you pay? Just like Dr. DiRosa says, could a consumer find a balance between eating organically and non-organically? "A pepper is a pepper is a pepper" - Dr. DiRosa
In today's age there seems to be never enough time. Never enough time to get school work done, never enough time to enjoy extracurricular activities, never enough time to sleep, and never enough time to eat healthy.
Families are constantly running around - I know mine does. My father picks up my younger brother from school only to rush him home to complete homework. While my brother is completing homework my father drives my fifteen year old sister to a friend's house. By the time he returns it is time to take my brother to soccer practice. However, it is only five o'clock and my brother and father are both beginning to get hungry, but there's no time for dinner. My father decides to pick up a "quick" meal at one of the nearby fast food restaurants. Wendy's, KFC, McDonald's, and Burger King all within five minutes of each other and my house; there's so many options there's always a variety to choose from. But is there really a variety? After all, fast food - no matter what the restaurant name - is unhealthy. In a life where there is never enough time - fast food seems to be the only option. I must say my family eats home cooked meals together more often than we have in the past, but unfortunately it isn't every night. Stephen Schneider discusses how the Slow Food movement can be practiced and made effective at the dinner table, in the comfort of your own home. What is the Slow Food movement? In Good, Clean, Fair: The Rhetoric of the Slow Food Movement, Stephen Schneider explains this new "social movement." The phrase "slow food" was created by Italians Petrini and Arcigola who protested the opening of McDonald's. Even though there are currently only 80,000 members worldwide, the slow food organization devotes energy to "building the kind of world we must want to live in (395). Throughout the academic article Schneider continuously references the three principles of slow food: good, clean, and fair. Good = "tasty diverse and is produced in such a way as to maximize its flavor and connections to a geographic and culture region (97)" (390). Clean = "sustainable and helps to preserve rather than destroy the environment (114)" (390). Fair = "produced in socially sustainable ways, with an emhasis on social justice and fair wages (135)" (390). I couldn't help but think these three principles are similar to my group's own research question, "Is eating organically healthier, safer, and affordable?" Similar to the three basic principles of slow food, it seems as if my group is trying to define three principles of organic food. Overall, our group's goal is to inform people on organic food, just like Schneider is trying to inform people on slow food. In Schneider's article he quotes Petrini, "[Food] is far more than a simple produce to be consumed: it is happiness, identity, culture, pleasure, conviviality, nutrition, local economy, survival" (Slow Food Nation 166). If people began to see food as more than just a "produce to be consumed" than they will start thinking more about what they eat and how to shop for healthier food products. Just like slow food, if people expand their knowledge on organic food then they might be more willing to eat organically. Food is a major part of our lives - it's who we are and how we survive. People need to start considering how food affects them. Since my group is sharing information on organic food this could be a first step. Just because the days go by fast, doesn't mean we have to conform to fast food just to keep up with the time. In the long run eating slow food will help us live a longer, happier, and healthier life. Schneider states, "the act of slowing down forces us to ask how fast we need to live our lives" (398). In Thursday's class we were given ten minutes to discuss with our partners possible interview questions and research topics. Sam, Mickey, and I were able to collaborate together to discuss our thoughts and ideas on our project. These are the ten questions and five research questions/topics we came up with:
10 Questions to ask Interviewee: 1. What makes food organic? 2. Is eating organic healthy? What are the pros and cons? 3. Are local, farm grown products the same as organic? 4. How easy is it to find organic products? 5. What is the price difference between organic and non organic? 6. Is it better to buy organic foods from Shop Rite or Whole Foods? 7. Do organic foods taste better? 8. Do more regions eat more organically than others? If so, why? 9. Is there a greater supply/demand in more regions than others? 10. How can we inform people to eat organically? 5 Research Questions: 1. What does organic mean? 2. What makes food products organic? 3. Why is there a price difference between organic vs non organic? 4. Are there any health benefits from eating organically? 5. How can we make organic foods more affordable and easier to buy/sell? For Tuesday's class we had to read two readings: Turns of Thought by Donna Qualley and Collaborative Writing in Composition Studies by Sheryl I Fontain and Susan M Hunter. Below is a discussion pertaining to the readings.
Being a reflective researcher means being able to reflect on the information gathered. They know a variety of ways to collaborate and gather information by using both qualitative and quantitative methods. On the other hand, a reflexive researcher focuses solely on qualitative methods. These researchers must remain reflexive, keeping an open mind to all sides or angles of the story. They must not hinder their project by incorporating their feelings, emotions, or thoughts into the research. For our collaborative research project not only do I have to be a reflective researcher, but I have to be a reflexive researcher as well. Collaboration is sharing ideas or knowledge with others. People work together to achieve a goal. Just like writing is a recursive process, so is collaboration. There are many different forms of collaboration, such as conversation, peer review, dialogue, interviews, etc. Everyone is involved in collaboration from as early on as elementary school. Students collaborate without even realizing it. Whenever students discuss the assignment or lesson with their peers they are collaborating. This is why teachers put students into groups when working on a certain task - to have the students collaborate and learn from one another. During school or now, in my college classes, I collaborate with my teachers and peers to broaden my horizons, learning even more about the subject or topic being taught. In my apartment I collaborate with my roommates to ensure we are all respecting each other's living space. At work, as a waitress, I collaborate with the other workers, such as the bus boy, cooks, and hosts, to make sure customers are receiving the best dining experience. For Writing, Reserach, and Technology our #wrt2 class collaborates on Twitter to further discuss class discussions or assignments. For our next major assignment, the collaborative research project, I have been in touch with my group members, Sam and Mickey. We are currently collaborating on the topic we would like to research and who we are going to interview. Not only have we collaborated in class face-to-face, but we have also emailed one another about the project. Overall, to be intelligent and become successful, you need to collaborate. In class on last Thursday a discussion began on why men are more superior than woman. I agreed with some valid points, such as men are stereo-typed to make the money and woman are stereo-typed to be the care-takers, such as cook, clean, and take care of the children. But is that why there are so many more successful men in the world? It just so happens I had to read an essay pertaining to this discussion for my Writer's Mind class.
This essay called "What I've Learned From Men" by Barbara Ehrenreich highlights the differences of men and woman and the on-going power struggles of the battle of the sexes. Ehrenreich states that if woman must learn one thing from men it should be how to be tough, aggressive, and assertive. Woman are "too ladylike." This is only because woman are born to be the nicer and more sincere of the two sexes. However, that doesn't mean they should act that way. Ehrenreich explains how she disapproves of this stereo-typing; she says every woman should have a right to act like a man. Through this essay Ehrenreich explains how woman can act more like a "tough man" by: smiling less, keeping the conversation simple, admitting anger/frustration, and by owning up to all the hard work, intelligence, and anything else that leads to success. smiling - woman use a "small act of deference" to show their niceness. Ehrenreich tells woman to save the smiles for when they really feel like sharing them. She says, "there's no reason for anyone to go around grinning when she's not being paid for it." conversation - study shows woman take responsibility for keeping the conversation going. They seem to ask more questions pertaining to feelings or ask any questions just to fill the awkward silence. If men can get by with just saying "Hmm," and other one word responses woman can too. Ehrenreich states, "Every now and then, we [woman] deserve to get more out of a conversation than we put into it." anger/frustration - there is a general rule that women get irritated, while men get mad. Instead of trying to act ladylike by holding in the anger and putting on a front, woman should just come out and say when they're are pissed off. own up to your abilities - woman tend to become shy when offered a compliment. There is no reason they should feel embarrassed when they are praised. Men aren't - they will proudly boast or brag about an accomplishment. To be tough means acknowledging success, not hiding it. After reading An Introduction to Qualitative Research and Situating Narrative Inquiry I think I have a better understanding of both terms.
Qualitative research is all about finding out the 'why' through both informal and formal approaches, such as interviews, open ended surveys, feedback forms, videos, etc. Qualitative research is more than finding out statistics and numbers - it goes deeper than that by searching for a greater understanding. It focuses on many different aspects. Qualitative research seems to investigate people's emotions, thoughts, insights, views, and beliefs; why do they think a certain why, why do they act a certain way. Through stories or narratives qualitative researchers can study and analyze 'why.' From my understanding a more in dept form of qualitative research is called narrative inquiry. Narrative inquiry is an approach to discover how people make meaning of their lives. Both qualitative researchers and narrative researchers search for a greater understanding through studying stories or narratives of people. However, narrative researchers study a wider range of stories and narratives. In a way narrative researchers try to make sense of the research by analyzing the qualitative data collected. Both relate to our collaborative research project because they study humans. For this project we are required to interview and analyze certain people related to our topic we choose. Although I am still not yet sure who I am interviewing or why I realize I will be performing "qualitative research" by videoing, interviewing, and questioning a person. Then, I will be performing "narrative inquiry" by analyzing this person through the qualitative data I have collected. Both qualitative research and narrative inquiry seem to be a vital part of the project. |