Caleb Troxell

Professor Ingram
November 23, 2014
UWRT 1101
Organization
1101 has been the first writing class to challenge me as a writer. This challenge
has caused me to re-evaluate my writing skills. Reading and reflecting upon prompts
caused me to change my views of writing. Not only have my writing skills improved but
my views of writing has changed. It is important to convey these changes through
various form of communication. I utilized visual communication in my portfolio with the
use of colored fonts and sizes. When showing my writing process; I colored the font of
the draft artifact red and the final paper blue. This is visually appealing because red is
often used when making corrections and edits. The border size of each embedded
document is changed regarding to its importance. The final drafts are set to an extra-

large size since they were high-stake assignments. Low-stake assignments like drills,
reflections and drafts are set to size small. The spatial mode was also considered when
organizing my documents. The menu bar can be read left to right because thats the
order in which they were written. The writing of my papers include each drafting piece
to show how it contributes to the final copy. These forms of communication help the
viewer read through my portfolio more clearly.
Home & Blog
The home page is important because it is the first thing the viewer sees. This
gives them a first impression of my writing. This is why I quoted from a drill to show my

overall opinion of my writing development. Many components make up my writing.

These traits, habits and thoughts of mine have developed through the repetition of
writing. As I begin to write more in college I will begin to learn about myself as a writer.
Many things define who I am as a writer. My 1101 writing will help me find that in
myself. I wrote this when reflecting about a quote from Melzer & Coxwell. These
traditional ideas about literacy have been challenged by rapid transformations in
America and around the world. You've probably heard terms like multimedia, multiple
intelligences, multiculturalism, and multilingual. The traditional idea that there should be
one standard way of writing and speaking in America is being questioned by educators
who think of literacy as "multiple." Because of this increasing diversity [...] a literate
person needs to know how to cross linguistic boundaries and how to respect language
and cultural diversity. This quote means that there is no one way of writing because
everyone writes differently.
The second page that the viewer sees is the blog section. I put the blog before
my writing assignments because it introduces me as a writer. This allows the viewer to
learn about me before reading my final papers. I left my midterm in the middle of the
blog because it shows my reflection during the middle of the class. The blog is important
to my portfolio because it shows how my views change throughout the class. In the
second post, Right to their Own Language, I talked about peer work shopping. I used
to think it was pointless because I thought me as the peer couldn't tell the writer what to
do. I said, You dont know if what you are saying will actually help the writer. I thought
that I had no power because I wasn't the one grading it. I have learned that as the
reader, how you feel is the only thing you need to tell the writer. I chose to emphasize

the work shopping aspect of writing in my portfolio because I feel that that is what I
learned most about. So much writing classroom time these days is spent in drafting
and response sessions. Dan Melzer. The biggest difference between high school
writing class and college is the time spent on drafting.
Literacy Narrative
The first writing piece that we wrote in 1101 was our literacy narrative. This
paper tells a story of an event that changed my view of writing. This is an important
piece in my portfolio because it shows my identity as a writer. Throughout my
schooling career I was afraid of writing big papers. This quote from my Literacy
narrative shows how writing intimidated me before this class. In my Portrait of a writer I
said, The open ended rubrics in college writing knocked down barriers to allow me to
explore my own writing skills and a level of creativity. This truly speaks of how 1101
opened my mind to writing.
During this assignment we were required to write two drafts. Because this was
my first paper in 1101 I wrote like I did in high school. I slowly constructed this in a
defined paragraph form. I included this in my portfolio and titled it My High School
Type paper. On the second draft we were encouraged to freely write about a past
experience. This assignment got me out of my comfort when writing. Writing whatever
is in your head helps you be more expressive and personal. During class we did an
activity where we closed our eyes and were encouraged to write everything down. I
imagined myself in a past moment and described everything I heard saw and felt. This
activity helped me write more expressively and effectively. When bringing this into the
peer workshop I thought it was the worst paper I ever wrote because I didnt think it was

written in an academic style. How many of our best nonfiction writers, the ones who
are widely read and have a genuine impact, write in an academic style? Virtually
none. This quote from Rob Jenkins shows how academic writing is not necessarily the
best writing. This topic taught me that many people have their own perspective on
writing. Also, my writing will improve when I write more out of my comfort zone.
The first item on this page is a list of focus questions for our workshop. These
questions helped my group chose between our two drafts. Even though I did not
appreciate my second draft, my peer group liked it better than the first. Tom Nobles
said it was very relatable because of my detailed descriptions. My hands were frozen,
hovering over the keys just waiting for a thought. I stared aimlessly at my
computer screen. These quotes show the reader the struggles I previously
encountered in writing. The peer input I received caused me to work off my second
draft when revising. It is essential for you to know how to interpret and use the
comments that are given to you. Throughout peer workshops I have learned how to
consider my peers revision comments. The viewer see this in my reflection chart
artifact. I was confused when I received opposing comments by my professor. My
professor said my conclusion was repetitive but my peer said it tied the whole paper
together. Youll be amazed at how two people interpret the same section of an essay
when they read it together at the same time. Nathan Timm. Through various
workshops I have seen how students view my writing in different ways. However, its
important to know when to ignore some advice. Peer work shopping gives you
suggestions which means you dont have to change anything. The viewer can see how

much effort was given to create my final draft. I placed each document in an order that
would show how I used peer edits when developing my final draft.
Portrait of a Writer
My idea of writing has become more opened minded. In my Portrait of a writer
papers I wrote, It (writing) is such an open ended concept that everyone thinks about it
differently. Previously, I thought there was clear cut definitions from good and bad
writing. Now, through peer workshops, I have learned that everyone has their own
definition of writing. This is shown by the edits on my first draft artifact. You can see
how the opinions of my peer differ from the professor. Each perspective is valuable
when developing my final draft. Another artifact is the reader response letter from Tom
Nobles. He said, I felt as though many of the sentences could have been broken apart
and combined with others. This was helpful because it gave me his overall view on my
first draft. This can be compared to the paragraph next to it by my professor. I have
also learned how to reflect on my own writing more effectively. One day in class we
spent 30 minutes reflecting on our own drafts. Reading through my paper helped me
view it in a different way. The viewer can see how my reflection is different from others
because we have different views on writing. I was responsible for my own learning
when it came to reflection. This was challenging because I needed to have the desire
to improve my writing. If I didnt want to get anything out of the course then I wouldnt
have. It is important to be able to criticize you work affectively. I have done this after
reading my first draft. My artifact 3c shows the criticisms I gave myself. Reflected on
my own writing was an important step in my growth of a writer which is why I included
every reflection. The picture with all my papers out shows how each piece of reflection

is used when constructing a new draft. This discovery of my writing is shown in a

chronological order through this page. This makes it easy for the viewer to see the
progression through my page. This writing assignment, Portrait of a writer, was put at
the end because it was the final reflection of my writing. I feel that it really shows my
writing process through an assignment.
Wild Cards
The Wild Card page was put at the end because this work was done outside of
class. In my Engineering 1201 class my writing capabilities were put to the test. I was
required to write 4 to 5 pages regarding my future in engineering. This research paper
taught me how to construct my thoughts in order to develop a focused essay. It was a
challenge to flow many elements into one paper. I used the skills leaned in 1101 to
write this paper which resulted in receiving an A. I feel that including this paper shows
that I can apply my knowledge to other classes. The second wild card shows the past
books that I have read. This is important to include because the literature you read
shapes your opinion on writing. The territories show what genres I have practiced in
which shows my experience in writing.
Grade
I have improved throughout 1101 writing and show it through my portfolio. Each
assignment contributed to the development of my writing in a different way. My portfolio
was organized and esthetically pleasing for the viewer. This makes it easier for them to
see how I have changed throughout the semester. The various drafting artifacts show
how much work was done to reach my final draft. The viewer can see each step I took
along the drafting and editing process. At least three key concepts were discussed

throughout my Portfolio Essay. I mainly focused on the writing process and receiving
feedback. This is the area where I feel that I have changed the most. I also have
developed the ability to independently learn and get out of my comfort zone.
To grow as a writer you have to reflect on other authors. This has been done
through reader response letters. I have quoted at least 5 others throughout this essay.
Some of which are comments from peers in my class as well as well-known authors. I
have also quoted from my own writings. This is essential when showing my growth
during each assignment. Providing evidence of change clearly explains to the viewer
how I changed. I feel that every question from color to content has been answered
through the Final Portfolio Essay. After looking at the e-Portfolio grading scale I believe
that I have earned A throughout 1101.