Burch

 
Victoria  
May  7,  2011  
TWC301_24947  
Project  #4  –  Reflective  Cover  Letter  

To  Whom  It  May  Concern:  

Throughout  this  semester,  I  have  learned  about  the  general  principles  of  multimedia  writing.  Through  
our  weekly  assignments,  discussion  forums,  and  major  projects  I  have  gained  experience  in  the  course  
outcomes  concerning  rhetorical  knowledge,  critical  thinking/reading/writing,  processes,  and  knowledge  of  
conventions.  Upon  entering  this  course  I  wanted  to  achieve  the  following  goals:  

-­‐ Rhetorical  Knowledge:  I  would  like  to  learn  how  to  organize  my  thoughts  and  other  sources  of  
information  with  technology  
-­‐ Critical  Thinking,  Reading  and  Writing:  Learn  how  to  collaborate  well  with  others  
-­‐ Processes:  Distinguish  how  to  use  appropriate  technology  for  specific  audiences  
-­‐ Knowledge  of  Conventions:  Learn  how  to  write  and  format  in  multiple  genres  &  obtain  a  better  
understanding  of  copyright  laws.  
 
I  believe  I  have  achieved  my  goals  in  rhetorical  knowledge  and  processes  through  my  WordPress  
blog,  various  projects,  and  the  use  of  several  different  multimedia  tools.  However,  I  believe  that  I  could  gain  
more  knowledge  of  copyright  pertaining  to  the  use  of  multimedia.  I  also  wish  to  improve  on  using  effective  
collaboration  methods  when  working  in  teams.  This  letter  is  a  reflection  of  how  I  have  grown  as  a  writer  
throughout  this  course  and  an  evaluation  of  the  areas  that  I  still  need  to  improve  in.    
The  topics  of  discussion  throughout  this  semester  have  focused  on  the  importance  of  communication  
through  multimedia.  I  have  learned  that  communication  within  virtual  communities  allows  people  to  share  
knowledge,  provide  emotional  support,  build  upon  works  of  others,  and  engage  in  intellectual  discourse  
(Flew,  2005).  Communicating  in  this  fashion  inspires  innovation  as  well  as,  technological  and  social  
advancements  (Jenkins,  2009).    We  have  also  learned  that  multimedia  creates  a  gray  area  pertaining  to  
copyright  laws  which  can  stifle  innovation  and  research  (International  Communication  Association  );  but  that  
it  can  be  overcome  by  using  websites  such  as,  Creative  Commons,  which  allows  users  to  keep  their  
copyright,  while  allowing  certain  uses  of  their  work  (Creative  Commons).    
Therefore,  I  define  multimedia  as  the  integration  of  text,  audio,  images,  animation,  and  videos  into  
one  user  interface,  which  allows  interactivity  amongst  virtual  communities  around  the  world;  in  order  to  give  
rise  to  innovation  and  the  expansion  of  knowledge.    
  

MindMeister  is  a  brainstorming  tool  that  enables  you  to  map  your  thoughts  into  a  clear  space.  I  
continually  modified  my  mindmap  throughout  the  semester  and  learned  how  to  incorporate  multiple  
elements  into  a  single  outline.  I  used  this  skill  again  when  creating  the  outline  for  this  project  and  built  a  
second  mindmap.    I  will  continue  to  use  this  tool  for  future  projects  and  papers  throughout  college  and  
possibly  again  in  my  career.    

When  creating  my  LinkedIn  profile  for  

Project  3,  I  was  able  to  establish  an  
online  professional  identity.  I  am  now  
able  to  network  with  people  who  share  
the  same  professional  goals  and  
interests  as  I  do.  I  will  continue  to  use  
my  LinkedIn  account  so  I  can  stay  
informed  of  job  opportunities  and  to  
participate  in  discussions  to  gain  
knowledge  from  others.    I  also  learned  
Screenshot  of  LinkedIn  Profile  
several  formats  for  resumes  (Traditional,  
Scannable,  Timeline,  and  Video).  Using  different  technologies  to  convey  this  information  will  be  useful  
in  the  future  when  I  am  applying  for  jobs.    

For  the  second  project,  I  learned  the  importance  

of  effective  collaboration  methods  amongst  
group  members  by  creating  a  website  using  
Google  Sites.  Our  lack  of  communication  was  
evident  in  our  final  product.  We  should  have  
agreed  on  a  formatting  style  to  use  throughout  
the  entire  document.  In  the  future  I  think  it  will  
Image  ©  HOMESBYTHOMAS  at  Flickr  
be  beneficial  to  decide  on  this  from  the  beginning.  When  
creating  this  site  I  found  some  good  tools  for  organization  including,  shared  agendas  using  Google  
Calendar.  I  will  always  use  this  when  working  on  future  
 2     projects  with  colleagues  or  other  students.    
  

Furthermore,  by  participating  in  the  Flew  discussions,  I  learned  that  virtual  communities  are  social  
networks  that  allow  us  to  connect  and  grow  by  sharing  knowledge,  ideas,  goals,  and  opinions  (Flew,  
2005).  Blackboard  and  WordPress  are  two  sites  that  allow  such  collaboration  amongst  virtual  
communities.  I  was  able  to  gain  feedback  from  my  peers  on  my  work  throughout  the  semester  by  the  
commenting  feature  on  WordPress.  They  provided  me  with  revisions  and  suggestions  that  helped  me  
better  my  work.  In  one  of  my  discussion  posts  I  wrote:  

“As  noted  by  Rheingold,  through  Blackboard  you  are  able  to  “engage  in  intellectual  discourse….  
exchange  knowledge…(and)  brainstorm”  with  your  peers.  The  ability  to  get  instant  feedback  
and/or  insight  to  your  thoughts  is  very  rewarding  and  beneficial.  You  can  also  read  other  
questions  and  responses  from  peers  that  you  may  not  have  even  thought  of  that  can  further  
help  you  in  completing  outcomes  or  assignments.  Flew’s  article  shares  a  quote  from  Benedict  
Anderson  stating,  “that  a  nation  provides  a  common  form  of  identity  that  is  shared  by  its  
members,  even  though  very  few  of  these  people  will  ever  meet,  know  of,  or  hear  from  most  of  
their  fellow-­‐citizens.”  Although  it  is  true  that  we  may  never  meet  a  fellow  student  who  is  
providing  us  with  feedback,  we  do  appreciate  it  because  we  know  that  we  are  trying  to  reach  
common  goals  of  the  course.  This  allows  us  to  identify  and  relate  to  one  another,  which  makes  
almost  everything  they  say  of  value  to  us.“  

I  will  continue  to  use  WordPress  to  

create  a  blog  relating  to  Sports  
Nutrition.  I  want  to  be  able  to  provide  
something  on  my  resume  to  stand  out  
to  future  employers.  I  think  that  
creating  a  blog  to  share  my  knowledge  
with  others  within  the  nutrition  
community  will  be  a  good  addition  to  
my  resume.    

 
Screenshot  of  a  Blackboard  Forum  

 3    
  

One  of  the  first  things  I  learned  in  this  

class  was  how  to  collect,  edit,  revise,  and  
manage  information  using  multimedia  
tools.  For  example,  Diigo,  is  a  website  
that  allows  users  to  bookmark  and  
annotate  pages.      

For  one  assignment  we  used  Diigo  to  

bookmark  several  sources  that  explained  
the  C.R.A.P.  principles  (contrast,  
repetition,  alignment,  and  proximity).  
Afterwards,  we  annotated  a  website  that   Screenshot  of  annotated  website  using  C.R.A.P.  

we  frequently  use  according  to  these  using  Jing.      

The  next  assignment  was  to  create  a  Glog  using  knew  found  knowledge  of  C.R.A.P.  This  project  further  
instilled  the  importance  of  revising  and  editing.  One  mistake  I  made  with  this  project  was  that  I  
immediately  started  to  create  it  without  making  a  clear  layout  of  what  I  was  aiming  for.  This  made  it  
difficult  to  put  all  of  the  information  together  in  a  consistent  format.  I  now  know  that  for  any  project  
there  is  a  need  for  continuous  editing,  and  it  is  easier  to  achieve  a  final  product  when  you  make  a  rough  
draft  first.    

The  Diigo  Web  Highlighter  is  a  widget  that  

enables  you  to  highlight,  copy,  and  annotate  
any  website  and  then  convert  them  into  a  
document.  I  will  continue  to  use  this  when  I  
am  collecting  data  from  multiple  websites  to  
use  for  future  assignments.  Furthermore,  I  
will  instill  the  C.R.A.P.  principles  when  
designing  any  type  of  document  or  website  
to  provide  a  clear  and  structured  format  and  
Screenshot  of  an  annotated  website  using  Diigo  Web  Highlighter  
kljachieve  visual  clarity  for  the  audience.  

 
   4    
  
   

I  have  learned  how  to  write  in  multiple  genres  throughout  this  course.  First,  I  learned  how  to  hyperlink  
and  embed  media,  images,  audio  and  documents  into  my  WordPress  Blog.  Second,  when  I  created  my  
Glog,  I  learned  how  to  write  instructions  geared  toward  a  specific  audience.  Lastly,  when  I  created  my  
website,  I  learned  how  to  use  different  formatting  strategies  so  that  viewers  had  the  option  to  either    
quickly  scan  through  or  read  specific  parts  more  thoroughly.  I  will  continue  to  use  these  formatting  skills  
when  I  create  my  Sports  Nutrition  WordPress  Blog.    

I  have  also  learned  the  basic  concepts  of  copyright  throughout  our  discussions.  I  will  continue  to  use  
Creative  Commons  and  Flickr  when  I  need  to  incorporate  images  or  videos  into  my  blog  or  other  future  
projects.  However,  there  is  still  a  very  gray  area  of  copyright  concerning  multimedia  that  I  am  still  
confused  about.    

In  conclusion,  I  believe  that  the  course,  TWC301:  Introduction  to  Multimedia  Writing,  has  truly  
allowed  me  to  grow  as  a  writer.  By  achieving  the  course  outcomes  I  now  have  skills  that  I  will  be  able  to  
use  in  the  future.  I  have  been  introduced  to  an  array  of  multimedia  tools  throughout  the  semester  that  
will  benefit  me  in  the  future  including,  MindMeister,  Diigo,  Google  Docs,  WordPress,  and  LinkedIn.      

When  I  create  my  Sports  Nutrition  blog  on  WordPress,  I  will  use  Rhetorical  Knowledge  by  using  
different  formatting  strategies  while  focusing  on  a  defined  purpose  for  a  specific  audience.  I  will  impose  
Critical  Thinking,  Reading,  and  Writing  throughout  my  blog  by  integrating  information  from  various  
sources  for  a  defined  purpose.  I  will  also  use  the  skills  I  have  gained  in  Processes,  to  continually  revise  and  
edit  my  work  to  make  a  successful  final  product.  Furthermore  I  will  use  my  Knowledge  of  Conventions,  
when  formatting  my  posts,  as  well  as,  incorporate  media  and  images  from  Creative  Commons  to  avoid  
copyright  infringement.    

Creating  this  blog  will  help  me  to  continue  to  improve  as  a  writer  and  allow  me  to  improve  in  the  
areas,  which  I  have  not  yet  mastered.  Furthermore,  I  will  post  it  to  my  LinkedIn  profile  so  that  employers  
can  see  that  I  have  experience  in  blog  writing.  This  class  has  been  extremely  beneficial  to  me  and  I  have  
enjoyed  learning  multiple  strategies  concerning  multimedia  writing.  

Victoria Burch
 5    
  
 

 
Creative  Commons.  (n.d.).  About.  Retrieved  2011,  from  creative  commons:  
http://creativecommons.org/about  
 

Flew,  T.  (2005).  New  Media:  An  Introduction  (Vol.  2).  Oxford  University.  
 
International  Communication  Association  .  (n.d.).  Center  for  Social  Media.  (Center  for  Social  Media)  
Retrieved  from  Code  of  Best  Practices  in  Fair  Use  for  Scholarly  Research  in  Communication:  
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-­‐use/related-­‐materials/codes/code-­‐best-­‐practices-­‐fair-­‐use-­‐
scholarly-­‐research-­‐communication  
 
Jenkins,  H.  (2009,  June  30).  Confronting  the  Challenges  of  Participatory  Culture:  Media  Education  for  the  
21st  Century.  The  MIT  Press.  
 

Victoria  Burch's  WordPress  Blog    

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