Journal One - Alexa Woll

·      I think of writing as a way of communication by the use of a combination of symbols. It can convey anything; how you feel, what you see, your thoughts, stories, non-fiction information, etc. To me, writing is the most direct way to self-express. For example, the meaning behind a painting or a sculpture can vary immensely, while the meaning behind a piece of writing can be plainly read and interpreted.

·       There’s no definition, in my opinion, of successful writing. There’s no correct format or correct style to write. As long as a piece of writing conveys what the author wanted it to, it’s successful.

·      I am a creative writer. While I can write informative essays, I always do my best when I can be creative in my work. I find it a lot easier to let my thoughts be free and write whatever comes to my mind rather than trying to educate on a certain topic.

·      Expression, Creativity, Communication, Education, Culture.

Responses to Johnson-Eilola and Selber’s essay:

·      The authors are making the argument that students shouldn’t be forced and pushed to create a totally unique piece of writing everytime they write. They suggest the idea that teachers should allow students to easily borrow information from another author to supplement their own argument or ideas without worrying about plagiarism. For example, the authors write “The shift we are suggesting is a pretty powerful one: Stop encouraging students to produce ‘original’ texts all the time. Tell them, at least occasionally, to work on texts that are complete assemblages.“ However, they also emphasize the importance of avoiding plagiarism and that students cannot completely copy another’s work.

·      I learned that it’s extremely common to borrow information from another authors piece of writing or artists piece of work when composing. The authors gave he example of “David Carson often found it necessary to design with existing photographs of marginal quality,” showing the use of assembly. This article made it clear to me how difficult it really is to come up with a document completely unique to your own thoughts, and that assembly actually supplements your thoughts and ideas.

·      Yes, this article is successful. The authors thoroughly explain their main ideas about the difficulties of originality and the differences between plagiarism and assembly throughout the article. Since I, the reader, can understand their argument, I consider the article successful.

·      My understanding has not changed after reading this article because I have a similar view as the authors. I always believed that a person should be able to borrow information from another article as long as it is to supplement their own work. I agree with the fact that assembly should be perfectly acceptable while plagiarism should not be.

·      I would not want to revise my list of keys terms. I believe all of the terms I chose describe writing in a way that suggests being original, yet also being able to learn from other writings without the risk of plagiarism.