Journal 5- Ashley Ambroise

For this journal, please read the pdfs labeled “Yancey_On Reflection” and “Taczak_Reflection” in our Google folder. Yancey provides a brief overview of the scholarship and research that has facilitated our current understanding of reflection. She also explicitly defines the term, and writes about three different kinds of reflection. Taczak provides a slightly different definition of reflection and writes about its usefulness for writers. For this journal, please respond to the following:

How do Yancey and Taczak each define reflection? How does Yancey build on others’ scholarship to define reflection? According to both Yancey and Taczak, what does reflection enable writers to do? How might we understand reflection in connection with each of the key terms we have discussed so far—genre, audience, purpose, and discourse community?

Yancey and Taczak define reflection as a mode of inquiry: a deliberate way of systematically recalling writing experiences to reframe the current writing situation. Yancey builds on others scholarship by providing text to create an umbrella of what reflection consists of. Reflection enables writers to recognize what they have done and why they did it. For me, this is true because when I reflect on any of my own writings I recognize specific reasons why I wrote a certain sentence or paragraph. We understand reflection in connection with genre by seeking reasons why we wrote in that specific style, audience by determining which group of people we are focusing writing to, purpose by thinking about the main point of our writing, and discourse community being the same as audience: determining which group of people we are focusing writing to. 

Finally, please compose (as opposed to merely finding) a visual that you believe will help us to better understand reflection. This can be an image, a chart, a gif, video, etc. that you have created. Write a few sentences about what you hope readers will understand about reflection by looking at your visual.

In my visual this reflection displays a guy who sees himself as someone with no muscles but his reflection is actually someone who does. 

Journal 6 - Rory Feinberg

After reading Wysocki*(Google Drive folder) and watching this super short video summary of McLuhan’s text, please write in response to the following:

Based on your reading across these two texts, how would you define medium? Be sure to reference the specific passages of Wysocki's text and/or segments of the video that have helped you to arrive at this conclusion. What connections does McLuhan make between medium and content? between medium and technology? Again, quote the passages that heave helped you develop this understanding. What does Wysocki contribute to your understanding of medium? 

Finally, try connecting medium to each of these key terms: genre, audience, knowledge, and purpose. Describe how each of these key concepts connects to one another, and then consider how this understanding will help you as you begin to compose your assignment three.

*You should closely read p 123-137 of Wysocki’s text, and you can skim the rest. Remember to bring in 5-8 examples of the genre you are planning to make for project three (e.g., if you are making a brochure, bring 5-8 brochures to class; if you are making a newsletter, bring 5-8 newsletters). These can be print or digital; just make sure you can access the examples during class. 

I would agree with the definition from class, in the way that medium is a way someone transports information. 

Journal 6

I would define medium as the way something is presented. It is the method or means of presenting the information; for example, according to the McLuhan video social media, television, and ads are all different mediums. Wysocki's text goes into detail about how the visual presentation of content can be manipulated depending on how one wants to present the information and who the audience is. Medium and content are connected because one's content should dictate which medium they chose to present their information through; technology's advancement has allowed for new mediums to exist. My understanding of medium was further developed by Wysocki's text; we both agreed on a similar definition and their information aided in my understanding of medium.  

Genre- Different mediums are more commonly used in different genres. Horror stories are often translated into film where scientific articles are usually present in jounrals.  

Audience- Specific audiences respond better to certain mediums.  

Knowledge- knowledge of the genre and audience can help decide what medium to use. 

Purpose- Mediums should also be chosen with the text's purpose in mind. Depending on the purpose some mediums will be more efficient than others.  

Niko Traylor Journal 6

Based on your reading across these two texts, how would you define medium? Be sure to reference the specific passages of Wysocki's text and/or segments of the video that have helped you to arrive at this conclusion. What connections does McLuhan make between medium and content? between medium and technology? Again, quote the passages that heave helped you develop this understanding. What does Wysocki contribute to your understanding of medium? 

I would define medium as the physical transportation of text from one to another. I arrived at this conclusion from the examples that Wysocki gave in her text such as magazines and websites, all which help transport text from one source to another. MuLuhan made the connection that better the medium the better the content will get transported. For example, the internet has became so large it is a huge group of people communicating so it is an ideal medium for text to go through. Finally, Wysocki opened my eyes to the world of medium and how it is the physical sense of text getting transported.

Finally, try connecting medium to each of these key terms: genre, audience, knowledge, and purpose. Describe how each of these key concepts connects to one another, and then consider how this understanding will help you as you begin to compose your assignment three.

If you know your audience then you write in a specific genre and know what medium the genre needs to go in to successfully convey to your audience. Having knowledge on your audience will better help you fulfill your purpose because the knowledge will help you decide which medium is best. As I compose my assignment three this will help me understand whom I am writing for and how I should connect my text to them.

Journal 5

How do Yancey and Taczak each define reflection? How does Yancey build on others’ scholarship to define reflection? According to both Yancey and Taczak, what does reflection enable writers to do? How might we understand reflection in connection with each of the key terms we have discussed so far—genre, audience, purpose, and discourse community? 

      Yancey defines reflection as "the processes by which we know what we have accomplished and by which we articulate accomplishment and...the products of the processes" (Yancey p. 6) Taczak defines reflection as "a mode of inquiry: a deliberate way of systematically recalling writing experiences to reframe the current writing situation" (Taczak p. 78) Both Yancey and Taczak agree that reflection enables writers to improve their process and work overall. Genre, audience, purpose, and discourse community all relate to reflection because they are all things a writer should take into consideration during their process.  

Finally, please compose (as opposed to merely finding) a visual that you believe will help us to better understand reflection. This can be an image, a chart, a gif, video, etc. that you have created. Write a few sentences about what you hope readers will understand about reflection by looking at your visual. 

🙍↔💭=🙆🙌🖋

     I hope readers will understand that reflection is a process that is focused on the author looking back at their previous thoughts or experiences; by looking back and reflecting an author may find new ideas or better edit their current/future work. 

Journal 6-Ashley Ambroise

I would define medium to be the source of what a message is conveyed through. Mediums can be anything: a blogpost, a wall or even a tree. The part in the video that describes the form of a message is more important than the actual content itself is what helped me create this definition. McLuhan makes a connection between medium and content by addressing that the medium enhances or discourages a message. Now, the internet is the popular medium which has more importance of a message due to it being on the internet rather than a newspaper. Wysocki contributes to my understanding that different aspects of a medium has different purposes. For example, she says a photograph is used to bring a sense of immediacy and reality. I can relate to this personally because when I see a picture, I feel a sense of reality like “wow, this really happened.” Genre, audience, knowledge and purpose all connect to medium by genre and medium having similarities due to it being the form of a message. Depending on where a medium is located, the audience varies. If it is in a local store, shoppers are the ones who can view this rather than it being on the internet where anyone with internet access can view it. Knowledge of the message displayed through the medium allows you to look past the medium which McLuhan says is more important. Purpose of a medium is a huge factor being that the location of the medium ties along with the purpose. This understanding allows me to use my knowledge of a medium having a distinct purpose for a specific audience to tie together in one genre.

Field Bromund Journal 5

From these texts I have asserted that reflection is a method not only for looking back over work but also as a form of looking inward at how a work affects the writer. As Yancey claims "articulating what we have learned for ourselves is a key process" (p.7) this process not only allows the author to reflect on what is being presented the audience but also how the author has grown their knowledge. Reflection allows the author to better understand the purpose of what their writing was about and how that purpose is being conveyed to their audience through their writing. This process of looking back on ones work also allows the author to better understand the proper genre for which their writing will make the biggest impact on their intended discourse community.

I choose to depict reflection as a brain with a lightbulb over it's head, looking in a mirror. This image is intended to represent the process by which the author is able to gain new perspectives and ideas by reflecting on their work.