Grading Zones Questions

Grading Zones

1. Do you like this poem?
Yea, I think it explains how most people feel about grades.

2. What does it mean for you?
To me it means that, you basically get what you put into it. That grades don’t really have to do with the teacher they deal with how much work are you willing to put into it to get that A.

3. What parts of the poem are clearest to you?
The part that is the most clearest to me is the part about the heads and the tails. I think that most people could probably relate to both sides.

4. What parts are fuzzy?
I don’t really understand the part where you say “once in the grading zone there is no turning back. Fade to black”. I don’t really get what you are trying to say with that.

5. If you were to write your own poem about grading, what would the first line be?
If only getting an A was that easy

6. How do you feel about grades?
Sometimes I feel that you should get what you put into the class but then there are times where you work your behind of in a class and you do everything but you still fail. I think that at times both the teacher and the student are to blame for a student’s failure. The student because they might not have put the work into it, but the teacher because if they see that a student is struggling with something they should offer some help instead of not doing anything.

Assignments Questions

Assignments

1. Do you like your assignments spelled out for you explicitly?
I like it when a teacher tells you what to do and examples to you everything that you need to do because if the teacher gives a board question and if you answer the teacher might grade it with a low grade because you don’t know what the teacher was looking for.

2. Would you rather come up with your own assignments, on your own terms?
I don’t think I would like to come up with my own assignments because I have no idea what is to easy or what is too hard.

3. What assignments have you enjoyed in the past?
The assignments that I have enjoyed most in the past have been assignments that involve things that I like. Like writing a story if you give me what I have to write about I don’t think that I would enjoy it as much as if you tell me write a story on anything you what. With that I think that I could use my imagination five times more.

4. What assignments have you not liked so much?
The assignments where the teacher gives you like one day to do it. An assignment that involves boring subjects are the ones that I basically hate doing.

5. If you were given the assignment to come up with a dozen or so writing assignments, how would you respond? Would you like that assignment?
Honestly I would hate the assignment, it’s not that I hate English it’s just that its one of my weakest subject. I would obviously have to do it but I would definitely have a lot of problems and trouble doing it. I think that I would basically have to move into the writing center.

6. Is there another word, other than 'assignment', that might serve to better indicate the kind of work you've done or will do in this course?
Project, Paper, Research, and Homework

My Office and Discussion Board

My Office
1. Any Questions?

Nope I don’t have any questions are anything. I think it’s cool that we can reach you on your cell phone. I don’t think a lot of professor would do that.

The Discussion Board
1.Have you ever participated in online discussions? When? Under what circumstances?

Yea I participated in a lot of online class discussion in high school and this year in my first semester English class. One day she told us not to come to class and that we would have a virtual class. It was interesting because it was like this big chat room.

2. How is online 'discussion' different from f-2-f conversation?

For me sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone online for some weird reason. I think that face to face is more personal than through a computer. But I actually liked having the virtual class because I was at home sitting in my room in my pjs. So I liked it a lot. I don’t think I would want it to always be like that because I think it’s important to have face to face time with people.

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of online discussion?

I think one of the advantages is that you get to be anywhere that you are comfortable and just have the class. Another advantage for me at least is that you don’t really have to get dressed because nobody is looking at you. One of the big disadvantages is that you really can’t tell what people are thinking with online discussion and you really can’t express yourself through the internet that’s something that has to be done face to face. Another disadvantage is that it takes time typing unlike talking the words just come out and sometimes it’s a lot easier to talk than to write because you can make a lot of mistakes when you write.

4.Do you prefer one to the other?

I don’t really prefer one over the other. I think that I actually like have the class better than having the online discussions. I would much rather interact with people face to face than virtually.

Our Classroom Questions

Our Classroom

1.How do you like our classroom?

Yea, I like our classroom. Last semester I had an English writing class which was about the same size as our class but I think I feel more comfortable in this class because at least there are other girls. In that English class I was the only girl. One of my good friends from high school is also in the class which makes me like the class so much more.

2.How does it compare to classrooms you've been in before?

I think this is one of the classrooms that I have been able to feel the most comfortable because of the size. I think that with small classrooms the teacher can pay more attention to everyone. I like the size of the class itself but I don’t really like the size of the classroom, sometimes I feel like people are on top of me when I’m in classes that small.

3.How's the light? The air? The view from the window?

I think that everything is fine with the classroom. The light, the air, everything is fine. Well the view isn’t beautiful I think it’s of the air conditions and the back of buildings but its ok.

4.How are the chairs arranged? How could they be arranged to facilitate our writing 'community'?

The chairs are all facing the front of the blackboard which makes sense because it is a classroom, but I think that your idea of trying to move the chairs and putting them into a circle maybe would be better because then that way it feels less like a classroom and more like a place to come to talk about out ideas and our writing.

5.How do you think we should use our classroom space?

Well in our classroom there is not that much space to be able to do anything, so it may be hard t o move it around into a circle. I guess we might have to leave it that way it is because there really isn’t any room to move facing our direction or something.

6.What might be some good general rules for classroom conduct?

One big thing with classroom conduct I think would definitely have to be respect. I think that we can’t make fun of what anyone said because then they aren’t going to want to say thing ever again. I think that everyone should be able to bring their own ideas to the table without thinking what everyone else is going to say.

The Writing Center Questions

The Writing Center

1. Did any of your former schools have a writing center?

Yes, my high school St. Francis Prep did have a writing center. I guess that’s what you can call it but in reality all it really was a classroom where the English teachers would go to when they didn’t have any classes and just help the students out.

2. Have you ever gone to a writing center? If so, what is it like?

I have gone to the writing center here at St. Johns. I was kind of nervous at first because I have never really been the best writer and I always the writer center was a place where they would say that I was a bad writer. But it wasn’t that bad. I went there twice once because I needed help coming up with an idea and to help me structure the essay and the second time I went was to proofread my essay.

3. How can the writing center here at St. John's help you with this course?

I think that the writing center will play a huge role in this English class because if you can’t come up with an idea they will help you brainstorm and they will help you make your essay flow.

4. What facets of your writing do you want to work on?

There are a lot of things that I definitely need help with when it comes to writing. The first thing would have to be my grammar; it’s definitely not the strongest. I need a lot of help with that. Another thing would maybe be it’s sometimes I don’t really know how to structure any essay.

5. If a WC consultant asked you to describe your writing process, what would you say?

I think first I have to come up with an idea of what my essay is going to be on. If I don’t come with one I will be stuck and will not be able to do anything. Once I have an idea I’ll I write down notes on the topic and make sub-topics. After I have made that outline then I will start to write my essay. Throughout the essay my ideas definitely will change but I have to make sure to rearrange everything to make it flow. Then I’ll print it up and proofread it. After that I’ll fix all the mistakes on it and hand it in.

6. Have you hugged your writing center today?

By hugging I don’t really know what you mean but if you mean that I’m grateful its there. Well then I guess you can say that I hugged the Writing Center because it has definitely helped me with a lot of my writing problems that I have had.

NAME

My name is ALEXANDRA LA-ROTTA. Well my first name is definitely not from generations or anything. Basically how I got my first name is that one day when my mom was pregnant with me she had gone into a bakery and saw this French man eating with his little daughter. Then he called out her name with a French accent and said “Alexandra please finish your breakfast”, ever since that say my mom has been in love with my name. She loved the way the man said it and fell in love with it. Another reason why my mom picked my name is because we are Colombian and since I was born and brought here in the United States she wanted a name that could be pronounced the same in any language and people won’t have a problem saying it wrong. In most languages my name is basically the same expect each culture has a different way of pronouncing and spelling it. In the Spanish culture the most popular name that is like mine is Alejandra. There are many different other ways of spelling my name.

The origin of the name Alexandra is Greek. That's why alot of people think I'm greek for some wierd reason because I don't even look it. The meaning of my name is defender of men. When I was little I would always tell my mom why did she name me Alexandra. I never really liked the name for some reason. But know that I'm older I actually like it. Most of my childhood friends call me Alex, and I guess that's why i didn't really like it becuase that's a boys name. But most of my high school friends know me as Lexi. But now most people call me Alex. I really don't ming what people call me as long as they don't butcher my name I'm fine.

Now my last name LA-ROTTA is definately not a common last name. If you translate it into spanish it means the broken one. Which made me not like it when i was little becaue alot of people made fun of me because of it. But the last name originates from Italy. My grandfather was born in Italy and he moved to Colombia when he was a little boy. Originally it was spelled Larotta, but of some wierd reason over time it became LaRotta and then when my grandfather got to colombia it started to be spelled La-Rotta.

One funny story with my last name is when I went to get my premit. So I was at the DMV for like an hour because they always take forever there but after I had taken the test and passed it. I was finally called to be able to fill out all my information. The lady asked for my first name and i gave it to her and then she asked for my last name. When I gave it to her she looked at me really funny. And I was like what and then she asked me if La was my first last name and if Rotta was my second last name. I told her no, then she started to get really mad at me and she started to yell at me because if I only had one last name then why was there a dash in the middle of it. And I had to show her my birth certificate because she thought I was lying to her. I just thought it was really funny that this lady was getting mad at me because of a dash in my last name.

Expanding on a question

The question i pick was "Do you have a website? a MySpace or Facebook page? a blog?". I choose this question because i think that i can relate to it. I actually have both, but I am starting to like facebook better becaseu for some reason or other i feel thats a safer than Myspace. They both are very different but yet they are both the same.

Myspace anyone can be your friend and mostly everyone you ask probably has one. Myspace is not really safe becasue people can make pretend they are a person but they are someone different. You can leave people comments and have pictures and you can actually pick what you want it to look like. You can make a background or pick one thats already made and just personalize it. It's deffinately a great way to keep in touch with friends and family. It's also a way to meet people. Even though i won't do it there have been alot of people that have met up with people from myspace. Myspace has like a million different features to pick from.

Facebook is very different. First of all you have to be a high school or college student to be able to have a facebook. Even though that's slowly changing. I have seen alot of people who aren't in school have one. In one way or another it's alot safer because since only college people can have it then that means preverts really can't be your friend. One of the safety thing it has it when a person asks to be your friend theres a page that opens up and its has a whole bunch of opitions that you can click on that ask you how you know the person and if you don't know the person than theres link for that and it opens up to another page which tells you that if you don't know the person why are you adding them as your friend and it just deletes them. Facebook you can't have different background or anything its all the same. You can make different types of albums and you can have like a million pictures. So you can tell there are so many differences between the two.

This is Me!

Hi so I basically ahve to talk about myself. Lets start with, my name is obivously Alexandra, and I a currently a freshman and I am a Marketing major. I dont dorm because I think it's kind of gross to share a bathroom with like six other people and plus i live like five mintues away from school and it would be stupid to dorm. I just graduated from St. Francis Prep. I love it there and was so upset that it had to leave it, but it's all ok because St. Johns is like a second Prep. Most of the people that graduate from prep end up going to St Johns. I am currently working at staples as a cashier. This is my first real job, which surprises most people. I am colombian and some italian, which you can actually tell becausae of my last name. I speak spanish at home. I live with both my parents and i have three sisters, one of them is older and the other two are younger. I really can't think of anything else to write at the moment but if I do ill add to it.

Love Alexandra<33