While working through the lessons in Unit 1 of English 301 I encountered some technological challenges. Consequently, I needed to consult the FAQ pages for the UBC Blogs, as well as the course outline and textbook for further instruction and guidance. I also had to differentiate the process of placing a link to a word document and a hyperlink to a webpage in my blog. I did a lot of experimenting and subsequent viewing of the blog to see if I was successful. Eventually, I was able to include the link to the word document as well as the hyperlink to the peer review I received. I also had some practice creating a letter of application, email invitations to classmates to form a writing team and writing a memo to the professor. The final assignment included writing definitions in 3 different formats, providing a review for one of my peer’s definitions and the final edited version of the assignment.
Original writing
As I set out to choose a specialized term for my definitions assignment, I asked myself what is a term I often encounter in my dental hygiene practice? I settled on the dental term bruxism because I educate at least one client per day about this condition. When I completed the initial draft of the document I was sure that there was more than enough information and that the images I selected supported the definitions. However, one of the images really didn’t help to explain the concept of clenching and grinding and the expanded definition needed more explanation.
Peer-review process
I was very happy to receive the peer review of my definitions so that I could see the weaknesses, deficiencies or sources of confusion for the reader. I received valuable feedback for improving my document. Writing the peer review for my classmate was somewhat stressful since I wanted to provide feedback with a balance of positive encouragement and constructive critiquing while remaining diplomatic. I was concerned that I may inadvertently insult my team member. So I struggled somewhat with the wording used in the peer review. Eventually, I was able to provide the feedback on their definitions. As I become more comfortable with this process I believe it will become easier.
Editing process
The editing process was very instructive. I added some additional information and changed one of the images since the original image was a bit confusing for the reader. I enjoyed the editing process especially because of the additional ideas provided through the peer review. I believe these changes achieved the goals of improving the readability of the definitions document. The editing process has demonstrated the utility of independent evaluation as well as the value of writing several drafts before arriving at the final document.
Conclusions
Throughout this unit, I have learned some valuable new skills. The initial hurdle was creating my blog, then adding pages, posts, widgets, and hyperlinks. Through my persistence, I achieved all of these. Additionally, I was able to work through the challenges of the original writing assignment, participate in the peer review process, incorporate my peer’s suggestions in the edited version of the definitions and learn to give and receive constructive feedback in a professional manner. It has been a great experience so far!!
301 definition assignment instruction