Tuesday, April 19, 2011

CRITICAL REFLECTION

Community Service Writing was not what I expected. I entered the class believing that would be learning more through the writing portion of the class (ie: how to write a grant) as opposed to learning more through lens of community service. While I may not have emerged from the class with knowledge about how to write grants, I believe what I gained from the class is more valuable than I could have ever expected. Through service learning I have learned how to take excellent fieldnotes, view the world through a new and more objective lens, triangulate sources to further investigate issues, and how to use cultural artifacts to my benefit. I think my major projects and writing are a perfect example to see how I have grown as a writer, especially in relationship to service learning, over the course of the semester.

My hopes are that my writings available in this blog show readers the importance of service learning and the ability to write about issues relating to community service. I believe if more people are exposed to this kind of class they will benefit by gaining a whole new way of thinking and method of viewing the world.

MAJOR PROJECTS
Positioning Essay
Verbal and Visual Portrait
Critical Bibliographic Essay
"Big" Ethnography

SUPPORTING PROJECTS
"Body Projects" Analysis
Symbol of a New Age: Nintendo DSi
Low Income Youth Development
Boys and Girls Club Fieldnotes Reflection

ARTIFACTS AND CULTURAL PERFORMANCES
Nintendo DSi Image