Through the process of multi modal composition I have learned and developed several skills pertinent to writing in the 21st century. By learning how to create informative and engaging webpages, I have improved transferable skills such as design and creative writing. This class has also allowed me to learn what auto-ethnographies are and how to create them. This style of writing exposed me to a completely new way to look at research-based writing. This new venture not only opened the door for new opportunities, but presented many new challenges as well.
By dealing with an untraditional style of writing such as auto-ethnographies I was forced to readdress my writing style and goals. Throughout all my past writing was direcred and narrowed to an objective research based writing where myself as the author should not insert oneself in the writing. In fact, the only appropriate time to write about myself was when creating a personal narrative, something perceived as a basic writing form that was not permitted in higher-level writing courses. The only time words such as I and other personal pronouns were even used in the years leading up to this course were in college application essays, and even in these I steered away from them because they felt foreign and inappropriate although the topics were geared for the audience grasp a better understanding of who I am. |
I was also introduced to the concept of writing about my own research. All of my past experiences in research-based writing consisted of citing other researchers work and combining them and narrating about them. I will never forget my mothers advice to me in high school on research writing. She is a writer and told me, “nothing worth writing about has not been written about already,” and this advice stuck with me to today because I always wanted to prove her wrong. And, thanks to this class and college I have been able to attempt to prove her wrong. This class allowed me to conduct my own research and I therefore, gained another level of depth and attachment towards my writing. This unique experience allowed me to venture out of my set comfort zone and improve both as an author and analyst.
These challenges and untraditional writing allowed these papers and websites to become more than just an assignment about a topic I enjoyed. In fact they allowed me to gain a better understanding of who I am; as an author, researchers, college student, and person. While at first I was frustrated at being forced to take a freshman-writing course, I am glad I had this experience to enlighten me. Now, I feel as if my writing has the ability to not just be an objective recycler of information, but rather be able to expand upon a past research and tell a story, my story. |