Unit 3 Reflection

        For Unit 3, I wanted to use a medium that I was somewhat familiar with but would also have the chance to learn more about. Therefore, I chose Microsoft PowerPoint. I have used PowerPoint countless times before, throughout high school and college. However, I have never used the voice record feature or the feature that allows you to turn your slide deck into a video. I wanted to expand my knowledge of this Microsoft tool which is why I decided to teach myself how to use these features to create my Unit 3 final video. To do so, I read an article and watched a YouTube video to learn these new skills. How ironic, teaching myself how to use technology with technology. Furthermore, I chose this medium because the audience I was speaking to is high schoolers and college kids ages 16-24 (Generation Z) and PowerPoint is pretty much a universal tool for this age range. I wanted my audience to feel comfortable with the medium, but also to show them something new. PowerPoint features like voice recording and video are not that common in my opinion, so overall if I was able to teach at least one audience member not only about my thesis, but about these awesome PowerPoint features I will be happy. Hopefully my audience members will make use of these different PowerPoint features next time they have a presentation for a class or job. 

      In order to sell my thesis to my audience, I created a compelling video packed with great graphics and facts from scholarly sources to prove my points. I started by stating my thesis right off the back so my audience would know what I would be talking about. Without giving your thesis at the beginning of a presentation, it can make the piece hard to follow and not as interesting to the audience, often times causing the audience to back out of the presentation halfway through. After creating my video presentation, I shared it with two of my best friends because I wanted feedback before going to the class peer review. I wanted to find out if my content was clear and being delivered in a way that my audience could understand and relate to. After showing my friends my video, they thought my content was presented in a clear way and that my graphics added a lot to the video. Graphics are very important to a presentation because now, not only is my audience hearing my project but they are also seeing it which can give them a better connection to the video. My friend Sarah even mentioned how she liked the live drawing I had in my video (at one point I draw a X through a slide during the voice recording). Also, my friends mentioned that on some slides I spoke too fast. This tends to happen to me when giving a presentation because of nerves. Because of this feedback, I went back and rerecorded several of the slides making sure to slow down my voice so my words would be clear and concise to my larger audience. Overall, after my audience watches my video presentation, I want them to feel inspired to learn more about the topic, possibly doing their own further research. Generation Z is the generation that believes smart phones can be a great learning tool, meaning we are also the ones in charge of teaching every other generation about the benefits of smart phones. My presentation is a small portion into this movement to show the world that smart phones can actually be a great tool and I hope it reaches Generation Z in a way that will make them also want to add to this movement. 

      After taking the course WRT 205, I believe I benefited most from each unit’s peer review. During each unit I received amazing feedback from my classmates. Furthermore, after each peer review session, I went back and made edits to my projects based on what was said by my classmates. From grammar mistakes to small content changes, my peers helped me better my unit projects. One comment by a classmate in particular that really helped me was from unit 2. My classmate Phil left this on my draft: "I like the personal anecdotes that you include. Your viewpoint on the topic is clear. Maybe you could analyze your sources a little more." He gave me feedback on things I did well, but also something I could work on. After Phil suggested me to analyze my sources more, I went back and read my draft, realizing he was right. For the final draft, I included a more in-depth analysis of my sources, which is what I think brought my unit grade up to an A. Without receiving this feedback, my project wouldn't have been as strong due to a lack of evidence from my sources. Furthermore, I would have never tweaked my paper if I hadn't received the feedback from Phil. According to a scholar from Southwestern University, peer review can really help students understand the relationship between their writing and the audience which is incredibly important. Also, peer review can make you feel more confident as a writer, especially when your classmates are making positive comments on your drafts. I think because I don't often write essays or blogs, I am always nervous and uncomfortable when I do. It's hard for me to feel confident in my work because writing isn't something I do much as an Information Technologies major. Because of this, I'm glad WRT 205 is a required course because it gives me a chance to feel comfortable with writing and this semester was specifically good for me because of the peer review sessions. Peer review is a very important part of the writing process in my opinion and I will continue to use it in my future writing classes to come.