Peer Review 15

At last, the final peer review, the final blog post.

a. I took a look concerning the form of Sofia Haserot's script from her Editorial Report for her podcast segment regarding the Course Final. The script of her podcast, from what I can tell, will use the proper personable tone and diction required for a podcast. Although no transition sounds or any sound effects or intro music are indicated, I presume Sofia will assimilate those components into her final composition. If not, I highly recommend an instrumental of some sort to complement her narration in the podcast. While working with the proper genre conventions, I like the creative way Sofia takes us through her year by telling us the trials and tribulations that came with each project in a chronological manner. Overall, it's looking good, good luck!

b. I suggested some things regarding content for Rigo Avila's Standard College Essay and Open Post to Peer Reviewers. I did appreciate the content throughout but the development of the piece I believe could be better organized. The ideas are there, but the fruition of them is what will elevate this paper to the next level. For this, I would suggest perhaps reading aloud your own paper and just as Rigo said in his last paragraph to be his own critic and take a critical look. The presence of citations and a sophisticated bibliography credits the entire paper which already has adequate conventions of a proper academic paper. I admire the variety of sources from blog posts to TV-show conversations and how they were properly cited. I believe you have the form down, but assorting the content in the form is what will propel this essay. I recommend taking a look at the organizational and developmental strategies discussed in the Student Guide. Nonetheless, great job.

Editorial Report

Audience Questions:

1. The content changed in that I omitted much of the scientific jargon and unnecessary information from my Rough Cut. After creating the video and realizing the overwhelming length (11 minutes), I reevaluated my piece as a whole for the editorial report. Specifically, I found it frivolous to be discussing science and the biology of the brain because it is not pertinent to the self-assessment - it is important for the approach to the project but the delving into detail weakens the entire reflection in my opinion.

2. Form changed in that the length of the script/video was drastically shortened. Keeping it short and sweet and to the point I believe does wonders for the audience so I hope that change in form along with the content editing will strengthen the piece. Each second of the Video Essay should be of compositional value.

a. Selection from Rough Cut (script):

Science explains Charlie Brown’s seesaw sensibility as a fight that is sparked between two parts of the mind when it’s faced with a distasteful activity: a battle of the limbic system (the unconscious zone that includes the pleasure center) and the prefrontal cortex (the internal “planner”). Let us identify both.

What is the limbic system?

The limbic system, one of the oldest and most dominant portions of the brain, is on automatic. It tells you to, say, pull your hand away from a flame—and also to flee from unpleasant tasks. In other words, it directs you to opt for “immediate mood repair,”

What is the prefrontal cortex?

The prefrontal cortex is a newer and weaker portion of the brain. It’s what allows you to integrate information and make decisions. “This is the part of the brain that really separates humans from animals, who are just controlled by stimulus,” says Pychyl. The prefrontal cortex, located immediately behind the forehead (where we tap when we’re trying to think, dammit, think), gets the job done. But there’s nothing automatic about its function. You must kick it into gear (“I have to sit down and write this book report!”). And the moment you’re not consciously engaged in a task, your limbic system takes over. You give in to what feels good—you procrastinate.

When the limbic system wins, and that’s pretty often, the result is putting off for tomorrow what could (and should) be done today.

But why do I keep coming back to something that may temporarily feel good but always ends in more demise than pleasure? If you burn your hand on a stove, you don’t touch it again hoping it’s cold. It’s simple, according to several scientists, it’s pleasure. The small hit of dopamine at the “Ahhh, at last” moment when you conquer procrastination is what psychologically brings us back. In collegiate terms, the euphoric drunk the night before always meets the terrifying hangover the morning after, but you will still drink again.

Re-edited Selection:

Science explains Charlie Brown’s seesaw sensibility as a fight that is sparked between two parts of the mind when it’s faced with a distasteful activity: a battle of the limbic system (the unconscious zone that includes the pleasure center) and the prefrontal cortex (the internal “planner”). When the limbic system wins, and that’s pretty often, the result is putting off for tomorrow what could (and should) be done today.

b. Selection from Rough Cut (script): "Ring a bell? It’s a monologue we all experience in some form, an agonizing internal conversation that usually gets the best of us. It’s the cyclic form of self-torture that goes by the name of procrastination. And that’s where things start to get interesting: Procrastination is so relatable, so universal, because the human brain, it turns out, is wired for it.

As I sit here frantically and ironically submitting my English 109H course final and completing my Psychological Statistics and Measurements final exam, I ponder: there has to be a reason procrastination is so attractive, so universal to the human mind.

It is no coincidence every other college student I pass grimaces at the 10-page paper or cumulative assessment that was assigned much too long ago due tonight. All semester, Sean has stressed involvement and knowledge and moreover passion within our disciplines and majors. So without further ado, here is a neuroscience-oriented reflective self-assessment.

Re-edited Selection:"Ring a bell? It’s a monologue we all experience in some form, an agonizing internal conversation that usually gets the best of us. It’s the cyclic form of self-torture that goes by the name of procrastination. And that’s where things start to get interesting: Procrastination is so relatable, so universal, because the human brain, it turns out, is wired for it.

As I sit here frantically and ironically submitting my project and completing my final exam, I ponder: there has to be a reason procrastination is so attractive, so universal to the human mind.

* LIGHT BULB *

It is no coincidence every other college student I pass grimaces at the 10-page paper or cumulative assessment that was assigned much too long ago due tonight. All semester, Sean has stressed involvement and knowledge and moreover passion within our disciplines and majors. So without further ado, here is a neuroscience-oriented reflective self-assessment.

Open Post to Peer Reviewers

For my self-assessment, I will be creating a relaxed, personable Video Essay to reflect on this past semester and my realizations and how they will be applied in my endeavors going forward. This is the script (rough draft) for said project:

"Ring a bell? It’s a monologue we all experience in some form, an agonizing internal conversation that usually gets the best of us. It’s the cyclic form of self-torture that goes by the name of procrastination. And that’s where things start to get interesting: Procrastination is so relatable, so universal, because the human brain, it turns out, is wired for it.

As I sit here frantically and ironically submitting my English 109H course final and completing my Psychological Statistics and Measurements final exam, I ponder: there has to be a reason procrastination is so attractive, so universal to the human mind.

* LIGHT BULB *

It is no coincidence every other college student I pass grimaces at the 10-page paper or cumulative assessment that was assigned much too long ago due tonight. All semester, Sean has stressed involvement and knowledge and moreover passion within our disciplines and majors. So without further ado, here is a neuroscience-oriented reflective self-assessment.

Science explains Charlie Brown’s seesaw sensibility as a fight that is sparked between two parts of the mind when it’s faced with a distasteful activity: a battle of the limbic system (the unconscious zone that includes the pleasure center) and the prefrontal cortex (the internal “planner”).

What is the limbic system?

The limbic system, one of the oldest and most dominant portions of the brain, is on automatic. It tells you to, say, pull your hand away from a flame—and also to flee from unpleasant tasks. In other words, it directs you to opt for “immediate mood repair,”

What is the prefrontal cortex?

The prefrontal cortex is a newer and weaker portion of the brain. It’s what allows you to integrate information and make decisions. “This is the part of the brain that really separates humans from animals, who are just controlled by stimulus,” says Pychyl. The prefrontal cortex, located immediately behind the forehead (where we tap when we’re trying to think, dammit, think), gets the job done. But there’s nothing automatic about its function. You must kick it into gear (“I have to sit down and write this book report!”). And the moment you’re not consciously engaged in a task, your limbic system takes over. You give in to what feels good—you procrastinate.

When the limbic system wins, and that’s pretty often, the result is putting off for tomorrow what could (and should) be done today.

But why do I keep coming back to something that may temporarily feel good but always ends in more demise than pleasure? If you burn your hand on a stove, you don’t touch it again hoping it’s cold. It’s simple, according to several scientists, it’s pleasure. The small hit of dopamine at the “Ahhh, at last” moment when you conquer procrastination is what psychologically brings us back. In collegiate terms, the euphoric drunk the night before always meets the terrifying hangover the morning after, but you will still drink again.

So what does this have to do with me? Well, I am king procrastinator myself. Applying psychology and neuroscience and just science overall to day-to-day life is what ignited my passion in this field in the first place. So, sitting here, analyzing my behavior through a scientific method has done exactly what I wanted to achieve in this course: furthering my passion as an academic writer and a critical thinker. Understanding why it is that you do fascinates me, and that is true for this semester as well.

At the beginning of the semester, Sean made us promise a few things. Here is my vow to terminate my habits of procrastination in our first ever blog post.

It reads…

It was optimistic, it was good-hearted, but it didn’t exactly pan out the way I envisioned. Did I procrastinate? Too, too many times. Did I learn? Yes. That is what is important to me. There were many late nights, many late submissions, many late blog posts, many last-minute triumphs, and everything in between. My work ethic and habits globally improve but locally I was still at the tail-end of every deadline. But that’s ok. Learning the universality of the science and psychology in myself and my peers regarding procrastination did more for me than a lot of the busy work that’s been handed to me in my academic career. So, thank you, Sean, for the platform that gave me this enlightening realization and really furthered my passion regarding knowledge, science, biology, the brain, and really all my academic and career endeavors. In special regard to writing, I, for the first time, witnessed the true importance and vitality of the entirety of the writing process. Although procrastinating my way through at each deadline, I am retrospectively appreciating every rough draft, every local revision, every tidbit of feedback from my peers, and truly the entire process. In years past of my academic career, submitting at 11:58 PM was sort of the name of the game for me. Not saying that won’t happen again, but what I will say is the writing process will be incorporated entirely before the 11:58 submission because I understand the first draft will never be the best draft. I’ve learned the beauty of assimilation of your peers and yourself into your work, the importance of what is around you and the knowledge your environment can instill in you and your work. I have learned a lot about myself as an academic writer and a student, my endeavors, my work, my discipline, and much more that I thank this course for and that I will apply as I progress as a writer, a student, and moreover a person. Thank you."

Audience Question: The production phase was much more constrained because of the strenuous finals period but nonetheless, I managed to find a way to complete everything in a timely manner and now as I am finishing up the final touches for my final assessment, a.k.a. post-production, it is going just as a I thought it would: stressful. Considering my traits as a perfectionist and dire need for an A-grade in this course (so borderline, so stressful), I am second-guessing myself like never before but I hope the genuine nature of quality of my piece will resonate well with my peers and Sean. Here's to a great semester, thank you.

Peer Review 14

a. I chose to review Nick Hernandez's content outline for Project 4 and make an outlining suggestion considering our positions in the process of composing. After reviewing his outline, I not only ascertained what mindset my peers had approaching this project but the variety of different sorts of reflections that can be made regarding the past few months. The development of the piece I believe is lacking because of the overall flow, or lack thereof, as it is hard to see the assimilation of the three talking points after a brief skim however the detail he delves into should be appreciated. It gave me insight to things I could talk about for my final project but the personal and informative tone Nick maintains throughout his piece is brilliant for a piece of this type. He addresses the audience in a very inviting tone and his presence as an author with a purpose is very clear. There is no concrete evidence, however, a reflection's overall nature does not mandate specific sources or evidence as it is all narrative.

b. Outside of my section, I reviewed Sarah Hansen's  production schedule for her Video Essay. Considering I am in a similar position with the same genre, I thought it would be useful to both her and I to conduct this peer review. Much of her timetable is left up in the air, as is mine, but in regards to the resources, I believe she has all what she needs. One thing I took notice to was her attention to detail such as a consistent outfit to construct fruition for her final project, this is something I will take from her project and assimilate in my own. I recommend iMovie for this project as a resource to edit and properly construct an effective Video Essay. Time-wise, I would suggest dedicating a full day to editing and a few for filming, just as we would for any normal essay. I believe we are utilizing a similar approach and per the Student Guide, it is vital to allow for a revision time period so that is my final recommendation.

Production Schedule

Here is my final production schedule for my final project, AT LAST! 

Production Report

Audience Questions: 

The form of my content that I will share later in the week will be based on the Video Essay genre. The usage of textual, visual, and auditory elements makes this project unique in its conventions.

Production is ongoing as I am struggling to find the proper equipment and proper software/tools to adequately create a high-quality draft.

Outline Item a.

Adaptation of Outline Item a.

Outline Item b.

Adaptation of Outline Item b.

Content Outline

Opening Section: Introduction to semester-in-review.
Body 1: Previous habits of procrastination
Body 2: Reflect on vow to eliminate procrastination from work habits.
Body 3: How the efforts panned out
Conclusion: What I learned, how I will apply it, and my brutal self-assessment.