Comm 101: Second Post

     I had a lot of fun with this reading.  Once again I had the privilege of reading words and ideas expressed by Deanna.  I find it always interesting when I am able to hear the voice of a teacher through phrasing in text, as well as in the classroom.  It also makes me think of a phrase from the reading this week. “Perhaps the most important lesson we can take from considering communication as a process is that we learn as we communicate, not before we speak or write” (p. 15).  This is one reason that a blog is necessary.  We are learning as Deanna communicates to us, but we also learn as we communicate back.  Every time we write we practice not only writing style and grammar, but also how we like to communicate.  Some people take a critical paradigm style with the writing, while others focus on quantitative work, and still others are able to express performativity even when written on paper.  The practice of writing helps us to fully formulate an argument by working out the kinks. 

     The only problem with this idea is that many of us edit as we write.  The book reminds us that editing along the way stifles the communicative process that writing should provide.  Do not feel bad when this process becomes frustrating and feels like “extra work.”  By writing a first draft, we allow the ideas to surface before we begin selecting out the good from the not quite as good.  The idea of a crappy first draft is hard to do with out planning ahead.  Time is important within the writing process, and lack of time is the enemy of good writing.  This is definitely an idea that most college students are familiar with.  Many grad students have admitted that the writing process has involved many first and only drafts that have to be edited along the way to account for procrastination.  As a result, writers need to work against this by writing early and often letting the ideas become more important than editing.

     And if you catch me still doing the first and only writing, remind me of when I sang praises of multiple drafts!

Here is a video that I think makes a lot of sense when looking at it through the lens of Chapter 1. Specifically p. 7 and p. 15.

Comm 101: First Entry

The study of communication is a complicated idea.  Just the word "communication" can be confusing.  There is Mass communications, public relations, interpersonal, intrapersonal, business, and many more titles that the world uses to try and distinguish between the different types of communication.

  

Communication studies is a blend of all of the above and more.  This field of study allows for the examination of how the world works through how people in this world communicate together.  For me, communication studies allows me to view the world the way that most people have yet to. Most problems or situations in this world have not been exhaustively studied from a communication studies perspective.  This allows for a search for answers to questions that breed more questions.  These questions can lead to study in any subject that a researcher, student, or teacher is passionate about.  This freedom of study through a communication studies lens has allowed and encouraged me to embrace what I love and pushed me to share that love with others.

As Deanna told the class, I am a masters student here at SJSU.  This educational opportunity has allowed me to study one of my favorite pastimes, World of Warcraft.  Now before you laugh, know that I am laughing with you.  I never expected to be able to study something that seems so trivial such as a game.  However, the more I research, the more I see a real sense of meaning and importance within a silly little game.  My thesis centers on gamification of the classroom, and I plan on teaching comm majors at either a community college or 4-year university in just a year.  I know that there are many other opportunities besides teaching, such as consulting, but teaching will always be my love and my ultimate goal for my career.