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Throughout this semester, I have learned about the general principles of multimedia writing. Through
our weekly assignments, discussion forums, and major projects I have gained experience in the course
outcomes concerning rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking/reading/writing, processes, and knowledge of
conventions. Upon entering this course I wanted to achieve the following goals:

£p  
&$'()%I would like to learn how to organize my thoughts and other sources of
information with technology
£p  
 $* $) ( $)$(  $)%earn how to collaborate well with others
£p 
+++%ÿistinguish how to use appropriate technology for specific audiences
£p &$'()$ $ $+%earn how to write and format in multiple genres & obtain a better
understanding of copyright laws.

I believe I have achieved my goals in rhetorical knowledge and processes through my WordPress
blog, various projects, and the use of several different multimedia tools. However, I believe that I could gain
more knowledge of copyright pertaining to the use of multimedia. I also wish to improve on using effective
collaboration methods when working in teams. This letter is a reflection of how I have grown as a writer
throughout this course and an evaluation of the areas that I still need to improve in.
The topics of discussion throughout this semester have focused on the importance of communication
through multimedia. I have learned that communication within virtual communities allows people to share
knowledge, provide emotional support, build upon works of others, and engage in intellectual discourse
(Flew, 2005). Communicating in this fashion inspires innovation as well as, technological and social
advancements (Jenkins, 2009). We have also learned that multimedia creates a gray area pertaining to
copyright laws which can stifle innovation and research (International Communication Association ); but that
it can be overcome by using websites such as, Creative Commons, which allows users to keep their
copyright, while allowing certain uses of their work (Creative Commons).
Therefore, I define multimedia as the integration of text, audio, images, animation, and videos into
one user interface, which allows interactivity amongst virtual communities around the world; in order to give
rise to innovation and the expansion of knowledge.
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Rhetorical Knowledge
MindMeister is a brainstorming tool that enables you to map your thoughts into a clear space. I
continually modified my mindmap throughout the semester and learned how to incorporate multiple
elements into a single outline. I used this skill again when creating the outline for this project and built a
second mindmap. I will continue to use this tool for future projects and papers throughout college and
possibly again in my career.

When creating my inkedIn profile for

Project 3, I was able to establish an
online professional identity. I am now
able to network with people who share
the same professional goals and
interests as I do. I will continue to use
my inkedIn account so I can stay
informed of job opportunities and to
participate in discussions to gain
knowledge from others. I also learned
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several formats for resumes (Traditional,
Scannable, Timeline, and Video). Using different technologies to convey this information will be useful
in the future when I am applying for jobs.

Critical Thinking, Reading, & Writing

For the second project, I learned the importance

of effective collaboration methods amongst
group members by creating a website using
Google Sites. Our lack of communication was
evident in our final product. We should have
agreed on a formatting style to use throughout
the entire document. In the future I think it will
XX 

be beneficial to decide on this from the beginning. When
creating this site I found some good tools for organization including, shared agendas using Google
Calendar. I will always use this when working on future
2 projects with colleagues or other students.
Furthermore, by participating in the Flew discussions, I learned that virtual communities are social
networks that allow us to connect and grow by sharing knowledge, ideas, goals, and opinions (Flew,
2005). Blackboard and WordPress are two sites that allow such collaboration amongst virtual
communities. I was able to gain feedback from my peers on my work throughout the semester by the
commenting feature on WordPress. They provided me with revisions and suggestions that helped me
better my work. In one of my discussion posts I wrote:

͞As noted by Rheingold, through Blackboard you are able to ͞engage in intellectual discourse͙.
exchange knowledge͙(and) brainstorm͟ with your peers. The ability to get instant feedback
and/or insight to your thoughts is very rewarding and beneficial. You can also read other
questions and responses from peers that you may not have even thought of that can further
help you in completing outcomes or assignments. Flew͛s article shares a quote from Benedict
Anderson stating, ͞that a nation provides a common form of identity that is shared by its
members, even though very few of these people will ever meet, know of, or hear from most of
their fellow-citizens.͟ Although it is true that we may never meet a fellow student who is
providing us with feedback, we do appreciate it because we know that we are trying to reach
common goals of the course. This allows us to identify and relate to one another, which makes
almost everything they say of value to us.͞

I will continue to use WordPress to

create a blog relating to Sports
Nutrition. I want to be able to provide
something on my resume to stand out
to future employers. I think that
creating a blog to share my knowledge
with others within the nutrition
community will be a good addition to
my resume.

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Processes
One of the first things I learned in this
class was how to collect, edit, revise, and
manage information using multimedia
tools. For example, ÿiigo, is a website
that allows users to bookmark and
annotate pages.

For one assignment we used ÿiigo to

bookmark several sources that explained
the C.R.A.P. principles (contrast,
repetition, alignment, and proximity).
Afterwards, we annotated a website that X
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we frequently use according to these using Jing.

The next assignment was to create a Glog using knew found knowledge of C.R.A.P. This project further
instilled the importance of revising and editing. One mistake I made with this project was that I
immediately started to create it without making a clear layout of what I was aiming for. This made it
difficult to put all of the information together in a consistent format. I now know that for any project
there is a need for continuous editing, and it is easier to achieve a final product when you make a rough
draft first.

The ÿiigo Web

Highlighter is a
widget that
enables you to
highlight, copy,
and annotate
any website
and then
convert them
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into a document. I

will continue to use this when I am collecting data from multiple websites
4
to use for future assignments. Furthermore, I will instill the C.R.A.P.
Knowledge of Conventions
I have learned how to write in multiple genres throughout this course. First, I learned how to hyperlink
and embed media, images, audio and documents into my WordPress Blog. Second, when I created my
Glog, I learned how to write instructions geared toward a specific audience. astly, when I created my
website, I learned how to use different formatting strategies so that viewers had the option to either
quickly scan through or read specific parts more thoroughly. I will continue to use these formatting skills
when I create my Sports Nutrition WordPress Blog.

I have also learned the basic concepts of copyright throughout our discussions. I will continue to use
Creative Commons and Flickr when I need to incorporate images or videos into my blog or other future
projects. However, there is still a very gray area of copyright concerning multimedia that I am still
confused about.

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In conclusion, I believe that the course, TWC301: 
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, has truly
allowed me to grow as a writer. By achieving the course outcomes I now have skills that I will be able to
use in the future. I have been introduced to an array of multimedia tools throughout the semester that
will benefit me in the future including, MindMeister, ÿiigo, Google ÿocs, WordPress, and inkedIn.

When I create my Sports Nutrition blog on WordPress, I will use #
 &   by using
different formatting strategies while focusing on a defined purpose for a specific audience. I will impose
!
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 throughout my blog by integrating information from various
sources for a defined purpose. I will also use the skills I have gained in 
 ' to continually revise and
edit my work to make a successful final product. Furthermore I will use my &   !('
when formatting my posts, as well as, incorporate media and images from Creative Commons to avoid
copyright infringement.

Creating this blog will help me to continue to improve as a writer and allow me to improve in the
areas, which I have not yet mastered. Furthermore, I will post it to my inkedIn profile so that employers
can see that I have experience in blog writing. This class has been extremely beneficial to me and I have
enjoyed learning multiple strategies concerning multimedia writing.

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Creative Commons. (n.d.). . Retrieved 2011, from creative commons:

http://creativecommons.org/about

Flew, T. (2005). )  *
   (Vol. 2). Oxford University.

International Communication Association . (n.d.). !
 
X  . (Center for Social Media)
Retrieved from Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Scholarly Research in Communication:
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use/related-materials/codes/code-best-practices-fair-use-
scholarly-research-communication

Jenkins, H. (2009, June 30). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the
21st Century. The MIT Press.

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