Josiah’s English Blog

Prompt Response:  The biggest challenge I faced with my group was trying to work with them as a group. There wasn't much communication, and if there was, it was one-sided. I did what I could do for my part, and I was hoping they would do theirs. Summary: We did not meet today. Reflection:  I continued searching for the right sources to use, which isn't difficult, but seeing how I only have nine sources, I don't have a large pool to pick from.

  Prompt Response:   The most compelling issue connected to my research topic is the deep, ongoing tension between ensuring national security and protecting everyone's  civil liberties. This issue is significant because it lies at the heart of a democratic government and the rule of law, raising important questions about how far a government should go in restricting freedoms to protect its citizens from terrorism. Summary: We did not meet today. Reflection:  We didn't have class today, and Im somewhat glad because yesterday I was up at 3 am working on the annotated bibliography, so im really tired.

Prompt Response:  The most challenging part is the reflection. I understand what to do and how to do it but some of the sources have lots of clutter and make it difficult to get to the meat of the passage. Trying to pick through the extra stuff in the paragraphs has improved my ability to skim and better analyze large portions of text. Summary: Today, we once again continued to work on the annotated bibliography. Reflection: I got more done today but finishing all of it is going to be somewhat difficult with my home Wi-Fi being down.

Prompt Response:  Some perspectives are neutral but others call out the injustices with counter terrorism methods being used on civilians. Reading each of them made me realize that efforts to stop people from destroying this country are being used against people in this country which is inevitably going to destroy it in the end. Summary: Today, we continued researching for our annotated bibliographies. Reflection:  Research is somewhat difficult but what makes it even harder is my focus. I'll try hard and get it done but I always end up getting distracted by something and getting off task.

Prompt Response:  Using GALILEO takes more direct search terms and allows you to nitpick the format, date span, type of source, etc. Unlike past research tools, GALILEO had a lot more extra results based on little bits of the search term. I had to deepen and refine my search terms so I could get results that I needed because if I used simple one word terms I would get thousands of results, some of which did not relate to my topic at all. Summary: Today, we began the research portion of our project. Reflection:  I think the research is going to be somewhat easy with its stumps here and there but so far the only problem I've had is finding sources relating to my topic.

Prompt Response:  This image is criticizing the current state of America. It displays how Trump's use of a "Big Beautiful Bill" is essentially crushing "Uncle Sam"(the old representation of America) and is using ICE to keep him suppressed. To shield what he is doing, he attempts to draw the people's attention to the Iran-Israel conflict. The artist wants people to question what is truly going on in our world and what we are "allowing" to happen. Summary: Today, we practiced prompt analysis. Reflection:    Today, my group was actually here, but we didnt have work to do anyway. We reviewed how to build an opening argument and looked at several sources as a reference.

Prompt Response:  Instead of just googling a topic, using specific search phrases can narrow your results. Not only does this strategy allow for more accurate, streamlined results, but it also produces more credible sources and texts. Summary: Today, we created our search terms and reviewed the steps for properly citing work. Reflection:  My group was not here again, but making search terms that actually worked was the easy part. Branching off from the main question and analyzing it deeper was the hard part. Some good points were brought up, and I thought about some other perspectives on my question.

Prompt Response:  Our research topic is War on terrorism. It's a difficult topic because there's so much to it. It isn't something that can simply be "solved" because it has elements of politics, morals, ethics, even science. One perspective is that terrorist are fighting for something and acting radically due to their voices not being heard. Another perspective might be that terrorism is needed in our world for balance and advancement. Both perspectives pose a good argument and show how nothing is inherently good or bad. Having multiple perspectives can be beneficial by giving insight to the opposition's view but understanding the other perspectives drives that further and can assist with rebuttal. Summary: Today, we chose our research question. Reflection: My group wasn't here today so I did all the work (I would've had to do it all anyway). Choosing the question really made me think about how terrorism affects our world today and what the world woul...

Prompt Response:  In the past, researching has been easy and hard. Usually, when I'm working in a group, the hardest part was making sure everyone was on task and actually doing the work. When this happens, I give slight pushes like "and if that doesn't work then I just handle my part of the work and leave their part be. Another challenge I have faced is leadership. I prefer to lead in a group so I tend to take charge and manage everyone else but if that becomes a problem then I find some sort of equal ground with everyone else.  Summary: Today, we began a new portion of the class; research. Reflection:  We were placed in new groups and given a topic to research. So far, the group I'm in could be better but the topic isn't anything too difficult.