Post 7: Which organizational strategy you used for Doc2 and why

Who Wants to be Organized?

Being organized is such an overrated skill.  NOT!  Being organized is a necessity.  This is true in life as in everyday matters and especially in writing.

When you read some texts and posts, there may not be a need for much organization because the subject is quite limited and the writing short.  They are writing off the top of their head.  However, have you ever read a long text or post and you start thinking to yourself " What is this person trying to say?"  It may because the writing is not organized.

In my writing, I prefer to discuss my first topic and then any counter points.  I do this before I move on to another point.  As stated on page 48 of my “Little Seagull” textbook, it uses the "Reason/ counterargument, reason/ counterargument" as an example.  I deal with one topic before moving on to another.

If you have ever been in a courtroom (hopefully in a supportive role only) or watched "Law and Order" on TV, you know how it works.  The Attorneys use a similar process.  When one side has a witness on the stand, the Attorney talks about the topic at hand before moving on to another witness.  The other side can discuss any counter points while the topic is still fresh in the mind of the jurors.  When writing rhetorical articles, you are in a court room of words.  You are persuading the reader to your point of view.  In other words, you want the jurors to rule in your favor.

When I write, I like to bring my reader with me on the journey of discovery.  When your writing is organized, it's much easier for the reader to follow along with your reasoning.  It isn't more complicated than that.

Until we talk again.

Post 6: A Current Public Issue that Deeply Concerns Me

2020. So Far, Not So Good.

There are so many topics on which I would like to give you my opinion about, but the list is much too long. As my wife tells me "You have an opinion on everything". Well, yes, I do. I'm not saying I have all the answers, far from it. However, there is a public issue which I'd like to discuss with you. Just this last weekend, over 70 public statues and/or monuments have been forcibly taken down, destroyed, vandalized, or defaced (Check out a list here) This is appalling. These people (and I use this term loosely) are acting like a bunch of children who didn't get their way and are have a temper tantrum. They get a mob mentality and lose all rational thought. Thankfully most of this chaos isn't local, although it could be. First off, these items don’t belong to them, they belong to us the “people”. The same people that is on the preamble of the Constitution when it says “We The people…” These monuments and statues belong to the people of the community, of the State, of the Country. They have no right to deface history. They are vandals and are breaking the law. That brings up my next point which is Why destroy history? By not seeing it doesn't make it not true or it didn't happen. Of the famous quote ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ (George Santayana-1905) So by acting out this way and treating down reminders of history, their children and future generations will not learn from their predictors mistakes. Was slavery wrong? Was it a mistake? Absolutely. But removing all records of it taking place won't correct the problem and I suggest, it will only make it worse. This is because now we can't take our children and grandchildren to see history, to teach them about our past so they can learn from our forefather’s mistakes. So that begs the question “What can I do about this travesty”? The sad part is not much. This is where I may lose you but hang on, the ride isn't over yet. First of all you must do your civic duty and Vote. That's a big part of it but I don’t want you to vote for the candidate who promises to give you everything you ever wanted. All he is doing is buying your vote. Your better that that. Don't vote for the guy that has the slickest adds, or the best hair, and the like. Here’s a novel idea, vote for the candidate that has the best plan for the future, who can deliver on that idea, has morals similar to yours, and will take appropriate action against anyone who brakes the law. In addition to voting we need to get involved personally. That is to get involved with civic activities. We can beat them with sheer numbers because it's only a small group of tyrants who are doing this. I'm sure that there are far more people who would rather demonstrate for change, like Dr. Martin Luther King said “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” I think he would be applauded at what is going on. Dr. King had a great message of love and compassion and presented it such a graceful way. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. Some of these statues and monuments can be repaired and when this is all blown over, they can be displayed once again for ALL to enjoy and learn the lessons of history, the good, the bad and the ugly. Until we talk again.

Post 5: Explaining how I will add authority and value to my Document.

How To Make Readers Think I know What I'm Talking About

I'm in my 4th week of my college writing class (which is almost half way) and to be brutally honest, I'm surprised I doing as well as I am.  For those of you who know me, English is not my "thing". This is why I chose my career field of mechanics. I had the illusion that all I would have to do is fix things. Well you don't have to spell it when you fix it' or so I thought. Life has a funny way of letting you know "Your wrong"!

I have found that I need to use my language skills now more than ever. Because of this, I have the desire to improve my writing skills.  When I write an email or a text, I don't want to sound ignorant. This is especially true when I write papers for my professor.

When writing a paper, all I am doing is giving the reader my opinion. This is because I am a nobody. So that begs the question, "How will I give my paper value and authority".  The answer is rather simple. I don't. You see the value and authority will come from someone who knows what they are talking about and most importantly, others know what they are talking about. So by quoting people "in the know", I will be leveraging their knowledge and experience in my paper. 

If I were to write a paper about flying and I used quotes from Chuck Yeager, I think that would give my paper some credibility.  On the other hand, if I used quotes from Harrison Ford, he may not carry the same weigh as Chuck Yeager even though he is also a pilot.  It would depend on how I were to use the quote and its context.

The important thing to remember is to give them credit for their work. If you don't, that is a form of stealing.  Its call it plagiarism. So give credit where credit is due.

Until We Talk Again.

Post 4: My Experience With Using Writing as a Tool for Learning.

Writing to Learn, What A Concept.

Grade school, High school, Oh the memories. I thought we usually forget bad memories. Well one thing for sure is all that note taking we did in school. It hasn't changed much. Sure technology has advanced but we still have to write things down to learn them. Some things will never change.

In high school we had endless note books, huge notebooks. Some I think were bigger that me well, they seamed like it at the time. As much as the students complained, there was a valid reason behind killing all those trees. It worked. We learned.

People learn in different ways. The lucky ones can see it once and they remember it. Most other people have to work a little harder. We have to see it, hear it, and write it down. So writing things down is part of a larger process.

When I attended a trade school for aircraft maintenance back in the early '80's, we had no technology to speak of. Everything was on paper. The school had a requirement to take notes on the lecture material and put it together in a notebook form and turn it in for a grade. I hated this but now I see the value.

Now the other side of the coin is when a school goes paperless. No text books, an no notebooks. When I was an Instructor at a local Tech school, the administration decided this would be a great selling point to incoming students go go paperless. Well it doesn't work. They are not learning the material. Some will remember enough to pass a basic multi question test but they don't understand the material. I'm not in favor of these paperless classes. Even taking online classes, I find I have to take notes and write it down on paper.

One way I gather information for a paper is to put ideas and short comments on 3x5 cards or sometimes called index cards. I can rearrange then, discard them, and expand on them. This is how I was taught back in school. I still do this today as I did my first college writing assignment. Even with all this technology we have today, I'd rather use my cards.

Another point about writing is simply writing down bits of information so we don't forget it. This is where Sticky Notes are a God send. My desk is full of them. So much so that I have to go through the stack on a regular basis and purge some. I also have learned to use the note app on my phone, but I still like my sticky notes. The phone has an advantage as I can take it with me where ever I go. Its better that pulling out a stack of sticky notes from your pocket. The phone definitely has the advantage here.

So my advice to you is, if you want to remember it, write it down. If you want to learn it, write it down again.

I wonder I should invest in a pencil company.

Until we talk again.

Post 3: My Strategy For Finding Authoritative Information

The Search Is On!

 

    So, I’m given an assignment from my English class Instructor and I have no clue about the particular subject.  What’s the first thing most people do?  They go to Wikipedia. Oh, I can hear the gasps now.  Let me explain.

     To start with when you know anything about a subject or a participle topic, you have to start simple and as you learn, you begin to ask better and better questions.  Have you ever been in a meeting and the person facilitating the meeting asks, “Does anyone have any questions?”  I think to myself “I don’t know enough to know what I don’t know”.  I’ll give you an example.

     A few years ago, the wife and I needed another can.  My “Man Van” just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  We only knew that we wanted an SUV.  Well we went to a local dealer who specialized in used cars.  They had everything type and kind of used cars you could imagine.  So, when we meet the salesmen and I asked where we would find SUV’s, He pointed us in the write direction.  Well we walked around some , sat in some, walked right by some, and in the end what models we were leaning to were out the window.  We had found the basic make and model of what we wanted.  What is interesting is what we thought we wanted was totally wrong for us.  So, by starting simple and slowly learning about the models; when the salesman come over and asked if we had any questions, I got out my list and let him have at it.  So in my example, the salesman was like Wikipedia in as much as he started us out on our journey.

    Well after we got the make and model figured, we had to find the perfect one.  We that can be a chore.  Like finding information, we went to other dealers but now we know what to ask, what options, etc.  So when we go to Wikipedia first, and start to query articles, we find ourselves asking “Is this accurate”, or does the salesman just want to make a sale?  This is why you may take that perfect specimen of a used car and take it to a dealer for a Pre-Purchase Inspection.  It's the same for writing papers, well sort of.  We need to learn how to read “Laterally”.

     What reading Laterally means is to open another tab on your browser and research that article to validate the information.  In Wikipedia, the bottom of the page has links and references to there the information in the article came from.  Look it up and verify for yourself.  (I found a great YouTube video which explains it very well. Check it out here.)  It’s like the dealer telling you after your inspection that that car is in great shape, or they could to you to just have it towed back because you may not make it back to the dealer.  In any case, now you know.

     Wikipedia is only a starting point. From their you can go to other web sites and research their information which will lead you somewhere else (I.E. the Vertical reading).  With all of this new found information, you will have enough to produce a great paper for your instructor and I’m sure you will have learned something along the way.

 

Until we talk again.

 

Post 2: My professional Blogger

As part of my assignment, My Instructor asked us to start following a professional Blogger. I chose to follow the blogs from AOPA. (For those not familiar, the AOPA is a non-profit group which promotes general aviation safety and advocacy.  Go to: https://www.aopa.org/about/mission-vision-and-values .)  

This blog was written by Garrett Fisher and doesn't site how many flight hours he has nor his ratings so I can't judge his experience level. With that being said, the points he makes are valid.

He was talking about a flight he made over (or through) a mountain pass and the margin of safety he allowed for himself.  During his flight, it accrued to him that if the winds are not as forecast, he could be flying into a wind shear situation. This could be dangerous because he didn't  allow for much distance between him and the bottom of the mountain pass. It could easily overcome the performance of the aircraft. 

The winds were as predicted and the flight was uneventful. However, things could have been very different. 

Flying aircraft is dangerous. We, as pilots, have to manage that risk. He said: "The result is that certain flight paths can be entirely uneventful, whereas others are extremely risky." The thing to remember is to plan for the unplanned. 

Overall, I liked the blog. I just wish I could have been in the right seat.

Until we talk again.

 

Post 1: Composition I

College English

As I continue my journey through College, I find myself taking the dreaded college English class. In my case, I elected to bite the bullet and forego the placement test and just take the 0999 and 1101 together. Yes, I have a death wish.

I combined these because I have never been good at English. Of course we all can speak it, understand it (unless you travel to the UK where all bets are off), and write it. Yes we can all get by but, how well we we use the English language is the catch. 

We are all judged by how well we can converse by the words we use, how well we can write, and express our thoughts.  You see writing is a skill and over time that skill can decay and become less than what we want. 

As I was studying one night, I discovered this gem "Given the importance of writing as a communication skill, I urge you to consider this class as a gift and make the most of it. But writing is hard, and writing in college may resemble playing a familiar game by completely new rules (that often are unstated)."*  This struck as this is exactly where I am.  

The most important thing I want to to learn is to write better.  If nothing more than to write a better email, but to be able to write a report, of even a blog and not sound as if I just came down some county back road.  

I have a great deal of trepidation about this class but I voue to you, my reader, I will give it my best. I heard some very wise words when I was younger and I have passed them on to my kids and now, even my grandson as he was departing for boot camp. I told him " Do your best and give god the rest." 

I will do my best.

Until We Talk Again.

*From "Writing Spaces, V1, Page 3  

Let Me Introduce Myself.

My name is Robert McKenzie.  I would bet that I'm probably the oldest student here.  Lets just say that I have lots of experience in lots of areas.  

I'm here at MGA attempting it get an Associate Degree in Aircraft Maintenance Technology.  It won't help me in my career so is mainly for self fulfillment.  My Wife says “that’s a bunch of crap!  Nevertheless, I have set a goal and I’m going to achieve it.

My interests are anything to do with airplanes and/or aviation.  I have always had a “thing” for airplanes. Ever since I was a kid, whenever a plane flew within earshot, I had to look.  I’ve seen a million of them but it doesn’t matter, I’ve got to look.  Its what I do.  Sometime I wonder what I would be doing if those two bicycle mechanics from Ohio didn’t  follow their dream and discover powered flight. I can’t imagine. 

I also like to ride my motorcycle. I’ve got a 2005 Yamaha V-Star 1100 Silverado for those of you who are curious.  I don't seem to be able to find the time to ride as my other boss keeps me busy around the house.  It seems like I’m working on it, washing it, or moving it from one spot in the garage to another.  I’ll post pictures later (By this I mean when I figure out how).

I don't have many pictures of myself for the blog because I don't do selfies (that's a clue to my age).  For some reason they just don’t look like me. 

Until we talk again.