On To The Next Chapter......

As this term comes to an end, I am filled with joy and confidence. I have grown more this term than with any term before. I have challenged myself and it has paid off. I plan to continue my blogs even though this class is over. It will give me a place to express my thoughts as I finish and claim my degree this year. I have enjoyed creating this blog. I encourage my fellow classmates to continue their blogs as well. I wish you all the best and I hope to see you all on the boards again soon.

End Of Term.....

Well like they say "all good things come to an end." I have enjoyed this term so much. I have learned new things, met more interesting classmates, and found out something new about myself as a student. I can rise above pressure. I had so many doubts about myself as a writer when I started this term. Now I am more confident and believe that along with the Paramedic Method and my KU Writing Handbook, I am armed with the power to be a good writer. I will take these tools with me and will put them to good use in future classes. Good Luck to all Kaplan Students.

I'll be comming around the mountain when I come....

Well it is week 8 and 2 weeks left in this term. It has been a bumpy but fast ride. I received a good grade on the first draft of my research paper and I believe I will get a good final grade. I will submit the final draft to the writing center before I turn it in so that feedback will help. This week I learned a new method of revising, it's called the paramedic method. I had never heard of it before. This has helped me clean up my paper.

The Paramedic Method

1. Circle the prepositions (of, in, about, for, onto, into)
2. Draw a box around the "is" verb forms
3. Ask, "Where's the action?"
4. Change the "action" into a simple verb
5. Move the doer into the subject (Who's kicking whom)
6. Eliminate any unnecessary slow wind-ups
7. Eliminate any redundancies.

Image Caption: Paramedic Method Example

The Holidays Are Over...

Now that the holidays are over and the break has flown by, I now have to focus back on school. I have been going through some personal home stuff and I let my Unit 6 draft paper pass me by. I am working on it still and will turn it in tonight I just hope my professor will grade it and not take too many points for it being a week late. Any who some points are better than a complete zero. I just don't want to let my personal stuff get me too far behind. I have come this far so buckle down Nikkie.

First Draft

I have never done a "Research Paper". My writing has always been informal and more personal, so this is new for me. I find it hard to focus on what information I want in this paper. My thesis statement is still a work in progress but it is coming alone. Like I stated before my topic is on stem cell research and I hope I did not bite off more than I can chew. This is a very controversial topic and there are several articles on the subject. What I have so far is leading me in the right direction but I still need to edit before I turn in the final draft. I will use the Writing Center to review my final paper before I submit it and I think that feedback will help. Wish Me Luck.

Research Papers

I am having a hard time focusing on writing this paper on Stem Cell Research. There is so much information and so many articles on this topic it is hard to choose which ones to use to help me. I guess I just have to figure out which ones are more geared to the point I am trying to make. Stem Cell research has been the source of a lot of controversy. Everyone has an opinion as to the moral and ethical sides of it. Science has come a long way with stem cells but the journey is far from over. Wish me luck on reeling it in and getting a good grade.

Plagiarism....

What would you do if someone used something you created without giving you credit?

I had this happen to me once. I love to write poetry and I sometimes share with friends what I write. One day when I was in school, I wrote a poem about losing someone I loved and shared it with a classmate I thought was my friend. She loved it and told me to enter it into a writing contest that the school was having. I said no it was too personal for me to share it with the whole school. She took it out of my book one day, submitted it to the contest under her name, and won 1st place. She did not give me any credit in the post, so when I went to the teacher that sponsored the contest I had to prove that it was my original work. All was corrected in the end and she was punished and made to post an apology to me in the school paper. That was my first taste of plagiarism. It is important to give credit when you use someone else’s work or ideas because you can get into legal trouble if you do not.