Saturday, April 9, 2016

Production Report B

            This will be another blog post describing the form in which I decided to present my content. I will also be describing how the production of my material went.
Outline item (again, just something I composed for the benefit of myself):
The worst
·      Evidence 1
·      The rich have an advantage on the SAT
·      The poor are at a disadvantage financially
·      Can’t pay for prep camps
·      Academically: don’t go to schools with the greatest teachers
Adaptation of Outline Item:
The ugly
         If this test hasn’t proved to be a gold mine, perhaps this will confirm it. Perhaps one of the worst things about this test is its audience. You may have studied audience in English and how important it is to a paper.
         Well, it just so happens that the ãCollege Board didn’t mind its audience when constructing the SAT. The new test seems to forget a rather large and important part of society: the underprivileged.
         There was a $4,500 preparatory camp that allowed the rich to take an official SAT test that no one else could. The problem is that low-income students don’t have the funds to go to prep-camps. This, as you may imagine, would result in lower test scores for them.

     1.     As far as form goes, I made sure to make my paragraphs very short. Brief bursts of text are easier to read and are also consistent with the conventions of a typical QRG. I also made sure that I each paragraph was straight and to the point. QRGs often contain text that is to the point, so that it gets the information to the reader quickly. This also allows for my argument to be concise and clear, which will help the audience understand my point more efficiently. I also used colloquial language in an attempt to provide an easier read. QRGs typically contain conversational syntax so as to convey its message to the audience easier. I also used the hyperlink as my explanation for a piece of evidence and to expand on an idea that would be too lengthy to include. QRGs typically include hyperlinks as evidence and as a way to expand on the idea provided.  
        2.     The production of this material meant much smoother than the introduction went. This is because I had been writing in the format of a QRG for a few pages before I got to this section. This increased my familiarity with the typical style/conventions of a QRG (which made it easier to write).
Although I did not encounter any major challenges, I did encounter a few “hiccups” along the way. The first was that I wasn’t totally sure how to convey the information. This goes back to stylistic issues I have with QRGs. I was debating whether I should explicitly state the content, or if I should provide a link and expand on it that way. Another bump I encountered was how to make my point, and at the same time state the facts. It was easy for me to include the facts of the article, but I’m not sure that proved my point. I attempted to explicitly state my point.

As far as successes go, I really only had one. I believe my word choice (in everyday conversation really) is typical of a QRG. Because I normally think in terms of slightly odd analogies, this worked out quite well for constructing a QRG. The terms I used fit the typical conversational tone that a QRG has.

2 comments:

  1. I think it's great that there are already hyperlinks in this rough cut of your project. Hyperlinks are an extremely important genre convention of the QRG and I think you already have a great handle on them and using them to cite your information.
    I also think it's great that you keep your paragraphs short and to the point as this is another very important part of the QRG.
    I think that overall you have a really good handle about what the QRG is all about.
    There's nothing really wrong with your rough content as of right now, but perhaps I can make a suggestion about using the genre of the QRG for when you get into the later stages of production where there will be all sorts of formatting, etc. that needs to be done. I would say that the biggest thing about the QRG is making sure that you have paragraphs that are set up in such a way that they are easily skimmable. I would make sure that you use sub-headings and other things so that your reader knows exactly what he or she is going to be reading.

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  2. Hi Ben!
    I think you have a really solid start here! You're wordy content seems very strong and you seem to have a good grasp on the content.

    I think, if you're worried about style issues as you indicate, Hyperlinks and relevant photos will be your saving grace! The hardest part of creating a QRG, for me at least, was writing the content so you're already over that speed bump! But without hyperlinks and photos a QRG is more of a overly casual essay.

    Hyperlinks are perfect for subjects that need more background but seem too complex or lengthy to include in your QRG.

    Overall a really good start and I think you'll do just fine with the style stuff! Just stick to the genre examples on d2l!!

    -Julia

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