I have realized that in every college course that I have taken that requires research and application, things are done differently. Every professor has a different approach but the theme of it all remains the same. In other classes we have been required to write papers based off of our own knowledge, other’s testimonies, but in this particular class we tend to do lots of writing based off of texts, statistical data and research, and our own primary research, which by the way was very exciting to do. While doing the class projects we are allowed to do it all. We have the reading summaries where we interpret someone else’s articles and research, find and build our own research through annotated bibliographies, and my favorite, observe and evaluate built environments through our own eyes and senses.

I have learned that if it was possible, I would prefer to always perform primary research, it’s much more exciting and a lot of research is biased or opinionated, can be factual, but it’s important to make sure that you have the correct information at all times. That is why if you are going to use secondary research, it is important to use credible sources that provide factual and correct information.

In this class I have been learning how to do proper research, and even been able to improve my citation skills, which I could of always used some help. I plan on taking this new and improved knowledge and applying it to my remaining projects.

In this class environment, we write for one another in our blog posts. Before this class I had never written a blog before. It took some getting used to, which I’m sure is the same for others. This kind of writing makes everything I write public for anyone, particularly my classmates participating in research. Between the reading summaries, annotated bibliographies and built environments we provide research that others will not have to do on their own, which is very useful and helpful to say the least. It reminds me of a full database to find anything you want to know about Atlanta’s atmosphere and history. It feels good to know that my research can help someone else and not just end up in a trashcan after our professor grades them and to me that is a great plus.

As in every class I have my strengths and unfortunately some weaknesses, but I am happy to receive any feedback that makes me a better writer. I realize that I can make some valid points, that I am pretty concise, and I tend to be very detailed but on the other hand I have a problem staying on topic and shifting between persons, that is something that I have always done and am looking to get better at. This is why I have never really been great with summaries because I tend to flash between my opinion and opinion or facts stated.

Currently I have not done much to earn extra points due to my crazy work schedule and life changes but, I’m looking forward to changing that really soon because I’m not so satisfied with the effort that I’ve placed into these other activities, but I have witnessed that life is unexpected and sometimes we have to create new balances in our time and activities. I can say that I look forward to group meet ups, and participating in some of the online quizzes in some of my spare time. Overall, this class has been a helpful one, very accommodating and interesting to say the least. I plan on using the rest of the semester to improve my writing and enjoy everyone’s research.