Eportfolio Reflection

Once I was placed in UNIV 150 I thought it was a joke because as a student coming out of high school, where the expectations aren’t held as high as they are in college, I thought my writing was perfect.  Even in the first couple of weeks I felt as if I had been misplaced, despite my WSPT score. However, once I began my eportfolio I began to recognize significant changes in my writing that had helped me write fluently with less mistakes.

The eportfolio really grabbed my attention when I went back and viewed my first couple of journals. Although, some of those journals are rough to say the least, I posted them to help show the progress I have made in such a short period of time. For example, in my second journal I use the word “you” more than a handful of times and I also have grammar errors; in contrast, my journals towards the end show my skills have increased by containing a sense of flow within the writing. During the writing period, practice is a huge concept that also helped to expand my vocabulary greatly.  In saying that, I have no problem, as a writer, expressing myself in essays and journals.

Getting the eportfolio started was a challenge at first because I’m not the most tech savvy person on campus. Therefore, I put off starting the project because I didn’t view it as urgent.  About a month before the final exam I realized it was time to face the fact that I had to start it whether I liked it or not, so I talked to my fellow classmates who helped me setup my account and begin my first post.  While profile customizing was popular amongst my peers I decided to only put up a picture of my university logo. Working with the eportfolio has given me useful knowledge on computers.

Some of my friends ask me if I plan on continuing to post my works on my eportfolio and my answer is yes.  I plan on posting throughout my college career to help myself as others visualize changes that are possible with a little practice. There is no better feeling than physically seeing improvements, no matter what it may be. I will also continue to use it because it is interesting to have connections with friends, peers, and potential co-workers.

Although, it has only been one semester I can see that the eportfolio has not only increased my writing skills and tech skills but also put me on track to strive for more improvements in the future.  I can’t say that I plan on blogging forever, but I can say that I plan on showing my potential to anyone willing to look.

I was one of those teenagers who couldn’t wait for the moment in which I passed behind the wheel to obtained my drivers license.  After I got my license I liked to dream about what kind of gorgeous, fast car my parents would buy me.  To my surprise, my first vehicle was my older brother’s 1996 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer edition, which was by no means a horrible vehicle but I expected a used BMW, Audi, or even an Acura. Although once I began to drive the bronco the more I began to cherish it. I started to wash it every weekend to help bring out the beautiful maroon and tan paint with the white letter tires.  Being that it was a large truck I took my friends out for some fun out in the dirt and the amount of fun we had was unreal.  To this day I have and continue to maintain the truck as a spare vehicle, primary vehicle for winter, for the family as I now drive a black 2011 Ford Mustang.

If I had one wish it would be to have 10 million dollars.  people say “money doesn’t buy happiness” however I disagree because money can buy items that make people happy. For example, on a rainy, gloomy day a person with money can spend the day however they want whether its shopping for clothes or taking their sports car to the track for a exhilarating experience. Either way the day turns out to be fun-filled while a majority of people stay in their house and watch TV.  Money is a large part of today’s society because money acts as an incentive for students to get a good education and eventually obtain a stable job where they can provide for themselves as well as their family.

At the Myers house there are always a surplus of certain supplies in the refrigerator. It isn’t because we don’t eat or drink the items but rather because we stock up on them due to there popularity in the house.  A guest at our house can always find lunch meat, milk, fruit punch, and ketchup in the refrigerator.  While these items do not correspond with each other, they are necessities when paired with other foods. For example, my family loves to eat sandwiches and that isn’t possible with, as far as we are concerned, without turkey, chicken, or ham. I like o enjoy a nice large bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast on the weekends and without milk I cannot be satisfied. I like to eat by the motto “ketchup makes everything better” so I like to add ketchup when my makes fries, chicken, or onion rings. Finally, when I’m enjoying all delicious food nothing is more pleasant than taking a nice, large refreshing gulp of Minute Maid Fruit Punch.

As a Freshman entering college I didn’t know what to expect because I lacked the necessary information.  My firs piece of advice to a new student entering ODU would be to learn to prioritize school work as well as scheduling free time.  Secondly, Be prepared to be independent because no one buys groceries, cleans, or schedules appointments for you. The next piece of advice would be to find some friends and get involved on campus, otherwise the college experience will be dull and boring ultimately resulting in a waste of money. Finally, I would advise the student that college is nothing like high school in terms of the work rigor. Studying and taking notes are must haves in college because slacking off will NOT get somebody by like it did in high school.

With Christmas being right around the corner, people need to watch their bank accounts sink into a dark hole as they dish out hundreds, even thousands for the holiday.  In addition to my Christmas allowance I receive from family I plan on finally spending the money I have in savings on upgrades for my car. After calculating the total cost of my list I realize I do not have enough money.  The total of my list comes out to be a sum of 3,560 dollars, not including the required maintenance for installation.  I wish I could go out and start picking money off of trees because that’s the only realistic way that I will be able to afford everything I want. Although, I don’t have to get everything at once, I would prefer it that way because I’m an impatient person that plans on attending car shows in the near future.

I can proudly say that I come from a supportive, stable, and nice family.  Although, I am guilty of arguing and fighting with them, I am nothing short of grateful. My family is important to me because they have always been there in times of sorrow as well as happiness when I need them.  They also have supported me throughout my life no matter the circumstances. For example, most of my family wanted me to go to Virginia Tech for legacy reasons; However, when I decided to attend Old Dominion they stood strongly by my decision and didn’t question me.  I had it easy growing up, coming from a very financially comfortable family that was able to supply me with everything I wanted to grow up as happy as I could be.  Looking at where society is going today I am proud and lucky to have a family like mine because families like this are hard to come by.

Most kids come from a childhood filled with some sort of sports activities. The days when parents would cheer their kids on while supplying them with snacks and fruit drinks.  Sports are entertaining and fun so some people take them to higher levels such as school teams, travel teams, and even professional teams.  For me, Baseball was the sport that caught my attention and kept my interest.  I started playing because my older brothers played, but I got hooked when I found friends who where willing to team with me on higher levels. Back in middle school I thought about nothing but baseball, when I wasn’t playing it I was watching it.  However, my whole opinion changed once I reached the high school level due to the hostile competition.  The county of Hanover in Mechanicsville, VA, was home to 4 of the last 5 baseball state champions.  The pressure of winning games put stress on us (the players) because you can bet that their was no room for error, and if someone did mess up they got punished.  It had reached the point of being afraid and intimidated by not only coaches but the other rival schools. Towards the end of my Senior year I wished I could have gone back to Little League where everyone was their for the fun and the love of the game.

Everyone has a possession in which they treasure growing up.  As kids we treasure toys such as dolls, action figures, and matchbox cars.  However once a child reaches the post pubescent stage he or she starts to find different interests and hobbies.  For instance, once I received the ability to drive I became obsessed with cars.  I wanted nothing more than a Ford Mustang, so I eventually got a black 2011 5.0 Mustang.   To this day my car is my favorite thing in the world, and to some people that may seem crazy and ridiculous but to me it is nothing short of a passion. I love my car because it was always a dream of mine to own one growing up as I would ride in my dad’s 1971 Mach 1 Mustang as a kid.  Not many 18 year old students can say that they own a new 28,000 dollar sports car, let alone be apart of a car collecting family.

My English teachers in high school were guilty of handing back graded papers with no markings on the text to represent the needed feedback.  Eventually, in my junior year, I had reached the point where it finally sparked me to ask the instructor to meet with me so we could discuss the mistakes I had committed.  I believe my teachers hated me because I never received horrendous enough grades for them to want to meet with me, I was a B average student.  However, after getting in the groove of meeting with me I had one of my teachers ask me “why do you care? It’s a 94.”  I went on to tell her “yes, but it’s not a 100 so i’m clearly doing something wrong.” All students deserve feedback on their essays whether its positive or negative.  There is nothing more dissatisfying than working diligently on an essay and receiving a grade with no idea how you got it. Personally I am not satisfied until I get an A+ so if i don’t achieve that goal I expect constructive criticism.