Research Reflection 1 (3-26)

                I have started my research project on Veteran’s Issues.  For the past week we have been using web clipping tools to find possible sources for our research project.  I have chosen to use Evernote in order to find my sources.  I chose Evernote because it does not cause my computer to freak out much like Diigo does.  I also chose to use Evernote because it has a much cleaner display of the articles and web pages that I have bookmarked.  It also runs much smoother because all I have to do is click the Evernote clipper and an entire page or selected text will be added in a new note that is already pre-titled with the link and all of the information that I need.

                I have also started using all of the tools that I used in my previous research project.  I have started using my I-Google, Gmail, and Google sites once again in order to organize my information and create a valuable research tool.  One other tool that we have started to use this time around is Netvibes.  Netvibes is almost exactly the same concept as I-Google; however, Netvibes has a lot more widgets and apps than I-Google, and can be used for more than just personal use.  This is true because I have created a public page that will soon contain all of the information that I have been finding using my social bookmarking tool.  I believe that Netvibes will be a very important information portal that can help people to learn about my topic.

Reading Response Journal for March 25

Zach

Chapter 2

25 March 2010

What Was Asked of Us

By: Trish Wood

A passage in this chapter that stood out to me was, “We had a f****** dog, a puppy, and this other unit was all jealous of us because we’d actually seen combat and all this other stuff-that’s the theory anyway.  Anyway, these guys f****** killed our little puppy dog that we were taking care of…We were really pissed off, and some of our guys were talking about, in a cloudy way, about retaliating by killing the guys who killed our dog.” (Wood 70).

This passage stood out to me because I believe that it shows how the war affected the men in such a negative way.  This is true because these men are talking about killing another man over a dog that shouldn’t have been killed in the first place.  This can be related to a theme from AQOTWF in the sense that these men were affected so much by the war, that it caused them to be affected mentally.  This type of problem is, in my opinion, one of the worste things that can happen to a soldier while they are in battle. 

It also made me realize how much stress and pressure that these soldiers are under. This pressure must have been so great that it would have caused someone to want to kill another man.  It also made me wonder what kinds of things a soldier would have to do in order to get their thoughts back in order after being exposed to such cruel events.  I think that events related to this could also cause PTSD after the soldiers return home.  This connects with my research since these kinds of horrific events can cause soldiers to commit suicide once they return home.

Reading Response Journal for March 18

Zach

Chapter 1

17 March 2010

What Was Asked of Us

By: Trish Wood

“The 1^st sergeant being killed was probably the worst thing because he was supposed to retire.  His retirement was on hold, and the guy had a family…” (Wood 10).

                This passage is about a Navy Hospital Corpsman, Thomas Smith, who was the medic for an invasion force travelling to Baghdad.  In this scene, he is faced by the death of countless soldiers who need his help, some of which he can save, and others that he cannot.  In this particular passage Smith received a call to take his ambulance to the location of a wounded sergeant in order to treat his wounds.  However, when he arrives he finds that, due to the heavy fire and poisonous gas, they cannot save the sergeant.  I believe that when the sergeant died while in Smith’s care he gets a taste of the many deaths that are yet to come, and I believe that he also feels sorry because if they had not been in such a bad position they could have saved the sergeant so that he could retire and return to his family.

                This scene of the book reminds me of a scene from All Quiet On the Western Front, when the narrator, Paul Baumer, has to stab a French soldier while in a shell hole.  These passages are similar because in both scenes the narrator finds out that the man dying in his arms had a family.  Another similarity between these two scenes is that this was the first time that they were responsible for the death of a soldier.   This is important because it affects them mentally since it gives a human-like value.  This value later causes the narrator to think of other solders as human beings instead of just soldiers on the battle field which makes killing harder and more emotional.

                This passage also reminded me of another scene in All Quiet on the Western Front, when Paul dies a short time before the armistice was signed and the war was over.  These passages are similar because the sergeant was supposed to retire and get away from war, but instead he went back into battle which caused him to die.  This is significant because both Paul and the sergeant die just before they were supposed to escape from the war.  I think that this shows how some aspects of luck, which was a prominent factor in All Quiet on the Western Front, can be related t the death of a soldier.  This makes me feel upset because it is tough knowing that if they could have survived for a little bit longer, then they could have been safe at home.

Research Reflection 6 (12-1)

I am very excited for the creation and sharing of my presentation.  I am a very loud and talkative person; therefore, I love to speak in front of people and I have a lot of energy when I am up in front of a group.  I enjoy sharing my knowledge with my peers in the hope that they will learn something too.  I am also a good public speaker because my ideas are always organized and I am prepared for my presentation. 

The only thing that I am worried about for this presentation is the format that it must be presented in.  I have a very good eye for style, so I am worried that I will want to add too much to my slides, thus resulting in “death by PowerPoint”.  However, what is concerning me the most is that I will not have all of my ideas up on the screen to refer back to; therefore, I am very afraid that I may leave out key facts and interesting pieces of information that would make my presentation much more enjoyable and educational.  The only other problem that I am facing right now is getting my story board together.  At first I was having trouble deciding how I was going to set up my presentation; however, after a few minutes I decided that I only needed a few slides to get my conversation going and the talking would then take care of itself.

Research Reflection 5 (11-17)

The multigenre part of our research project has been my favorite activity from this year so far.  These multigenre elements have given me a new perspective of the events that are described in the book such as genocide and the lost boys.  I love being able to show my creativity while telling the story of the lost boys.  However, I have ran into a few problems with my computer not recognizing my documents, but these multigenre elements have still been very fun to create.  I also feel that it is very difficult to write an explanation about these elements because I feel that there is nothing to explain because they are very straight forward.

I have also had a problem with my multigenre project because Google sites has not been functioning properly lately at school, and this problem has caused me a lot of difficulties.  If not for Google sites freezing, I could have managed my time more wisely and completed all of my multigenre elements in class so that I had less homework.  I have also had a problem trying to look at the samples provided in the packet and trying to use the same format when I make my multigenre element.  The only other problem that I have been having this week with my multigenre elements is coming up with ideas and finding a way to put those ideas into one of the suggested multigenre ideas.

Research Reflection 4 (11-10)

After looking back upon the past week of doing my research I have had many “victories” with my research and with my writing.   I am glad to be able to say that I am back on schedule and that I got everything completed and turned in on time.  I have also successfully completed my works sited page that is to be turned in with the final copy.  However, I was late turning in my shaping sheet last Wednesday.  These events have not stopped me from getting back on track and finishing my rough draft.  The next steps in finishing my research paper is to get all of the corrections made and have someone peer edit it. 

                This research project has caused me to find out about events that have taken place in Darfur.  For example, I learned about all of the different and cruel ways that people are being tortured and killed when they are attacked by the government troops.  I also learned about the different types of militias that have terrorized these poor people; these militias are the janjaweed and the SPLA.  The most surprising part about these groups is that the SPLA are supposed to be fighting for the people of Sudan, but instead they are treating them bad and taking their property and food.

Research Reflection 3 (11-3)

Zach

11-3-09

After working on my research project this week I have run into many difficulties.  I have fallen behind on my work due to a technical error with noodle tools.  Noodle tools would not let me log into my account, but the problem was that I was using the wrong type of internet browser.  After just completing my Note Cards today, I have barely had enough time to work on my Shaping Sheet, and I am extremely stressed because I may not be able to finish it on time.  However, even though I have had these minor setbacks, I will not give up hope on this fun and interesting research Project that has taught me things about Africa that I never would have known.

One thing that I have learned from doing my research this week is time management.  Now that I have gotten behind on this research project I have now begun to understand how important it is to manage my time wisely and make sure that I go in to complete my work if I know that I cannot complete it at home.  I have also learned how important it is to ask questions and keep my teacher informed of anything that is troubling me or that is going wrong.  The final thing that I learned from my research project this week is that in order to be successful and get things done right and on time I have to try my hardest and put forth my best effort.

Reading Response Journal for November 2

Zach

Pages 259-311

October 30, 2009

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky

By: Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak

In this section of the book the boys are very close to escaping from Africa all together, but they are still being treated badly while they are waiting in the refugee camps.  Sometimes the workers and guards at the refugee camps would come and beat up the refugees for no reason.  They would also not give them enough rations, and consequently they would go hungry.  These guards also purposefully “lost” some of the boys’ files so that they could not escape the camp and go to the United States.  I believe that these guards should not have done this especially after all of the hardships that these people had to endure before they reached the “safety” of the refugee camp.

One thing that I found interesting about this section was the long and grueling process that these boys had to go through in order to be transferred out of the country.  These boys had to not only be smart intellectually, but they had to be smart when they answered interview questions as well because one wrong answer and they would have to start the process all over again.  These boys also had to learn so much about the country that they were going into as well as all of the new and intriguing things that they would find in this new world, such as the toilet.  I believe that it would be interesting to hear more about how these young boys changed to fit in with life in the US.

One quote from this passage that stood out to me is “After dinner I was just beginning to relax when the stewardess came down the aisle calling, ‘dessert, dessert.’  I jumped to my feet.  Was something wrong with the plane?  We’d had instructions on how to put the air bag on our face and breathe, but I couldn’t find mine.  She was still calling, ‘Dessert, dessert,’ but no one was jumping up.  Maybe they didn’t understand English.  I grabbed my backpack.  Now the white guy talked to me.  ‘What are you doing?’  Ignoring him I headed for the exit in the back, wondering where I was going to go from this plane.  I remained there, awaiting the next instruction.  After a while, people nearby asked, ‘Are you lost?’  As the stewardess came closer, still repeating ‘Dessert? Dessert?’ she added, ‘ice cream.’  I went back to my seat.  There was going to be a lot of new things for me to learn, including ice cream.  I’d never had that before.”  This quote stood out to me because it was so shocking that he would react to a word, such as dessert, with such bold actions.  I was amazed most by the fact that he didn’t know what dessert meant, or how he did not know how to operate the TV; because we use these so much, we rarely think about anything while using them.  The one thing that I thought about after reading this quote is how I would react to him freaking out about the word dessert.  This quote mainly shows me how little these boys really knew when they were going into this new country.

Reading Response Journal for October 29

Zach

Pages 214-258

October 28, 2009

They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky

By: Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak

In this section of the book some of my questions have been answered, and some of my predictions have come true.  For example, I predicted that the boys had been brought to the SPLA camp in Natinga to be trained as solders, and in this section the soldiers try to give the boys guns and train them for the army.  However, most of the boys escape before they are drafted into the army.  Also, I previously asked if the boys would ever make it to their original destination in Kakuma, and in this section they finally make it to the UN compound where they meet their family.  In this compound, they are provided with plenty of food and water, have a clinic, and are allowed to live with their families.  Being allowed to live in such great conditions is the best thing that has happened to these boys since they started their journey, and hopefully they will not be separated again.

In this section of the book most of the boys get extremely lucky in some way that helps them to make in to Kakuma.  For example, Benson encounters a man that gives him water, food, and directs him to the UN compound.  However, Benson then got lost and a girl pointed him in the right direction after giving him free water.  I believe that these people are being nice to Benson because they know that he is also from Sudan, and also because they have lost loved ones as well and they want to help him find his family.  Another example of this luck can be seen when the leopard that finds the boys does not harm Alepho even though he did not run to safety.  One more great thing happens in this section when Peter is finally reunited with his family and they find out that he is still alive and very well.

One quote from this passage that stood out to me is “As I watched the lorry leaving, I realized I had to make a plan to escape Natinga to reach Alepho in Kenya.  I might not succeed, but I had to try.  Sudan stank of blood.  If I wanted to see my brother again I had to get away” (Deng, Deng, Ajak 224).  This quote stood out to me because I can connect with his desire to want to do whatever it takes to reunite with his family.  If i was in a strange and dangerous place alone all I would want to do is see my family again.  This also shows me that his drive is not for escape, but his drive is to be with the ones he loves whether he is safe or not.

Research Reflection 2 (10-27)

Mrs. Hamilton has introduced us to many research tools since we have started our project.  Diigo is one of the most recent tools that she has opened up to the class.  The social bookmarking tool is great to save and share your resources with the class; however, I ran into a few problems with it, and did not use Diigo very often.  Mrs. Hamilton also helped us in creating a Google site that will help us to organize and share our research.  I find that the Google sites are a very efficient way to keep all of your information in one place, and can help reduce the amount of time wasted searching for researched material.  The last tool that Mrs. Hamilton shared with us recently was noodle tools.  Noodle Tools has given me trouble in the past; however, it seems to be working smoothly now that it has been updated for online databases.

Over these past few weeks I have gained knowledge from skimming through resources and creating note cards.  This research process has opened my eyes about some of the amazing things that the Lost Boys have accomplished after escaping Sudan.  For example, one lost boy has made it safely back to the United States and is now a rising hip hop artist.  I have also realized how widespread this issue is.  After I completed my working bibliography I noticed that there is s lot of coverage on the lost boys and Darfur; therefore, it has had a greater impact on me, and helped me to connect with the book and my research project.