Loren Birdsall

Dr. Preston

Expository Composition Essay

June 2, 2014
     


       Looking back on this whole year, I have had a lot of practice when it comes to Expository Composition

 and Open Source Learning. From what I have experienced, I feel that with Open Source Learning I have

 been able to experience the luxury of not just one but many fields of study. Some of which I tend to gravitate

 towards more so than others. I have also been able to meet many new people in which some are still

 included in my network group primarily for the soul purpose of my Journalism study. Overall I feel that I

 have changed in the sense that I am more disciplined and thorough in my own research. I feel like I am a

 student that can benefit more from teaching myself rather than having a mindless teacher just give me a book

 because their expected to and they want me to learn from that. I don't want to do that and or live by that

 traditional schooling lifestyle anymore!

   

       One thing about Open Source Learning is that it does require a great amount of trust in the students.

 When being in Preston's class, I honestly feel that I was given a certain amount of trust and because I didn't

 do anything to ruin that trust I was able to actually earn more trust later on in the year. It's easy to give

 someone trust at the beginning of the year however many other students lost a lot of that trust because not

 many were holding themselves accountable for their actions and or "pulling their own weight" like they were

 asked to do specifically for this course. Because I knew I had a great amount of trust with my teacher, I did

 all that i could to honor this by bringing in those assignments on time and actually taking power into my own

 hands. By going above and beyond, I was able to acquire a whole new level of learning. With this said, the

 beauty of it was that it was all material that I was teaching myself!



      It's easy to see that I want to become a writer now because writing is something that comes easy to me.

 However, at the beginning of the year when everyone was required to choose a specific field of study to

 research on, I didn't know what to pick because at first I felt that I had lost all my hobbies and talent just

 because I could never stay persistent. As time went on, I later realized that I love to write and that this is my

 primary passion that drives me to continue to write both for myself and "business" related. I will continue my

 learning with writing by continuing to write about many things that interest me as well as continuing the

 interview process that I have for people when it comes down to looking for people to join my network.



       Something that made me genuinely laugh out loud during this course was a time when a student hi jacked

 the learning environment and stood on a table singing very loud and obnoxious like. It was funny because

 many people did have a response back for this particular student's actions some being pleasant and others

 seeming like they were annoyed. For me I felt that it was completely random and out of line therefore that's

 why it was funny! It also actually had to do with the presentation that was going on as well so I guess in a

 way you can say that this student actually acted as a leader for the rest of us that were witnessing this.



       These past 2 weeks we have had a series of presentations going on that were the masterpieces of many

students projects. Out of 5 students it was clear to see that the way students presented, connected to their

 audience and were able to provide a mass amount of information about their subject just shows that they

 actually were doing the work all along and for that have been rewarded with the acquired knowledge that

 will forever stick with them. For example, the way Veronica was able to appeal to the "crowd" by playing a

 game such as playing music and if the crowd liked the music they would put their thumbs up is one example

 of a communication style that appeals to a crowd to help get them involved in the material being taught.

 Another of a communication technique that strikes me is the time when Jacob Caldwell presented his

 presentation on body building. It was obvious to 0 period that this kid really cared about his body building

 because he had so much passion and enthusiasm when he talked about everything that goes into the art of

 this field. He did this by stating true facts about body building, being very blunt/raw about everything, and

 talking about the whole lifestyle that needs to be acquired by certain individuals in order to guarantee results.



       Through my entire journey as an expository composition survivor, I can truly say that this is a class many

 common people will go into then thrive later and become the actual, diverse individuals they were looking to

 become. Why wait on an opportunity like that? If you have an experienced teacher like Preston whom

 knows that their talking about then why wouldn't you want to upgrade into a type of learning environment

 that's completely different from the traditional school environment where you actually learn a lot more and

 you sometimes don't even know it? It amazes me to know that not a lot of people actually know about open

 source learning and how it can actually benefit people in a much more positive way compared to any other

 type of class that they are taking. I am a hero in the sense that I have completed this journey I have been on

 for 180 days now and I'm going to be a graduate both of high school and my open source learning class. I

 was able to find a fun, fanatic, enthusiastic, writer and journalist that acted as a great mentor for me. Just

 from this I was able to learn a lot. I conquered a challenge by putting myself outside of my comfort zone and

 becoming familiar with the unfamiliar and comfortable with the uncomfortable when it came down to talking

 to people and really getting to know others students, not just sitting next to them a whole year and not

 learning anything about them or what they do.



    Sources Cited:

    Veronica Cavazos http://vcavazosrhs.blogspot.com/

    Jacob Caldwell http://jacobscaldwell.blogspot.com/

    Preston's site for majority of my information http://drprestonrhs14exposcomp.blogspot.com/

Hip Hop Poet SUPERSTEAD 5/8/14

 Lately I have been really into a lot of the local and or underground music that I have been coming across. This is just a little interview from one of the artists I have grown to like. His name is Steadman (also known as his performance name SuperStead) and he originates from London, England. This is a personal interview from the wonderful Steadman himself. Please excuse the content for some of  questions were asked at random and out of order :)

SUPERSTEAD BLOG

HIS SOUNDCLOUD

(His facebook) SUPERSTEAD POWER

Enjoy...

1. If you can put a genre on your writing, what would it be? (Free verse, poetry,etc.)

I write poetry, however it's free form poetry, which is almost a stream of consciousness that spirals from a start point that can be a certain topic, issue, feeling, experience, moment or thought. Many of my pieces do not rhyme, and its never really a conscious decision whether or not to make a certain piece rhyme - it just happens naturally as I start to write.

2. How old r u and where r u from?

I am 31 years old & Im from London England.

3. how long have you been writing for?

I started writing when I was around 7 or 8 years old. In my primary school there was an old lady who taught us English. Her name was Ms Sheldrake. I always remember her being really passionate about poetry. She got us writing poetry in school & was a great inspiration to me. She liked my poetry & entered me into an international children's poetry competition. A couple of children including myself were chosen as some of the british winners & sent medals. The local press came to our school & took our pictures & the story was published in the newspaper. That was one of my proudest moments as a child & it really inspired me to keep writing and I have been ever since.

4. Where does your inspiration come from?

My biggest inspirations are life & art. I see art in everything and i feel that we are constantly exposed to visions and emotions that can be expressed through art in many different weird and wonderful forms. I see art as everything, not just paintings in museums, but as everything - drawing, painting, sculpting, music, fashion, writing, poetry, novels, film, photography, theatre, dance, drama...

5. What do you prefer writing about?

Everything. Wherever my mind wanders, my pen follows.

6. Are you involved with any kind of music of your own? 

Yes. I have been writing songs, rapping and making hiphop since i was about 13/14yrs old. At the moment Im in a live HipHop/Reggae/Ska band. I write songs, rap & sing. The band is called 83classic - its a brand new band - we are releasing our debuet EP this summer. Theres a couple of acoustic clips on youtube you can watch - search for 83clasaic

7. What does super stead mean and how did you come up with this ? 

My name is Steadman so it was my nick name Super Stead Man

Also i love comics & superheros!

8. What 5 artists do you look up to?  Its difficult to mention just 5 but I like Common, Mos Def, Talib kweli, Nas & Busta Rhymes ( busta doesn't have the best lyrical content but his flow is my favourite in the game ) 9. Are you involved with the rapper REVERIE at all  ?  No im not familiar with reverie. 10. What advice can you give to young writers that are beginning? My advice would be two things 1) always keep writing - whatever thoughts or ideas you have just try to capture them on paper while u have them in mind - dont think too much just write. 2) Be your own biggest critic. Just because you write lots it doesn't mean you have to share all of it. There are many pieces I have written that I have never posted online or read to anyone. When you do choose to share something with the world don't rush - take your time - re-read & re-write or edit your pieces if necessary. Always be thinking about how others will understand, perceive & relate to your work. Be aware that your words can & will be received and understood in different ways & make conscious decisions about what you want to be clear for people to get from your writing & what you want to leave for them to ponder on and make their own mind up about. 11. When did you decide to come up with your own web site and ultimately how does it benefit others out there ?  I started my blog a few years ago at the beginning of 2011.  I write what I want to write rather than writing what I think people want to read, and then I look at some pieces and decide which one's I think Would be good to share with the world. I'd like to think that my pieces provoke thought & inspire people to live their lives in positive ways and treat their fellow humans in positive ways. My ultimate message is always PEACE LOVE & PEOPLE POWER! Together we as human beings are a formidable force and can achieve amazing things and sustain life for all on the planet - however divided we destroy each other and our planet. I hope that people of all backgrounds can feel a connection to one another and we can begin to bridge the gap that has widened between humans as a result of war, politics, religion, racism, prejudice & money.

Creative Writing (Beginnings 2) post 5/8/14

  When it comes down to creativity and just writing in general, writing gets me thinking because my mind thinks as a whole. It's not just 1 subject that I hyper focus on but instead many emotions come up depending on the context of the prompt. Creativity plays a huge role in my masterpiece because 20 minutes from now I will be interviewing the Santa Maria Sun staff writer Camilla because she happens to be a professional journalist.  This was all facilitated for me and my training purpose of becoming a professional writer with credidation to Dr. David Preston of course because he was the one that introduced me to Camilla in the first place. He provided the resource and this is me taking full advantage of it for my own overall purpose within this class. Creavitiy stems from within so three really is no 1 answer to the question: how can creativity help with a students masterpiece?

Masterpiece Interviews 5/6/14

  So far, some of my research has been very broad in the sense that each research project addresses different topics such as underground music, directors of newspaper publishing companies and so on. In specifics Camilla Lanham a staff writer at Santa Maria Sun is one expert that I have recently come in contact with whom I will be interviewing shortly for my final project. Aside from the "big interview" a side project that's in the process is my interview with Cory Grant aka Wepz. So far I feel content with how things are going right now both with school and my home life as well.

Underground Hip Hop Artist - Cory Grant 5/5/14

Cory Grant//18//Orcutt//CA
This image displayed is a personal drawing of Grant's and a representation
of his crew Adolescents Featuring Greg Pickleweed (Beats producer).

  Cory Grant is a local rap artist from Orcutt, CA that I have recently come across. Known as CWEPZ to the underground, Grant has been rapping since 6th grade and continues to make music up until this day. This young musician claims "I don't have a favorite artist I listen to right now because I've just been listening to a lot of my own stuff for tune ups and perfection." Grant primarily works with his good friends JP, Gruga and Jsilva; all of which are also heavily involved in the underground hip hop community. As I was talking to Grant, I asked him "What does self expression mean to you?" Grant replied with: "Self expression is a key thing in life. Music has really helped me find myself and my purpose."  
His favorite quote includes: " A smart man looks like a mad man to a dumb man." As we continued to talk I was able to really understand Cory not just as an up and coming musician but as a person as well. Immediately you can just sense the determination and passion that this young man has for his cause which is to create music essentially. Within 5 years Grant plans to be living the life that he says "I was meant to since I was kid." Although his high school career is coming to an end, Grant plans to attend college where he will eventually be able to acquire the skills in business and investment. Basically gaining a better understanding for the art of smart financial spreading. 


GLAD TO BE OUTTA ORCUTT! - CWEPZ

SELF EXPRESSION IS A KEY THING IN LIFE. MUSIC HAS REALLY HELPED ME FIND MYSELF AND MY PURPOSE - CWEPZ

Beginnings 5/2/14

  In regards to my masterpiece, I feel that it has completely opened up a new chapter for me in my life because now that I am becoming a more so familiar writer with all the interviews I have been doing and what not, I feel very serious about journalism. From the beginning of the year compared to now, I feel that I have completely applied myself because I'm getting to study something I happen to be very interested in; it's not just another school subject to me for this whole entrepreneurship style of raw journalism always sparks great ideas for me. I can say that due to all the self teaching I have been doing for myself, I have learned to connect better with people thus expanding my network of people that can act as an aid in my long term goal of becoming a journalist. I think it will be easier for me to step foot in an actual professional writing environment such as a newspaper press, magazine publishers, music based writings,etc. now that I have had some practice with how this type of work environment is going to be. This will be my future "chapter"/goal because everything I'm learning in this expository composition class is 90% self learned and 10% traditional teacher to student relationship which does involve teaching. Nothing that I have learned in this class will be going to waste in the future because all of this knowledge I hold onto now such as networking out, self promoting, entrepreneurship and so on are all skills I will be needing for this competitive world. My belief is that if there is a challenge proposed regardless of what it is, I'm more willing to accept this task,challenge, whatever you want to call it for I have acquired a better understanding of how to go about certain issues that will ultimately benefit me as a person and definitely have a better impact on my actual visual work. 

Connections 4/30/14

  1-3 moments within my day that have reminded me of my masterpiece would have to be: #1 Robby was talking about his street art which reminded me of this rapper I want to interview with named Reverie. #2 would have to be a moment in class where some kid didn't know what exactly to do in class for his project because at the exact same time he said this I was emailing Superstead, a writer I'm going to be interviewing here real soon. The last reminder while leaving class today would probably have to be when I put my headphones in and was listening to some music. This in general just reminded me of writing in all general because it just reminded me that what I'm doing is something I really love which is writing, free styling , anything that has to do with words really.