Ashley’s English Blog

 We did not face many challenges as a group. A couple of times, we could not pick between two different sources because we all liked a different one. To fix this, we looked back at our research question. We had to see which source supports our research question and makes the most sense to use as evidence. We also checked to see what specific evidence each source had so that we could easily fill out the quotes section. In class, we finished picking our sources. I learned how to work through disagreements with my partners. 

 The most compelling issue connected to my topic on free speech versus cancel culture is how both restrict personal freedoms. Free speech that is uncensored and not regulated allow people to speak anything they want to, which can lead to cyberbullying, hate speech, and racist or offensive comments. Issues like these greatly impact social media and internet users, causing them issues such as loss of sleep which is explored in one of my sources. However, cancel culture also affects personal freedom by restricting what individuals are able to say freely. Canceling makes people weary of intellectual and thoughtful conversations that are filled with new and diverse opinions.  In class, we compared our sources. I learned about how normalized language is always changing and how it effects cancel culture.

 Doing my annotated bibliography changed my understanding of my topic because I now have a deeper understanding of how cancel culture is so unpredictable and inconsistent. It has allowed me to dive deeper into each of my sources and understand how they will impact my paper, so I can choose the best ones to use. My sources add onto each other, as I have examples, definitions, data, and an array of subtopics being explored by them. In class, we worked on our annotated bibliography. I learned how to explain my image source. 

 The most challenging part about my annotated bibliography was the evaluation. In the evaluation I had to fugue out how the author of the source was credible and knowledgable, which was hard. It was difficult to get a lot of information on the author and expand on his or her credibility. This challenge helped me grow as a researched as I had to dig deep and be smart about the sources I chose. The evaluation will help me write my research paper because I will be able to use the author's background and credibility to back up my evidence. I class, we started our annotated bibliography. I learned how to write and format an annotated bibliography. 

 I noticed that sources with opposite viewpoints sounded similar except with conflicting data and reasoning. the sources that agreed with each other all focuses on different specific points of the argument so I was able to broaden my knowledge and information for my research. Also, each different type of source was written differently with different formatting a tone of language. All of these differences broadened my understanding of both sides of the issue. In class we found more sources. I learned the difference between Literature reviews and reviews.

 This was different from how I found information in the past because I had to think of good and specific ways to phrase my topic or question to get the best search results. Using specific search strategies allowed me to research all parts of my topic and dive deeper into the more important or interesting parts. I was able to find information on both sides of the argument and find background, definitions, and examples that I can use for my research. In class, we researched more about our topic. I learned how to use specific search strategies.