Meta-Cognitive Analysis

Lesly Alas

Sean Pessin
English 114 B

April 24, 2013

Meta-cognitive Analysis

College is really a different experience from high school. The moment you walk onto campus there is a feeling of freedom and independence, but along with those feelings there is also responsibility as a student to do your best. The reason I mention this is because as a student my class mates and I were responsible of creating a hybrid essay which is something that I had never heard of before. We had great guidance and lots of time but most relevantly we are becoming well rounded students learning different ways to display our work.

            Having to write this essay I came to the realization that there is more to writing than just words. As this essay taught me a picture can say a lot more than many different words put together. The example hybrid essays that I read were very powerful because they explained a lot some with a few words and pictures. Every time I thought of an essay I always imagined pages and pages of words never pictures and a few sentences. What I was delighted with was seeing how each of the authors decided to use the pictures. Although one of the examples that I read did not use pictures the writing style they utilized was completely different to a simple essay. They repeated the same word like a million times and yet the essay still made sense. In a non-hybrid essay I am sure the teacher could mark off a lot of words, but here it’s ok because it is a type of style that is being used.

            The challenging part of this assignment for me was being able to get it too look presentable in way that made sense. What I mean by this is that I wanted the pictures that I included to help enhance the visual in my essay. I was not able to make it look the way that I pictured it in my mind. I think this is where it comes in the fact that I have a lot to learn about posting things on a blog. As I was working on my essay on Microsoft everything was O.K but when I attempted to put it on the blog everything went downhill. I was not sure how to wrap the pictures around the text and I couldn’t make the pictures be where I wanted them too.

On one the example essays as I read it, it gave me the sense that I was walking alongside the person that was telling the story. This is something that I tried to incorporate in my essay. I wanted my essay to sound more of like a story so that it gives my essay the feel as if it is an adventure that I had as I completed the assignment. I also think that I went even a step further and I changed the point of view of my essay. I was going to write it in first but I felt it would be more fun to do so in the third person. For this essay I did fail to add a video because I was not entirely sure where I could fit one in and have it not be too random. All of the videos that I thought of were cute pandas doing silly things and I did not think that, that would go well with the way I was telling my story.

They Hybrid Essay have been by far one of the most fun assignments that I have ever done so far in my years of school. I honestly would have never thought that a teacher would ask me to add pictures into my essay. It had always been that I had to use quotes with my essays never a picture. This assignment has also been inspirational to me because now I feel like I should blog about something. Overall I am very proud of my work because this is my first hybrid essay and I know for a fact that there are a lot of more cool tricks that I need to learn about blogging and hybrid essay writing.

Hybrid Essay

Lesly Alas

Sean Pessin

English 114 B

April 24, 2013

HyBrid Essay

   The moment a student walks into a classroom they expect the teacher to assign homework but you never really know what exactly it is going to be. As it turns out for a classroom in CSUN they were assigned to work on a blog. This blog could be about anything that the student wished, but let’s not forget that there were also boundaries and that meant the topic chosen by the student had to be approved. For any of those who are wondering what blog is it is a web page that has information about a certain topic. The topics could be any range of things and they could be informative or just fun. The story I am about to tell is the one of a student who decided to make her blog about an animal that she has been obsessed with ever since she was in the third grade. This animal is known as the Giant Panda and in her blog she wrote about the endangerment of the Panda, its habitat, its main staple food, and occasionally a random picture or video that she had found on the Internet.

            Her blog begins by talking about how she decided to start her research for her it was very easy to know that Pandas would be her main topic. Although at some point she did feel that maybe she should talk about an issue that surrounded her on a daily basis and this was finding a good restaurant. She was divided at this moment not knowing what to choose but after careful consideration she made the decision that it would be very much worth her time to write about the endangerment of the Giant Panda. For her this was all an amazing learning experience that she didn’t think that she would enjoy after all it was a homework assignment. She had never done a blog before so she was not sure what to expect at first she wasn’t even sure what exactly she would write about. There was a variety of things that she explored the most important to her was letting people know that Pandas are cute and that they are endangered and that they need help so that they won’t go extinct. She tried to spend a lot of time emphasizing to her readers that they had to do something to be heroes to the entire panda population.  

            The student had known for a long time that her Pandas were endangered but she did not know why they were in danger. The research helped her understand that the dying Pandas were due to a lack of a healthy habitat. As it turns out this was how she had to begin reading about bamboo. She learned many surprising things about bamboo that she would of never thought to look into on her own time. Some of her friends had even began to complain to her that she was learning to much about bamboo and that she should stop blurting out random facts about Pandas and bamboo. This project was beginning to interfere with her daily life and even the patience of her friends. But it was not all bad because she also used this knowledge to make friends. In one situation that she found her-self she used a random fact as an ice-breaker and just told the girl next to her “Did you know that the Giant Panda is the only bear that doesn’t hibernate?” She did get a weird look from this girl but soon after they began to talk.

 As the project was coming to end she realized that there was a giant thing that she missed. She should have talked about the WWF. This organization even has the Panda as its logo. She doesn’t understand how she missed out on talking about them when she read about them and she even said to herself that she would talk about them on her blog. All of this time she had thought that the Panda was the permanent logo of the WWF but as it turns out the logo wasn’t always the Panda. The fact that she failed to mention a crucial supporter of the Pandas bothered her but now there was nothing that she could do. Now all that was left was to reflect and think about why she had not done a post on them.

            All of her post she tried to make them tie back to the well-being of the Panda. For this student that was her absolute and most significant thing that she could mention. There are no words to describe how much she wishes that everyone would understand the hardships that Pandas have to endure. The pictures and videos that she posted she tried to appeal to the emotional side of her reader so that the adorableness of the Pandas would make them feel the need to want to help them. She wanted her readers to have the urge to go up to a Panda and just give it a giant hug.

 One of the post that was on her blog was a poll that asked if Pandas were dangerous and although they did not get many answers people did not really think Pandas were dangerous. The student was expecting to get more negative answers because even though Pandas are adorable they are still wild animals that may react in an unexpected way if presented with danger.

            To this particular student the issue of Pandas going extinct was of great importance. Ever since she received that giant stuffed Panda Bear from her father she had a connection with this beautiful creature. To her the uniqueness of this bear has to be saved.  At the end of all of this she has realized that homework can be fun even if it involves some work. This blog taught her that it is not that difficult to start a blog and talk about something they like. To her what made the project easy to enjoy was that she was able to write about anything that she wanted about the Pandas. Every time as she sat down to write her next post she tried to add some of her personality to it. She wanted the reader to have fun while they read, but she also wanted them to understand what they were reading.
          The student responsible for this blog felt accomplished after all of her hard work. She is happy that the teacher decided to give them such an assignment because this was a great learning opportunity for her not only computer wise but also a Panda learning opportunity. She doesn't like to admit it but she is not very good with computers.
 And so it ended. She was finally done with the assignment. So she and her thought of the Pandas lived Happily Ever After.

           

Conclusion

Unfortunately I have to inform you guys that this blog has come to end. I have to admit that I did enjoy this experience because I learned more than I thought I would from researching the Giant Pandas. I even learned about bamboo because it is connected to the daily lives of Pandas. I even had a complain from one of my close friends that I knew too many random things about bamboo and Pandas themselves. Having written this blog also made me want to start a different blog about a topic that is still unknown to me. The reason I made this blog was because it was a homework assignment, BUT the topic I chose was very important to me because I love pandas. It is very hard for me to explain the way I feel about them because I wish I could protect every one of them like if they were the children I don't have. These creatures are beautiful and they are part of the world that we live in and we have to take care of everything on this planet because if we don't no one else will. If there is anything that I want all of my readers to take from this blog its that we have to become aware of the well being of the all the animals that surround us because they depend on us to care for them even if it only means not ruining their habitat. Thank You to all of those who took the time to follow my blog you guys made one one very happy blogger.

My Territory

As I have recently discovered Pandas mark their territory. I thought that this was only a thing that dogs did but I guess not. Although for Pandas it is more on letting their mates know where they are. This is one of their ways of communication ( it is possible they still don't use cellphones). This  way of communication is mainly used by the Panda when they are ready for mating. On one of my earlier post I mentioned that research showed us that they are not always in isolation, but for better communication this is one of the methods that they use. The study found that the Pandas have high standards for the locations that they use for scent making. There are specific things that they look for when deciding where to mark some of those factors  that they consider are the roughness of the bark, there also has to be moss on the tree bark, the diameter of the tree bark, and lastly the distance of the tree to the trail. Before you think that Pandas are picky let me mention that they have really good reasons behind this criteria. These simple things decide how strong the scent will be, or how long it will last, and this enhances the communication between them. Researchers are not surprised that they are efficient with their communication because they believe their poor diet plays a role in this as well as they do not get a lot of energy.

Science Daily

Cute Pic

Awww So Adorable. Random Pic I found.

Ethnography

I went to a reading by Jeffrey McDaniel, which was located in Chaparal Hall.

The following picture shows how I saw the location of reading. Please take a look at my amazing diagram.

Daily life of a Panda

Have you ever wondered what a Panda does on a daily basis, because I know I have.To be honest when I thought of a Panda I just pictured them sitting and eating and of course sleeping. My thoughts were correct except that for them it is a little more complicated than just finding food, eating, and resting. Although it sounds simple enough it is on the contrary very difficult for them because with the way that their habitats are now finding food can become a challenge. In some way it was easier for past generations of Pandas to find food in that they had healthier habitats, but they still had to face dangerous things like hunters who kill them. Now a days their are more laws against hunting Pandas and their killing has slowed down a bit but some hunters still get away with such things. Now moving on to a  much happier subject recently research has shown that Pandas like to live close to other Pandas. Before it was thought that they preferred to be isolated and only get together when it was breeding time, now we know that Pandas come together even when it is not breeding season. Things are not always as easy as they seem, I hope now you understand, even when it seems that Pandas have it easy because they just eat and sleep there are other dangers that they face. Lastly you should know that  Pandas are such unique bears that they don't hibernate.

A Panda Plays with A Ball

Baby Panda Plays with Ball

I don't think that I could ever get tired of posting cute videos of baby Pandas they are too adorable. Imagine what this world would be like if we could all just learn to love Pandas and enjoy their cuteness. What I enjoy so much about watching this video is that it reminds me so much of a child. They are so innocent  and defenseless that it becomes very hard for me to think that they are endangered because they are losing their home. In this video this panda is being measured because they are making sure that it is healthy and that it is growing properly. Let me mention that this little cub here was causing trouble because it took several vets to be able to get all of the information that they needed because it was so entertained with the ball it would let them take its measurements.

Climate Change

Humans are not the only ones that are affected with things that happen to the earth (we can't be so self centered). The poor little Giant Pandas suffer too because their food supply is affected. The problem with this is that their main staple is what is dying off. This article talks about the research done by some scientist from the Michigan State University as well as the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They concluded that the climate change is affecting the main staple of Pandas by not allowing the bamboo to grow properly, meaning they won't have food (imagine living without your favorite restaurant. This article has information that worries me but it also brings relief to me, let me start with the good thing. The great thing about this article is that they give different examples or more like scenarios that lead them to their conclusions, this make the article trustworthy. Now moving on to the bad sadly the findings of this research are not very positive, because it is said that by the end of the 21st century the areas with bamboo maybe inhospitable due to them dying off. But even after those findings we get to see the positive side about all of this which is that with this research it is hoped that we can effectively use the resources that are used to try and keep the Pandas from becoming extinct. Thankfully the Giant Panda has many supporters that work very hard to help on their survival.

San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo page is wonderful because it is full with information about the panda bear. It answers many common questions that one might have about the panda. What I enjoy about this website is that it has the question/heading then answer. The great thing about this format is that as you read the question you start to think about what the answer might be and it is easier to analyze the information that you are reading. As you read you see the connections between the question/heading. My favorite portion of this article is when it talks about the colors of the Panda. To me this is a very interesting topic because it shows that no matter how much we study an animal there are things that we might never know (similar to the question of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop). At the moment there are still just theories of what might cause them to have their black and white fur (rarely it may also be brown and white). Every where you look or click on this website it is full of facts and helpful Panda information. To the side of the page they have selected facts about the panda meaning if you are in a rush just looking for certain info like its class, height, or simply fun facts they are there. I also noticed that this article has pictures and videos. Having something to look at while reading an article is also important because visualization is also a big part of the learning process. I recommend you guys take a look at the site.

San Diego Zoo

Do You Think Pandas Are Dangerous?

Black And White?

So there is no one specific article for this post that I can share. Have you ever wondered why Pandas are black and white? Well I can tell you that I have and I have not found just one certain answer. In my research I found that some of the speculations is that being black and white helps them when they camouflage up in the trees. This helps them stay safe from any predators as they are sleeping. There is also another theory that contradicts what i just mentioned, this theory says that it makes them easy to spot for when they are mating. Pandas are said to have bad eyesight and these colors make them easy to spot each other. The one thing that the various article do conclude is that scientist themselves are not entirely sure why these adorable animals are Black and White. But no matter what their colors may be we have to keep in mind that these animals are in danger and they need our support.

Here is a picture to remind you how Cute they are :)

Bamboo

The main source of food for the giant Panda is bamboo. Although they do eat other tiny animals occasionally. Now I would like to share with you that Bamboo is also used for other things that are very useful to us humans. For example did you know that bamboo can grow from 3 to 4 feet per day and can be used to create furniture.The most shocking thing I learned was that there is a possibility of using bamboo as fuel. The article is very helpful as it is short but precise and straight to the point. they way that it was styled was great because every thing had a heading so you knew what to expect. It also has a very friendly way of explaining things making the reader feel comfortable because then it becomes easy to understand and it makes it more fun as well. Overall this article was effective I learned many facts about bamboo. Now I know that its a good investment and that there are different types of bamboo plants as well. It was worth the read.


Name of Article:
Bamboo Plant Facts

Panda Meme

I am sure to some extent many of us can relate to this.

Artificial Insemination

In attempts to keep the Giant Pandas alive they have used artificial insemination on them. The article that I will discuss explains the process that the Giant Pandas go through. There is also a chart that shows research results on the effects of freezing the Pandas sperm. It is hoped that with being able to freeze the sperm they can reduce the amount of times they take the sperm from the Pandas. This article is very informational, it  doesn't try to appeal to any one's emotional side. It is very straight to the point and it has great diction as well.  Some of the words that they use are very scientific and not easy for just anyone to understand. The article ends by mentioning other methods. This article is important because we can learn from it and it educates the reader on the measures that are taken to be able to keep the Giant Panda species alive.

Name of Article is :
Technology Used in the Preservation of the Giant Panda

Kung Fu Panda

Pandas are superheros too. They fight for our world to keep us safe from evil kung fu warriors. This movie is great because it has a little bit of all the emotions I love to see in a movie comedy, action and adorable animals. What I love about this movie is that it makes the Pandas look like a very strong animal and most importantly it goes against those who don't want to help save the Pandas. All of the animals and species in the world have a right to life (even if you don't like them) just like we do. I am glad that the animal that they chose as the main character of the movie was a panda because not many people see the Panda like a very active animal instead it is classified as lazy. You have to give them credit for being able to eat 84 pounds of bamboo A DAY!!! It takes a lot of time and effort. That only proves my point further on how amazing these animals are.

You Just Have To Love Them

I can assure you that no animals were harmed during this AD.

Shocking Opinions

   On one of my earlier post I mentioned a naturalist who was against making efforts to save the Giant Pandas. So I had to do some research and find out who exactly this guy was. I read the interview where he made the comment and all I have to say is that he is entitled to his own opinion even though others (or myself) might not agree with it. The first line that you read about the article tells you exactly what the rest of the article is going to be about. It was very wise to make the first line very controversial so that you want to continue reading and see what has to be said about Chris Packham the naturalist who doesn't favor saving the Giant Pandas. Did I mention that at the beginning of the article there is a picture of a Panda. The picture of the Panda makes it hard to over look the fact that these animals could be gone forever if we let them die out. I would like to make it clear that Packham would like to stop supporting Pandas to support other animals that he feels have a better chance of surviving.
    What I liked about this article was that the statements that were made were backed up with facts. Not only did the author give Packhams statement but there was also evidence showing why he believed what he did. Of course much of the evidence that was provided was against Packham but it still made a very strong argument in favor of the Pandas. We should also consider how there was also the reaction of other naturalist to Packhams statement. The article itself is not large but it does encompass a lot making a point ]that Pandas are naturally slow breeders and this does cause them a lot of trouble when it comes to making their populations numbers grow.
    Like I mentioned earlier we are all entitled to our own opinions even when they may create controversy  We should all fight for what we believe is right.

This was an article by Bryan Nelson "Reputable Naturalist Says We Should Let Pandas Die Out"

Cute Pandas

I found this video and thought I should share. This is just to show you guys how cute these little cubs are. We can't let them go extinct. I have read in more than one article that we are the ones to blame if they go extinct because we are killing their habitat. Pandas have come a long way adapting to their  new environment  but it becomes more and more difficult for them to stay alive if we are pushing them out of their homes to accommodate ourselves. The little cubs in this video are an example of how vulnerable they are. They act like children, they will try to make every situation fun. Why would anyone want to hurt them all they want to do is play and have fun. They are so tiny and they look very cuddly it makes me want to hug one. I really hope that the reproduction of these cuties becomes more successful because like any other animal they deserve to live and enjoy the little pleasures of life like playing with a rocking horse. I hope you didn't think that because they are Pandas they don't like to play with toys. Enjoy this video its amazingly cute full of PANDAS!

Hypothesis
Choosing to write about Pandas was  a very easy decision for me to make because I love Pandas. I think they are amazing and above all very cute. I will admit that I also wanted to write about chocolates because I like chocolate very much as well but my obsession for Pandas was bigger. As I was making my decision I looked at the Giant Stuffed Panda on my bed and that was when I knew what  would write about.Did you know that these furry little bears don't hibernate, well now you do. By writing about these Pandas I hope everyone learns more about them and keeping in mind that they are going extinct and we should help them. Let their cuteness overwhelm you and help them by supporting groups who fight for their rights. I hope everyone realizes the importance of helping Pandas repopulate.

Blogging about a Blog

The blog/ article that I read is titled "How to Save the Giant Pandas". I found here many fun facts about this lovely bear that is fighting for its life. To keep her reader hooked she reveals some very shocking comments done by a naturalist claiming that we should not try to save the Giant Pandas from going extinct as it wouldn't be worth our time. This article is fairly brief and straight to the point with each of the concerns that she has for the Pandas. This article tries to appeal to the emotional side of its audience listing the terrible endings for these poor little Giant Pandas. By doing this it makes you want to do something for these Pandas, her strategy works very effectively it got me thinking of adopting a Panda myself (I have always wanted one actually). The structure of her blog is great as she breaks down everything that is harming the Pandas and why these events are occurring  What I liked best about her format was that she used pictures and videos as well and they all led up to what she was explaining. Through out the blog it was easy to see the purpose of her blog, which is to inform its reader that we can not give up in caring for the Pandas. The article had a very solid ending inviting everyone to save the Pandas. This was a great way to end because it gave her article a beginning a middle and an end, ending in ideas on how to help with the cause of the Pandas. Stay Strong Pandas We Won't Give Up On You.

How to Save the Giant Pandas