Using Writing and Reading for Inquiry, Learning, Thinking, and Communicating

       Because I`m long-winded when it comes to writing (maybe we should call that deep ink'ed?), I`m going to omit the more obvious half of my topic. Reading is the most effective means we have for learning. Reading allows us access to the thoughts and convictions of everyone that has ever lived. Having said this, I`m going to write about the use of writing as it's related to inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating. I have learned more about this topic since beginning college, just as all the other topics I write about.
      I never thought you could use writing for learning. I knew you could use reading for learning, and writing for communicating, but never writing for learning. But in fact, the writing process naturally stimulates the brain in a way that is very enlightening. For instance, when I began writing a blog on the use of technology in rhetoric to address a wide range of audiences, I knew that email could address those far away, a text message could reach your best friends, and the powerpoint could communicate a message to a large group of people. However, it wasn't until I began weaving together paragraphs and holistically reviewing my essay that it hit me- technology has given us an effective way to communicate appropriately with virtually every audience you can think of. I learned the true power of technology- a truth that hadn't been completely clear to me until after writing.
    Secondly, writing can be used for thinking; but not just your average, every-day thinking. Writing is conducive to organized, mature thoughts. I have spoken publicly on many occasions, and on each occasion, whether I planned on looking off of some kind of outline or not, I always wrote out my thoughts first. It wasn't until I saw all of my thoughts; collective, organized, and with appropriate meaning (because you can tweak words on paper until they are exactly what you mean, but speech is different) that I really had an organized brain file of my thoughts and their relation to each other. Sometimes you have to read your thoughts to understand them. It`s an incredibly peculiar thing.
     Another peculiar, yet less fascinating thing may be why I waited until the third paragraph to discuss the first term in my topic. I understand why "inquiry" is separated from "communicating" (I did not form the topic, but chose it from a list), but for the purpose of this blog, I think it appropriate to link them. After all, inquiry requires a second party, unless you are in a mental hospital. Writing and its importance to communication is the true theme of my entire feed of blogs, so if you would like to fully understand the use of writing for communicating, go ahead and read my blogs! Writing is the way we transfer what we know and believe to others. If mastered, writing can be infectious. It can send a wave of emotion and action to your friend across the isle, the city counsel member down the street, the ears on the other side of the state, your fellow Americans, and to the ends of the Earth.

Writing as a Process

        I learned very early in my education that the kids who sat down and took their research papers step by step, task by task, always ended up with a better grade than those of us who wrote each word as it came to our heads. I learned that writing (mature writing) is a series of tasks. However, I am still learning exactly what is involved in that process. I suppose writing can be broken down into four steps: finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing. 

        Instruction by Mrs. Natalie Bishop, librarian here at Gardner-Webb University, has proved very useful to me when it comes to finding. I learned how to find an online database relevant to the information I am trying to find, and then search that database for journals, scholarly articles, books, and even pictures. This is a sure-fire way to find the exact material you are looking for. While using the internet and search engines such as Google may result in one or two useful articles, it could mean sifting through the boatloads of unhelpful links to get there. You could also go to a library to find relevant information in print, but who really does that anymore?

       Once you think you've found good sources, you need to evaluate. This is a concept I have come to understand quite clearly since being in Dr. Theado`s Comp 102 class. There is a lot of correct information out there. There is also a lot of incorrect information out there. I like to evaluate credibility by breaking it down into three levels. First of all, who published the material? If National Geographic puts their name on something, that information is as credible as every National Geographic piece that ever was and every National Geographic piece that will be. Second, whose material did the publisher publish? A journalist is a great writer, but not as knowledgable as an expert. Lastly, whose material did the author include? A journalist can be a very reliable source if the journalist includes an interview with an expert, or a statistic from the national bureau of xyz. If your piece survives my three-layered weed-out device, you can accept it as reliable- that is, if you think me a credible source. 

        It could be that you reach this point and realize that your source would be unfitting to include in your writing. This is where you would analyze. "How well does what this person is saying compliment what I`m trying to say?" One thing to take into consideration is the focus of the piece. For instance, the piece could be about disruptive children in the Hoboken, NJ public school system, but focuses on the teachers` reactions rather than your intended subject- the cause for student disruption. 

       After you have found sources, evaluated their credibility, and analyzed their focus, you can synthesize. Good writers work information gained from outside sources into their writing in smooth, understandable, and beneficial ways. They do not plagiarize. They synthesize. The purpose of everything mentioned above is to write stronger, more mature prose. So as writers, we should take information and implement it in a way that builds our message up and presents a healthy, wholesome argument. 

Using a Variety of Technologies to Address a Wide Range of Audiences

"Don`t believe everything you read on the internet"- Abraham Lincoln, 1856. 

       While the popularization of the internet may have allowed completely erroneous information to be broadcast to the masses, it also did some sort of good for rhetoric. It gave words a power that they had never seen before. The truth is, society`s advance of technology is the chief factor in the increase of vocal power. The question is no longer whether to use technology or not, but simply which technology to use. In the three weeks I have been attending classes here at Gardner-Webb University, I have already gotten my point across via blog, Word document, message board, powerpoint presentation, Facebook post, text message, and even via the latest craze among teenage Iphone users, "snapchat." You see, we, as communicators, are required (by the nature of what we are trying to say) to speak to a wide range of audiences. Technology is the means by which we speak to the precise audience desired. 

      There are many different audiences that we speak to, even in everyday life. As far as one-on-one conversation, there are specific technologies that are best suited to this type of rhetoric. We use text messaging to informally communicate with our friends. Honestly, I don't know that my friend would take me seriously if I submitted a paper or presented a powerpoint to ask about that homework assignment due tomorrow. Nor would my professor be very happy upon receiving a text containing that homework assignment. Sometimes, we ponder the motives of those drama queens who post status updates obviously intended for their guy friend (or once-guy-friend). Why would they post something intended for a single person on a social media site? When they post things like, "You`re going to miss me soon, you yellow-bellied double-crosser!", they have, in reality, mastered the art of technology choice. They have communicated a message to a multitude of individuals- I need attention.

     The technology of powerpoint has transformed the assembly, the business meeting, and the classroom alike. By refining a message into a series of concise points and slides, we have the ability to broadcast our message to a massive audience with the same ease as if we were presenting information to a single person. While the smallest, most intimate communication is adequately supported with the text message, the other end of the spectrum is supported by our friend the power point presentation. And it is effective. Thanks to our friends like the blog, powerpoint, and Facebook post, we can literally go tell the world.

Responding Appropriately to Different Audiences and Rhetorical Situations

         When Ms. Rachel Jeantel took the stand in the nationaly televised and internationally criticized trial of accused murderer George Zimmerman, she was not expecting to be instantly thrust into the public spotlight; mocked, ridiculed, or interviewed on some of the hottest news shows in the world. Was it a breath-taking testimony that ignited a momentum change in the courtroom which made her so famous (or infamous)? Was it her endearing narrative of her relationship to Trayvon Martin and the tears that flowed from the jurors eyes? No. It was her syntax. It was her diction. And it was her tone. Ms. Rachel Jeantel was criticized for the appropriateness of her means in relaying a message to the jurors. It is important to respond appropriately to different audiences and rhetorical situations.
         "Appropriate" is an interesting word. While my decision on what is "appropriate" may be as simple as choosing the double cheeseburger over the quadruple deluxe burger at McDonald`s, my decision on appropriate syntax for a given occasion can be incredibly daunting. For a doctoral thesis paper, it would make sense to include complicated, longer sentences for the purpose of including more detail and deeper thinking. We would call this "formal." But would we really employ this same tactic for say, an interview, even if it were a "formal" interview? Of course not. The interviewers want to hear from a human. Appropriate response, as far as syntax goes, will get you hired, earn you a doctorate degree, and perhaps even win a court case for you (or just save you from public ridicule).
         The structure of a sentence isn`t the only important aspect to consider when attempting to communicate appropriately. Appropriate diction is vital to communication, especially now, when words are changing, shortening, or becoming extinct altogether. We could misunderstand, misrepresent, and even be offended by a speaker who uses inappropriate diction. An audience who has not been in church as long as I have will not understand me when I mention things like "repentance," "communion," or "sanctification." Any message intended by me will be lost in the diction chasm between us. If society payed no attention to appropriateness in diction, the East would never understand the West, the North would never understand the South, the old would never understand the young, the skater punks would never understand the jocks, the nerds would never understand the popular kids, blacks would never understand whites; the audience would never understand the speaker. Rhetoric would collapse.
        We`ve all been reprimanded by our mothers: "Don`t talk back to me!" "Lose that tone right now!" Tone is important in communication. An inappropriate tone can be devastating to the speaker, but an appropriate one can move mountains.  Many coaches have been criticized for their "inappropriate tone" when dealing with players. Nine times out of ten, the coach claims that his players perform at an optimal level after being constructively screamed at. Learning to use appropriate tone is simple, but can be difficult. Does your attitude towards the subject achieve your purpose? My high school basketball coach was a master at carrying appropriate tone. His polite tone towards the referee`s good calls perfectly achieved his purpose- to get on the referee`s "good side."But, his furious and scornful tone also perfectly achieved his purpose- to let the ref know that there was animosity in the air, and the ref was not Coach`s best friend anymore. Tone is the kind of thing that will get you slapped if inappropriately employed. Just remember- before you speak, check your tone.
        While syntax, diction, and tone are only three of the many rhetorical aspects that must be appropriate for different audiences and situations, they are the most important. Syntax can win or lose a job, diction-a client, and tone-a friend. So, always keep in mind the appropriateness of your rhetoric.