Throughout my time in UWRT 1102 I compiled, analyzed and studied

information on first impressions and showcased my work through this E-Portfolio!

My E-Portfolio, this current website, includes a traditional research paper, a final
portfolio essay (FPE), a cumulative blog, a visual bibliography, artifacts representing
the progression of my work and one wildcard! Each different page has a different
theme and purpose to accurately and sufficiently display the information included
on each page. Utilizing my spatial1 awareness I kept things that were alike together
and separate on different pages so the focus would be on that particular
assignment. The research paper is the most formally informative and will provide
the most details about first impressions and more specifically first impressions in
the work force. The rest of the pages enhance and further explain this information.
Except for the artifacts, these show my growth in this course throughout the
semester.
When we were assigned this project I had a very hard time picking a topic. Initially,
I thought I wanted to study potential rape victims and individuals that were involved
in complex rape situations but they consented to the relationships and sexual acts.
Then I realized this question was faulty and did not excite me enough for me to
dedicate an entire semester worth of research to it. Then I started doing simple
google searches on interesting research topics. I was stuck at a place where I was
interested in everything but passionate about nothing and I felt that I should be
passionate about whatever I was studying in order to stay devoted to through the
whole semester. I could not tell if I was struggling with the key concept critical
thinking or if I was indeed just thinking too hard about picking a topic and should
just pick one.
Eventually, I stumbled upon first impressions! I knew immediately this would
be a fit because I love the study of body language and word choice. Also,
considering that I want to potentially be a speech writer for politicians I knew I
would want to study the art of first impressions. But this was way to broad. After
meeting with my small group in class, I came up with a few different scenarios
where first impressions are prominent. Once I settled with first impressions within
formal relationships between employers and potential employees, my e portfolio
finally had a basis and direction.
Organization.
The very first page of my portfolio is an About Me page that is dedicated to
myself. It explains briefly who I am and what I plan on doing in the future just to
give my audience a little background on exactly this information is coming from. I
used my favorite colors on this page which are warmer and darker colors with a
splash of yellow to enhance the visual. I keep this color scheme pretty consistent
throughout the entire portfolio in order to keep it organized and not all over the
place. Because the readers eyes have adjusted to the mood and tone of the project
with the darker barckgrounds and brighter texts I decided to maintain this. I paid
close attention to the key concept multi-modality of print & digital texts by keeping
1 Throughout this paper, key concepts and the five modes are italicized to be
noticed because they have no subheading.

in consideration the small things such as formatting. For instance, when I introduce
my artifacts on the artifacts page I show pictures of the artifacts and give them brief
captions that I further explain in this essay. At this point in my portfolio I am sure
the author needs a break from reading formal and thorough writings so I offered
images. This also in my opinion adds an aspect of digital text to the work. Also,
these colors make the white words and pictures more of the focus instead of using
bright colors and backgrounds which would take the focus off my work. All of these
were choices to make a better visual mode throughout the project.
Blog.
The next page available to readers after this one is the Blog. This is my
actual blog where I blogged about my research and used this to further my efforts
for my paper. My blog includes nine post with each having an individual purpose.
The blog component of the project, I think, was intended to help us thrive in the key
concepts responsibility for your own learning and making connections. One of my
more helpful post was post #4 where I described what type of scholars I wanted
look for because e I thought their studies would be the most helpful. It really helped
me make connections. This blog was dedicated to my roundtable where people
would be at the table that would be involved in my topic. I quoted
The first group of people at my roundtable would be
Psychologist/Psychiatrist/Specialist. Psychiatrist are medical doctors that do more
clinical work with patients involving psychological issues. While Psychologist are
individuals that do more of counseling and therapeutic work with patients troubled
with mental deficiencies or issues. I would label these individuals as scholars but it
is more appropriate to use their real titles in this scenario. As far as first impressions
these doctors and specialist are heavily involved in the research. This being
because first impressions have so much to do with the mind and body. So by
specialist I mean body language specialist and people that study nonverbal
communication.
So at first I thought this is where the most useful information would come from. But
by blog post #6 I still had more research to do and it included, At this point in my
work I would like to research attire, tone, etc. The smaller aspects of the interview.
These are details that are best given by actual employers and people whose
opinions actually matter! So at this point in my research I realized its not as
technical as I thought it was. Psychologist and psychiatrist can you tell what an
employers is probably thinking and what certain gestures and colors can make
them think and how they can make them feel. But only the actual employer can
give you insight into what they are thinking and why they are thinking this way. The
blog helped me come to this conclusion. But even still the majority of my research
did come from psychology studies. I noticed even in my classmates Chases blog #9
he reflected on this post as well as being helpful. Saying My 4th blog is
interesting, in this blog we had to form a round table of people involved with our
topic. I still feel the same way about big tobacco in general not only was this blog
helpful, he also came full circle just like myself! I guess this shows that when you
are biased about a research topic and you choose to research pro or con, that is the
type of information you look for even when you start to consider the other sides

involved. Chase and I both realized the other sides involved through the roundtable
but came back to our original theories because that is the research we found that
supported it. This is also how I stayed responsible for my own learning because
these connections and conclusions were made by me using this blog to guide me
and keep me responsible for understanding what was going on in my realm of
research.
In the beginning stages, as I added blog pages I added them as individual
pages so when I compiled them all onto one page into one complete blog I lost all of
my comments and feedback from my peers that was on the separate blog pages.
This was critical advice and opinions that would have been helpful in how to make
my blog more thorough and appealing. This is also why my blogs have the most
revision and highlighting because as I correctly formatted them I completed them as
well. I really got behind in post #5-9 so these are where you will see red words
which are basically what was added.
Artifacts.
The next page of my portfolio is the page dedicated to the various artifacts
that represent different stages in my project. My first four are processed work
artifacts that represent processed work. Each title on this page introduces the
artifacts that follow. The artifacts are in a gallery where you can click on one
picture and it will maximize it while also showing you the brief and somewhat vague
caption for each picture. It also gives you an arrow option to navigate through each
picture in that particular gallery. Each title has its own gallery, therefore, 4 Process
Work Artifacts has its own gallery including four photos of examples of process
work. I decided to use pictures on this page to also enhance the visual mode and
linguistic mode of my portfolio because so far it was a lot of writing and that can get
strenuous on the audience eyes. Because I was addressing the visual pieces I
wanted to incorporated aural aspects to the project but I could not think of any
music or sound effects or anything in that category that would be appropriate. So, if
anything because I am studying first impression any type of sound I could think to
add would have ruined your first impression of my portfolio!
The first photo under the first title is of a warm up that was done in class.
This was at the beginning of the semester when we first began deciding what we
wanted to use as a topic. At this stage I was still considering using rape as a topic. I
used this so I could show how things changed over time in four simple stages. This
was the very first stage. The next photo is another warm up that I chose to use to
help show changes over time because in this warm up I began to realize this topic
did not fit me and I would not work for complete research. The third photo is when I
first selected first impression and decided to define my terms within my question so
that I understand fully what exactly I am studying. This is the third picture because
it is when things took a change and started to get moving. The last picture shows
the last stage. Now that I have chosen a topic I can begin research. This picture is of
an assignment required for our class library visit. This visit was for us to learn how
to complete proper research and how to set up appointments with the librarians in
order to help us find quality sources. These four photos show how I got to where I

am at with this project now. I started with a bad topic, realized it, changed it, and
then began researching it.
The next set of artifacts are to showcase feedback given or received at some
point in the course. The first picture is of a reflection I did at the end of one class
period after a feedback workshop done in class. During this class period we mocked
speed dating where we moved around the room and gave feedback and received
feedback from our classmates. In my reflection I shared some great ideas I received
on other aspects I could include that I had not thought of yet. Tattoos and piercings
are a huge deal in this day in age when it comes to formal and conservative
settings. I completely overlooked this and this is something that people in my
audience want to know about! This workshop really helped me because I would
have not included this in my work. The second feedback was me actually giving my
feedback back to Ms.Ingram in a warm up done on (2/10). We were asked about
how we referenced our sources and I choose the three column notes and found that
it was actually visually very helpful and the reviews of the sources was also helpful
in rhetorical awareness.
The next set of artifacts are writers notebook artifacts. My first photo is of a
handout that was given to us to help us give feedback more sufficiently and
accurately. I highlighted what you are NOT supposed to do when giving feedback
because throughout my entire academic career these are the things I thought and
was taught that feedback was. This handout taught me that feedback is not to
change but to expand you work. After reading this handout I became better at
phrasing and recognizing how I thought a paper could get better. I was always really
big on stylistic issues, such as bad word choice and formatting issues but it is not
my job to change my peers work but to help them understand why this makes the
paper unattractive to me then they can decided if they want to take heed to my
advice. My next artifact under this category was my outline of my research paper.
This outline guided me through my paper and kept me reminded of what needed to
be included and where so that it would flow properly. When I did not have a draft
and I tried to start my paper I was lost and could not exactly figure out where to
start or where to go next. This was one of the most resourceful artifacts in the entire
project. The next is the outline to my research paper. This started as the reflection
for my multi-genre project but it became too lengthy to be a reflection of what
should already be showcasing this information. But I could not find a way to give
this information collected without writing a formal paper. This outline is really the
basis to my paper helped me sought out what to include and how to organize it.
The following artifacts are wildcard artifacts! For my wildcards I chose the
most helpful artifacts yet, although discovered in other courses! In one of my liberal
studies classes, a teacher mentioned google scholar as a good search engine to
start research and a way to find the refined and specific information youre looking
for without it being lacking credibility. I was very used to doing a simple google
search whenever I was looking for new information and not clarifying if this
information was worth using or not. Then in another liberal studies class we are
required to write three research papers throughout the semester but our sources
have to be approved! The only sources that were ever approved where the ones

found through the librarys database! This is when I connected the dots. I used
google scholar to find the specific information I was looking for and then entered the
titles of articles, books, films, etc into the schools database in order to view the
source and utilize it! Because google only allows you to know that the source is
available but at your financial dispense. Being that I am a registered student at an
accredited university I am able to view these expensive scholarly essays for free!
Midterm.
The next component of my portfolio is my midterm which is where I reflected
over where I stood in the course at this point in the semester. In my midterm I
talked about what I thought I had done correctly and what I could improve on. In my
midterm letter I mentioned the key concepts and how I they were active in my work.
I can also look back on my midterm letter and realize how things have changed. I
quoted Related to this my last issue is getting out of my comfort 'one! I am used to
writing traditional research papers and formal papers but I picked a topic that could
be more appropriate with a multi media genre! Once I started constructed the
multi-genre project I realized how much information I was dealing with and my
natural will took over as I unconsciously began writing the research paper through
my reflection. The reflection that the multi-genre projects require are not limited to
two pages but can be considered complete at that point and I easily surpassed this
page limit.
In the midterm letter that was written back to me by Ms.Ingram, I was given
an updated list of all my absences, participation grades and a general synopsis of
how I was doing at that point. I was doing okay, fairly caught up at that point but it
wouldve been best if I kept improving. I feel at this point in the semester I started
doing worst and it really had a domino effect. The first thing I noticed was how I had
already accumulated three absences and couldnt even remember which days those
were. So I consciously made sure I was in class everyday until I got into a car
accident and missed class due to doctors appointments so I wouldnt be sacrificing
my grade over attendance. Next this letter back to me was an eye opener because
of my participation grade. My participation grade was 15/30 and Ms.Ingram even
quoted Yikes! to warn me. I have always felt I work better under pressure and this
often causes me to procrastinate. I let the deadlines get away from me and it only
became a substitution of quality of the project and research. It also affected my
grade because it only made my participation grade go down! This really taught me
that you have to keep up, not just in UWRT but in my academic career period.
Finally, in the midterm letter Ms.Ingram wrote back to the entire class she stated in
order to learn something you must participate in the learning. At the end of the
semester while I am reflecting this stands out to me because during the semester I
missed my opportunity to participate in the learning often times by not keeping up
with the class. I lost peer workshop opportunities and if anything time. That extra
time to polish and revise and further understand. But this class and this project
really showed me how much better your work can be when you actually take the
time to stretch it out and do it and not let it pile up and finish it. I have actually
learned about myself because now I know that although I do work well under
pressure this is not the ideal situation. This was my own personal way of showing

the key concept intellectual growth and maturity. Because not only am I growing
and showed growth throughout the course but intellectually but coming to these
conclusions mentioned earlier.
The paper.
The following page includes my finished research paper. The last time I
shared this paper it was a two page reflection that I was even considering turning
into an article as another part of the multi-genre project but then I continued to
further it as a research paper. My paper lacks a lot of highlighting and revision
because I did not do a lot. If I would have started off doing a research paper it would
at least have two sets of revisions. My paper is one of my favorite parts of the
project. I learned that It would be awful to have an amazing interview just for the
receptions to be able to report off to the employer how bad of an attitude you had
and how little you were willing to cooperate. (Swift, 2008). This was surprising to
me because I did not know that this was also something you had to be mindful of.
My paper is full of surprising information such as this.
WildCard.
The wildcard is a set of interview questions that are commonly asked and
some that are not so commonly asked. These questions also include their purpose.
A lot of modern interview questions are used to reveal certain aspects about a
persons personality. Although they should all be truthful they can be manipulated. I
would not recommend this because through my research I learned that not only
should you fit the job but the job should fit you. So if your answer reveals something
that makes you unfit for this job, take that into consideration. I thought this part of
the project was cool because I could have did a mock interview and showed
appropriate answer response but instead I decided to show what exactly you are
answering. This was my first time learning this information about these questions.
References.
A prezi will be the focus of this page to show my references. I chose a prezi to
get out of my comfort zone because I originally organized my sources on an excel
page using three boxes but this was not very appealing so I decided to try making a
prezi. With persistence I eventually figured out how to format everything so that I
could include all the information and then figure out how to embed the information
onto my portfolio. I have included ten sources on my prezi and each are scholarly
articles except for one which is a film. They also conveyed different lights of the first
impression process with employers. The book helped me with this assignment
because it quotes As you skim, evaluate, and read potential sources, annotate your
working bibliography by explaining how the source addresses your research
question and how you might use the source in your paper. Entries might include the
following information Genre, Type of Writing, Authors Credentials, Use of
Source This is what I looked for and thought about when I was writing my reviews
of my sources. This is how I realized I did quote from a lot of psychology
departments work in my paper. Also this helped me organize my sources and it
showed me they were not very diverse at all.

Conclusions.
I am actually proud of my portfolio. As it was coming together I was
discouraged because nothing seem to meet my expectations. It wasnt flowing
correctly, I couldnt quite understand how to work all the websites needed and I was
rushing. But as I finish reflecting I am glad with the way it came together. It is
simple and understandable the way I like things to be, precise. Each page is labeled
accurately and includes the needed information. If I could change anything I would
change the pace of my work. I wouldve kept up with the class more and absolutely
had my drafts on peer reflections day. The book even quotes Edit also because the
impression other people have of you matters. I couldnt agree more! Especially
after doing an entire project on impressions. I think a lot of my work could use
further drafts but where they are now, they have to be considered complete. I do
not think they are bad, just not perfected. But this was a part of my own personal
learning process and growth. Also, I am very proud of this very essay! This is my
first time writing a paper to this extent and length, single spaced! I am used to
depending on double spaced paper to get me to the word limit but when you
actually sit down and fulfill all requirements it becomes easier to surpass page limits
then meet them! I think I took my time and explained every part of my project. I
navigated through my portfolio as I wrote this essay so if anything is not a part of
this essay, it shouldnt be within my portfolio. I honestly think I deserve an A in the
class! I did not meet all deadlines but I did have everything finished in the end. Also,
I really analyzed and reflected on how I had changed and what was my personal
struggle and success in the semester. According to the grade scale, quoting
extensively from other writers was a way to show my connections. I quoted from
Chase, myself, Ms.Ingram, the book and one of my sources. Not to meet the
requirement but working with others work helped me promote what I was saying
and connect with other parts of my project. I also made sure my project was easy to
understand and neat. I noted this in the modes that were used. I also identified with
the key concepts of the class. I noticed the key concepts being a part of this project
in various ways. Including now as I provide ultimate feedback on myself to receive
feedback from my instructor. Overall, I had a good time with this project and
wouldnt mind doing something like this again senior year to see even more growth!