CRITICAL REFLECTION

Module ES1102 is basically a writing module, where the students' writing skills in English are improved. To make writing practises a little more interesting, the students were to open a blog and post all their writing assignments there. It was also strongly encouraged to leave comments on at least  3 other students' blog posts. With the peer review and the tutor's comments, the students were to rewrite a revised assignment. This practice of feedback giving enhances the entire learning process. Apart from just developing the students writing skills and to give them a break from  continuous  writing  practices, there were  informal presentations to improve communication skills and one final presentation to introduce good formal presentation methods.

My  favourite  part of the module was to proof read another student's assignment and give comments. Students might have helped their  friends  proof read their assignments before. However, in this module the students were to follow strict criteria and give detailed comments. I also loved receiving comments, though I was not able to understand why my classmates and my tutor often commented on the flow of my content initially. Soon after my reader response was marked and returned, I realised  my major issue in writing were coherency and the tendency to make statements without support. Upon receiving my final daft marked, I am glad to see my drastic improvement in my coherency and content.I have not only improved on my coherency but have also developed my overall writing skills. 

Apart from just developing my writing skills I have also learnt how to accept criticism. Accepting criticism is hard, especially when the very work was considered the best by the student meets negative  responses from fellow classmates and tutor. At several instances, I had been stubborn to even correct the work that was heavily  criticised. Yet, only when I started accepting  the unexpected and disappointing remarks, I was able to do well in my final draft of problem-solution essay.

The impacts of this module have already started reflecting on my other modules' writing assignments. I started to treat my work as though of someone else and corrected it strictly. Hence the skills acquired in this module is  transferable  and will not  diminish over time as there going to be many writing  assignments  in the nest 3 years in the university. I am certain  that I will continue the practice of giving and receiving feedback on assignments as it has become an habit now.

The  coordinator(s) of this module have to be credited for making this module a successful one. However, it was also my tutor, Mr Brad Blackstone, for his constant encouragement and  his strong will to make his students experience positive changes in English after completing  this module.

Reader Response Draft#4

In the article “Who’s the true enemy of internet freedom -China, Russia or the U.S?”, Morozov (2015) asserts that though Russia and China restrict internet freedom to maintain their technological sovereignty locally, it is the U.S that exploits internet freedom to assert its digital sovereignty globally. It is reported in the article that the U.S has great interest in the information that is serviced by its companies but stored elsewhere. The author concludes that countries like Russia and China are imposing stricter internet censorship and control over their citizens’ data not just to control domestic tensions, but in response to the growing technological supremacy of the U.S.

The U.S tries to establish its technological supremacy by many ways – like making efficient services like Google and Microsoft available across the globe, which are then could not be easily replaced by domestic services (Morozov, 2015). However, the fact that the U.S tries to enhance its position in the cyber world by conducting mass surveillance is intriguing. Hence, it becomes necessary for nations like Russia to restrict their citizens’ usage of foreign internet and communication services so as to avoid the unauthorised surveillance of their citizens’ data by other nations, particularly the U.S.

Mass surveillance is the intricate surveillance of the whole or substantial fraction of a populace. It is often conducted or controlled by the government and is done concerning the security of its nation. To avoid the misuse of the data retrieved, every nation has its own set of rules controlling such surveillance activities. However, according to Harding, the way the U.S   retrieves users’ data globally is against the laws of other nations. Harding also points out that there are veiled and poorly examined laws in the U.S that justify such mass surveillance.

Surveillance are carried undercover; no one knows how and which data are retrieved. Recently, the Kaspersky lab has found out that the U.S has been embedding implants even in computers which are not connected to the internet (Perlroth & Sanger, 2015).These implants obtains encryption codes in a computer or could even crash “sophisticated” computers. This increases the vulnerability of not just users’ data but any nations’ official and private information which are now being stored on computers.

There is a possibility that for the U.S to even alter the data without anyone’s acknowledgement in the future, if the U.S easily gains access to the data, serviced by its company elsewhere. In the same way that a nation can determine the type information its citizens have access to on the internet, the U.S has the capability to exert such control over other nations without their acknowledgement.

In Russia, apart from the urge to use domestic internet and communication services, the surveillance activities by the U.S are closely watched and studied. Investing in the study of U.S surveillance activities helps countries to take required precautions to avoid further impinging of their data in the future and develop more sophisticated anti-spy ware technologies (Perlroth & Sanger, 2015). These steps cannot completely liberate a nation from the surveillance of the U.S but could reduce the extent of being tapped.

In conclusion, U.S companies are well established across the globe and that their services cannot be easily replaced by domestic companies in other countries (Morozov, 2015). Hence, the only immediate way to reduce mass surveillance is by restricting the usage of foreign internet and communication services in one’s nation. Meanwhile, other nations should invest in the development of their technological and communication sector to slowly move the American companies from their territory.

(590 words)

REFERENCE:

 1)     Morozov, E. (2015, January 4). Who’s the true enemy of the internet freedom – China, Russia, or the U.S? The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jan/04/internet-freedom-china-russia-us-google-microsoft-digital-sovereignty

 2)     Perlroth, N., & Sanger, D. E. (2015, February 16). U.S. embedded spyware overseas, report claims. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/technology/spyware-embedded-by-us-in-foreign-networks-security-firm-says.html

3) Harding, P. (2015, January 26). Mass surveillance is fundamental threat to human rights, says European report. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/26/mass-surveillance-threat-human-rights-council-europe

Self-evaluation on Presentation

Two presentations  in a single week would normally ruffle the feather's of any students', especially when the semester exams are nearing. However, to my surprise, i did not feel that way. I was excited. I wanted to improve the on the mistakes i did in the first presentation of the week. One of the main critic was that my voice was soft at times and i have to project it.  Another comment was to improve on my hand gesture as i was noticed fidgeting with my pen out of nervousness during the first presentation. Keeping these critics in mind, for the ES1102 presentation, I was credited to for good hand gestures. However I was not able to project my voice again. The 1st presentation of the week was for one of my engineering module, hence it was more theoretical. I wanted to make this presentation a little more interactive and i believe i have achieved it. I was very happy when my power point slides received positive comments, as i did work on it reasonably. Yet, one thing that disappointed me was my first impression i made on my audience. I wanted to give a good introduction, hence i memorised it beforehand. But my nerves went out of control which then sent wrong signal to the brain and which in turn made my lips utter the wrong statistical data. On the whole it was a good experience. I have have received many valuables comments which will further help me give a better  presentation  next time.

Critical reflection Outline 

1)     What happened?

-         As it is a writing course, certainly there was a lot of writing. Taking the learning to the next level, the students were to comment on at least on 2 of their classmates’ works. With the feedback given, one has to write a revised one which is again commented by the tutor and other classmates.

-          Apart from the formal 5 minute presentation on the problem-solution essay, the students were given some practise beforehand by making them do short informal presentations in small groups since the starting of the module. Hence, the final presentation is an opportunity to apply the skills they have learnt so far.

2)     Why/How did it happened? What factors contributed? How do you feel about it?

-         The module has been carefully designed. Most of the students were informed and some discouraged that they are a lot of writings to do in this module. To encourage the students, the first writing assignment was to write on the topic “My English Learning Journey”. This assignment was written from heart by many. Hence when the other students were to comment on the other students’ work, they had the opportunity to know more about one another and had a shared feelings over some common reasons for which they were to take this module.

-         The students were strongly encouraged to comment on every work of their classmates’. But what makes the feedbacks more useful is the posting of the revised drafts using the comments given by the tutor and fellow classmates.

3)     New interpretation of the experience? What is the significance? What did you earn about yourself and others?

-         Every student would have got feedbacks on their work sometime back, yet the system of commenting on others work with strict criteria as though one’s a teacher was new for many. It was fun to criticise someone else’s work. However, initially, I was not able to proofread my own works. I suppose I was either too satisfied or overconfident of my work.

-         Though l I loved to read the comments left on my essays, if any parts (content or phrases), which I had considered the best, received negative comments, I had been very stubborn to accept the mistake and change it. Now, when I reflect, over the course of time, I had changed myself and have become more open to critics.

4)     What will you do as a result of this experience? How will you use it to inform your future?

The impacts of this module are well reflected in the essays that I am writing for other modules. The skills learnt in this module are transferrable and could not be easily forgotten. This is because throughout the university life there are going to be many more essays or papers to write and the learnt skills are going to be applied often. I will still continue the habit commenting on my friends’ works and discuss with other friends whether my comments are correct.