FInal Portfolio

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Interviews

Interviews are used for serveral different purposes. They can be used to do research for your research paper, or they can be used for a company to find out about a person applying for a job. When planning to interview a person you should either write down different questions that you have for them or make a list of questions in your head. In the interviews we have to do in our research paper, they don't really have much of a focus other than it has to do with the site that you're looking at. Something that you should avoid when conducting an interview would be to ask too many closed questions. Closed questions are questions that the person you're interviewing can only answer with one word. Try to think of questions that the person could expand on, something they have an opinion about. If they are going on and on about one question that you ask them, you could come across another question you have for them through their answer. Interviews shouldn't be too hard to do, the hardest part is thinking of good question you could ask. They are useful and give you good information as long as you ask the right questions.

Research

In the document containing Nicole Williams research on the Hanover Bowladrome, she uses a lot of detail. She talks about everything from the attitudes of the women in the different bowling leagues, to the number of years some of them have been bowling. When talking about the couple who bought the Hanover Bowladrome six years ago, she gets very specific. She talks about how it seems as if their sons will not stop bowling anytime soon and about the different bowling alley locations that the couple, Hank and Carol, used to own. She mentions the names of the sons and gives descriptions of the other workers at the alley. Also, she uses quotes from what people say to her. That shows that she talked to not only one person, but a few different people. She doesn't put their conversations in quotations, but just parts of them and continues to explain how the conversation goes on. It looks as if she just used this as a rough draft to get everything she learned down on paper. There is no heading, and two titles: "Hanover Gems" and "All in the Family". Before those two parts of her research, she does actual research on bowling and how it started. So not only does she do research on her current site, but she goes deeper into how it started, where it came from and how it advanced technologically over time. I'd say it was a very good way start to a research paper!

Writing 102 Portfolio

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Dunkin' Donuts, 3PM 2/17/2011

Observations about how it looks:

• Tile floors tan colored
• Orange table tops
• Counter tops are granite black
• Pepsi cooler contains Aquafina water, mt dew, diet pepsi, pepsi, apple juice, oj, choc milk, milk, green T, purp&red gat, pink lemonade
• Donut case filled with several new types of donuts...ex) reverse boston kreme, cocoa glazed, cocoa kreme puff, heart shaped
• Ad for buy 3 get 3 free on front counter (donuts)
• Ad for 'Dunkin Perks' rewards
• Menu board has numbered combos... ex) 1- 2 donuts+med coffee, 2-muffin+med coffee 3-bagel+med coffee, 4 saus egg chz croisant+med coffee, etc.
• Coffee flavors posted top left had corner
• Big ad for wake-up wraps in front of pepsi cooler
• Bathroom has no paper towels; hand dryer, very neat
• Door with 'employees only' on right
• Counter right in front when you walk in
• Outside parking lot complicated to get in and out

Observations of customers:

• Older man brings bike into the doorway and leaves it there...continues to get a small hot black and puts 2 s/l in then sits near the door facing out the window..wearing a greay hat and plaid grey sweater.
• A young group of girls come in..sm fv iced xx, donuts, bagel w/ cc...sit at big round table in corner...talk to one another
• 2 young boys come in to talk to the girls at big table
• Worker with brown hair tells them if they're not buying anything they have to leave
• Boys buy boston kreme/glz donuts and continue to talk to girls
• The workers are around my age and all girls, I hear them chat in the back room
• The girls at the round table continue to talk to the boys
• 15 mins up

Slide, Roll, Slam

While reading the essay, Slide, Roll, Slam, by Nicole Williams I noticed that she had very detailed descriptions about everything. She mentioned everything from the names of people who worked there to what they were dressed in. Using descriptive language, she makes us feel as if we are there with her in this bowling alley. She watches the many men play their games, and then focuses in on a particular game. She informs us what is going on and tells us the ages of the men. Also, she tells us the name of a bowling team. I thought it was well written because when I read it, I felt as if I was actually at the bowling alley. The emotion she uses, also, helps put the reader at the scene. Those are always the books I like to read...very detailed and emotional.

Marylou's News

          I chose Marylou's News (the coffee shop located throughout MA) as my research site. All throughout middle school I would walk there with my friends and sit and observe the people driving by. From doing that, I already know a lot about my site. I know that the black and white tiled floors are starting to crack and the white isn't so white anymore; I know that the countertops are pink and so are the walls; I know that they sell a variety of coffee flavors, as well as frozen drinks with names like twix, funky fanabla, oreo cookie monster, mocha frosty lou, minty lou, etc; I know that they sell muffins, danishes, carrot cake, banana bread, coffee rolls, bagels, etc; I know that they sell cooler drinks such as gatorade, vitamin water, milk, water, etc; I know that kids from ages 12-16 sit in the windows and drink their beverage with their friends; and I know that there are usually girls from ages 18-30 that work their.
          There is not much I need to find out about my site, as I visit it quite frequently because it is located in my town. I stop on the way to and from school and there are only a few changes from when I used to hang out there. For instance, there are now 2 benches that they put outside when it isn't snowing out. Also, there is a bathroom key now and there never was one before. There are different posters advertising new drinks, and there are 2 new tables that they put in the store. Other than those few details not much has changed. It still smells and looks basically the same. If I go after 3pm I usually will see a group of middle school age girls hanging out, just like my friends and I used to. It brings back memories.