I am a lousy English college student struggling alone until I meet creative nonfiction class this semester. For English learners who have not participated in social activities, self-learning English is like groping in the dark. There is no light to inspire or encourage people to move forward. Many people will choose to linger in place or lie down and give up. I’m the same way. Although I didn’t give up directly, I could only read and write due to a lack of training in communicating with others. I generally cannot understand English for daily communication, such as passers-by asking for directions; I have severe problems with my spoken pronunciation and grammatical vocabulary, so I can’t even successfully buy the coffee I want at Starbucks. Even when I entered university, I couldn’t understand what the professors were saying, and they usually couldn’t communicate with me. Fortunately, every course had PowerPoint resources shared with students so that I could pass the exam smoothly, all with high scores. Fortunately, the professors included most of the test points in PowerPoint. Sometimes I think that if the exams in college are all speaking and listening exams or discussion in class, I will become the worst student. This situation lasted until creative nonfiction class this semester， professor Efthymiou brought us a fantastic class. But at the first class, I didn’t like it because it related to cooperation with classmates among our team members.I couldn’t understand them, and they also had difficulty understanding me. Luckily, we learned many collaboration Skills.
From ENGL 201 W class, I learned how to work with others to brainstorm ideas, provide constructive feedback, and collaborate on writing projects. This experience can help us develop important, valuable teamwork and communication skills in many aspects of life. I also learned that writing nonfiction requires thorough research and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and credibility. In the class, we conducted research effectively, evaluated sources, and integrated factual information into our writing while maintaining integrity and honesty.I have also benefited a lot in the process of adapting to it. For example, I can complete the task with less than a quarter of the usual time and energy. For example, I can discover the joy of social interaction and the loveliness of other people in communication and dialogue. Such as the satisfaction and peace of mind after overcoming new situations and adapting to new requirements. As Bruffee said: “Students’ work tended to improve when they got help from peers; peers offering help, furthermore, learned from the students they helped and from the activity of helping itself.” (Bruffee, 638)
The first collaboration was in a group, with the four working hard to write a collaborative essay. We have two collaborative Word documents, and I entered another document. While the other three people were working hard to finish an article, I also wrote the beginning and end of the article alone in another place. This comparison made me find that it takes more time and experience to complete the initial tasks of cooperation, especially when the writing levels of the people in the team are different. The articles written by the cooperation are at the average level of the team members because we must learn to respect Everyone’s ideas and be moderate and neutral. Such a harmonious and cooperative approach will kill emerging individualism.
The second cooperation was one in which everyone in the class participated. This method of cooperation was more effective than the first cooperation because the first grouping was simply and roughly based on personal hobbies and interests. The second time, we got together because we liked answering the same questions. The cooperation was also very simple, and the task was completed easily. Grouping people with the same problems will lead to higher work efficiency than groups with common interests. We can focus on one point for the same question, have the energy to choose more answers, and discuss the answers to ensure their accuracy and conciseness, thereby promoting the cooperation and efficiency of group members.
From ENGL 201 W class, I collaborated with my classmates and professor, I learned that we can use non-living agents and agency as tools that help us write better. Human beings are the only intelligent animals on earth so far. One of the essential characteristics is that humans have created language and written language, especially writing. “Writing is a person’s ability to express his or her thoughts and ideas through writing, using his or her unique voice and style”(Cooper 138). This critical feature allows us to popularize existing knowledge in every corner of the world. Still, more importantly, we can preserve this knowledge forever and promote human society to advance rapidly and eventually enter a civilized society at a high speed. Writing has many purposes and uses. For example, novelists use fictional plots to reflect human society and nature; scientists use writing to interpret scientific theories and experimental results; critics use writing to criticize current ills and cultural chaos. As Cooper defined, an agent is “a human autonomous subject who through conscious intention and free will causes effective changes in the world” (Cooper 126).I find myself grappling with the shifting dynamics of writing power and legitimacy. On the one hand, because of “old-fashioned writing legitimizes power, largely through its taxing effort, its call on a person’s time, attention, judgment, and skill, and its capacity to strengthen and improve those who take it up” (Brandt 47), traditional forms of writing embodied a sense of authority due to the laborious process they demanded. Investing time, attention, and skill lent credence to the penned words. Conversely, as we embrace collaborative writing practices facilitated by AI and other technologies, the locus of agency begins to shift. As Cooper said, these “agents are entangled in intra-active constitutive becomings” (129). The lines between human and nonhuman agents blur, challenging conventional notions of authorship and authority. In our experiment with AI as a ghostwriter, I experienced a redistribution of agency, where the boundaries between my voice and that of the machine became increasingly porous. In this condition, AI provides an excellent tool for them to do science writing and proofreading. So, many scholars are considering the extent to which AI should be used in academic writing. By doing so, “We can Harness the power of AI while upholding the highest standards of medical writing and patient care. (Doyal et al. P4). The professor once asked us to share our thoughts on AI in the Writing 201 class. The professor used multiple-shaped stickers to help us create a colorful picture wall with all our ideas on AI. The interaction between the outer and inner worlds intrigued us with more ideas when we emerged happily and excitedly in class. By prioritizing human well-being and ethical principles, we can ensure that AI benefits society and helps us address some of our biggest challenges. This is like magic that can take effect. Its emergence will save us time from heavy work unnecessarily; I believe that AI will become one of our most potent assistants as humans, whether in modern society or the future.
I used my code of collaboration class, I found a similar opinion by searching, I am glad that my classmates have the same ideas and feelings. Additionally, our professor recommended I enter the Writing Center, an agency on our campus, an after-class helping center where I practiced and improved my English skills. The W201 class is a fantastic class, both a practical writing skill and knowledge class. It is so vivid, like a game, that it makes us learn something new. It gives me fresh ideas and information and improves my ability to cooperate with others and practice English.
Reference:
Bruffee, Kenneth. “Collaborative Learning and the Conversation of Mankind.” College English, vol. 46, no. 7, 1984, pp. 635-652.
Cooper, Marilyn M. The Animal Who Writes. U of Pittsburgh P, 2019.
Nowacek, Rebecca S. Agents of Integration. NCTE, 2011.
Brandt, Deborah. The Rise of Writing. Cambridge UP, 2014.
Doyal et al. ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in Medical Writing: Concerns and Ethical Considerations. Cureus 15(8)(2023): DOI 10.7759/cureus
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