Unit 2

I have learned quite a bit in this unit of English 2. One of the things I learned is that I have a ton of resources to use for papers. All of these resources are provided by Black River Tech. It is really nice to know that I don’t have to always go to the library or Google everything when I need information. Another thing I learned is actually how to use Google. For years I have always turned to Google when I need answers. I usually just type in a couple of words relevant to what I’m looking for. Now I find myself using quotation marks and the word NOT, along with other things from page 338 in the Writer’s Reference book when I am using a search engine.  One of the things I am still uncertain of in this unit is the way to summarize without plagiarizing. This seems simple to understand yet I guess I just need a little more practice writing to get good at it. I don’t consider myself very good at citing sources either so that’s something I should study. Paraphrasing is a little difficult for me too. I know it is taking information and putting it in your own words and should be about the same length as the original, but I just get stumped sometimes trying to figure out which one of my own words I want to use. Over all I have learned a lot in this unit and look forward to getting better in the areas in which I struggle.

Digital Life

Today's world is advancing dramatically before our eyes. We went from writing on stone tablets years ago, to almost everything being digital. When writings are digital, we have easier access to them. We don’t have to worry about anything damaging our prints. Not very many people actually read books or magazines these days. Books can now be read on readers and most magazines can be read on online. Even the newspapers are published on websites. This makes everything more convenient for the readers with just a click of a button. If you go to the library you can still find a lot of books and material to read but you can also find almost all of it on digital copy as well. I like the fact that articles and archives are this way because I take online classes. I don’t always have the ability to go into the school or the library to do research but I know I can find what I need right here on my computer in the comfort of my home. On the other hand, my children haven’t learned the way I did as a child. I have made a point to take my kids to the public library quite a bit, so they can learn the proper way of locating a specific book or topic. If you think about it, the digital copy is a backup to the original. This is a way to be assured you won’t lose the information.  Today’s society has even begun to make and keep personal pictures on digital records. I have realized that this is something I do too. Ten years ago I would take a roll of film to get it developed. Today, all I do is send Walgreens my digital copy from my computer and have them print out one or two pictures at a time. I have tons and tons of actual pictures in my closet, but they are not recent ones. I like having pictures of all my loved ones to look back at years later. In my opinion, this is one downfall to digitalizing everything.

                                                 Family

Amber



My husband and the baby



Me and John Hayden @ a class party



James



John Hayden



Amber & Abby



My Kids @ Dixie Stampede



Abby's Birthday Party!



Amber & James outside





ASU Game



Abby @ Softball Tournament



On the Lake





My Bestie!





My nephew and I



My name is Jenny Sims and I am 30 years old. I am married to a wonderful man, John Sims. He is my best friend and I cannot imagine my life without him. We have been married for twelve years on Feb.16, 2013. John and I have four kids who we absolutely adore! My oldest is Abby and she just turned 11 years old. She is a softball player and she keeps us busy with games and practices at least 3 days a week. People call Abby my "mini me". She looks a lot like me and some say she has the same attitude. My other daughter is Amber; she will be 9 years old on Jan. 26 2013. She is my little dainty cheerleader. Amber is very outgoing and smart! My oldest son is John Hayden. He is 7 years old and just played football for the first time last season. John Hayden is very energetic and loving! My youngest son is James who is 9 months old now. He is the best baby you could ask for. He loves Mickey Mouse and Elmo and is starting to pull up on everything in the house, so he keeps me on my toes! My family is my life, as you can see. I devote almost every waking moment to someone in my family. I am the vice president of the PTA at my sons school, I'm a Girl Scout leader for my daughters troop, I was the cheer mom last season for Ambers squad, and I am a full time student. We love to travel together and we all love the river in the summer. I think we are all water babies! I love ASU football games and Birthday parties too! My favorite color is Blue.