James Donckels

E-Portfolio Check-In #3

I will be reflecting on my Document Interpretation #4, on Thomas Jefferson’s first

inaugural address.

I think this assignment helped me further develop my skills of critically analyzing texts

and putting them in context to help gain a deeper understanding of why they were written and

what impact they had. With these document interpretations, the language is quite old, and the

wording and style of writing and speaking during that time was quite different from what it is

today, and these assignments help me gain a better grasp of how to comprehend and interpret

what these people were saying all those years ago. I think this assignment also helped me

further develop my writing skills, as I felt I did a good job of breaking my response into separate

paragraphs depending on the subject material. I also felt I was able to successfully answer the

questions that went along with the document and I did a good job of citing sources to support

my response and tying everything together to make my overall assignment cohesive.

I would change a few things about the way I did this assignment. First, I would change

the timing of how I did the assignment, as I did it all on the night it was due in one big burst. In

the future, I want to strive to get started earlier before the assignment is due so I both have

adequate time to write a good response along with giving myself time to revise and edit my

work. When working on assignments as they get closer to the deadline, you have less time to

edit, less time to check your work, and overall less time to polish it up and make it as good as

you can. Starting it a day or two (or even more) in advance would give me more time to work on

my response, as well as lower my stress levels so I’m not in “cram mode” as much. Having

more time on my side would also mean I could take more breaks and come back to the

assignment with fresh eyes, allowing me to better grasp the content and meaning behind it and

digest the information even more thoroughly. I would also change the setting and circumstances

under which I work on the assignment. I usually work at my desk with my phone right next to
me, but I tend to get distracted by my phone easily whenever it buzzes or lights up, and that

breaks my flow and makes it harder for me to stay on task. I think in the future, even though it

may seem really scary to me, I should take my phone and put it in another room, or fully shut it

down when I sit down to work on assignments so I can completely and totally dedicate my focus

to my studies. Time management and distractions are things I am constantly working to

improve, and I often fall short, but if I can do even just a little bit better next time, that will be

progress in the right direction and it will allow me to bring my work to the next level.