Jennifer, Alexa, and I have continued our dialogic approach of collaboration while finishing our project. We were orginally going to do a research paper to address our question and present our research, but chose to do a Prezi instead. Jennifer and I have never done and Prezi, although we have attempted to use it before. Alexa, however, has done one but is not very comfortable with it. We understood it would be a challenge, but realized it would be the best way to portray our information. A research paper would have been boring and similar to previous assignments in other courses. The Prezi gave us the opportunity to make it multi-modal by including videos, images, etc., through movement. All three of us did seperate research addressing different topics related to our question. Then, we came together, discussed our findings, decided how to organize the information, and finally began our Prezi last Tuesday. We started working right away and made a lot of progress so far. Alexa works with the Prezi arrangement and tools, while Jennifer and I read her the different information. We all work together deciding which images to use and how to organize it the best way possible. I'm really impressed with my group members and how well we collaborate on this project. We are planning on finishing the Prezi on Tuesday in class. I'm really excited to see the finished Prezi and eager to hear feedback from the rest of the class and Professor Mangini.
The interview that we conducted for the Oral History project taught me a lot about the food industry and why it's so difficult to serve high quality, organic foods to the masses. Since Rowan University has thousands of students to feed daily, providing an organic selection in a meal plan is practically impossible, due to tight budgets and more difficult accessibility.
He also offerered some useful facts that we can explore in our Collaborative Research Project. For example, Smith explained that Duffield's farm market in Sewell practices organic farming, yet cannot be certified organic due to the yearly cost of $300,000.00 Consequently, Rowan University students attempting an organic diet may be unaware of the organic food products available a few miles off of campus. He also noted that the Rowan-Sodexo food budget is accessible to the public through the internet. This will be a valuable resource for us to include in our project to illustrate the limited possibilities of offering expensive, organic choices.
Thankfully, Mr. Smith fully answered our questions and gave us even more crucial information during the interview. Through conversation and leading questions, he definitely gave Alexa, Jennifer, and I some strong material to work with. We will be referring to this interview throughout our Collaborative Research project to show how the complexities of how the food industry works and why it doesn't truly work in the consumer's favor.
*Collaboratively Written*
Our group has had a dialogic approach to collaboration for the interview and the project. Each class, we discussed possible questions, topics, and research approaches. In regards to the interview itself, we all came up with ten questions on our own via blogging, and compiled the questions together for the interview. We discussed which order to put the questions, which ones we wanted to keep, the ones that we didn’t feel we needed, and chose how to combine several questions into one.
We conducted our interview with the general manager of Sodexo, Scott Smith. Sodexo is a worldwide food servicing company that works with thousands of hospitals, schools, nursing homes, military bases, etc. Mr. Smith has worked with this company for three years and is currently in charge of the servicing at Manor Care in Washington Township, which is a rehabilitation center. Sodexo is also contracted with Rowan University to provide food for everyone on campus.
Our research question asks, “Is it possible for Rowan University residents to eat organically?” We considered interviewing someone in charge of Sodexo here at Rowan, but we didn’t want them to be biased or sugarcoat any truths. Kelly’s sister and mom work at ManorCare, and her sister is employed by Sodexo there, so we thought it would be useful to interview her boss. Since Rowan and ManorCare are only a few miles from each other, we knew that there would be tons of similarities without the biased attitude of a Sodexo representative from Rowan.
The interview with Scott Smith went even better than we expected. He answered our questions fully and provided a lot of useful insight that will help us with our research project. We were surprised to find that he goes out of his way when possible to find and purchase organic products. Unfortunately, Rowan has thousands of people to feed which makes buying organic much more difficult. Furthermore, Mr. Smith explained how he was frustrated with the rising food prices, but stagnant and tight budget. Money prominently controls food choices with Sodexo, which makes it unrealistic to purchase organically. After the interview, we feel more prepared to continue conducting further research for our project.
Good, clean, fair- that's what our food should be. Americans rely on the food industry to produce and distribute our food in this manner, yet it seems that none of those three descriptions accurately depict the products that reach consumers. In the slow food movement article, Schneider explains, "These three terms help mediate the dialogues between scientific and traditional knowledge; rather than simply valorizing one side over the other, Slow Food advocates insist that both science and tradition have a part to play in preserving food that is good to eat and good to think." It's a community effort that needs to be addressed by consumers nationwide.
I found that one of the most interesting discussions involved the literal aspect of slowing down to actually consider what we are eating. Similarly to trusting the medical system, Americans need to pause sometimes and question what is actually happening in the industry. Schneider summarizes this idea by saying, "Understood in its simplest form, the
act of slowing down forces us to ask how fast we need to live our lives. By questioning our devotion to speed, we already short-circuit the logic that supports fast food and the fast life." If everyone put even a fraction of their time to thinking about where their food comes from, the movement would be greatly supported.
Since Petrini developed the Slow Food Movement as a cultural movement, the odds are greater of realistically tackling this dilemma. Between the power in numbers and persuasion of rhetoric, the movement can progress even further. Schneider notes, "Petrini’s desire to build a broader community of destiny among these groups speaks to organization’s focus on building collective identities that can then exert social, economic, and political power." The Slow Food Movement can be successful in addressing the problems of the food industry, along with providing the example of strength in upcoming cultural movements. After all, it's only right in The Land of Opportuntity.
For these my assignments, I'm working with Jennifer Eisenstein and Alexa Kalin. After discussion at the end of Tuesday's class, we've chosen which questions we'd like to research and the questions that will guide more answers through an interview. Research Questions
Is it possible for a resident of Rowan University to only eat organic foods?
Where does the food at Rowan come from?
Where are the nearest places to Rowan who produce/ sell organic food products?
Can Rowan students financially afford organic products?
Is there anything that the university does to provide access or awareness to Rowan students?
Interview Questions
We know that Rowan University employees the food company Sodexo to serve food in the Student Center. We are looking for a manager to reveal any organic initiatives or products that are offered to Rowan.
How would you describe your company, Sodexo?
How long have you been employed by them and what is your position?
Can you tell us some other companies that Sodexo services?
Does this company offer organic food choices?
Where does the food come from? Large distributers?
Does Sodexo provide any fresh products?
Has anyone ever asked about where Sodexo gets its food?
Do you think the food is healthy? Could you give us an example of a healthy/ balanced meal Sodexo offers?
Would you say that Sodexo should offer more nutritious and organic food choices? Why?
Do you think Sodexo would consider purchasing organic food to cook and sell for Rowan students? What about other companies?
I think that Fontaine and Hunter brilliantly revealed collaboration through the two scenarios- "listening to others and being influenced on what you hear" and "making choices when you enter a conversation." Whether the collaboration is through actual writing or not, these circumstances illustrate the ways that people use each other to share information and construct new knowledge. They also discuss ways in which writing is dialogic and instrumental in a collaborative setting. Fontaine and Hunter suggest that writing is always collaborative because "language by its very nature engages an individual in a conversation."(8) In this class so far, we have used collaboration through offering feedback via commenting on blog posts, tweeting, and in class. The collaborative research assignment and oral history project will provide more opportunities for us to collaborative through writing and research among our groups and with others. I love Rowan's Writing Arts Department Objectives in regards to collaborative writing. Practically all of my writing courses have either centered around or involved this in some way. Providing opportunities for workshops, group projects, and group/class critiques embraces collaborative writing and the benefits it offers for writers. I'm a very social person and I greatly respect and appreciate whatever ideas, suggestions, or criticism that others offer. I have learned a lot from my classmates at Rowan through collaborative writing and will definitely use it often when I become a teacher.
Being a reflexive researcher is the only way to present a well-constructed argument. Qualley discusses reflexive inquiry, explaining reflexive as "the act of turning back to discover, examine, and critique one's claims and assumptions in response to an encounter with another idea, text, person, or culture."(3) Because of technology, there are millions of resources for writers to get entangled in. Some of these may be valuable, reliable, and completely relevant, while many others are insignificant. Research
is not about simply about searching for the perfect information, finding it, and sharing it with others. That would make a researcher just a middle-man in a huge web of ideas.
Instead, research and composition are linked to establish connections in many ways. Qualley claims, "when the process of composition includes the habit of reflexive inquiry, then we begin to see more clearly how writing and reading the word, the world, and the self are always in
continual dialectical interplay."(5)
A good, reflexive researcher will take the time to analyze the data, see if it works for them, and apply it in an effective way. This process of thinking, re-thinking, and applying is a critical component to strong research and writing. Reflexive research also offers more opportunities to consider various viewpoints that may lead to stronger argument from the researcher. This allows the writer to relate different kinds of information and distinguish patterns among the research to form a rich, elaborate piece.
Qualitative research will be essential to developing our collaborative projects. Qualitative research uncovers answers to questions beginning with words such as why and how, which is the type of question that will guide us while compiling our findings.The data that my group collects will be an assortment of information from various sources. The information we find that helps answer our question, whether from an interview, web-site, or Food, Inc. itself, will help us determine how we wish to put the project together. Without qualitative research, our project will lack support and evidence of all kinds. Although the question may revolve around an abstract idea, qualitative research can help guide us to the information we need. Most importantly, qualitative research embraces direct interaction with an individual or group. Therefore, Conducting at least one meaningful interview will be our truest form of qualitative research. According to Hancock in section 3, "The benefits of using these approaches include richness of data anddeeper insight into the phenomena under study." Interviewing someone with an expertise or unique viewpoint regarding our topic allows us to make a stronger argument and showcase a possibly more respected opinion. Narrative inquiry is essentially a form of qualitative research which focuses on other people's experiences and the stories that they tell. This way to obtain information can be very useful, especially concerning the collaborative project. One challenge that we (the researchers) must be aware of is to remain objective. As Clandinin states, "What is important at this point in the turn toward narrative inquiry is that the researchers still maintain a belief that in the interpretive process they can relate to the research in such a way that they can provide “valid” and “generalizable” interpretations in their research projects." As long as the person has one or more strong qualities or skills that make them a relative information source, the narrative inquiry approach should work well for us. It will strengthen our argument by portraying real life examples about the question at hand.
Do you think healthy eating should be a right, responsibility, or a privilege?
Healthy eating should be a right of ALL humans. Our country has protection agencies who are supposed to be the voice of the citizens, such as the FDA, who are expected to ensure that the food we eat is produced and manufactured safely. It seems that the interest is centered around money, business, and efficiency, rather than the well being of the people. Prior to watching this video, I knew that many government departments are corrupt, but it is shocking to see how much is actually tolerated, ignored, or even endorsed by our government. These massive and powerful companies, along with federal support, are violating the rights of healthy eating for everyone.
In the film, Noel Kramers of the California Farm Bureau says that the bureau is against labeling because it "creates unnecessary fear in the consumer's mind." Do you agree with this reasoning? Why or why not?
Since when should people need to fear what they are eating? If the labeling reveals nasty secrets about ingredients or food processing, then there is obviously something terribly wrong with the way its being done. Unfortunately, we are at the point where we have no idea what we're actually eating. Therefore, labeling would establish the NECESSARY fear in the consumer's mind to show possible health or safety concerns.
Kevin's mother says, "Sometimes it feels like industry was more protected than my son." What do you think of her words?
This a sad, but true statement. I feel like industry will always be protected more than the rights or concerns of individual people. Big companies, especially those supported by the government agencies, have the most power and control of what happens in the country. Hopefully, Kevin's mother will eventually have some justice for her tragic experience and continue fighting for the rights of American consumers.
First I want to say that I appreciate the compliments as well as the suggestions for improvement. I was worried that without presenting it to the class, I wouldn't get the answers to some questions I had. Thankfully, most of the questions were referenced to in the feedback anyway.
I am definitely going to post a video at the end, but now I'm thinking about posting two. I asked Analisa if I could video-tape her and she declined, so I have to sneak it. That's why it has taken so long! I think that once I include the video(s), it will tie any loose ends together and make my twitterive stronger.
I loved the comment that Michael made about reading the book before watching the movie. I never thought about that and I feel like that analogy really is effective in this case.
Rebecca suggested that instead of including the research of the benefits of reading I should write my own. I think I will make that page a hybrid page- meaning to provide the expert opinions in combination with my interpretations. Her comment helped me to make this argument more powerful.
I also liked how Samantha talked about incorporating aspects of reading in my childhood. Although I'm unsure about how to approach it, I think that it's something I should definitely include somehow.
Thanks again everyone!
|
RSS Feed