Penny for your thoughts?

( REFLECTION on drafts and crap)

I never had to deal with peer evaluations until recently. My past experiences with English class never emphasized much on group work or workshops. Now that I'm in college, I'm a rookie to the whole peer evaluation process. My first time in taking part in a review session wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The fact that I was comfortable enough to give and receive criticism from my group- who I thought to be friends- made it easier to take in. However, the question of whether I apply the feedback I receive is another issue. It's one thing to take advice or criticism from a group who KNOWS what they are talking about versus someone who is just giving you a critique for a grade and could care less whtether this will help you out or not. I would considered one's evalaution if I value and trust their capacity to give an effective one that I could benefit from in the end. It's sad really... I would take an instructor's feedback over a student ANY DAY! Why not? If the instructor is the one who will be giving the grade then I would much rather seek his/her advice. I dont even trust myself! I don't mind letting others reading my work because I don't really know if what I'm doing half the time is right or wrong, so to have someone take a second look is not a bad idea.

Recently, the feedback I received from my powerpoint presentaion, I thought, was good and effective criticism. I understood what my weaknesses and strengths were. Since my part was so short there was little room to make a dramatic revision- not like I really needed to. Presentations to me are more about improv and the ability to be confident and get yourself together. Sometimes I feel that there isn't much need to prepare for a speech - well, at least for short ones- so long as you know the material and are able to convey your points in a professional manner. My weaknesses lie more with papers, therefore I feel like I need more revisions in that area as opposed to a presentation.
So what do I think of myself when it comes to giving feedback? Well, it depends. If I'm familiar with the material then I'm capable of giving a good evaluation, BUT if I have no clue what I'm doing then I can definetly bomb an evaluation. You can tell when I know what I'm doing or not. A good review is when someone provides a detailed evaluation and perhaps is able to provide a solution as to how correct the problem. A short, vague evaluation is usueless and does not help the person in any way. I try my best to be helpful instead of writing a cold, harsh review. I try to be conscious of what I say so I don't offend anyone.