1. Alex DuLong
Mrs. Lester
Honors World Lit. Comp.
May 1, 2012
End of Semester Summative reflections
1. Through my research on PTSD and medical advancements I’ve acquired much
knowledge about our military today and some beneficial programs for PTSD. Soldiers are being
put into more critical combat situations today resulting in mental and physical disorders. Some
physical disorders that occur such as injuries or losing a losing a limb also link to PTSD. Post-
Traumatic Stress Syndrome is a mental disorder disrupting and altering electrical signals in the
brain. Some questions I still have relate to what the government is doing to support PTSD
victims and other more updated actions being taken to prevent PTSD.
2. A challenge I came across during this project was finding legitimate information that I
could use and was relative to my topic. I found many articles about PTSD, but they mainly
talked about people or medical facilities that pertained to PTSD. Using the resources made
available by Ms. Hamilton I felt somewhat restricted and struggled in the beginning to find
useful information, however I did find many helpful statistics regarding PTSD. All I had to do to
deal with these challenges was adapt to the programs I was using. I had never used the
resources before so I took some time to figure out how to properly utilize them.
3. I found researching how the soldiers diagnosed with PTSD are treated to be the most
difficult task of this project. There were a lot of practices that came up in my search but the
information on how patients are actually treated was sparse. A rewarding achievement gained
from this project in my opinion is the better understanding I now have of our military, because
there is a possibility that the military could be a part of my future. The knowledge I have now
could possibly contribute to a major decision in my life in choosing between armed forces.
4. The books I’ve previously read along with the fishbowl discussions have greatly
influenced my choice of topic on this project. All Quite on the Western Front and its graphic
descriptions of war better my understanding of PTSD and the reality of it. The fishbowl
discussions introduced me to PTSD and are what encouraged me to do my project over it.
5. The studying of PTSD I have done through this project as well as the books I have read
have made an impact on me that will last. Reading All Quite on the Western Front made me
eminently aware of the realities of combat and the aftershock of it. The research done
throughout this project from reading articles to books has made this all an exquisite learning
experience as I’ve developed compassion for the men and women of our military.
6. Over the past nine weeks I feel I have been efficient with getting my work done and
staying on the game. I usually procrastinate, but recently I’ve been good to avoid that and
devote part of myself to this literature class. In this project I am most proud of my effort and
concentration to actually learn the content I present. I have not only learned a substantial
amount about PTSD, but I’ve also taken personal interest and strived to learn as much as I can
over my project on PTSD and medical advancements.
7. The most challenging situation I came across was analyzing the articles in the beginning
of my research. I had analyzed articles before but at the time I knew nothing about PTSD so I

2. didn’t exactly know what to look for. The first few articles I analyzed were somewhat vague and
ended up consisting of useless information. As we were required to find more articles I became
more aware of what I needed to be looking for. Once I adapted I overcame this challenge with
ease.
8. I feel I have greatly increased my researching and analytical skills during this semester.
With the constant researching and having to assess data, I have also developed better and
more efficient work habits. My self-assessment strategies have increased greatly because this
project made me monitor my research and adapt to the new challenges (1.4.1 Monitor own
information- seeking process for effectiveness, and adapt as necessary). Asking the correct
questions is a skill I’ve attained (1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed). My connection
skills have improved greatly from this project because PTSD is reality and concerns me (2.3.1
Connect understanding to the real world). Being sure to check my work and correct it is a skill
that I have greatly improved throughout this project (3.4.2 Asses thee quality and effectiveness
of the learning product). I would say my collaboration skills have has the most improvement.
When my group did the project we split up and searched separate view points and topics, and
when we gathered all our info we had to share it in order to fully understand the material for
our project (1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding).
9. My group created a Prezi for our digital presentation. The process of composing our
Prezi has helped me gain a better understanding of PTSD. Since we could customize the Prezi I
was able to express myself and learn simultaneously. Adding graphic aids helped me feel
almost what some of what the soldiers see in combat which intrigued me to learn more on
PTSD causes and effects.
10. My Symbaloo consists of all of the main sites I visit throughout this project concerning
PTSD and resources required by the project. It has links to our class agenda, Prezi, VFA website,
and others. The sites that had information pulled from them are also labeled on My Symbaloo.
I used Symbaloo as a gate to nearly every resource I need for my project. I would definitely use
this in future projects; I believe it is a critical organizational skill. My Symbaloo says about me as
a learner that I am organized and have widespread resources.
11. I believe being an analytical reader and a very specific digital researcher play a major
role in literacy and will be mandatory in American Literature and Composition. These two skills I
feel I’m best prepared to use for next year. Working on this project has strained those two skills
specifically in my opinion. And in my case it has also improved them and made them most
useful to me. American Lit. Comp. will require a sort of analytical discipline and this project has
been great to prepare us for that.