1. Natalie Seman
World Lit/Comp H
Lester/Hamilton
2 May 2011
Summative Learning Reflections
1. Over the course of this project, I have learned so much about Sexual Trauma to Women in the
Military. The interesting part about this topic is that I dove in head first with no previous
knowledge about the issue. In all honesty, it hadn’t occurred to me until this unit on wartime
illnesses that sexual violence is an issue at all. I learned that sexual trauma causes PTSD in
victims, and that though officers and military spokespersons make it seem like the issue is taken
seriously, it is not. That fact in itself is horrifying. The biggest insight I gained from my research is
that the key issue these women are facing is stand up for yourself and risk ridicule or follow your
dreams. Victims face the worst form of bullying possible, and are looked down upon for
reporting it. Despite all I learned, I still wonder what is stopping military officers from putting a
stop to sexual abuse. If military officials can scream and yell at soldiers for not standing in line,
why can’t they do the same for sexual violence?
2. The biggest challenge I found in researching my topic was keeping my heart out of the facts. It is
very difficult to read about the stories of these women without being angry and ranting on
paper. The hardest thing for me was straightening myself up, clearing my mind, and treating
these heart-wrenching facts like strictly numbers. Additionally, I found myself relying on the
school computers for the bulk of my research. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve been able to design
my project on the computers at my home. The main problem in doing this was getting all the
databases to function outside of school. Nearly every time I would enter the off-campus

2. password, it would ask for more information or give me an error. I dealt with this by coming into
the library early in the mornings and working diligently in class.
3. The most difficult thing about this project was ridding myself of all the opinionated articles. This
heavy topic seemed to bring out the ranting from many authors, and it was difficult for me to
see past that and find facts I could actually use. This made things difficult because, often times,
the best, most information-filled articles were found in the back pages of databases like
Academic Search complete. Another struggle came in using efficient search terms. After trial and
error for many days, I finally found good terms that would produce results. My favorite part
about research projects and this one in particular is the freedom they allow. It is refreshing to
have all the pressure on me and what I can get done in the allotted time. I love knowing that I
have a large amount of time to utilize as I please. This freedom allowed me to test my decision
making skills and my academic drive to complete a solid product.
4. The fishbowl discussions, All Quiet on the Western Front and What Was Asked of Us all
influenced my project in the same way. All of these sources of information and discussion
provided a basis for the atmosphere of deployed soldiers. Knowing how things were with Paul
Baumer and his comrades allowed me to compare his experience of common cause and
commradery to the betrayal and horrifying existence of a victim of sexual abuse. This knowledge
helped me better understand the trauma this type of abuse can cause. After this project, I have
a new-found respect for female soldiers because of what they put at stake to defend our
country.
5. Studying this topic influenced me greatly, but the most impactful aspect of the process was
watching the interviews these women took part in on CNN. Throughout the time we have been
working on this project, the network has had an influx of segments on military victims of sexual
trauma, which provided really great sources of information. Along with this source of

3. information, reading personal accounts of sexual violence on Gale databases also stuck me. It is
amazing that these women are still fighting through the things they had to experience and the
decisions they had to make (namely, reporting the accident). It really struck me that in one
account I found on CNN, the victim’s higher officer ripped her abuse report papers in half, right
in front of her face.
6. I am most proud of my time management in this project. Using the mistakes I made in the fall,
such as not utilizing Symbaloo or Scoop.it, I was able to learn and organize my thoughts
efficiently. Symbaloo proved to be a very helpful tool for organizing, and I really saved time
through the use of Easybib.
7. The most challenging thing for me in this project was focusing on writing the facts. It was very
difficult to not type a paper about how sexual violence in the military makes me feel, because if I
had the power, I would imprison every single soldier who ever laid a hand on a female like that. I
overcame this by focusing on the final product, and using the organization of words that I used
in the fall, which was based on a standard, three sub-topic paper.
8. This semester, I have improved on the following literacy skills in the following ways:
a. 1.1.5 Evaluate info found in selected sources on the basis of accuracy, validity…
i. I show mastery in this skill because of my ability to find facts on such a heavy
topic like sexual abuse. Weeding through “fluff” to find usable facts was much
more difficult than it sounds, and I am proud to say I did it well.
b. 1.1.3 Develop a range of questions to frame search…
i. I show mastery in this skill because I have always struggled in this aspect of
learning and through this research project, I learned how important it really is.
Framing my design into three main sub-topics was difficult, but I managed it
well and I am happy with the organized outcome.

4. c. 1.2.1 Display initiative by posing questions and investigating…
i. This skill was utilized in the interview aspect of this project, one of the most
difficult parts for me. I show mastery and diligence in completing this aspect of
the project, having to email four different people for information. All in all, I am
satisfied with the person I ended up learning from.
d. 1.2.2 Demonstrate direction by making independent choices on resources…
i. I was a solo worker for this project, and I am satisfied with the way I was able to
focus and stay on task. A research project has to have many different
components to be successful, including organization, time management,
creativity, diligence, and dedication. Working by myself was difficult and
rigorous, but by staying focused on those skills, I found success.
e. 1.3.1 Respect copyright/intellectual property…
i. Finding photos that were both aesthetically pleasing and copyright friendly was
difficult. Flickr provided a wide range of photos with creative commons licenses,
however, which aided significantly to my mastery of this skill.
9. The process of composing a Voice thread helped me to learn because it forced me to find both
qualitive and quantitive information. I had to balance the right type of information with the right
amount of information, a task that proved to be more difficult than it sounds. Additionally, it
caused me to be a better organizer, having to frame specific questions for each slide. All in all, it
was a very helpful and beneficial process.
10. My information dashboard was Symbaloo, which I have fallen in love with. It has a clean
interface with easy to use tiles and is always reliable. I added both my emails, my citation tools
(easybib), the class wiki, and all the Gale databases from the Unquiet Library page to my
Symbaloo mix. I would definitely use this tool again. I have even added it as my home page on

5. my personal laptop. I think my symbaloo says that I am a very diverse learner, utilizing a wide
variety of interfaces to gain knowledge, and organizing them in a pattern based on function.
11. I am prepared to use the skills I have acquired this year in American Lit next year. The most
important skills I have gained include time management, organization of thoughts (shaping
sheet and mindmap), organization of tools (Symbaloo), utilization of online tools (Easybib), and
the diligence to get the job done. The research projects of the 2011-2012 school year have been
the sole causes of this expansion of my knowledge.