Personally, I found that I really enjoyed reading someone's essay. Normally, when I read my essays (especially for school), I get really bored and I don't really feel like editing them. But, when I read others' essays, there's still that element of surprise when I'm reading. So, in the articles from last night, I think it mentioned that when you read your own, you can add character into the words, but when you read someone else's it just means that you are trying to understand/comprehend what you're reading. But, I actually found it to be opposite. When I read mine, I find that I already know what it says so I barely attempt to add any extra rhythm to the words, whereas when I read someone else's, the easiest way for me to comprehend what's being said is if I add some life into the words.
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I found that these articles came at a very interesting time for me. Right as I'm about to write a speech for my Public Speaking class that I've been avoiding since Freshman year, here I am with these articles talking about writing speeches (well one of them giving tips, while the other simply talks about bringing words to life with your voice).
In the first reading, she talked about reading aloud changes the physicality of words. It basically means making the words more real, or bringing them to life - which actually makes giving a speech sound a lot cooler. I was thinking about how much more interested little kids are while they listen to their parents tell them stories. The reason is usually because the story has much more life as it comes from the parents mouths rather than just words on a paper. Another random thing I usually find while I'm reading is that (I don't know if this sounds weird), but I usually realize that the words I'm reading tend to blend together as I'm reading. For example, little words like and, so, or all just become place holders to make a complete sentence, but none of it really means anything. If you were to add voice to these words, you can make the meaning a lot more interesting - it could even bring more life to an otherwise boring story. Which I think is how I can go about the speech that I have to write tomorrow, AND my "this i believe" project for class. I can just see them as a really interesting story I want to tell, just like I was telling the story to my friends. It might be more interesting then. I usually don't really have problems when I'm telling my friends stories, and it's because I throw emphasis on words that I'm trying to make more interesting. It seems like it'd be the same as this for when I'm trying to give a speech or tell my "this i believe" essay. Especially if my audience is of my same age group. Which technologies are your most comfortable using for this assignment? Which would you like to learn more about? Goals: to produce an audio recording of your essay and to have a visual accompaniment. This could be a collage (online), a photo essay, or a video. Which technologies would YOU prefer and WHY?
To be completely honest, I don't really have much experience in using any type of video maker technologies. I have practiced taking my own photos once upon a time, but none of them were really any good. Last semester, I did some video editing (with just short clips) for a project in my New Media Production class, which I'm assuming might help me to complete this project. As far as audio editing, I've used Audacity and have gotten pretty used to that, so I feel like I might be able to use those skills to help with any music additions, and my voice. I really do want to learn more about video editing, especially because now I am enrolled in New Media Practicum and am currently doing a project that is going to require me to make a Youtube series. I haven't gotten into that yet, but this should be my first experience with seeing exactly how well I can create videos. I'm probably going to try either Windows Movie Maker first, or whatever video editing software the school's computers offer me (especially cause the latter is probably better quality, but that could also mean it could be harder). I either would like to try video editing (so I can get some experience for future endeavors), or I might choose the route that may be a little safer for me, a photo essay. It just depends on if I'm feeling up to a new challenge - not that the photo essay wouldn't be a challenge as well, but it'll definitely be a different one. Purpose - what is your primary message? This may be literal or more metaphorical. What emotions do you hope to evoke?
Audience - who is your ideal audience? Strategy - Are there particular images, sounds, colors, and techniques that you can utilize? Plot down your ideas! _______ Checklist for Sketching a Photo Essay My story is about my family and how happy they were when they would begin to bake. It’s about appreciating a moment that will be remembered forever. I want to tell it so that other people will pause sometimes and look at life in the moment. I want to tell a message more than just a story. I want my audience to be able to apply the mentality that I had in the story to their lives so they can feel more fulfilled in times of need or when they are stressed. I think I’m a reliable narrator because I’ve lived this moment and spent time appreciating it, and I am a happier person because of it. I need to be sure to represent happiness, peacefulness, and composure. Possibly appreciation for different emotions and/or people in my life. I want my reader to feel at peace while reading/looking at my photo essay. I want them to feel the composure, love, and appreciation that I felt in the moment. I think I’m being true to life a bit, but in order to portray a real message, I may need to exaggerate the pictures and the emotions I want the reader to feel just a bit. Fonts…maybe like a normal, serif font. Nothing too fun, but nothing too serious. I want to take on a calm, dreamy tone.
VANILLA DEAREST
I haven’t been alive for that long and already I have witnessed the many changes of the new technologies both in my personal life and in school. One thing I distinctively remember is the shift in the technology within the classrooms. I remember when schools used to only have about two computer labs per school and they were barely ever in use. The shift happened so fast that people in my generation would have to think back really hard to this time before they even remembered that it actually existed. Nowadays, if schools don’t have multiple computer labs available, they are going to be in real trouble when students have work to complete. I’m not sure if it’s a thing everywhere, but I know that one of my cousins (who is in high school) is now permitted to use their laptops in their writing classes. Let me tell you, if I could have used a laptop in class in high school, there would be no way I was getting any work done.
O, the days when they would have to roll the TVs into the classroom on this LARGE stand that would attempt to strap down the TV tightly if we had something to watch. It’s all a ways away now; probably in a few years, I’ll barely even remember the days when all my classes didn’t have portable computers latched under each desk or something crazy. One of the things that stood out to me while reading this text was the fact that pencils were never made to be writing utensils. Considering as long as everyone has been alive in my family, pencils were used for writing (and only writing… never really considered them being used for anything else), it seems absurd that their original purpose was for something totally different.
As the pencil was not initially made for writing, in the text, it is said that “Similarly, the mainframe computer when it was introduced was intended to perform numerical calculations too tedious or complex to do by hand.” So, the computer was originally made to be but a calculator. It seems that as the years go by, previous inventions that are originally made for other things are transformed into bigger, better forms of technology that can be used for various purposes. The one point that I thought I would agree with (because well…it’s kind of important) is when the text read, “Ten years ago math teachers worried that if students were allowed to use calculators, they wouldn’t learn their arithmetic tables,” and “When we began to use computers in university writing classes, instructors didn’t tell students about the spell-check programs on their word processors, fearing the students would forget how to spell.” I would argue that this has certainly come to pass. Even using myself as an example; I know that since I have begun to use calculators whenever I needed to do any math, and used Microsoft word whenever I needed to write a paper, I have definitely forgotten how to do quick math and actually spell words correctly without Microsoft changing them for me. I would argue that the ease of these programs is helping to make me a little denser – but then again, maybe it doesn’t matter. So...
I haven't had a grading contract before. I'm pretty indifferent on the matter. It doesn't bother me how the professor wants to grade my work, or asses what I'm doing in class - as long as it's a fair way that enables everyone to have a shot at doing well in the class, I'm ok with it. The only thing I'm wondering about is: If we were to sign the contract, but break 1 of the rules (and say, this rule doesn't actually have any effect on your quality of work; like missing classes), is it possible that we forfeit our automatic B and it then changes to a C, just because of the contract breach? I think that would be pretty unfair. However, other than worries like this, I really don't think the method the professor wants to grade my work really matters. I guess the only time a grading contract would really make any difference would be if there was someone who really lacked confidence in their ability to write. So just the fact that they would get their work done and abide by all the contract rules, they would at least get a B - sounds nice. I don’t know if I’m just lazy (which is probably the case), I was most delighted to hear the news about virtual internships! Yes, I’ve heard of them before, but I never assumed that there were many of them out there and I wasn’t exactly sure it was a thing. I would absolutely love to do an internship that involved social media and never actually have to leave my house! I mean, who wouldn’t want that? Now the question is are they paying internships? Are any of the good companies hiring those kinds of interns? Doing editorial work for a magazine and managing social media – online – sounds perfect. I just wish the article would have provided tips on getting them, or places to look to get them. I haven’t really given much thought to being hired as an intern (even though I’m surely at the stage where I should already be doing this), but I’ve lately began to rethink my plans a bit. Maybe during the upcoming senior year, I could find myself a nice virtual internship that can fit snug into my resume. And if it landed me an online job – one can only dream.
In the article, “4 Things to do in grad school to prepare for a non-academic career,” I thought the 3 am test was a really cool idea! However, what if the first thing I do when I wake up at 3 am is jump on a video game and/or lay there until I go back to sleep? Can I work doing that? Please say yes. |