“You can’t sit with us.” To some it may be a funny quote from the movie Mean Girls, but to 150+ girls on Albright’s campus it was a reality. Yep it was that time of year again, Recruitment season, and the rules were in full force.
For the last two weeks the sisters of Alpha Delta Pi, Pi Mu and Sigma Kappa Sororities hustled and bustled to put on their biggest, and I mean biggest, event of the year, Spring Recruitment. It’s the event that determines the future president of your sorority, the next generation of your Greek family and the reputation of your sorority as a whole. Sound like a reason to freak out and worry a little? Hah, freaked out and worried would be an understatement when you have a foot long list of rules to follow while other sororities watch your every move in hopes that you will screw up and break one.
Where do these rules come from you may ask, the answer, Albright College’s Panhellenic Council. Panhel is an organization that acts as a governing body of the three sororities here at Albright. They are a national organization that performs this task at each school that has nationally recognized sororities. Fraternities are governed by a different organization.
Recruitment season is Panhel’s busiest time of the year; it is the period of time following a Go Greek Holiday Party in the first week of December up until the morning formal bids are handed out, usually in the first week of February. During this time Panhel issues and enforces a long list of rules that are designed to put each sorority on an equal playing field so that potential new members are not presented with a biased look at any of the sororities. Penalties are issued when any sister from any organization fails to follow any of the outlined rules.
What are some of these rules? Well I will tell you.
Rule #1: You cannot go out anywhere with independent girls (those not in a sorority).
Rule #2: Absolutely no independents can eat at your lunch table.
Rule #3: You may not talk to independents unless it is about school work, sports you are both involved in or just saying hi.
Rule #4: No hanging out in one another’s rooms, apartments etc.
Rule #5: Don’t even dare to take pictures and post them on facebook, let alone write a comment on their wall.
The list goes on and on but I won’t bore you with the 20+ other ones.
What I don’t understand is we put in tremendous amounts of effort to get these girls signed up and interested in recruitment and just before it starts we cut all ties and can barely speak to them. Why? Marci Nawrocki, President of Panhel, explained, “The rules are enforced so sororities aren’t pressuring girls to join the sorority they are in.”
Kim Thompson, a sister of Alpha Delta Pi, expressed, “I understand that we need rules to follow but I don’t think they have to be as extreme as they are. I mean it’s pretty pathetic when I live with a senior who is an independent who obviously is not going to join a sorority and I can’t be seen eating lunch with her outside of our apartment or my sorority might be fined.”
Heather-Ashley Spagnola, a Pi Mu sister, agreed, “Yes, we shouldn’t be taking girls out to eat right before Recruitment but just having a conversation with them should be allowed. I remember last year when I went through Recruitment it was so hard because most of my friends were already in a sorority and I felt like I had no one.”
According to Panhel the rules are put in place to keep each sorority on an equal level with one another. The rules are supposed to give the girls going through an open opportunity to get to know each sorority. However; I think sometimes these rules can turn the Recruitment process into a blood bath between sororities trying to battle it out with each other.
Beth Moran, a new member of Sigma Kappa, stated, “I play field hockey with some of the girls that are in sororities and it was hard to hear hey sorry I can’t really talk to you because of Recruitment. After just going through recruitment I think there is a way to alter the rules a little. I had a lot of friends who were in a different sorority than the one I chose and the rules had nothing to do with my decision at all.”
Rules, no rules what is your opinion? I think there must be a better way than sorry “You can’t sit here.”
Thursday, February 12, 2009
From Reading to the Red Carpet...
Last weekend I spent my time surrounded by bright lights, red carpets, and celebrities, plenty of celebrities. If you had asked me one year ago where I would have spent the weekend of February 8th 2009 I might have answered with something along the lines of, “how would I know?”, “probably in the library where I always am”, or maybe even “at a sorority meeting”. Little did I know that the answer to that question would have been ‘at the GRAMMY’s’.
Now my name is not Beyonce, Britney, or Madonna, so naturally I did not attend the awards themselves but I came pretty close. I spent three days in the Talent Lounge and Official GRAMMY After Party where celebrities got a second shot at Christmas when they received the coveted ‘gift bag’. I was a talent escort and got to walk talent through the lounge and distribute bags to the guests at the after party. How did I get this opportunity you ask? I stayed in touch with an internship.
I am a communications major here at Albright, and as such, it was required of me to get an internship in order to graduate. To fulfill that requirement, I spent my summer working for a company called Distinctive Assets. They do a variety of things in the entertainment industry, but their claim to fame is the gift bags at various award shows.
My internship technically ended in August but luckily for me, Distinctive Assets recognized that the work the company does doesn’t stop once an intern leaves. Many times interns will leave the company in the middle of a long term project. In order to give their interns the best opportunity possible they maintain an open door policy and all interns, past and present, are invited to return to work subsequent events the company participates in (this includes all of the high profile events that they sponsor).
My supervisor Chinue Wells, operations manager at Distinctive Assets explained, “Some of our interns work with us on our off-season of award shows. They usually come back to work the GRAMMY Awards so that they can get the full span of the Distinctive Assets experience. If they are with us during the planning stages and not the execution, it is of full benefit for them to return. In addition, any experience gained will be a useful tool.”
Senior Brittani Kelly attended the events as well and said, “I think it’s really cool that they invite their interns to come back and work. I also had an internship at a company that did events but when I was done my internship that was it, it was like I cut all ties to them unless I wanted a recommendation for a job.”
Before I started working at Distinctive Assets I had no idea that it was an option to go back and work once your internship was finished unless you were hired by the company. I guess then it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to find out that many other students shared that view as well.
“I worked in Florida over the summer with a company that tracked sea turtles. I was really sad to leave,” said senior Marci Nawrocki, “I would have loved to go back over school breaks to check on my favorite animals and to continue getting experience. I wish I had looked into that.”
Several majors at Albright require internships and many offer it as an elective credit. It would be hard to find a professor or administrator on campus that didn’t encourage getting one. For those students who are currently interning or looking for internships in the future, don’t be afraid to ask about working once you are finished. It is a great way to continue networking and gaining real world experience.
Hey, one day it might even be you at the GRAMMY’s.
Now my name is not Beyonce, Britney, or Madonna, so naturally I did not attend the awards themselves but I came pretty close. I spent three days in the Talent Lounge and Official GRAMMY After Party where celebrities got a second shot at Christmas when they received the coveted ‘gift bag’. I was a talent escort and got to walk talent through the lounge and distribute bags to the guests at the after party. How did I get this opportunity you ask? I stayed in touch with an internship.
I am a communications major here at Albright, and as such, it was required of me to get an internship in order to graduate. To fulfill that requirement, I spent my summer working for a company called Distinctive Assets. They do a variety of things in the entertainment industry, but their claim to fame is the gift bags at various award shows.
My internship technically ended in August but luckily for me, Distinctive Assets recognized that the work the company does doesn’t stop once an intern leaves. Many times interns will leave the company in the middle of a long term project. In order to give their interns the best opportunity possible they maintain an open door policy and all interns, past and present, are invited to return to work subsequent events the company participates in (this includes all of the high profile events that they sponsor).
My supervisor Chinue Wells, operations manager at Distinctive Assets explained, “Some of our interns work with us on our off-season of award shows. They usually come back to work the GRAMMY Awards so that they can get the full span of the Distinctive Assets experience. If they are with us during the planning stages and not the execution, it is of full benefit for them to return. In addition, any experience gained will be a useful tool.”
Senior Brittani Kelly attended the events as well and said, “I think it’s really cool that they invite their interns to come back and work. I also had an internship at a company that did events but when I was done my internship that was it, it was like I cut all ties to them unless I wanted a recommendation for a job.”
Before I started working at Distinctive Assets I had no idea that it was an option to go back and work once your internship was finished unless you were hired by the company. I guess then it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to find out that many other students shared that view as well.
“I worked in Florida over the summer with a company that tracked sea turtles. I was really sad to leave,” said senior Marci Nawrocki, “I would have loved to go back over school breaks to check on my favorite animals and to continue getting experience. I wish I had looked into that.”
Several majors at Albright require internships and many offer it as an elective credit. It would be hard to find a professor or administrator on campus that didn’t encourage getting one. For those students who are currently interning or looking for internships in the future, don’t be afraid to ask about working once you are finished. It is a great way to continue networking and gaining real world experience.
Hey, one day it might even be you at the GRAMMY’s.
Even Arnold Schwarzenegger Couldn't Save This
Stars, comets and planets. Thats what I always considered to be the extent of my knowledge of astonomy. Actually, I didn't ever really think that it could beyond that, so I guess I thought I knew EVERYTHING. After attending the Maya Astronomy presentation, by Dr. Ed Barnhart, I was proven very wrong. Apparently, the Maya had about 50,000 different calendars, thus 50,000 kinds of years, which had different sets of numbers, and they counted these numbers with rocks, and sticks and birds, and...well, it all went over my head after a while. Not to mention it felt like a scorching 115 degrees in the lecture hall, and it was jam packed with people. As sophomore Edna Francis frankly stated, "Albright could have turned on the A.C. It was very hot in there, so I didn't pay close attention to the speaker." I would have loved to have gone to another Mayan year instead of sitting there sweating. Preferably, one with air conditioning.
Eventually, however, I began to concentrate on what Dr. Barnhart was actually saying, which was interesting for about the first half of his presentation, but admittedly, went downhill after that. As sophomore Amir Hardy said about the presentation, " [Dr. Barnhart] had wit and passion about the topic. However, I felt it would have engaged the audience more if he wasn't simply reading facts off a powerpoint - more audience participating, artifacts of video clips could have made it a bit more interesting." And talk he did. I, too, felt that Dr. Barnhart relied too heavily on the powerpoint; we can all read, and at most times in his presentation, I knew exactly what he was going to say even before he said it. Occasionally, he tried to spice the presentation up, like showing pictures of movies, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, but even that didn't hold my interest for a while. Especially since I don't like that movie. And whenever he would tell a joke, I would laugh a little; but everytime I laughed, it seemed like I would get hotter, and that wasn't so funny.
During the presentation, it occured to me, JUST how many people were there. I knew that, quite frankly, I attended the event because I was going to write a blog about it. But just how many people actually came for the event, to enjoy it? I concluded that alot of them were there for some time of class; Amir pointed out to me a couple people from his Spanish class, who were all required to come. Edna was also required to come for a class, as well as junior, Annie Rhodes, who said, "I had to come for my astronomy class. I've got a lot of things to do tonight, but it was required that I pop my head in. I thought it was kind of boring overall though, but atleast it was an Experience Event." I saw a couple of teachers, and its unlikely, especially the teachers that I know at Albright, would come to an Experience Event and not make students join in on the fun. And course, the teachers were eating up Dr. Barnhart's presentation like a Thanksgiving Dinner platter, while I sat in the sweltering heat, counting just how many people in the crowd had on red shirts.
After leaving, I realized I came in with just about the same knowledge that I left with. Sure, I learn that a dot meant "one", and a stick was the Maya's way of counting "ten", but it didn't go too far beyond that. I'm ok with just knowing about the moon and stars. Especially since I can look at my air-conditioned room, and look out at them.
Eventually, however, I began to concentrate on what Dr. Barnhart was actually saying, which was interesting for about the first half of his presentation, but admittedly, went downhill after that. As sophomore Amir Hardy said about the presentation, " [Dr. Barnhart] had wit and passion about the topic. However, I felt it would have engaged the audience more if he wasn't simply reading facts off a powerpoint - more audience participating, artifacts of video clips could have made it a bit more interesting." And talk he did. I, too, felt that Dr. Barnhart relied too heavily on the powerpoint; we can all read, and at most times in his presentation, I knew exactly what he was going to say even before he said it. Occasionally, he tried to spice the presentation up, like showing pictures of movies, like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, but even that didn't hold my interest for a while. Especially since I don't like that movie. And whenever he would tell a joke, I would laugh a little; but everytime I laughed, it seemed like I would get hotter, and that wasn't so funny.
During the presentation, it occured to me, JUST how many people were there. I knew that, quite frankly, I attended the event because I was going to write a blog about it. But just how many people actually came for the event, to enjoy it? I concluded that alot of them were there for some time of class; Amir pointed out to me a couple people from his Spanish class, who were all required to come. Edna was also required to come for a class, as well as junior, Annie Rhodes, who said, "I had to come for my astronomy class. I've got a lot of things to do tonight, but it was required that I pop my head in. I thought it was kind of boring overall though, but atleast it was an Experience Event." I saw a couple of teachers, and its unlikely, especially the teachers that I know at Albright, would come to an Experience Event and not make students join in on the fun. And course, the teachers were eating up Dr. Barnhart's presentation like a Thanksgiving Dinner platter, while I sat in the sweltering heat, counting just how many people in the crowd had on red shirts.
After leaving, I realized I came in with just about the same knowledge that I left with. Sure, I learn that a dot meant "one", and a stick was the Maya's way of counting "ten", but it didn't go too far beyond that. I'm ok with just knowing about the moon and stars. Especially since I can look at my air-conditioned room, and look out at them.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Clean access?
A change to Albright’s computer services this year includes the integration of the Cisco Clean Access Agent (CCAA). The CCAA is a tool which is used to make networking safer, cleaner, and more secure. However, it has become very tedious to students. Every night, anyone in the dorms loses internet at 3:30 in the morning, and has to login again...everyday. My personal experience is waking up, signing on with my username and password, being told I need to install a new certificate, installing it, cancelling the program just to enter my login information again, and then finally being connected to the network. Students on campus feel as though this has become a huge nuissance, and that some things need to change. “Waking up before class, when I would normally have enough time to log onto the internet and print my stuff doesn’t happen anymore. I never know if I’ll be able to get on the internet or not.”
That was one student’s account. Due to the diverse activity level on campus though, students require internet access at various times. Some students are out until 10:00 PM. “I go to work, I come back. I need to read an article online, I can’t figure this stupid system out. I enter the right information multiple times, can’t logon, and can’t contact IT.”
This is an issue, and the same rings true for weekends. Weekends are when the students have the most free time to dedicate to school work, yet this system has it’s errors. “I don’t have a car, I live in the Woods. Getting to the library to read an article for class is a hassle. Especially on weekends when fewer people go to campus.”
I understand the concerns about security. Students on campus need to order a lot of things, and put a lot of personal information out there. But kicking everyone off the internet at 3:30 in the morning is unnecessary in my opinion. When we log on, our computer gets checked to meet certain requirements. There has to be a way to allow us to stay connected, unless we break one of those requirements.
I’ve visited other schools who use the CCAA. They have to logon when they connect their computer, and then as long as that ethernet cord stays in, they stay connected. This program has come with many issues, and has become a major inconvenience for students. The access may be clean, but gaining it has become dirty.
That was one student’s account. Due to the diverse activity level on campus though, students require internet access at various times. Some students are out until 10:00 PM. “I go to work, I come back. I need to read an article online, I can’t figure this stupid system out. I enter the right information multiple times, can’t logon, and can’t contact IT.”
This is an issue, and the same rings true for weekends. Weekends are when the students have the most free time to dedicate to school work, yet this system has it’s errors. “I don’t have a car, I live in the Woods. Getting to the library to read an article for class is a hassle. Especially on weekends when fewer people go to campus.”
I understand the concerns about security. Students on campus need to order a lot of things, and put a lot of personal information out there. But kicking everyone off the internet at 3:30 in the morning is unnecessary in my opinion. When we log on, our computer gets checked to meet certain requirements. There has to be a way to allow us to stay connected, unless we break one of those requirements.
I’ve visited other schools who use the CCAA. They have to logon when they connect their computer, and then as long as that ethernet cord stays in, they stay connected. This program has come with many issues, and has become a major inconvenience for students. The access may be clean, but gaining it has become dirty.
Storytelling Critique
Slideshows
Slideshows are a very powerful way to get a story or message across to an audience. Slideshows produce a feeling that many times words cannot do otherwise. When I viewed the slideshow “Shattered,” I could see the agony in firefighters’ eyes, the horror on civilians’ faces and the effect of what a terrorist attack could do to not just one city but a whole country. If I were to read an article about the attack on 9/11 I would not get nearly the same gut sickening feeling I got when I looked at The Time’s slideshow. Slideshows are a great way to tell a story when the photos are going to have meaning. I think the slideshow would have been more affective if there were captions of what was happening at the time the photo was taken. Having instrumental music playing throughout would have also been a way to add more layers to the storytelling, without going overboard.
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/shattered/
Live Chats
If someone were to tell me that live chats are a great way to tell a story I would have never believed them, until now that is. I have always viewed live chats as being more of a friendly conversation tool or a way to meet new people. After reading this article though I learned that live chats allow for open ended conversation with people all over the world. They are very interactive, giving people the chance to ask questions and retrieve answers. I didn’t know how much the readers help to shape the chats until reading this article. However; with the readers asking and answering questions the story can be altered sometimes too much. This can be a problem because the story can change so much that it no longer is true. Even though the links for the live chats didn’t work I have seen live chats before and think that they can be very useful if done accurately.
Animated Stories
When I think of animation I usually think of the cartoons I used to watch growing up. Nowadays, animation is being used more and more to tell stories that are not just for children under the age of ten. I think animation is a great way to tell a story when you are trying to get someone who does not know much or if any information about the topic you are writing about to understand it more clearly. The animation I think makes people feel as ease, similar to the way they felt when they were young and watched animated cartoons. Animation can also be used to help explain how something works in a more enjoyable way then just providing basic instructions. However; I don’t think animated stories should be used for more serious stories. The Tiger Woods animated story is a helpful way for people who don’t understand or have much interest in golf, better understand the game. The drawback of animated stories is that they are very time consuming and take longer to produce. This being said, I think animated stories should only be used when necessary and when they will not be out dated in days after being made.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/tour/flash/20010408_frame.html
Slideshows are a very powerful way to get a story or message across to an audience. Slideshows produce a feeling that many times words cannot do otherwise. When I viewed the slideshow “Shattered,” I could see the agony in firefighters’ eyes, the horror on civilians’ faces and the effect of what a terrorist attack could do to not just one city but a whole country. If I were to read an article about the attack on 9/11 I would not get nearly the same gut sickening feeling I got when I looked at The Time’s slideshow. Slideshows are a great way to tell a story when the photos are going to have meaning. I think the slideshow would have been more affective if there were captions of what was happening at the time the photo was taken. Having instrumental music playing throughout would have also been a way to add more layers to the storytelling, without going overboard.
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/shattered/
Live Chats
If someone were to tell me that live chats are a great way to tell a story I would have never believed them, until now that is. I have always viewed live chats as being more of a friendly conversation tool or a way to meet new people. After reading this article though I learned that live chats allow for open ended conversation with people all over the world. They are very interactive, giving people the chance to ask questions and retrieve answers. I didn’t know how much the readers help to shape the chats until reading this article. However; with the readers asking and answering questions the story can be altered sometimes too much. This can be a problem because the story can change so much that it no longer is true. Even though the links for the live chats didn’t work I have seen live chats before and think that they can be very useful if done accurately.
Animated Stories
When I think of animation I usually think of the cartoons I used to watch growing up. Nowadays, animation is being used more and more to tell stories that are not just for children under the age of ten. I think animation is a great way to tell a story when you are trying to get someone who does not know much or if any information about the topic you are writing about to understand it more clearly. The animation I think makes people feel as ease, similar to the way they felt when they were young and watched animated cartoons. Animation can also be used to help explain how something works in a more enjoyable way then just providing basic instructions. However; I don’t think animated stories should be used for more serious stories. The Tiger Woods animated story is a helpful way for people who don’t understand or have much interest in golf, better understand the game. The drawback of animated stories is that they are very time consuming and take longer to produce. This being said, I think animated stories should only be used when necessary and when they will not be out dated in days after being made.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/tour/flash/20010408_frame.html
Storytelling Critique
Slideshows
I found the slideshow, Shattered, to be extremely powerful based off of the pictures. Unfortunately, the pictures made up the entirety of the content. There was absolutely no news to accompany them. According to the article, “the [slideshow] form can be used to tell stories all by itself, by combining descriptive photos and using the caption field to convey additional information”. With this photo essay there were no captions or any other type of information provided. If I hadn’t had prior knowledge of the 9/11 tragedy I would have no idea what was going on in the pictures. It is obvious that some sort of disaster had taken place but with no other knowledge that’s about as much meaning as a reader would be able to take away. I think that the power of the pictures would have been greatly enhanced by utilizing the option of captions. It would have allowed the creator to tell the story of his pictures with equally powerful information.
Audio Stories
The story by ‘Audio Man on the Street’, seemed very poorly done to me. Again, this didn’t seem like a news story to me. It seemed like a reporter was in the process of getting clips together for a news story but didn’t finish. The content consisted solely of three eyewitnesses describing what they saw. While there was some context provided with a simple caption explaining that they were commenting on the crash of an airplane, I expected to have some other information as well. To make the audio clips more effective I would have either had the author narrate an entire story with those clips worked into the story as they would have been in a traditional television newscast, or to leave the clips as is and include a print story below them. I think that the eyewitness testimony is a powerful tool, but I don’t think that it is very effective on its own. To get the most out of the material some sort of news story rooted in the facts of the crash would be beneficial.
Print Plus
On cnn.com I looked at the article, Amputee, Doctor of poor: ‘What happens to me?’. I found the story that was written to be extremely powerful and I liked that there was a picture accompanying the story to help the reader connect to the material. It was also helpful to have links embedded in the text that would take the reader to a site that would explain things they may not have understood otherwise, like the proposed stimulus plan. Despite everything I did like, I felt like the author could have done more to improve the story and take it one step further. Within the story there is a lot of talk of how emotional Luis Caplan, the man the story was based on, was. Given the various media available to online journalists, I think that either a sound clip or video clip would have allowed readers to connect more with his emotions. If either of those had been offered as an option, readers would have had the choice to simply read the text if that’s all they wanted, but they also would have had the option to engage themselves in the story more than they would have if the story was printed as is.
I found the slideshow, Shattered, to be extremely powerful based off of the pictures. Unfortunately, the pictures made up the entirety of the content. There was absolutely no news to accompany them. According to the article, “the [slideshow] form can be used to tell stories all by itself, by combining descriptive photos and using the caption field to convey additional information”. With this photo essay there were no captions or any other type of information provided. If I hadn’t had prior knowledge of the 9/11 tragedy I would have no idea what was going on in the pictures. It is obvious that some sort of disaster had taken place but with no other knowledge that’s about as much meaning as a reader would be able to take away. I think that the power of the pictures would have been greatly enhanced by utilizing the option of captions. It would have allowed the creator to tell the story of his pictures with equally powerful information.
Audio Stories
The story by ‘Audio Man on the Street’, seemed very poorly done to me. Again, this didn’t seem like a news story to me. It seemed like a reporter was in the process of getting clips together for a news story but didn’t finish. The content consisted solely of three eyewitnesses describing what they saw. While there was some context provided with a simple caption explaining that they were commenting on the crash of an airplane, I expected to have some other information as well. To make the audio clips more effective I would have either had the author narrate an entire story with those clips worked into the story as they would have been in a traditional television newscast, or to leave the clips as is and include a print story below them. I think that the eyewitness testimony is a powerful tool, but I don’t think that it is very effective on its own. To get the most out of the material some sort of news story rooted in the facts of the crash would be beneficial.
Print Plus
On cnn.com I looked at the article, Amputee, Doctor of poor: ‘What happens to me?’. I found the story that was written to be extremely powerful and I liked that there was a picture accompanying the story to help the reader connect to the material. It was also helpful to have links embedded in the text that would take the reader to a site that would explain things they may not have understood otherwise, like the proposed stimulus plan. Despite everything I did like, I felt like the author could have done more to improve the story and take it one step further. Within the story there is a lot of talk of how emotional Luis Caplan, the man the story was based on, was. Given the various media available to online journalists, I think that either a sound clip or video clip would have allowed readers to connect more with his emotions. If either of those had been offered as an option, readers would have had the choice to simply read the text if that’s all they wanted, but they also would have had the option to engage themselves in the story more than they would have if the story was printed as is.
Local Underground Music Scene Not so Underground
For years there has always been talk of the local music scene in Reading, but yet many people still do not know about the bands that are playing. Unless you frequent the Silo, or other clubs you may not be able to hear some of the music that is being created by local residents. To help promote the local music scene Hot Topic is allowing local bands to not only have a meet and greet with fans but also to play a totally acoustic set within the store, at no cost to the band.
Although many people may feel like this is just an attempt by Hot Topic to get more people into the store and by their merchandise, it is not. This idea was created by the store manager and district manager to help the local bands out, allowing them not only to play their music but to sell copies of their CD’s as well. The only problem with this idea is that not many bands know that the store is allowing them to do this and they are only allowed to play acoustic music.
This idea was started back in November of ’08 and so far only one band has come in and that was only for a meet and greet. The band was One Year Closer To Death, and they have a small local following and have played at the Silo several times. The band sold about ten CD’s and they were also signed copies as well. The next band to play in Hot Topic is The Impossible Call, which will be doing a set on February 15th at 4pm. When talking to one of the band members they said that they were trying to get t-shirts to sell but they could not find a place who would do there band design without charging a lot of money.
Trying to get a band off of the ground is a very hard thing to do especially when there is not a lot of money to produce the products that the bands would like to. With Hot Topic allowing bands to play in there store and sell CD’s they are not only making the public more aware of the local music scene but helping the bands further their career as well. Who knows maybe one of these day’s we’ll see One Year Closer To Death or The Impossible Call playing in the Sovereign Center.
And The Oscar Goes Too.....
I can’t lie. At first I have to be honest I was not excited to go and see this film Is What Was, but it turns out is was a very interesting film. Watching it was an eye opening experience. I was so impressed with what Professor Jerry Tartaglia constructed. F.Y.I Tartaglia got the idea for the film, Is What Was, when he went to visit a concentration came in Germany. Tartaglia wants people to have an understanding of the gay community during World War II.
Trust me it was not a Hollywood production but I had to look past that.
This film focuses on the queer identity of men during World War II. He showed picture of the Nazi soldiers during their time off duty and how someone could get the impression that they were gay, because of the way they bathed together, laid around and just sometimes did not wear cloths. He raises the question should we touchier the soldiers because they look gay in a photograph? The film was very descriptive; showing where the gays were touchier.
I talked to three different people after the movie. I talked to an Albright Professor and two students that came to see the film and there were mixed reviews. The professor had the opinion that it was a “very well done, smart, fresh film.” While one student found it “boring and a waist of his time” the other student found it “interesting, but maybe that is because I would like to make films one day. The part that I really enjoyed was the realization of the film and how people look past the religion of the war and see another side to it.”
Tartagila wants to bring talk about the Queer past but because of how close minded people were back then it is hard to dig into the Queer history to find answers. This was a very eye opening film because I never would have thought to talk about gays during the war. All you ever hear people talk about is the Jews and Nazi. The final thing that Tartaglia point out is that there is a difference between Gays and homosexuals. Homosexuals is a horrible word because it has such a horrible past that come with the word and n today’s society gay is what people should be called.
Trust me it was not a Hollywood production but I had to look past that.
This film focuses on the queer identity of men during World War II. He showed picture of the Nazi soldiers during their time off duty and how someone could get the impression that they were gay, because of the way they bathed together, laid around and just sometimes did not wear cloths. He raises the question should we touchier the soldiers because they look gay in a photograph? The film was very descriptive; showing where the gays were touchier.
I talked to three different people after the movie. I talked to an Albright Professor and two students that came to see the film and there were mixed reviews. The professor had the opinion that it was a “very well done, smart, fresh film.” While one student found it “boring and a waist of his time” the other student found it “interesting, but maybe that is because I would like to make films one day. The part that I really enjoyed was the realization of the film and how people look past the religion of the war and see another side to it.”
Tartagila wants to bring talk about the Queer past but because of how close minded people were back then it is hard to dig into the Queer history to find answers. This was a very eye opening film because I never would have thought to talk about gays during the war. All you ever hear people talk about is the Jews and Nazi. The final thing that Tartaglia point out is that there is a difference between Gays and homosexuals. Homosexuals is a horrible word because it has such a horrible past that come with the word and n today’s society gay is what people should be called.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Students Aim at Bringing Albright Community Together to Celebrate Black History This February
The African-American Society (AAS) and Gospel Ensemble have joined forces to honor Black History Month at Albright. The festivities kicked off with a celebratory march on the first Monday and commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have A Dream Speech” in the campus center, where it played for the entire day. But, the Black History celebration does not end there—according to the members of the Black History Month Committee, playing King’s speech and participating in marches does not do the significance of this month justice.
“Black history month is a time to celebrate and revere the triumphs and tribulations that black people have endured for the past 400 years,” sophomore Meaghan Washington said of the month. Washington is one of many students pleased with the efforts the Black History Month Committee are making to celebrate Black History Month at Albright. “I think it’s banging!” freshman Dave Smith enthusiastically spoke of the BHMC’s efforts. “We’re doing something different every week and we’re exposing the whole school to it. We should appreciate the progress blacks have made and how can make more progress,” Smith added.
Acknowledging the importance in recognizing the importance of Black History Month, AAS president and junior Brittany McLaughlin is proud to announce the upcoming Black history-themed events. In the coming weeks, the BHMC will be hosting “Apollo Café,” based on the Amateur Night talent shows at the historic New York theater that held performances some of brightest musical acts in the history of American music. There will also be a movie night every Friday showing the best of black cinema. Later this month, there will be a “Blacks in Wax Museum,” a spin on the famous museum in Baltimore. Albright students will dress up and portray prominent African-American figures. There will also be a gospel concert, a dinner and talent show. The month will conclude with another march that will honor President Barack Obama and Winter Ball, an annual formal dance that AAS organizes.
According to McLaughlin, it is important to participate in Black History Month events because it pays homage to those who sacrificed and came before her. “It’s a time set aside to help me remember my past and not forget or take for granted where I come from,” says McLaughlin.
Furthermore, McLaughlin think it is not only crucial for her to honor her own history but for the members of the Albright community of all races and ethnicities as well. “Albright has been trying to become more diverse forever and should continue trying. The whole point of school is not only educating yourself, academically but culturally, too.” McLaughlin, Smith and Washington all expressed the fact importance in recognizing Black History Month not only for black students but for all students, regardless of race. Black History Month does not only belong to blacks but to every American. And, with the strong efforts of the BHMC, this idea will be conveyed—everyone will feel apart of this portion of America’s history.
“Black history month is a time to celebrate and revere the triumphs and tribulations that black people have endured for the past 400 years,” sophomore Meaghan Washington said of the month. Washington is one of many students pleased with the efforts the Black History Month Committee are making to celebrate Black History Month at Albright. “I think it’s banging!” freshman Dave Smith enthusiastically spoke of the BHMC’s efforts. “We’re doing something different every week and we’re exposing the whole school to it. We should appreciate the progress blacks have made and how can make more progress,” Smith added.
Acknowledging the importance in recognizing the importance of Black History Month, AAS president and junior Brittany McLaughlin is proud to announce the upcoming Black history-themed events. In the coming weeks, the BHMC will be hosting “Apollo Café,” based on the Amateur Night talent shows at the historic New York theater that held performances some of brightest musical acts in the history of American music. There will also be a movie night every Friday showing the best of black cinema. Later this month, there will be a “Blacks in Wax Museum,” a spin on the famous museum in Baltimore. Albright students will dress up and portray prominent African-American figures. There will also be a gospel concert, a dinner and talent show. The month will conclude with another march that will honor President Barack Obama and Winter Ball, an annual formal dance that AAS organizes.
According to McLaughlin, it is important to participate in Black History Month events because it pays homage to those who sacrificed and came before her. “It’s a time set aside to help me remember my past and not forget or take for granted where I come from,” says McLaughlin.
Furthermore, McLaughlin think it is not only crucial for her to honor her own history but for the members of the Albright community of all races and ethnicities as well. “Albright has been trying to become more diverse forever and should continue trying. The whole point of school is not only educating yourself, academically but culturally, too.” McLaughlin, Smith and Washington all expressed the fact importance in recognizing Black History Month not only for black students but for all students, regardless of race. Black History Month does not only belong to blacks but to every American. And, with the strong efforts of the BHMC, this idea will be conveyed—everyone will feel apart of this portion of America’s history.
storytelling
Market Map
The clickable method is a very good method, but it does have its pros and cons. The pros in the example of the Market Map are the chart is broken up into groups; health care, energy and so on. It was also a good idea to use color. Also the clickable method is good if the facts that are written on the map do not change for a good amount of time. The reason I say this is because the clickable method is a very time consuming to produce, and would be a total headache to have to change the information all the time. There are other cons that come with the layout of the Market Map is set up. First it would help if there was more color; it would have looked better and more appealing if it was color coded. Also what happens if someone is not sure what a company is, maybe someone does not know that Boston Properties is a financial company. They would spend more time looking for the company on this map then they would actually spend reading and finding out the information that they want to know.
Shattered
I enjoyed every little aspect about the slide show for Shattered. I almost had tears in my eyes while having a flashback to 9/11. This was the best storytelling method I feel that was used out of all the examples I have read. I felt that it was just amazing how words were not needed to express this event. Also there was no music, I feel it would not of had as big of an emotional impact if there was music. They say that a slid show tells a story by itself and I think it did. Shattered was definitely done right because it was very effective in telling a story. There were other options that you could look at but 9/11 just grabs your attention because it is on the opening page. Also this was a very good slide show to have because so many people in today’s world had been affected by the tragic event.
Audio Stories
So I listened to Inside the Church of Bethlehem Frontiers of War 102 Minutes. I found it to be plain or bland. I clicked on it and three people were shown. The page was simple and did not draw me in. I feel in order to tell a story I should want to listen to the audio, and in this case I had no desire to want to hear more then one person talk. When the first woman was talking about the plane crash the audio was hard to hear and understand. The second audio of a woman describing the crash was better, but at first I was a little confused oh what she was talking about. The male that was interviewed was very mono-tone. I feel that the audio did tell a story but it was a very drawn out and unexcited way of telling it.
The clickable method is a very good method, but it does have its pros and cons. The pros in the example of the Market Map are the chart is broken up into groups; health care, energy and so on. It was also a good idea to use color. Also the clickable method is good if the facts that are written on the map do not change for a good amount of time. The reason I say this is because the clickable method is a very time consuming to produce, and would be a total headache to have to change the information all the time. There are other cons that come with the layout of the Market Map is set up. First it would help if there was more color; it would have looked better and more appealing if it was color coded. Also what happens if someone is not sure what a company is, maybe someone does not know that Boston Properties is a financial company. They would spend more time looking for the company on this map then they would actually spend reading and finding out the information that they want to know.
Shattered
I enjoyed every little aspect about the slide show for Shattered. I almost had tears in my eyes while having a flashback to 9/11. This was the best storytelling method I feel that was used out of all the examples I have read. I felt that it was just amazing how words were not needed to express this event. Also there was no music, I feel it would not of had as big of an emotional impact if there was music. They say that a slid show tells a story by itself and I think it did. Shattered was definitely done right because it was very effective in telling a story. There were other options that you could look at but 9/11 just grabs your attention because it is on the opening page. Also this was a very good slide show to have because so many people in today’s world had been affected by the tragic event.
Audio Stories
So I listened to Inside the Church of Bethlehem Frontiers of War 102 Minutes. I found it to be plain or bland. I clicked on it and three people were shown. The page was simple and did not draw me in. I feel in order to tell a story I should want to listen to the audio, and in this case I had no desire to want to hear more then one person talk. When the first woman was talking about the plane crash the audio was hard to hear and understand. The second audio of a woman describing the crash was better, but at first I was a little confused oh what she was talking about. The male that was interviewed was very mono-tone. I feel that the audio did tell a story but it was a very drawn out and unexcited way of telling it.
Facul-Tea, technical talk or an easy avenue for Experience Driven-Junkies?
The date was February 5,2009. Tea and soda, raspberry danishes and sugar cookies, all are presented on black trays as the professor sets up his laptop and projection machine readying himself for his lecture. The Gingrich library has made way in both study rooms on its second floor for the immense crowd that would follow to hear of the research that this professor studied during his sabbatical. This is the Facul-Tea and this was Dr. Nawrocki's lecture on networking simulations for wireless networks.
A professor is allowed to take on a sabbatical after seven years of teaching and for only one semester, to study a field that they find interesting. After the semester is finished the professor must present how they've spent their time off and what they've learned.
The Facul-Tea has been at Albright for three to four years, still fairly recent, said Miss Rosemary L. Deegan, the director of the Gingrich library, it was made to allow the professor who's just come off sabbatical to show the students what they've learned.
"It's a nice venue for faculty to show students what they're doing," said Dr. Nawrocki, "It really makes their topics more understandable to a general audience."
The small group allows the professor to take the audience's minds beyond the classroom. This alone allows the Facul-Tea to be considered an Experience Credit because it opens the minds of the students to new things.
Dr. Nawrocki researched online journals, and papers and even referenced textbooks to get a thorough knowledge and understanding of networking simulations for wireless networks. For his Tea session he demonstrated his methods, using graphs, columns, linear algebra, and diverse types of algorithms, to solve a game of Lights Out.
Larryl Damon, a member of the large crowd that couldn't fit in the two rooms said, "I learned that the game Lights Out can be solved through complex mathematical equations, for example, he used difficult matrices."
Though the Facul-Tea could be one of the most educational experience events on campus, could it be that most students are only going to receive experience credit?
When asked why they went to the experience event, all of the responses were the same:
"I needed experience credits and I wanted some food."
"I needed experience credit, and I was starving."
After getting answers such as these it seems folly to believe that anyone is coming to learn anything, but the Director of Gingrich library believes differently, "There are a number coming for experience, but others come because it is their field that was being studied. These are interested in the lecture itself, they don't get any of the green experience cards."
Dr. Nawrocki, said that it didn't bother him that some students just came for the experience credit. "If two or three people found it worth while, then it was worth it."
A professor is allowed to take on a sabbatical after seven years of teaching and for only one semester, to study a field that they find interesting. After the semester is finished the professor must present how they've spent their time off and what they've learned.
The Facul-Tea has been at Albright for three to four years, still fairly recent, said Miss Rosemary L. Deegan, the director of the Gingrich library, it was made to allow the professor who's just come off sabbatical to show the students what they've learned.
"It's a nice venue for faculty to show students what they're doing," said Dr. Nawrocki, "It really makes their topics more understandable to a general audience."
The small group allows the professor to take the audience's minds beyond the classroom. This alone allows the Facul-Tea to be considered an Experience Credit because it opens the minds of the students to new things.
Dr. Nawrocki researched online journals, and papers and even referenced textbooks to get a thorough knowledge and understanding of networking simulations for wireless networks. For his Tea session he demonstrated his methods, using graphs, columns, linear algebra, and diverse types of algorithms, to solve a game of Lights Out.
Larryl Damon, a member of the large crowd that couldn't fit in the two rooms said, "I learned that the game Lights Out can be solved through complex mathematical equations, for example, he used difficult matrices."
Though the Facul-Tea could be one of the most educational experience events on campus, could it be that most students are only going to receive experience credit?
When asked why they went to the experience event, all of the responses were the same:
"I needed experience credits and I wanted some food."
"I needed experience credit, and I was starving."
After getting answers such as these it seems folly to believe that anyone is coming to learn anything, but the Director of Gingrich library believes differently, "There are a number coming for experience, but others come because it is their field that was being studied. These are interested in the lecture itself, they don't get any of the green experience cards."
Dr. Nawrocki, said that it didn't bother him that some students just came for the experience credit. "If two or three people found it worth while, then it was worth it."
Journalism Critique
MSNBC's First lady Michelle Obama graces Vogue cover, was more of a summary of what would've been on a newscast or an article. The short passage was full of quotes that was taken from a direct, straight forward conversation of a five minute conversation. (Print Plus)
Time's Shattered, portrayed the images of 9/11, which many have seen plenty of times before, but this time in a way that causes the viewer to stop and look through the photos without reading any other content, but to let them think for themselves. (slide shows)
The Audio Account of MSNBC was a little confusing as the eyewitnesses describe their views of the scene. The first was blotted out by a lot of noise in the background which made it difficult to hear. The second and third were better and it allowed the audience to actually listen to the descriptions without having to watch.
Time's Shattered, portrayed the images of 9/11, which many have seen plenty of times before, but this time in a way that causes the viewer to stop and look through the photos without reading any other content, but to let them think for themselves. (slide shows)
The Audio Account of MSNBC was a little confusing as the eyewitnesses describe their views of the scene. The first was blotted out by a lot of noise in the background which made it difficult to hear. The second and third were better and it allowed the audience to actually listen to the descriptions without having to watch.
More than just coffee runs: the benifits of internships
9:00 am- get to the office before everyone else. 9:45- coffee run. 10:30- deliver garments to photo shoot. 11:45- coffee run. 12:15- make copies. The life of an intern sometimes may seem like it is not worth all the work. Most students assume that interns just pick up coffee and make copies, but many students and professors highly recommend internships and praise the benefits associated with internships.
Fashion and communications majors for example are required to do internships as part of their major requirements. I spoke to Karen Evans about what she thinks are some of the benefits of internships. Karen said that some of the major benefits were, “Networking with different people to learn about the career as well as get advice for your own career and job leads.” After having done 3 internships as a college student I have found that internships really are beneficial and like Karen mentioned it is a great way to network and meet people. Karen also mentions that “being able to discuss your accomplishments and new skills and experiences during an interview,” is another great benefit of internships.
Students often come to college not knowing what sort of career path they want to follow. Internships can be a great way for students to learn more about what career path they would or would not want to follow. Senior Kelly Burn began as a fashion merchandising major here at Albright. Kelly did a summer internship with Donna Karen in New York City and after doing that internship decided not to continue as a fashion major. “I just couldn’t see myself living that kind of life. I want to a life not as stressed and filled with more fun and time to spend with family,” said Kelly of the reason for making her decision. For other students internships can be the most influential and beneficial time of their college lives. Thea Graybill said, “ my DC internship was an amazing experience. I learned so much about myself and about what I could see myself doing in the future.” For students like Thea and Kelly internships have made huge impacts on their futures. In both their personal and professional futures. I know that I would not be where I am today if I had not experienced what I have experienced through my various internships. All internship serve different purposes, some may be more beneficial then others but all internships provide students with the experiences they will need to succeed in their future careers.
Fashion and communications majors for example are required to do internships as part of their major requirements. I spoke to Karen Evans about what she thinks are some of the benefits of internships. Karen said that some of the major benefits were, “Networking with different people to learn about the career as well as get advice for your own career and job leads.” After having done 3 internships as a college student I have found that internships really are beneficial and like Karen mentioned it is a great way to network and meet people. Karen also mentions that “being able to discuss your accomplishments and new skills and experiences during an interview,” is another great benefit of internships.
Students often come to college not knowing what sort of career path they want to follow. Internships can be a great way for students to learn more about what career path they would or would not want to follow. Senior Kelly Burn began as a fashion merchandising major here at Albright. Kelly did a summer internship with Donna Karen in New York City and after doing that internship decided not to continue as a fashion major. “I just couldn’t see myself living that kind of life. I want to a life not as stressed and filled with more fun and time to spend with family,” said Kelly of the reason for making her decision. For other students internships can be the most influential and beneficial time of their college lives. Thea Graybill said, “ my DC internship was an amazing experience. I learned so much about myself and about what I could see myself doing in the future.” For students like Thea and Kelly internships have made huge impacts on their futures. In both their personal and professional futures. I know that I would not be where I am today if I had not experienced what I have experienced through my various internships. All internship serve different purposes, some may be more beneficial then others but all internships provide students with the experiences they will need to succeed in their future careers.
The Trouble with Digital Media
I have only been an official Digital Media co-concentrator since the beginning of this year but I have always loved the area. I was urged at the end of last year by Johnathon Thurston, a DM department professor who's contract was not renewed but was not informed of this until more than half way through the year. He informed me that he feared next year the Digital Media department may not even exist for students to enter and that if I wanted to join, I should join right away. That has not been the case, the department still exists but for being in this major, I feel as if I am never actually in the DM labs. For anyone who doesn't know, the Digital Media labs are located on the third floor of Alumni Hall which is located directly across from the library. I may attend classes there, but when classes are not in session, it is nearly impossible to gain access to them. The lab is designated for DM students so they have a more private setting to do their work, specically for DM classes, rather than having to go to the computer center.
I am not exactly sure what time Alumni Hall is locked, but as early as 9pm, it is necessary to call public safety to let you into the building. Recently a friend, and fellow DM student, gained access to the lab at 9:30pm after being allowed in by a public safety officer. Once upstairs, there are two computer labs, each is locked with a key pad on the door. The codes used to be given out to each DM student so they could have easy access to do their work. However, this is no longer the case. My friend entered the lab and not five minutes later he stepped into the hallway to get a drink of water. When he tried to get back into the lab where he was working, he found himself locked out. He had to call public safety, once again, and the officer who arrived did not seem to believe he had obtained access to the lab correctly. My friend calmly tried to explain that he had already been let in by public safety but did not have the code to get back into the room. The officer told him he was letting him off the hook by giving him one more hour to his work. A DM project, almost no matter what it is, takes far more than an hour to complete, and I have been told in the past that the lab is open until 3am. The students who seem to work the hardest and work to the best of their ability seem to get the hardest time, especially from public safety.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. It has always been difficult to get into the lab to accomplish work. It was not even open over Interim making it near impossible for certain students to get their work done. There are certain programs and facilities that the lab has that the computer center does not. I do not see why I am paying all this money as well as a lab fee when I cannot even gain access to the place where my major is held to accomplish my work. The library, located directly across the way, is open until at least midnight. Granted, the library obviously has people monitoring it, but if this is the problem, perhaps monitors should be hired for the DM lab. Although I do not feel this is necessary, Albright does not seem to trust their students and does not seem to be attempting to come up with any other solutions. The DM labs are also always extremely warm and I was informed by my professor that this takes years off the life of the computers and yet the heat is never turned down. I have also experienced my work, which is saved on my account, being deleted and not being informed of this ahead of time. Thankfully, I have my work backed up but I know students who have lost hours of work.
I spoke to several alumni and this has been going on for over 5 years. They also told me that on several occasions they were forced to wait outside in the cold winter for over an hour. At this point, many students have given up on trying to get into the lab and therefore cannot fully accomplish their work or build the best portfolio possible. Many companies require knowledge of programs and equipment that Albright does not teach or have access to, making jobs difficult to obtain. Digital Media is suppose to modern and current but I am sad to say that my old high school has more and better equpiment than Albright College and that many of the operating systems here are out of date. Needless to say, as passionate as I am about what I do, I am continuously frusturated. The professors are wonderful and do the best with what they have but sometimes it is just not enough.
I am not exactly sure what time Alumni Hall is locked, but as early as 9pm, it is necessary to call public safety to let you into the building. Recently a friend, and fellow DM student, gained access to the lab at 9:30pm after being allowed in by a public safety officer. Once upstairs, there are two computer labs, each is locked with a key pad on the door. The codes used to be given out to each DM student so they could have easy access to do their work. However, this is no longer the case. My friend entered the lab and not five minutes later he stepped into the hallway to get a drink of water. When he tried to get back into the lab where he was working, he found himself locked out. He had to call public safety, once again, and the officer who arrived did not seem to believe he had obtained access to the lab correctly. My friend calmly tried to explain that he had already been let in by public safety but did not have the code to get back into the room. The officer told him he was letting him off the hook by giving him one more hour to his work. A DM project, almost no matter what it is, takes far more than an hour to complete, and I have been told in the past that the lab is open until 3am. The students who seem to work the hardest and work to the best of their ability seem to get the hardest time, especially from public safety.
This is not the first time something like this has happened. It has always been difficult to get into the lab to accomplish work. It was not even open over Interim making it near impossible for certain students to get their work done. There are certain programs and facilities that the lab has that the computer center does not. I do not see why I am paying all this money as well as a lab fee when I cannot even gain access to the place where my major is held to accomplish my work. The library, located directly across the way, is open until at least midnight. Granted, the library obviously has people monitoring it, but if this is the problem, perhaps monitors should be hired for the DM lab. Although I do not feel this is necessary, Albright does not seem to trust their students and does not seem to be attempting to come up with any other solutions. The DM labs are also always extremely warm and I was informed by my professor that this takes years off the life of the computers and yet the heat is never turned down. I have also experienced my work, which is saved on my account, being deleted and not being informed of this ahead of time. Thankfully, I have my work backed up but I know students who have lost hours of work.
I spoke to several alumni and this has been going on for over 5 years. They also told me that on several occasions they were forced to wait outside in the cold winter for over an hour. At this point, many students have given up on trying to get into the lab and therefore cannot fully accomplish their work or build the best portfolio possible. Many companies require knowledge of programs and equipment that Albright does not teach or have access to, making jobs difficult to obtain. Digital Media is suppose to modern and current but I am sad to say that my old high school has more and better equpiment than Albright College and that many of the operating systems here are out of date. Needless to say, as passionate as I am about what I do, I am continuously frusturated. The professors are wonderful and do the best with what they have but sometimes it is just not enough.
Wrapped! The Search for the Essential Mummy
As part of the experience event program here at Albright College, Dr. Jonathon Elias presented his research into the fascinating world of Egyptian mummies. In his hour long lecture Dr. Elias explained the history behind the fascination with mummies and how advanced the research has become since people first began examining them. “Mummies make great fiction,” said Dr. Elias during his lecture, “but that takes away from the history of the Egyptian mummy.”
However, with an hour long time limit Dr. Elias’ lecture and presentation were rushed and focused more on the history of the mummy then his research. “I liked learning about the history, but he could have had more on CT scans and why they are so important to the study of mummies,” said senior Marc Simmons who attended the lecture. Fellow senior Moe Bounouk agreed with Simmons’ statement adding that the time constraint “made the presentation less effective because it was like he (Dr. Elias) was rushing.”
There was an obvious interest in the lecture with all the chairs being full and people standing and sitting along the walls of the room. However, with as large a turnout as there was the room wasn’t properly prepared. “The room was prepared poorly,” said Simmons. “People in the back couldn’t hear because there was no microphone. It would have been much better if it was in Klein Lecture Hall because we all would have been able to see and hear.”
Judging from the large turnout this was a topic several students, myself included, were interested in. Simmons believes Albright should offer more programs on mummies or such varied topics because “it was something new that isn’t offered semester after semester.” Bounouk agreed saying, “by the turnout people are genuinely interested in the topic, so they should have more events dealing with mummies.” Next time an event featuring such a fascinating topic should be in a better-suited room without a time limit that inhibited what began as an interesting lecture.
However, with an hour long time limit Dr. Elias’ lecture and presentation were rushed and focused more on the history of the mummy then his research. “I liked learning about the history, but he could have had more on CT scans and why they are so important to the study of mummies,” said senior Marc Simmons who attended the lecture. Fellow senior Moe Bounouk agreed with Simmons’ statement adding that the time constraint “made the presentation less effective because it was like he (Dr. Elias) was rushing.”
There was an obvious interest in the lecture with all the chairs being full and people standing and sitting along the walls of the room. However, with as large a turnout as there was the room wasn’t properly prepared. “The room was prepared poorly,” said Simmons. “People in the back couldn’t hear because there was no microphone. It would have been much better if it was in Klein Lecture Hall because we all would have been able to see and hear.”
Judging from the large turnout this was a topic several students, myself included, were interested in. Simmons believes Albright should offer more programs on mummies or such varied topics because “it was something new that isn’t offered semester after semester.” Bounouk agreed saying, “by the turnout people are genuinely interested in the topic, so they should have more events dealing with mummies.” Next time an event featuring such a fascinating topic should be in a better-suited room without a time limit that inhibited what began as an interesting lecture.
Albright Parking
For four years now I have had an issue with the availability of parking students have on campus. For my first blog I wanted to take on this issue and get the students’, as well as, the faculties’ perspective on this issue.
After talking with fellow student, Greg Smith, he agreed 100% that there needs to be more available student parking allotted on campus. He said that this is the number one question asked by parents of prospective students when giving a tour. He is aware of the new parking lot that is going to be constructed in the future behind the football stadium and thinks it is fantastic. I went on with the question, “Do you feel this is a safe spot to allow for student parking? “ He gave me an answer that I actually had never even thought of. Greg would like to see some sort of security go in to that parking lot, such as a swipe of the Albright card, which would allow a gate to open. This would stop anyone from entering the parking lot that was not a current Albright student to allow for a safer and more available parking lot. Indifferent to Greg Smith’s answer, another one of my fellow students Andre Forbes does not agree that this type of security is in our budget. Forbes works for Albright security and realizes how hard it is to fund money for more security related materials to benefit Albright. He feels that making the shuttle system run more frequently and making it more available than just once an hour may benefit the security issues that we are facing at Albright. This would save from a student having to walk to and from various places that would be considered unsafe. An unidentified student understood that making more parking lots available would maybe mean tearing down buildings and understood that would never happen. He explained that if the availability were there to allow more parking spots available for current students then it would already be there.
Taking a different angle I spoke with Dr. Forte, chairman for the Campus Life Council and a religion professor here at Albright, and Officer Gross, an on campus police officer at Albright College. Most of their views were very sympathetic for current students. Dr. Forte informed me that he wishes Albright students were allowed to park in the two parking lots that are offered here for faculty only. He also agrees that street parking, especially in Reading, may not always be the safest spot to park, and hopefully with the new parking lot under construction will help with the availability of parking spots in the future.
Officer Gross cares so much about the safety of the Albright students, and stated if Albright had room for it, that there probably would be more parking lots, but the campus does not have the space to provide this. Officer Gross informed me that the theft and crime rate in Reading is significantly low in this part of town compared to the other side. This does not mean that parking on 13th street will be always safe, but that security patrols the area constantly to try to prevent any crime and theft. Officer Gross and the rest of the security department plan on adding the new parking lot as an additional stop to their shuttle route and considering to make consistent stops there to protect the cars parked there. He also thought of the idea as adding Oak Forest and Autumn Park as another stop, to allow students who live there to get a ride from our public safety. This makes it more convenient for those residents and keeps more cars off campus to allow parking for other commuting students. I hope this issue is solved the best way possible to help suit and make Albright as safe as possible.
After talking with fellow student, Greg Smith, he agreed 100% that there needs to be more available student parking allotted on campus. He said that this is the number one question asked by parents of prospective students when giving a tour. He is aware of the new parking lot that is going to be constructed in the future behind the football stadium and thinks it is fantastic. I went on with the question, “Do you feel this is a safe spot to allow for student parking? “ He gave me an answer that I actually had never even thought of. Greg would like to see some sort of security go in to that parking lot, such as a swipe of the Albright card, which would allow a gate to open. This would stop anyone from entering the parking lot that was not a current Albright student to allow for a safer and more available parking lot. Indifferent to Greg Smith’s answer, another one of my fellow students Andre Forbes does not agree that this type of security is in our budget. Forbes works for Albright security and realizes how hard it is to fund money for more security related materials to benefit Albright. He feels that making the shuttle system run more frequently and making it more available than just once an hour may benefit the security issues that we are facing at Albright. This would save from a student having to walk to and from various places that would be considered unsafe. An unidentified student understood that making more parking lots available would maybe mean tearing down buildings and understood that would never happen. He explained that if the availability were there to allow more parking spots available for current students then it would already be there.
Taking a different angle I spoke with Dr. Forte, chairman for the Campus Life Council and a religion professor here at Albright, and Officer Gross, an on campus police officer at Albright College. Most of their views were very sympathetic for current students. Dr. Forte informed me that he wishes Albright students were allowed to park in the two parking lots that are offered here for faculty only. He also agrees that street parking, especially in Reading, may not always be the safest spot to park, and hopefully with the new parking lot under construction will help with the availability of parking spots in the future.
Officer Gross cares so much about the safety of the Albright students, and stated if Albright had room for it, that there probably would be more parking lots, but the campus does not have the space to provide this. Officer Gross informed me that the theft and crime rate in Reading is significantly low in this part of town compared to the other side. This does not mean that parking on 13th street will be always safe, but that security patrols the area constantly to try to prevent any crime and theft. Officer Gross and the rest of the security department plan on adding the new parking lot as an additional stop to their shuttle route and considering to make consistent stops there to protect the cars parked there. He also thought of the idea as adding Oak Forest and Autumn Park as another stop, to allow students who live there to get a ride from our public safety. This makes it more convenient for those residents and keeps more cars off campus to allow parking for other commuting students. I hope this issue is solved the best way possible to help suit and make Albright as safe as possible.
Online Storytelling
Clickable Interactives
The Map of the Market for Smartmoney.com I feel is a bad way to tell a story. First off, the whole page is an image map; it is broken up in what has to be well over 100 different squares, each of which is a link to more reports for that certain part of the company. Dragging over each square will tell you the company it represents, and some vital information. The problem is that you don’t know what company you’re looking at until you get there. You scroll over random squares, hoping you can find the company you are looking for. The image is broken up into 11 parts, each part with a category. Each category has over double-digit squares within. To tell the story, it becomes a pain. Trying to find the information you want on this site is overly hard, and whoever designed it designed it trying to flex their web-design abilities, and not with the reader in mind.
Slideshow
The New York Times slideshow from a journalist in Afghanistan was an absolutely amazing way to tell a story. First off, any slideshow is a great way to tell a story so long as the images are properly ordered. Readers do not have to go search for any organization. They know what they are looking at as they look at it. Now the reason a slideshow is so effective is pictures describe things better than words ever could. When you deal with a huge social issue, such as Middle Eastern life in times like today, the images are bound to speak volumes. You saw how much different things are there, more so than you could learn from reading any textbook or article. It does an amazing job of showing the key differences, the struggles faced over there, and the way their social views are different from our own. It was a great way to tell a story.
Print Plus
Print plus is the best form of storytelling period. It allows for multiple forms to be included, meaning whatever the reader’s preference is, they are likely to find a satisfactory method within a Print Plus article. Comcast.net, for example, shows many stories. It has the normal just text article, along with the image in the top left which you can click, and it will give a slideshow of images related to the story, each with a telling caption. To the right of the page are links to what is called “The Fan.” “The Fan” is what Comcast uses to refer to their video database, and within that database you can find the video related to the story you are reading. I used Comcast as an example because they cite other broadcasters for their news, and are neutral in reporting. Comcast is a great example of Print Plus, if you want pictures, audio/video, or just plain text, the print plus method is the perfect method. The diversity in displaying is what makes it particularly effective, and common.
The Map of the Market for Smartmoney.com I feel is a bad way to tell a story. First off, the whole page is an image map; it is broken up in what has to be well over 100 different squares, each of which is a link to more reports for that certain part of the company. Dragging over each square will tell you the company it represents, and some vital information. The problem is that you don’t know what company you’re looking at until you get there. You scroll over random squares, hoping you can find the company you are looking for. The image is broken up into 11 parts, each part with a category. Each category has over double-digit squares within. To tell the story, it becomes a pain. Trying to find the information you want on this site is overly hard, and whoever designed it designed it trying to flex their web-design abilities, and not with the reader in mind.
Slideshow
The New York Times slideshow from a journalist in Afghanistan was an absolutely amazing way to tell a story. First off, any slideshow is a great way to tell a story so long as the images are properly ordered. Readers do not have to go search for any organization. They know what they are looking at as they look at it. Now the reason a slideshow is so effective is pictures describe things better than words ever could. When you deal with a huge social issue, such as Middle Eastern life in times like today, the images are bound to speak volumes. You saw how much different things are there, more so than you could learn from reading any textbook or article. It does an amazing job of showing the key differences, the struggles faced over there, and the way their social views are different from our own. It was a great way to tell a story.
Print Plus
Print plus is the best form of storytelling period. It allows for multiple forms to be included, meaning whatever the reader’s preference is, they are likely to find a satisfactory method within a Print Plus article. Comcast.net, for example, shows many stories. It has the normal just text article, along with the image in the top left which you can click, and it will give a slideshow of images related to the story, each with a telling caption. To the right of the page are links to what is called “The Fan.” “The Fan” is what Comcast uses to refer to their video database, and within that database you can find the video related to the story you are reading. I used Comcast as an example because they cite other broadcasters for their news, and are neutral in reporting. Comcast is a great example of Print Plus, if you want pictures, audio/video, or just plain text, the print plus method is the perfect method. The diversity in displaying is what makes it particularly effective, and common.
Elements of Storytelling
RELATIONSHIP
When is comes to the relationship between digital story and the user are based on five aspects. Linearity which is the order the content can be accessed. If the story is nonlinear is allows the user to choose the order they want. Linear means the stories are already decided and move along in the order already made. Customization allows the user to personalize the content. Standard does not allow for anyone to customize the contents. The next one is calculations; fist you need user input then the results are tallied, like a vote. Non-calculation stories do not need tallies. Manipulable allows the user to move around the materials on the site. If it is set it can not be changed. Appendable stories allow the content be appendable by the user. Finite do not allow this by the user.
COMMUNICATION
There are four types and combination of media; configuration, type, currentness and time/space. Configuration is relationship with media in the story. Type shows the medium to tell the story. Currentness shows synchronous or asynchronous. Time/space shows the editing of the content. There are three types of configuration; single medium, multiple media and multimedia. Single medium only one medium is used to tell a story. Multiple media allows for two or more types of media used for the story package. Multimedia is two or more media types woven together. There are seven types of media; graphic, motion graphic, video, animation, text, photo and audio. Recorded currentness is delayed from the time it was captured. Live currentness content is delayed without delay. Time and space has two branches; real-time and edited. Real-time is shown in its entirety and edited has been made by content developer.
ACTION
The element of action is described in the best way I believe. The examples and explanation of how online has pop-ups and flash animation compared to a human turning a page or a video being in motion. The description about content of action has three categories that websites can go be under; static, dynamic and combination. Static has no movement, dynamic has movement built in and combination has consist of static and dynamic portions. The user action are divided into three categories; passive, active and mixed. Passive is where the user needs to do no action it moves automatically, active requires some clicking but is not a browser function and mixed required active and passive use.
When is comes to the relationship between digital story and the user are based on five aspects. Linearity which is the order the content can be accessed. If the story is nonlinear is allows the user to choose the order they want. Linear means the stories are already decided and move along in the order already made. Customization allows the user to personalize the content. Standard does not allow for anyone to customize the contents. The next one is calculations; fist you need user input then the results are tallied, like a vote. Non-calculation stories do not need tallies. Manipulable allows the user to move around the materials on the site. If it is set it can not be changed. Appendable stories allow the content be appendable by the user. Finite do not allow this by the user.
COMMUNICATION
There are four types and combination of media; configuration, type, currentness and time/space. Configuration is relationship with media in the story. Type shows the medium to tell the story. Currentness shows synchronous or asynchronous. Time/space shows the editing of the content. There are three types of configuration; single medium, multiple media and multimedia. Single medium only one medium is used to tell a story. Multiple media allows for two or more types of media used for the story package. Multimedia is two or more media types woven together. There are seven types of media; graphic, motion graphic, video, animation, text, photo and audio. Recorded currentness is delayed from the time it was captured. Live currentness content is delayed without delay. Time and space has two branches; real-time and edited. Real-time is shown in its entirety and edited has been made by content developer.
ACTION
The element of action is described in the best way I believe. The examples and explanation of how online has pop-ups and flash animation compared to a human turning a page or a video being in motion. The description about content of action has three categories that websites can go be under; static, dynamic and combination. Static has no movement, dynamic has movement built in and combination has consist of static and dynamic portions. The user action are divided into three categories; passive, active and mixed. Passive is where the user needs to do no action it moves automatically, active requires some clicking but is not a browser function and mixed required active and passive use.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Online Media Forms
Print Plus: NY Mother Who Drowned 3 Kids Pleads Mentally Ill
Reading this article, I realized that, as the site said, this article clearly wasn't written specifically for ABC. This was ABC's exclusive; it was written by the Associated Press. While online news is the primary way that I do keep up with current events, I realized that I am getting the same exact piece of information, delivered in the same exact way, with the same exact pictures that the girl who is reading the story on CNN's website, and the boy who is MSNBC's website. We more than likely have the same exact pictures too. I understand the reasons why this type of media is used, and although its one of the traditional ways, it also seems like the lazy way. I know every news source can't write their own little blurb everytime, but its probably the type of coverage is the least artistic and creative. How difficult is cut and paste?
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=6840319
Slideshows : Shattered
This form brings forth the expression, "A picture is worth a thousand words" - clearly, something are better expressed shown, rather than told. Such captivating pictures in "Shattered", and surely, any other slideshows, tell a story that words can't. You can't write someone's expression, or capture something falling, the way that a camera can. Emotions can't be communicated in words, and sometimes it takes away from whatever the journalist is trying to communicate. Pictures have always been my favorite way of learning about something; just text alone can not only be boring, but just unimaginative (if the situation can be expressed with pictures). Of course somethings can't be expressed with pictures, or with the usage of a slideshow, thus having to be communicated with print plus, but with a tragedy like 9/11, there clearly has be some sort of visual display.
Audio Stories: Audio Man On The Street
One of my favorite ways to get a new story when I am watching the news on television is when the reporter will ask an eye witness. I always feel like that is THE way to ensure that whatever happened, actually happened. There was actually someone there who heard it, saw it, felt it, or knows who did it, and I generally don't believe a story until I see the concerned neighbor or the scared young child giving their account of the event being covered. The same goes for the audio; even though I can't see them saying however they feel, or what they saw, I can hear it in their voices. I really appreciate that aspect, especially online. The fact that people can upload these voices to make the reader (or listener's) experience better, makes for better reporting.
Reading this article, I realized that, as the site said, this article clearly wasn't written specifically for ABC. This was ABC's exclusive; it was written by the Associated Press. While online news is the primary way that I do keep up with current events, I realized that I am getting the same exact piece of information, delivered in the same exact way, with the same exact pictures that the girl who is reading the story on CNN's website, and the boy who is MSNBC's website. We more than likely have the same exact pictures too. I understand the reasons why this type of media is used, and although its one of the traditional ways, it also seems like the lazy way. I know every news source can't write their own little blurb everytime, but its probably the type of coverage is the least artistic and creative. How difficult is cut and paste?
http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/wireStory?id=6840319
Slideshows : Shattered
This form brings forth the expression, "A picture is worth a thousand words" - clearly, something are better expressed shown, rather than told. Such captivating pictures in "Shattered", and surely, any other slideshows, tell a story that words can't. You can't write someone's expression, or capture something falling, the way that a camera can. Emotions can't be communicated in words, and sometimes it takes away from whatever the journalist is trying to communicate. Pictures have always been my favorite way of learning about something; just text alone can not only be boring, but just unimaginative (if the situation can be expressed with pictures). Of course somethings can't be expressed with pictures, or with the usage of a slideshow, thus having to be communicated with print plus, but with a tragedy like 9/11, there clearly has be some sort of visual display.
Audio Stories: Audio Man On The Street
One of my favorite ways to get a new story when I am watching the news on television is when the reporter will ask an eye witness. I always feel like that is THE way to ensure that whatever happened, actually happened. There was actually someone there who heard it, saw it, felt it, or knows who did it, and I generally don't believe a story until I see the concerned neighbor or the scared young child giving their account of the event being covered. The same goes for the audio; even though I can't see them saying however they feel, or what they saw, I can hear it in their voices. I really appreciate that aspect, especially online. The fact that people can upload these voices to make the reader (or listener's) experience better, makes for better reporting.
Critique of Story Forms (Allyse)
Print Plus
I often read many news stories that are posted to msnbc.com and never before noticed how they create their story. It was not until reading the description of print plus that I see they frame their story around an already existing published form. I read msnbc.com’s article on Alex Rodriguez’s admitting he took steroids and I now see that the story is just a reflection on the news story that ran on their television stations. They had the video of the most recent interview with Rodriguez posted to the story, showing that this was just a sort of follow-up to their already existing coverage. I never realized how much the added aspects such as the video could take away from the written story posted online. I think the description of print plus is right in saying that this type of story does not take full advantage of online reporting. The story is just a recap of what people have already read or seen on television and there is so much more that can probably be reported as the story is continuing to develop.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29068677/
Slide Shows
I always thought slide shows of pictures were a good way to show an audience a story. However, I never realized how powerful and informative slide shows could really be. After viewing and listening to the commentary of Vincent Laforet’s “The Refugees” slide show for The New York Times website I realized how powerful and incredibly useful this technology can be to online journalists. These pictures show a different side to the situation we are able to read about daily and it gives the reporter a chance to give a further explanation of what a reader is seeing in order for them to fully understand the story they are trying to tell. A photo spread like this may appear in the newspaper, but in color and with so much more commentary it paints a much different and much more powerful message to readers. I agree that this is a great way for online journalists to use online reporting because it gives readers a much more in-depth explanation and a much more vivid sense of a story.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/index_JOURNAL01.html
Weblogs
I have heard the term weblogs used so many times and I never really understood what exactly was meant by the term. However, after reading the According to The Times site, I have a much better understanding and I think it’s a great idea. I am not one to pick up a copy of The New York Times unless absolutely necessary because I find the content boring and hard to stay focused on. However, I do know how credible and informative it is consider. I think that the According to The Times weblog is a great idea for those who want a credible news source but are only looking for articles that interest them. This site gives mini descriptions of the articles that are in The Times and the links to access them online. I think this is a great way for casual readers to stay informed and for people who are looking for a specific story or just something that interests them to find those stories. I also think this is just another innovation associated with online journalism and really showcases the possibility of what it can become in the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/25/weekinreview/25ATTT.html?ex=1234328400&en=95900ad9a033c7f3&ei=5070
I often read many news stories that are posted to msnbc.com and never before noticed how they create their story. It was not until reading the description of print plus that I see they frame their story around an already existing published form. I read msnbc.com’s article on Alex Rodriguez’s admitting he took steroids and I now see that the story is just a reflection on the news story that ran on their television stations. They had the video of the most recent interview with Rodriguez posted to the story, showing that this was just a sort of follow-up to their already existing coverage. I never realized how much the added aspects such as the video could take away from the written story posted online. I think the description of print plus is right in saying that this type of story does not take full advantage of online reporting. The story is just a recap of what people have already read or seen on television and there is so much more that can probably be reported as the story is continuing to develop.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/29068677/
Slide Shows
I always thought slide shows of pictures were a good way to show an audience a story. However, I never realized how powerful and informative slide shows could really be. After viewing and listening to the commentary of Vincent Laforet’s “The Refugees” slide show for The New York Times website I realized how powerful and incredibly useful this technology can be to online journalists. These pictures show a different side to the situation we are able to read about daily and it gives the reporter a chance to give a further explanation of what a reader is seeing in order for them to fully understand the story they are trying to tell. A photo spread like this may appear in the newspaper, but in color and with so much more commentary it paints a much different and much more powerful message to readers. I agree that this is a great way for online journalists to use online reporting because it gives readers a much more in-depth explanation and a much more vivid sense of a story.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/index_JOURNAL01.html
Weblogs
I have heard the term weblogs used so many times and I never really understood what exactly was meant by the term. However, after reading the According to The Times site, I have a much better understanding and I think it’s a great idea. I am not one to pick up a copy of The New York Times unless absolutely necessary because I find the content boring and hard to stay focused on. However, I do know how credible and informative it is consider. I think that the According to The Times weblog is a great idea for those who want a credible news source but are only looking for articles that interest them. This site gives mini descriptions of the articles that are in The Times and the links to access them online. I think this is a great way for casual readers to stay informed and for people who are looking for a specific story or just something that interests them to find those stories. I also think this is just another innovation associated with online journalism and really showcases the possibility of what it can become in the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/25/weekinreview/25ATTT.html?ex=1234328400&en=95900ad9a033c7f3&ei=5070
Online Storytelling (Erin)
Slideshows
The saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” has never been truer then when it comes to slideshows. Sometimes it seems better to express a story in pictures rather then words and such was the case in the slideshow “Shattered”. This slideshow depicted the event of 9/11 from the view of the people affected instead of just showing the towers falling. Although the slideshow may have benefited from music or some captions with the photos it still got its point across of how devastating the day was. When I think about slideshows I usually don’t associate them with news worthy material but instead with school and class projects. However, when I think about it slideshows have been used as forms of media in many different ways, like YouTube for instance. That whole website is made up of videos and there are in fact many that have been created as slideshows to inform the public of many different aspects.
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/shattered/
Stories Without Words
Although “Stories Without Words” was listed as a separate category then slideshows, they seem very similar if not the same exact thing. The only difference that I found when looking at “The Fall of the Twin Towers” was that unlike “Shattered” it was animated and resembled more of a slideshow then “Shattered” did. When refereeing to online story telling forms it seems like the same form can be called a variety of different things but yet it still represents the same one concept. The various names that can be applied to one concept would seem to me to lead to a little confusion and perhaps a misconception. I know when I saw stories without words I figured, or assumed that not only would it be animated but that there would also be music in the background. The music in the background would just enhance the pictures and it would still be able to not have words. It just seems to mislead the consumer and gives false hope when looking for a specific type of media.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/photo/attack/sequence/tower_sequence.htm
Animated Stories
When I think of animation and animated stories I tend to think of the cartoons that I grew up watching as well as the various videos that can be found on the internet. However, animated stories can be used to display important information as well, and helps the consumer to better understand what is going on instead of just reading a story. This was the case when I watched both “How the pros play the masters” and “How Tiger played it”. Without having much, if any knowledge, about professional golf it was still very easy to understand what they were talking about when playing the 13th hole at Augusta. This type of animation also allowed you to go at your own pace and click when you wanted to hear the next step allowing for time to process what had just been explained and also not making the consumer feel rushed or left confused at all.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/tour/pros_play/no13/
The saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” has never been truer then when it comes to slideshows. Sometimes it seems better to express a story in pictures rather then words and such was the case in the slideshow “Shattered”. This slideshow depicted the event of 9/11 from the view of the people affected instead of just showing the towers falling. Although the slideshow may have benefited from music or some captions with the photos it still got its point across of how devastating the day was. When I think about slideshows I usually don’t associate them with news worthy material but instead with school and class projects. However, when I think about it slideshows have been used as forms of media in many different ways, like YouTube for instance. That whole website is made up of videos and there are in fact many that have been created as slideshows to inform the public of many different aspects.
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/shattered/
Stories Without Words
Although “Stories Without Words” was listed as a separate category then slideshows, they seem very similar if not the same exact thing. The only difference that I found when looking at “The Fall of the Twin Towers” was that unlike “Shattered” it was animated and resembled more of a slideshow then “Shattered” did. When refereeing to online story telling forms it seems like the same form can be called a variety of different things but yet it still represents the same one concept. The various names that can be applied to one concept would seem to me to lead to a little confusion and perhaps a misconception. I know when I saw stories without words I figured, or assumed that not only would it be animated but that there would also be music in the background. The music in the background would just enhance the pictures and it would still be able to not have words. It just seems to mislead the consumer and gives false hope when looking for a specific type of media.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/photo/attack/sequence/tower_sequence.htm
Animated Stories
When I think of animation and animated stories I tend to think of the cartoons that I grew up watching as well as the various videos that can be found on the internet. However, animated stories can be used to display important information as well, and helps the consumer to better understand what is going on instead of just reading a story. This was the case when I watched both “How the pros play the masters” and “How Tiger played it”. Without having much, if any knowledge, about professional golf it was still very easy to understand what they were talking about when playing the 13th hole at Augusta. This type of animation also allowed you to go at your own pace and click when you wanted to hear the next step allowing for time to process what had just been explained and also not making the consumer feel rushed or left confused at all.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/tour/pros_play/no13/
Online Storytelling (Amir)
Slideshows
Slideshows are a great way to keep news-followers or any type of media audience engaged and entertained. I looked at the MSNBC “Week In Photos” and it featured some amazing photos that captured newsworthy events of the week. Sometimes, words do not fully capture certain things that pictures can about a particular story. For example, in one of the pictures, it showed a family mourning the loss of a police captain in Mass.—without pictures, those reading about the story can only read. The pictures allows there to be an emotional connection and a better understanding of the reported issue. Also, there is a picture of fireworks at a Chinese New Years celebration; a report without picture would be much more boring than a picture and description together. It is much more interesting seeing a visual description than one with just words. It becomes more than just reading about this week’s event; it becomes more fascinating to follow with the picture because it captures the essence of the story better than words.
Audio Stories
Even though technology is continually advancing, this traditional type of storytelling can be helpful when it comes to certain stories. I listened to “Audio Man On The Street” and it reminded me of the witnesses and people on the street that get interviewed on local news shows. There are some stories where pictures and words are not enough; sometimes what people witnessed and their opinions are better at conveying a certain type of stories. For examples, stories that are focused on robberies or house fires need information from victims and witnesses—therefore, what they contribute is the most important. And, because they are witnesses and where there when a certain event occurred, they can describe it better than the journalist or reporter. The only issue that I have with this type of storytelling is that sometimes it is only effective when it comes to descriptive and explaining purposes—reporting is something on another plain. It may not be enough on its own to fully detail a story or event because it is based heavily on opinion and comes from a personal perspective.
Multimedia Interactives
Out of all the types of online storytelling, I think this is the most effective out of the bunch, simply because it’s a combination of the other types of storytelling that the article included. I looked at the “U Street In Focus” and it includes audio, slideshow and other types of visual elements and not only successfully conveys the subject matter in interesting ways but keeps you engaged as well. It also presents the information, pictures and video in an easy and organized manner. I can appreciate this because, sometimes, websites that use some of today’s newest technology are difficult to manage and work and require to many plug-ins and downloads. The only issue I think that this type of storytelling has is that there are a lot of visual effects but the written portions are smaller. I think that this takes away from the factual side of things and gives more light to the visual. I am not sure if that was the intent, but it is something that I noticed.
Slideshows are a great way to keep news-followers or any type of media audience engaged and entertained. I looked at the MSNBC “Week In Photos” and it featured some amazing photos that captured newsworthy events of the week. Sometimes, words do not fully capture certain things that pictures can about a particular story. For example, in one of the pictures, it showed a family mourning the loss of a police captain in Mass.—without pictures, those reading about the story can only read. The pictures allows there to be an emotional connection and a better understanding of the reported issue. Also, there is a picture of fireworks at a Chinese New Years celebration; a report without picture would be much more boring than a picture and description together. It is much more interesting seeing a visual description than one with just words. It becomes more than just reading about this week’s event; it becomes more fascinating to follow with the picture because it captures the essence of the story better than words.
Audio Stories
Even though technology is continually advancing, this traditional type of storytelling can be helpful when it comes to certain stories. I listened to “Audio Man On The Street” and it reminded me of the witnesses and people on the street that get interviewed on local news shows. There are some stories where pictures and words are not enough; sometimes what people witnessed and their opinions are better at conveying a certain type of stories. For examples, stories that are focused on robberies or house fires need information from victims and witnesses—therefore, what they contribute is the most important. And, because they are witnesses and where there when a certain event occurred, they can describe it better than the journalist or reporter. The only issue that I have with this type of storytelling is that sometimes it is only effective when it comes to descriptive and explaining purposes—reporting is something on another plain. It may not be enough on its own to fully detail a story or event because it is based heavily on opinion and comes from a personal perspective.
Multimedia Interactives
Out of all the types of online storytelling, I think this is the most effective out of the bunch, simply because it’s a combination of the other types of storytelling that the article included. I looked at the “U Street In Focus” and it includes audio, slideshow and other types of visual elements and not only successfully conveys the subject matter in interesting ways but keeps you engaged as well. It also presents the information, pictures and video in an easy and organized manner. I can appreciate this because, sometimes, websites that use some of today’s newest technology are difficult to manage and work and require to many plug-ins and downloads. The only issue I think that this type of storytelling has is that there are a lot of visual effects but the written portions are smaller. I think that this takes away from the factual side of things and gives more light to the visual. I am not sure if that was the intent, but it is something that I noticed.
Online Storytelling (Amir)
Slideshows
Slideshows are a great way to keep news-followers or any type of media audience engaged and entertained. I looked at the MSNBC “Week In Photos” and it featured some amazing photos that captured newsworthy events of the week. Sometimes, words do not fully capture certain things that pictures can about a particular story. For example, in one of the pictures, it showed a family mourning the loss of a police captain in Mass.—without pictures, those reading about the story can only read. The pictures allows there to be an emotional connection and a better understanding of the reported issue. Also, there is a picture of fireworks at a Chinese New Years celebration; a report without picture would be much more boring than a picture and description together. It is much more interesting seeing a visual description than one with just words. It becomes more than just reading about this week’s event; it becomes more fascinating to follow with the picture because it captures the essence of the story better than words.
Audio Stories
Even though technology is continually advancing, this traditional type of storytelling can be helpful when it comes to certain stories. I listened to “Audio Man On The Street” and it reminded me of the witnesses and people on the street that get interviewed on local news shows. There are some stories where pictures and words are not enough; sometimes what people witnessed and their opinions are better at conveying a certain type of stories. For examples, stories that are focused on robberies or house fires need information from victims and witnesses—therefore, what they contribute is the most important. And, because they are witnesses and where there when a certain event occurred, they can describe it better than the journalist or reporter. The only issue that I have with this type of storytelling is that sometimes it is only effective when it comes to descriptive and explaining purposes—reporting is something on another plain. It may not be enough on its own to fully detail a story or event because it is based heavily on opinion and comes from a personal perspective.
Multimedia Interactives
Out of all the types of online storytelling, I think this is the most effective out of the bunch, simply because it’s a combination of the other types of storytelling that the article included. I looked at the “U Street In Focus” and it includes audio, slideshow and other types of visual elements and not only successfully conveys the subject matter in interesting ways but keeps you engaged as well. It also presents the information, pictures and video in an easy and organized manner. I can appreciate this because, sometimes, websites that use some of today’s newest technology are difficult to manage and work and require to many plug-ins and downloads. The only issue I think that this type of storytelling has is that there are a lot of visual effects but the written portions are smaller. I think that this takes away from the factual side of things and gives more light to the visual. I am not sure if that was the intent, but it is something that I noticed.
Slideshows are a great way to keep news-followers or any type of media audience engaged and entertained. I looked at the MSNBC “Week In Photos” and it featured some amazing photos that captured newsworthy events of the week. Sometimes, words do not fully capture certain things that pictures can about a particular story. For example, in one of the pictures, it showed a family mourning the loss of a police captain in Mass.—without pictures, those reading about the story can only read. The pictures allows there to be an emotional connection and a better understanding of the reported issue. Also, there is a picture of fireworks at a Chinese New Years celebration; a report without picture would be much more boring than a picture and description together. It is much more interesting seeing a visual description than one with just words. It becomes more than just reading about this week’s event; it becomes more fascinating to follow with the picture because it captures the essence of the story better than words.
Audio Stories
Even though technology is continually advancing, this traditional type of storytelling can be helpful when it comes to certain stories. I listened to “Audio Man On The Street” and it reminded me of the witnesses and people on the street that get interviewed on local news shows. There are some stories where pictures and words are not enough; sometimes what people witnessed and their opinions are better at conveying a certain type of stories. For examples, stories that are focused on robberies or house fires need information from victims and witnesses—therefore, what they contribute is the most important. And, because they are witnesses and where there when a certain event occurred, they can describe it better than the journalist or reporter. The only issue that I have with this type of storytelling is that sometimes it is only effective when it comes to descriptive and explaining purposes—reporting is something on another plain. It may not be enough on its own to fully detail a story or event because it is based heavily on opinion and comes from a personal perspective.
Multimedia Interactives
Out of all the types of online storytelling, I think this is the most effective out of the bunch, simply because it’s a combination of the other types of storytelling that the article included. I looked at the “U Street In Focus” and it includes audio, slideshow and other types of visual elements and not only successfully conveys the subject matter in interesting ways but keeps you engaged as well. It also presents the information, pictures and video in an easy and organized manner. I can appreciate this because, sometimes, websites that use some of today’s newest technology are difficult to manage and work and require to many plug-ins and downloads. The only issue I think that this type of storytelling has is that there are a lot of visual effects but the written portions are smaller. I think that this takes away from the factual side of things and gives more light to the visual. I am not sure if that was the intent, but it is something that I noticed.
Online Storytelling (Caitlin)
Clickable Interactives
I wish there were more clickable interactives out there on the web. It really combines all the different aspects of online media and makes it easily understandable and is a good learning and teaching tool. I clicked on the Catastrophic Collaspe and found myself with a small, virtual image of the twin towers and step-by-step it showed me how exactly the airplanes caused the towers to collapse. It used non-graphic visual elements combined with text on the side to explain the catastophe. This was more of an informative story that simply focused on the facts of the collapse, rather than the emotional and personal accounts we are so used to hearing. It was very nice to be involved and actually be participating with news/internet media, rather than just sitting and watching or reading. I enjoyed be able to control how fast or slow the information was presented to me and how much I chose to read as opposed to how much of the visuals I chose to pay attention to.
Slideshow
A slideshow is a way of visual storytelling. Words are not always required to get your message across, and as a huge lover of photography, I feel I can really appreciate the content of the various slideshows. They are also a simple form of expression, there is nothing too overwhelming and the one I watched, Shattered, you did not even have to go in order, you could skip around to different photographs. A lot of people, myself included, often find these types of media more interesting because they are appealing and do not require much thought on the part of the viewer. Shattered was displaying photos from 9/11 which of course, was a tragic event that still affects Americans today and seeing photos from it can still be painful but it gives a real display of what happened. It is informative as well as being able to strike a chord within people.
Animation
The last one I decided to write about is that of Animation. I think that I appreciate this a lot more than I would have previously because I now know how to make small animations and I know how much work is put into it. There was one about golf, How the Pros Play the Masters, that I decided to look at. I am not a huge fan of golf but this was interesting because there was audio, as well as a fairly simple animation, and a little bit of interaction. Sometimes it is nice to not have to read something and just listen to someone else reading it. An animation also made something like golf, more easily understood and for me, more interesting. The only bad thing perhaps was that there was no way to skip around sections, or fast forward. I would not want all my news or information to be through animation but, once in awhile, it is a nice and different way to convey something.
I wish there were more clickable interactives out there on the web. It really combines all the different aspects of online media and makes it easily understandable and is a good learning and teaching tool. I clicked on the Catastrophic Collaspe and found myself with a small, virtual image of the twin towers and step-by-step it showed me how exactly the airplanes caused the towers to collapse. It used non-graphic visual elements combined with text on the side to explain the catastophe. This was more of an informative story that simply focused on the facts of the collapse, rather than the emotional and personal accounts we are so used to hearing. It was very nice to be involved and actually be participating with news/internet media, rather than just sitting and watching or reading. I enjoyed be able to control how fast or slow the information was presented to me and how much I chose to read as opposed to how much of the visuals I chose to pay attention to.
Slideshow
A slideshow is a way of visual storytelling. Words are not always required to get your message across, and as a huge lover of photography, I feel I can really appreciate the content of the various slideshows. They are also a simple form of expression, there is nothing too overwhelming and the one I watched, Shattered, you did not even have to go in order, you could skip around to different photographs. A lot of people, myself included, often find these types of media more interesting because they are appealing and do not require much thought on the part of the viewer. Shattered was displaying photos from 9/11 which of course, was a tragic event that still affects Americans today and seeing photos from it can still be painful but it gives a real display of what happened. It is informative as well as being able to strike a chord within people.
Animation
The last one I decided to write about is that of Animation. I think that I appreciate this a lot more than I would have previously because I now know how to make small animations and I know how much work is put into it. There was one about golf, How the Pros Play the Masters, that I decided to look at. I am not a huge fan of golf but this was interesting because there was audio, as well as a fairly simple animation, and a little bit of interaction. Sometimes it is nice to not have to read something and just listen to someone else reading it. An animation also made something like golf, more easily understood and for me, more interesting. The only bad thing perhaps was that there was no way to skip around sections, or fast forward. I would not want all my news or information to be through animation but, once in awhile, it is a nice and different way to convey something.
Critique: Online Storytelling Forms
“Slideshows”
Journalist can report about an event in many different forms. By using slideshows they can present information to readers in a new and interesting way. Slideshow keep readers entertained, which has become one of the roles of media. One of the examples that was given on the storytelling forms website is a perfect example of using slideshows perfectly. MSNBC has a slideshow series called the week in pictures. They use pictures to tell readers about what has occurred during the week. I know I personally do not have time to read every news story or watch every news report daily. So for me being able to stay informed in a quick and shortened version is extremely convenient and keeps me update on what is going on in the world even if I don’t always have the time to read the news everyday.
When confronted with animation online I normally don’t click on it, just because it makes me think of those really annoying pop-up ads that always come up. After reading the storytelling forms article and clicking through their different examples of stories that use animation I can now see how if used properly animation could add another layer to a story and add a different perspective that the reader can relate to and find engaging. The Sports illustrated link that was given as an example I thought used animation in a really interesting way. I don’t know the first thing about golf and the fact that the virtual tour that used animation helped me understand how the game would be played. It sort of made me feel like I was there. The fact that they used a voice to talk through the animation to explain each hole made is it seem even more lifelike and made it engaging for some one like me, who has no interest or understanding of golf.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/tour/pros_play/no13/
“Stories without words”
I am a believer that sometimes a picture can be as good as a thousand words. For example the Washington Post slideshow of the fall of the twin towers is a great example of how pictures if used correctly can be a great way to tell a story. The pictures were sort of a chronological snap shot of the events that occurred. When used properly photographs can bring out emotions in a reader and give some one who was not present at the time that something happened the opportunity to experience the moment as if they were there. My only problem with the story was the fact that they did not use music. I think that if they used music while the slideshow was playing it would add another level of emotional connection for the reader to make with the story.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/flash/photo/attack/sequence/tower_sequence.htm
Meghan's Online Story telling Critiques
After clicking on the article The Fall of the Twin Towers on the Washingtonpost.com website, I felt they used a great piece of medium to explain this tragic story. There were no words or dialect chosen to show what the article was trying to get across. After watching this slideshow I realized there were no words needed to make this a great online story. The pictures explained the feeling you are supposed to get while viewing and the pictures explained everything that would have been written. I do not believe that all articles can be posted in such way. Because this event was so tragic and there were a lot of pictures taken first hand, the pictures describe themselves. The pictures also are shown in chronological order, which acts like a video or also a story. The importance of pictures for this article is very high, because if this article was just explained in words, the emotion might not be the same. I loved every aspect this article has because it is not to short, but definitely has a lot of meaning behind it.
The article A Tribute to Our Troops is little different type of online story telling article that uses the community in order to complete the storyline. At this website you can search for a troop that you may know in your hometown to see if they have a page. After looking for a person you may be related to or know you can comment on their page and write messages to them personally. This is a great way to interact with someone in the community that may be over fighting for our country. Not everyone in the military has a page. They have to make one to be able to comment on them. That is the only down fault to this article, because you cannot just communicate to everyone that maybe in the military. They have to have a page for you to comment or pray for them. They do though have a link right underneath that you can type in your email address to start a page for a loved one you may know. This definitely is a great way that is easy to use for online story telling. In my opinion I feel that the community is the number one choice to go to when writing articles, because they are the readers as well, and know what they would like to see within an article.
I already read an article that relates to the twin towers, but I wanted to share this article as well. The article is called Shattered, which is also is a slide show showing different pictures than the article The Fall of the Twin Towers. Maybe I was comparing the two because they are on the same issue, but this article is not really that good. I feel as though some type of words need to be attached to these pictures. The only reason I could actually tell these pictures were from the fall of the towers is because I have a great bit of knowledge and remember what the scene looked like from other pictures. Someone who is not familiar with this tragic event may not know where these pictures came from, because they do not actually show the twin towers at all. The only way this article I believe could be used without any words would maybe add some more pictures of the tower actually collapsing. The slideshow definitely has some unique and outstanding pictures, but I feel as though there needs to be more to make this story telling article complete.
The article A Tribute to Our Troops is little different type of online story telling article that uses the community in order to complete the storyline. At this website you can search for a troop that you may know in your hometown to see if they have a page. After looking for a person you may be related to or know you can comment on their page and write messages to them personally. This is a great way to interact with someone in the community that may be over fighting for our country. Not everyone in the military has a page. They have to make one to be able to comment on them. That is the only down fault to this article, because you cannot just communicate to everyone that maybe in the military. They have to have a page for you to comment or pray for them. They do though have a link right underneath that you can type in your email address to start a page for a loved one you may know. This definitely is a great way that is easy to use for online story telling. In my opinion I feel that the community is the number one choice to go to when writing articles, because they are the readers as well, and know what they would like to see within an article.
I already read an article that relates to the twin towers, but I wanted to share this article as well. The article is called Shattered, which is also is a slide show showing different pictures than the article The Fall of the Twin Towers. Maybe I was comparing the two because they are on the same issue, but this article is not really that good. I feel as though some type of words need to be attached to these pictures. The only reason I could actually tell these pictures were from the fall of the towers is because I have a great bit of knowledge and remember what the scene looked like from other pictures. Someone who is not familiar with this tragic event may not know where these pictures came from, because they do not actually show the twin towers at all. The only way this article I believe could be used without any words would maybe add some more pictures of the tower actually collapsing. The slideshow definitely has some unique and outstanding pictures, but I feel as though there needs to be more to make this story telling article complete.
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