Time to Reflect

The Last Blog of the Quarter

 Over the course of this winter quarter we have covered more programs then I think I have used in my entire technological life. That is probably an exaggeration but I am still completely amazed at all of the material we have been able to cover in a condensed period of time, and over programs that could have an entire class designated for each. I have watched my graphic-design major roommate creating impressive art through Adobe Photoshop and InDesign for a long time now and even though there is not a chance I could create that level of art, it is exciting to understand how the programs work and creating work of my own. 


I also feel like this course will be incredibly beneficial when looking for a job next spring, as I won't be phased by the task of creating a business card, brochure, podcast, or even website. I have been introduced to many resources and tools that can make big projects feasible and often even simple. I will say, however, that if I were asked to create a website I would definitely default/prefer to use wix.com or weebly.com than building from scratch the way we did. Website builders are much more appreciated in my eyes after logging so many hours into my personal website. It will be disabled most likely in April, as I do not have plans to renew my GoDaddy contract. But in the meantime, feel free to check out my site at: http://www.change4thefuture.com

While the portfolios we have created throughout the quarter were undoubtedly helpful, I have a newfound appreciation for the many random people that post tutorials (for literally anything) on Youtube, as it seems to address any question or issue I have with these class projects. Even creating a blog was something unfamiliar to me prior to this class and it has been fun increasing my tech-saviness. Then again, give it a month and I will already be behind on the new programs and tools available. 

 Sources Used:

 http://blogs.cites.illinois.edu/cites-ats/files/2011/05/TechnologyComic3.gif

A Day of Disconnection

Week 9 Blog: 

For this week's blog, my class was presented with a challenge that would also serve as a very interesting experiment. The obstacle: attempting to go a day without using communication technology. As much as I hate to admit it, this is a particularly daunting task, not only for the challenge to refrain socially but also based on my dependency on emails for school-related work. However, I did give it a shot and here is what my day looked like.

9:00am- my alarm goes off to wake me up-- which is on my phone. So technically I already messed up, however I did not have another alarm so this was expected and unavoidable. I will admit that I woke to a few texts and responded to one. Not the best start. 

Trying to avoid being tempted to look at my phone every time I heard it go off, I silenced it and for the first time in ages, I actually wore a watch! This allowed me to not count on my phone and actually put it away for extended periods of time. It's amazing (and sad) to realize just how often I reach for it to check messages or send one- it's as though I ALWAYS need to be connected or have an ongoing conversation, even when the topic is unimportant. 

I had to go by the bookstore and the library on my way to class where I quickly printed something. However, this was an assignment that could not be written and again, there wasn't really a way around it. Normally I would have opened other tabs on the computer but I opened the file I needed and got in then got out, rather than wasting time. From noon-4pm I was in classes and usually take notes by hand anyways, so this was not challenging. I slipped up and checked messages during my break on my phone, involving several texts and a missed call from my sister, but I made myself postpone responding. 

Before my 5pm lab I began working on a project on campus that will eventually need to be a powerpoint presentation, but I chose to write out my content first. I did this for the sake of not breaking the rules of the challenge but at the same time this was something that would need to be done on the computer anyways later. It made me realize just how frequent it is for teachers to demand typed work these days. It used to be that you needed to have handwritten work and then there was a time where the students could choose whatever they preferred. But now we are expected to have computers and get our work done that way. Even for short write-ups and trivial assignments. 

When I finally got home that night after being on campus for the entire day, I just wanted to get in bed and watch a show. There is almost always a show on Hulu that I want to watch and if that fails me, my roommate has a Netflix account. I have read that working on the computer/staring at the screen can actually really interrupt your sleep, but after a long day of textbooks and lectures, reading is the last thing I want to do. For the sake of the challenge I read a few pages in a book I have been slowly making my way through since Fall, but found that after just a few pages I was ready to sleep.  On the bright side I got to bed at a far better hour than I normally do, since I always seem to stay awake for several episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

I did check my messages again at home and responded only to the ones that required an answer/seemed important. Overall I was surprised at how well I refrained from using communication technologies but it didn't mean that I wasn't thinking about it a lot. With the exception of the time I was in classes, I felt compelled to grab my phone and see what everyone else was doing. Additionally, because it was my busy class day I did not go to the rec to work out, but had I gone it would have been awful to run or do the elliptical without my music or watching one of the shows on the screen. 

It is hard to remember the days when I did not have my phone in my hand giving me instant connections to family and friends, a calculator to avoid doing math in my head, and updates from my email should I not have access to a computer. And as much as I don't want to admit it, it is incredibly difficult to practice that level of disconnect again. 

The Digital World

Week 8 Blog

Prior to writing this post, I watched the following two videos on a SixthSense Technology demo that enables seamless interaction between the real world and the world of data. While watching these videos my jaw was literally dropping continuously when they demonstrated specific tools their technology provides. Simply by performing logical and natural gestures, one can manipulate any physical interface around them using a camera/projector/mirror system. 

The possibilities and realities of this technology are never ending and quickly expanding and i find myself surprisingly terrified. If you would like to watch someone take a picture with only their fingers, get book ratings simply by holding the book up, and get a video report while holding up an every day newspaper, then check out these videos:

http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

When watching these videos I was undoubtedly impressed but also overwhelmed. Here is a creation that will be sold to people for only $350.00-- not much different from the price of an iPhone. So this technology is not something distant and far away, it is something that will be pervasive in my own life and possibly change the future career I have or re-structure the very nature of the work I will be doing. Discoveries this grandiose do not go unnoticed. 


In the video, the lead creator Pranav Mistry states that this SixthSense technology "will help us stay human and be more connected with our physical world". He claims this because being outside and interacting with physical interfaces to attain information is preferable to sitting in front of lifeless machines all day [lap top, cell phones, kindles, etc]. And in this regard I think this is true to a certain degree. However, when people did not have so much accessible information literally at their fingertips, they would be able to focus on their surroundings or escape the technology for a little while when they were out and about. I think that these breaks from the digital world are incredibly important and decreasing exponentially.


Our world is becoming increasingly digital and it is not something that will slow down or plateau, it will keep advancing with incredible force and I suppose I do not like the feeling of always being behind. It is impossible to stay on top and proficient in all of the technologies available. I absolutely believe we are tuning out our physical world and I do not even like to think about what life will be like 50 years from now. Sure, we will have information available in any place and in any way we want it someday, but is that worth losing our sense of reality? I guess it doesn't matter what the answer to that question is, because we will find out regardless, and maybe that is what I dislike the most. Unless I decide to live under a rock, I will be forced to learn and adapt to these new technologies.

Sources:

http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

The Tricks About Wix

Week 6 Blog Assignment

Having worked at the beginning of the quarter on creating a website and design from scratch through Adobe Photoshop and DreamWeaver, I have a huge appreciation for online website builders that make this process easier. When searching for content for my class portfolio, I chose to read about Weebly, and proceeded to create a sample/practice page through that builder as an in class assignment. You can actual visit my site temporarily here. I chose to create that site on the local musical talent in Bellingham and since it was an in-class assignment, it is not by any means complete, but is fairly extensive given the amount of time I had to create it.

 

On another note, when I met with my designated group to create our joint website, we all decided to use Wix. The other members were familiar with this website builder and I was not opposed to learning the ways of a new one. This was different in it's navigation and tools available but still fairly easy to figure out and then utilize. We chose to create a site geared towards Western's best kept secrets and the content is thorough but nevertheless entertaining. 

I encourage everyone to check out our end product and learn some Western secrets!

 

While I would encourage both Wix and Weebly to anyone looking for a user-friendly way to create a website, I realize there are other programs that might have just as much to offer.

 

One name and program that I personally want to learn more about would be Moonfruit.com.

 This site instantly gives you quick, fast templates/layouts to select from and immediately lets you get started on the design details and content. Having these layouts so handy can really relieve some stress over contemplating whether or not your site will catch someone's eyes or be aesthetically appealing. And best of all, it's FREE! Who doesn't love free things?

If you're interested in learning more about this site and want someone to explain the tools available to you, check out this video tutorial on Moonfruit and what it has to offer:

 With these easy website builders, you can wow your friends or employers with how quickly you can produce a polished, professional looking website, which is not something many people will know how to do. I am still relatively new to this communication technology but it is definitely something worth learning, I think. I have already showed my roommates what I have done and they are always impressed, but it really does not take much with these helpful builders. 

Sources used:

http://bhammusic.weebly.com/

http://www.moonfruit.com/ 

http://www.wix.com/meganrunkel/western-secrets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6pr9aeJ96U

Social Media & Social Change

Week 5 Blog Assignment:

 Writing a blog for class and creating websites in hours would be unheard of for the generation before us. But as we find ourselves in such a technologically savvy era, new issues arise and it is incredibly difficult to stay on top of the evolving social media and the correlating social change. For this week's blog, I will be highlighting some of these social media outlets and the unnerving power that they hold.

 

Last quarter, in my Small Group Processes Communication course, we read a New York Times article from April 9, 2011 byt Jenna Wortham, titled, "Feel Like a Wallflower? Maybe It's Your Facebook Wall". In this piece, she introduces the concept of FOMO (fear of missing out), and "refers to the blend of anxiety, inadequacy and irritation that can flare up while skimming social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc".

Wortham acknowledges the benefits of feeling more connected to friends and family all over the country but thinks that the may not be worth it. In her article, she quotes Sherry Turkle, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of "Alone Together", saying that "as technology becomes ever more pervasive, our relationship to it becomes more intimate, granting it the power to influence decisions, moods and emotions.

While I have not joined the world of twitter or instagram or even tumblr at this point, I can see the ways that Facebook does influence my perception of others and even how I am spending my own time. And beyond this somewhat shallow social aspect, there is the growing pervasiveness of this social media seeping into the workplace. Employers are seeing these personal sites and making decisions before the applicant even begins their interview.



I was recently given a book called, "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations"by Clay Shirky and though I have yet to read the entire thing, it proves to be entertaining and anyone interested in this sort of thing should check it out.

The video below is one that I have seen before but never fails to surprise me with the numbers and comparisons that make the power of social media that much more real. If you haven't seen it before I definitely encourage you to check it out.

Two quotes in this video in particular seem to sum it all  up very nicely and reflect my attitude towards social media. The first being from Erik Qualman, stating that "we don't have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it". While it is daunting and somewhat overwhelming at times to try and stay proficient at all of the emerging technologies, it really is something that you need to challenge head-on to increase your employment opportunities after college. Having these skills is not necessarily and choice if you want to stay on top of it.

And I'll end with this great quote from the video, "Social media isn't a fad, it's a fundamental shift in the way we communicate". So true.

Sources used:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell#ixzz1STUPJxOE

http://www.amazon.com/Here-Comes-Everybody-Organizing-Organizations/dp/1594201536
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eUeL3n7fDs