My Teaching Portfolio
Writing for New Media Portfolio
Facebook Discussions
Response to "Schools & Facebook: Moving Too Fast or Not Fast Enough?" by Matt Levison:
I think instructors should be integrating new media more within the structure of all courses because it is so relevant to the students. It will increase student interest and promote student participation. Like the author in the article I read suggests, students will be more likely to spend time on school work outside of school if they can do so through the internet rather than out of a book. If learning is made relevant to students' lives, they will always be more willing and interested. For example, this class utilizes a lot of new media because it is the subject matter of the course but that also keeps students engaged. This class also has Facebook discussions like the author of the article suggests doing for classrooms so that students use Facebook to enhance their learning rather than to take away from their learning. This class also has a blog which the author suggests teachers create. I think it is a great idea to have a class blog where students and the teachers have a chance to interact in a way that appeals to students.
Whether teachers are comfortable with new media or not, our society is heading in a direction where it is going to continue to be used in so many ways. I think that teachers should learn to be comfortable with new media and utilize it as much as they can for their students.
Saint Rose Website Improvement Suggestions:
Saint Rose could definitely make the website more visually appealing. It is currently pretty plain.There should be more pictures, videos, maybe a nice background, brighter colors- something to make it stand out.
The website really needs to be easier to navigate. It is too difficult to find what you are looking for with all of the drop down menus that have links that bring you to new places. All in all, there are too many "clicks" needed to get where you want to be, if you ever find it. Many students find themselves using the search button and then browsing through a list of links to find what they are looking for. Some of the websites we looked at had sidebar menus with long scrolls with everything under its corresponding category title in one place. I thought this was very helpful.
Saint Rose could also give off a more realistic impression of the school and the small community that it has through videos, pictures, and interactive media. I think the website makes our school seem very boring and uneventful. We need student blogs, pictures of campus events, interactive tours, etc. Not just lists and links.
I think instructors should be integrating new media more within the structure of all courses because it is so relevant to the students. It will increase student interest and promote student participation. Like the author in the article I read suggests, students will be more likely to spend time on school work outside of school if they can do so through the internet rather than out of a book. If learning is made relevant to students' lives, they will always be more willing and interested. For example, this class utilizes a lot of new media because it is the subject matter of the course but that also keeps students engaged. This class also has Facebook discussions like the author of the article suggests doing for classrooms so that students use Facebook to enhance their learning rather than to take away from their learning. This class also has a blog which the author suggests teachers create. I think it is a great idea to have a class blog where students and the teachers have a chance to interact in a way that appeals to students.
Whether teachers are comfortable with new media or not, our society is heading in a direction where it is going to continue to be used in so many ways. I think that teachers should learn to be comfortable with new media and utilize it as much as they can for their students.
Saint Rose Website Improvement Suggestions:
Saint Rose could definitely make the website more visually appealing. It is currently pretty plain.There should be more pictures, videos, maybe a nice background, brighter colors- something to make it stand out.
The website really needs to be easier to navigate. It is too difficult to find what you are looking for with all of the drop down menus that have links that bring you to new places. All in all, there are too many "clicks" needed to get where you want to be, if you ever find it. Many students find themselves using the search button and then browsing through a list of links to find what they are looking for. Some of the websites we looked at had sidebar menus with long scrolls with everything under its corresponding category title in one place. I thought this was very helpful.
Saint Rose could also give off a more realistic impression of the school and the small community that it has through videos, pictures, and interactive media. I think the website makes our school seem very boring and uneventful. We need student blogs, pictures of campus events, interactive tours, etc. Not just lists and links.
Creating Community:
To make the class a community, we propose a semester long class project that would require the building of a class website. The website would resemble a campus newspaper that informed the audience about current events, arts, sports, etc. Members of the class each take different topics to be covered, according to personal interest. This would help gain compliance beyond what is required because they would be investing personal interests into the site.
The website would be open to audience comments and concerns, allowing for us to receive feedback. In addition to being able to comment on articles that have been posted, viewers can also post their own threads to promote discussions.
Our community allows each person to have a voice, express their interests and ideas for our website. The community members will not be forced to cover areas they are not intersted in, which allows them to be more willing to participate as a group.
Techniques:
• We will provide a place for comments where we have posted videos, articles and pictures
• We will promote discussion channels by giving our audience the opportunity to post their own threads of interest
• We will provide a feedback section where comments can be made on how to better our website
• We would use our class meeting time to work as a community in discussing ideas/problems/solutions for our website
• We will have an invisible operator who oversees material being posted to website by our viewers
- MacKenzie, Erin, and Christina
Class Blogs
New Media Marketing:
I definitely think that new media marketing reaches more individuals than print media marketing. Way more people are on the internet than ever before and companies are using it to their advantage. They know we can change the com mercial (or even fast forward now) or fail to pay attention a billboard or turn the page on a magazine advertisement without giving it the time of day. They know that we'll be on the internet and they know they can use what we look at on the internet to target their perfect audience. I know some products are even subtly or sometimes not so subtly being advertised on TV shows or in movies. Sometimes it really does feel like its just too much. There are points where you just want to enjoy a TV show, website, or magazine without having a product forced on you. I feel like the fact that some companies target your interests through online marketing may actually lead to more people buying their product since it is something that they are interested in possibly. I think companies will continue to utilize the internet to force us to see their products.
Making Your Visual Presentation:
I think that making a good video is easier today than it was before because more technology is available to us. However, our standards have changed quite a bit, too. With more and more exposure to realistic graphics and imaginary lands or creatures made "real" through the technology of a green screen, we expect a lot from videos- a lot more than just props. I think that a lot goes into a good video. I think everything from the lighting to the sounds to the music to the actors/actresses to the most important, the storyline. It is easy for us to tell the difference between a low budget film and one that cost a lot pretty easily. Box office hits are the movies that cover all aspects of what it takes to make a good video- the lighting, music, sounds, acting, and plot. With just one key component missing, the whole video or movie can be considered bad. When all key aspects are there, I'm interested for the full length.
Podcasts
Interviews with Saint Rose students on how they feel about Rose Rock 2011 being relocated to the gym instead of being out on the campus lawn.
http://soundcloud.com/eng-252-new-media#play
http://soundcloud.com/eng-252-new-media#play
