Sunday, September 16, 2007
Whoa facebook
When I got to my 8 a.m. class today, multiple people were already checking out Facebook. It was way too early for me to check people out and connect.
School's not healthy
I realized today that when I’m at school and need to relax after class, I turn on the TV and zone out for 30 minutes. During the summer, I don’t watch a lot of TV though. I normally read a book outside or find something else to do. I guess school makes me live a more extreme lifestyle—I use my brain all the way or am completely lazy.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Laughing is great
If anyone needs to bounce out of a bad mood, just come to my apartment. As soon as my sister turns on the TV, she finds something funny to watch and just laughs for 30 minutes every day. I’m talking really loud, truly happy laughing. I love listening to her, even when I can’t watch the show with her.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Kids and Media
I recently babysat a five-year-old named Gabby. We followed a pretty typical routine—she watched her allotted one hour of TV, I gave her dinner, but when I suggested we play a game, she opened my eyes to a new side of childhood. Gabby plopped in front of the computer and proceeded to play some sort of reading game. She grew bored, switched to a different game, and finally left technology behind for a game of evil witch (me) and captured princess (Gabby). When she outmaneuvered my attempt to give her a poisonous potion, she was giddy. I never saw that expression when she played on the computer.
I may be only 22, but I must be getting old fashioned. Kids should be using their imaginations and reading outside instead of spending hours at a computer or TV everyday. They have the rest of their lives to do that, right? Henry Jenkins’ “Why Heather Can Write, Media Literacy and the Harry Potter Wars” reveals a new media creature that combines both worlds.
The article shows how in the wake of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, kids and teens around the world created fan fiction Web sites, where people write their own stories about Harry Potter’s world at Hogwarts. They take on imaginary roles in this fantasy world, and develop writing, editing, and critiquing skills as a bonus to their fun.
It sounds great—cutting edge changes to society. Kids learn and grow on a virtual playground where people from any and every background can come to the table without judgment. While I don’t deny the positive possibilities of learning in this new environment, the fact is, it’s all fantasy. Kids don’t really meet or play—they’re on a computer…alone. The Web provides an isolation that could limit a kid’s social development. People need to be together to play and laugh and learn in their own worlds.
After watching a PBS documentary about Sesame Street, TV actually seems like a safer medium that virtual realities. Granted, there has been plenty of research on the negative effects TV has on children. Commercials for sugar and toys, violence, objectification of women…the list goes on and on. However, Sesame Street has bucked that trend since its birth in 1969. Globally, its importance outweighs that of the Internet because most homes don’t have computers.
However, Kids in 120 countries watch Sesame Street and learn about local issues. Children in South Africa learn about life from an HIV positive puppet named Kami. Sesame Street is reaching kids and possibly changing prejudices. Instead of getting lost in an imaginary computer world, kids can take what they learn and apply it to their actual lives.
I may be only 22, but I must be getting old fashioned. Kids should be using their imaginations and reading outside instead of spending hours at a computer or TV everyday. They have the rest of their lives to do that, right? Henry Jenkins’ “Why Heather Can Write, Media Literacy and the Harry Potter Wars” reveals a new media creature that combines both worlds.
The article shows how in the wake of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, kids and teens around the world created fan fiction Web sites, where people write their own stories about Harry Potter’s world at Hogwarts. They take on imaginary roles in this fantasy world, and develop writing, editing, and critiquing skills as a bonus to their fun.
It sounds great—cutting edge changes to society. Kids learn and grow on a virtual playground where people from any and every background can come to the table without judgment. While I don’t deny the positive possibilities of learning in this new environment, the fact is, it’s all fantasy. Kids don’t really meet or play—they’re on a computer…alone. The Web provides an isolation that could limit a kid’s social development. People need to be together to play and laugh and learn in their own worlds.
After watching a PBS documentary about Sesame Street, TV actually seems like a safer medium that virtual realities. Granted, there has been plenty of research on the negative effects TV has on children. Commercials for sugar and toys, violence, objectification of women…the list goes on and on. However, Sesame Street has bucked that trend since its birth in 1969. Globally, its importance outweighs that of the Internet because most homes don’t have computers.
However, Kids in 120 countries watch Sesame Street and learn about local issues. Children in South Africa learn about life from an HIV positive puppet named Kami. Sesame Street is reaching kids and possibly changing prejudices. Instead of getting lost in an imaginary computer world, kids can take what they learn and apply it to their actual lives.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Virginia Tech Response
I first heard about the Virginia Tech massacre from my sister—in passing, she said a lot of students died in a shooting, but she didn’t know details. I was in a hurry and remember thinking, “wow, that’s sad,” and then rushing to class. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t feel much of anything.
When the extent of the shooting came to light, I tried to ignore and deny my initial apathy, but I couldn’t shake the memory of my reaction. I’ve heard people talk about how the media only show “bad” news, so people grow immune, but I never considered myself in that boat. I guess I was wrong.
My disconnect from the media makes me sad. I’m entering the field of journalism, yet I cannot honestly say the broadcast coverage of the United State’s deadliest mass shooting has made me feel much. The profiles of the victims delivered with the same news package vibe as every other story felt stale. News stations covered every angle of the event—fear, anger, blame—but it just didn’t reach me.
On April 16,2007, Thirty-two people died. One potentially mental ill student, Seung-Hui Cho, stormed West Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall, went on a shooting spree, and ended it by killing himself.
This event became real when I could personalize it and bring it
One aspect of the broadcast coverage that struck a chord was the release of Cho’s manifesto package sent to NBC. People criticized the network for airing the photos and videos, but I think that information was vital. It opened the door to Cho’s skewed world as no profile or background information could. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies, but those clips broke something in me. The killer did exist, and he did go on a rampage he felt Virginia Tech students deserved.
The most crucial medium during breaking news like this is the Internet. It’s up to the second updates can be accessed during class, at work, or on a cell phone. In the middle of the day, most people cannot watch TV, so the Internet remains the easiest, fastest medium to find information.
The in-depth updates are perhaps even more important than initial reports. Broadcast shows must come to an end, but the Internet has all the time and space it needs. For example, on a blog, one student posted graphic plays Cho had written. Within hours, people not only heard a peer’s insight into Cho, but they could see a document that proved his critique. The plays made Cho real in a way that student’s opinions couldn’t do on their own.
The Internet also provides multimedia, interactive packages that make the event real. The New York Times’ "The Rampage at Virginia Tech” hit home the most for me. No other coverage forced me to put myself in the victims’ shoes like this package.
It takes users through a series of slides that tell the story. When I got to the individual classrooms and saw circles where victims and survivors struggled during the shooting, I was stunned. Actually picturing the classrooms with blurbs about how individuals responded was chilling. It was then my heart broke for the dead. The teachers that died while barricading the doors and students who happened to be sitting in the front row—this tragic event happened, and I finally realized what it was like.
When the extent of the shooting came to light, I tried to ignore and deny my initial apathy, but I couldn’t shake the memory of my reaction. I’ve heard people talk about how the media only show “bad” news, so people grow immune, but I never considered myself in that boat. I guess I was wrong.
My disconnect from the media makes me sad. I’m entering the field of journalism, yet I cannot honestly say the broadcast coverage of the United State’s deadliest mass shooting has made me feel much. The profiles of the victims delivered with the same news package vibe as every other story felt stale. News stations covered every angle of the event—fear, anger, blame—but it just didn’t reach me.
On April 16,2007, Thirty-two people died. One potentially mental ill student, Seung-Hui Cho, stormed West Ambler Johnston Hall and Norris Hall, went on a shooting spree, and ended it by killing himself.
This event became real when I could personalize it and bring it
One aspect of the broadcast coverage that struck a chord was the release of Cho’s manifesto package sent to NBC. People criticized the network for airing the photos and videos, but I think that information was vital. It opened the door to Cho’s skewed world as no profile or background information could. Maybe I’ve seen too many movies, but those clips broke something in me. The killer did exist, and he did go on a rampage he felt Virginia Tech students deserved.
The most crucial medium during breaking news like this is the Internet. It’s up to the second updates can be accessed during class, at work, or on a cell phone. In the middle of the day, most people cannot watch TV, so the Internet remains the easiest, fastest medium to find information.
The in-depth updates are perhaps even more important than initial reports. Broadcast shows must come to an end, but the Internet has all the time and space it needs. For example, on a blog, one student posted graphic plays Cho had written. Within hours, people not only heard a peer’s insight into Cho, but they could see a document that proved his critique. The plays made Cho real in a way that student’s opinions couldn’t do on their own.
The Internet also provides multimedia, interactive packages that make the event real. The New York Times’ "The Rampage at Virginia Tech” hit home the most for me. No other coverage forced me to put myself in the victims’ shoes like this package.
It takes users through a series of slides that tell the story. When I got to the individual classrooms and saw circles where victims and survivors struggled during the shooting, I was stunned. Actually picturing the classrooms with blurbs about how individuals responded was chilling. It was then my heart broke for the dead. The teachers that died while barricading the doors and students who happened to be sitting in the front row—this tragic event happened, and I finally realized what it was like.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Kristof Packages
This week has been crazy. I’ve gone nonstop (finishing a cookbook, writing a Spanish paper, tests, meetings…I could go on and on and on). I need sleep, and I won’t lie—I’ve had a few pity parties along the way.
Imagine my surprise when, sitting down to do this assignment, I find rejuvenation instead of a tedious check off my list. My boost in the arm came from Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times. He spoke for the Human Trafficking symposium sponsored by SMU's Human Rights Education program Tuesday.
Kristof focuses his Op-Ed columns on human rights issues around the world. He’s won two Pulitzer prizes, his most recent in 2006 for commentary, with attention to his coverage of the genocide in Darfur.
Kristof grew up on a farm in Oregon. He graduated from Harvard College and studied law in Oxford. He started coving economics for The New York Times in 1984 and has been a columnist since 2001. Kristof has traveled to 120 countries and has focused his attention on Darfur.
According to the SMU Daily Campus coverage of his lecture, Kristof blames the media for apathy about Darfur. I have to agree, but with a twist. It’s the business of the media that stunts public interest. Parent companies think Americans want celeb gossip and glossed over world events, so that’s what Americans get. Maybe people do want that, but journalists should give information people don’t always want. Unfortunately that seems to be a dying reality.
However, a glance at Kristof’s columns assures that all is not lost for journalism. His multimedia packages push the field towards the future. They’re subtly electrifying. They inspire people to become involved in world issues without shoving it down their throats. I know they gave me a much needed reality check. Sex slaves, AIDS, village slaughtering—his packages quickly pop my college bubble.
His package, ”China: a Maturing Power,” highlights this hopeful turn for the media. It reviews China’s growing world presence, examining political, social, and economic changes. Using the Internet forces the user to be involved. He has a map of China with points connected to his different stories in the series. People can learn what interests them at their own pace.
Perhaps the most powerful element of the package is his use of photographs. When dealing with human rights, adding real faces makes impossible to imagine situations real. You hear and see people, but you have to pursue it, unlike TV.
Even so, I still doubt powerful packages like Kristof’s will become mainstream. The Internet is the future, but Big Business will find a way to tell you what to consume, even on the Web. I hope I’m wrong because I wish everyone could have the reality check Kristof’s packages gave me.
Imagine my surprise when, sitting down to do this assignment, I find rejuvenation instead of a tedious check off my list. My boost in the arm came from Nicholas D. Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times. He spoke for the Human Trafficking symposium sponsored by SMU's Human Rights Education program Tuesday.
Kristof focuses his Op-Ed columns on human rights issues around the world. He’s won two Pulitzer prizes, his most recent in 2006 for commentary, with attention to his coverage of the genocide in Darfur.
Kristof grew up on a farm in Oregon. He graduated from Harvard College and studied law in Oxford. He started coving economics for The New York Times in 1984 and has been a columnist since 2001. Kristof has traveled to 120 countries and has focused his attention on Darfur.
According to the SMU Daily Campus coverage of his lecture, Kristof blames the media for apathy about Darfur. I have to agree, but with a twist. It’s the business of the media that stunts public interest. Parent companies think Americans want celeb gossip and glossed over world events, so that’s what Americans get. Maybe people do want that, but journalists should give information people don’t always want. Unfortunately that seems to be a dying reality.
However, a glance at Kristof’s columns assures that all is not lost for journalism. His multimedia packages push the field towards the future. They’re subtly electrifying. They inspire people to become involved in world issues without shoving it down their throats. I know they gave me a much needed reality check. Sex slaves, AIDS, village slaughtering—his packages quickly pop my college bubble.
His package, ”China: a Maturing Power,” highlights this hopeful turn for the media. It reviews China’s growing world presence, examining political, social, and economic changes. Using the Internet forces the user to be involved. He has a map of China with points connected to his different stories in the series. People can learn what interests them at their own pace.
Perhaps the most powerful element of the package is his use of photographs. When dealing with human rights, adding real faces makes impossible to imagine situations real. You hear and see people, but you have to pursue it, unlike TV.
Even so, I still doubt powerful packages like Kristof’s will become mainstream. The Internet is the future, but Big Business will find a way to tell you what to consume, even on the Web. I hope I’m wrong because I wish everyone could have the reality check Kristof’s packages gave me.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Journalism Transformed
I embraced journalism for my major in part because I like writing, but also to avoid math and business. Apparently, the joke’s on me because business now reveals the news, says
Rob Insana, senior analyst at CNBC.
Insana visited SMU, and spoke as guest lecturer at the William O’Neil lecture Monday.
In 2006, Insana left the anchor seat for “Street Signs,” and now acts as head financial analyst, so he can pursue personal interests.
At the lecture, Insana focused on how financial markets move before major events, a topic addressed in his latest book, The Message of the Markets. Journalists may pick up on stories after the fact, but business investors know about financial or political events before they occur. Bottom line: if people want news early, watch the stock market.
Insana pointed to John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the First Gulf War to prove his point and urged future journalists to keep up with business. Because our culture is so economy driven, journalists can’t afford to be in the dark about the stock market and flourishing industries because that will lead them to news.
Insana’s warning threw me for a loop.
As a journalist student, I’m told to know what’s going on in the world by consuming news, write, and write some more. I know the media industry was shrinking and journalists sometimes get bullied into stories for business reasons. I did not realize I needed to embrace the business world voluntarily.
Of course business is important and newsworthy, but I never foresaw myself analyzing the stock market or having connections with major investors. I guess I better start learning.
I could rant and rave about the state of our culture if business dominates the news, but really there is no point. The arts won’t die—niche audiences, if not the mainstream, will demand that.
If more people want business related news, that’s fair. I guess I just wasn’t prepared to turn to them for the inside scoop. Maybe if I did follow our economy I would already know that’s where journalism was headed.
Rob Insana, senior analyst at CNBC.
Insana visited SMU, and spoke as guest lecturer at the William O’Neil lecture Monday.
In 2006, Insana left the anchor seat for “Street Signs,” and now acts as head financial analyst, so he can pursue personal interests.
At the lecture, Insana focused on how financial markets move before major events, a topic addressed in his latest book, The Message of the Markets. Journalists may pick up on stories after the fact, but business investors know about financial or political events before they occur. Bottom line: if people want news early, watch the stock market.
Insana pointed to John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the First Gulf War to prove his point and urged future journalists to keep up with business. Because our culture is so economy driven, journalists can’t afford to be in the dark about the stock market and flourishing industries because that will lead them to news.
Insana’s warning threw me for a loop.
As a journalist student, I’m told to know what’s going on in the world by consuming news, write, and write some more. I know the media industry was shrinking and journalists sometimes get bullied into stories for business reasons. I did not realize I needed to embrace the business world voluntarily.
Of course business is important and newsworthy, but I never foresaw myself analyzing the stock market or having connections with major investors. I guess I better start learning.
I could rant and rave about the state of our culture if business dominates the news, but really there is no point. The arts won’t die—niche audiences, if not the mainstream, will demand that.
If more people want business related news, that’s fair. I guess I just wasn’t prepared to turn to them for the inside scoop. Maybe if I did follow our economy I would already know that’s where journalism was headed.
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