It was hard to keep exact track of my technology use over the past week because I realized that I use it so often. The following are what I used my cell phone and laptop for the most, making me quite dependent on them:
-As an alarm clock in the morning or to check the time throughout the day
-To check emails in the morning on my Gmail and internship e-mail account
-To text frequently (mostly my best friend and roommates)
-To check or add things on my "to-do" list or calendar
-Twitter updates on my phone (from News 8 and the Statesman, mostly for work purposes)
-To check my balance in my checking account
-For homework purposes (reading New York Times, research, etc.)
Within the last week, technology has been crucial in communicating with my sister, who is in Brazil for the week. She sent out a couple of texts letting me and my family know she made it over, and has emailed us a few times as well.
I think the power of texting became evident to me Tuesday morning when I was communicating with about five people at the same time, trying to get some work shifts switched around. My boss sent me a text and immediately I was writing to my coworkers to ask their availability. Within about five minutes I had everything figured out.
In this case, I think messaging should not be seen as negative because it was useful and efficient in my workplace. However, I do think it has taken away from the personalization of talking on the phone. For the past week, I realized I have not talked on the phone to someone for more than a couple of minutes to let them know I was on my way somewhere or to ask them a question.
It was hard to track exact time of my technology use, but on average I think I used over 3 hours a day checking emails, text messaging, "Facebooking," and more.
***I was going to publish this earlier today around class time, but I decided to wait because I used an even greater amount on my laptop and cell phone because of the plane crash in north Austin. After I heard about the crash via Twitter on my phone, I went home to sit in front of my television and laptop with several tabs open: Twitter to get minutely updates, the CNN website, News 8's website, and Facebook.
This just showed how dependent I was on technology during news-breaking events in order to find our more information as quickly as possible.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Technology Takeover: Review of Frontline's Digital Nation
Frontline's Digital Nation appropriately used various cultures and backgrounds to portray what technology has come to be today.
There is no doubt that technology has advanced at a rapid pace in such a short amount of time. Digital Nation portrays the increased use of technology accurately by focusing on the younger generations throughout the world. The elementary schools in Korea that teach young children about Internet use allows the audience to realize what a transformation there has been in response to the Internet's importance in our lives.
The fact that there are signs around the school and a song taught around the Internet emphasize the differences from when we were in elementary school. The lessons taught seem to have moved from learning how to dial 911 in an emergency to how to properly use a computer for communication.
The other cases presented about schools and their increase in using technology related to the audience in compelling ways because it is affecting not only young students but those already in high school and college, and the way teachers present information to their classes.
The reporting in Digital Nation also looked at ways technology has affected other areas in our lives, such as relationships between a mother and son or finding a future spouse. It is important in a story like this to use examples that the viewers can relate to, but to keep it journalistic in the sense that one side is not completely overbearing the other.
Throughout the video, there was not one side that dominated the other. It did lean towards the fact that the overbearing use of technology has taken over our lives in some way, but aspects from the positive use of technology was also presented. Digital Nation allowed its viewers to think about the increase in new technology such as Facebook, Twitter, email, and text messaging.
Chunking Exercise
Unusual Visit in Furniture Store:
A local furniture store had an unusual visitor that was unwilling to leave Monday.
A skunk was on the loose at National Furniture Liquidators for the majority of the day. The acting assistant manager decided to keep the store open for the whole day, but not without informing customers of the visitor.
"Hey, we got a loose skunk in here!" is what customers were greeted with as they drove into the parking lot.
Business as Usual:
Even after being informed of the critter in the store, most customers decided to go in anyway. At first, the skunk was allowed to run throughout the store through its aisles. At one point, employees tried to lure it out with a trail of whole wheat bread crumbs, but that method did not work.
Employees stayed outside more than usual, but other than that, business continued as usual at the store. Dennis Groke, acting assistant manager said he's worked in unusual circumstances before, but never one like this. The store manager was called in to see what he could do and decided on waiting until the store closed to try to spook it out with bright lights and rock music.
After failed attempts earlier in the day to get rid of the skunk, Rich Ulkus of Animal Allies arrived with his expertise to take care of the animal on the loose.
Attempts to Capture:
By the time Ulkus arrived, the skunk had disappeared into hiding in the store. Ulkus got on his hands and knees, shining his flashlight in search for the skunk. He was unable to find it.
Instead he and Goke set up a trap using tuna to capture the skunk.
A local furniture store had an unusual visitor that was unwilling to leave Monday.
A skunk was on the loose at National Furniture Liquidators for the majority of the day. The acting assistant manager decided to keep the store open for the whole day, but not without informing customers of the visitor.
"Hey, we got a loose skunk in here!" is what customers were greeted with as they drove into the parking lot.
Business as Usual:
Even after being informed of the critter in the store, most customers decided to go in anyway. At first, the skunk was allowed to run throughout the store through its aisles. At one point, employees tried to lure it out with a trail of whole wheat bread crumbs, but that method did not work.
Employees stayed outside more than usual, but other than that, business continued as usual at the store. Dennis Groke, acting assistant manager said he's worked in unusual circumstances before, but never one like this. The store manager was called in to see what he could do and decided on waiting until the store closed to try to spook it out with bright lights and rock music.
After failed attempts earlier in the day to get rid of the skunk, Rich Ulkus of Animal Allies arrived with his expertise to take care of the animal on the loose.
Attempts to Capture:
By the time Ulkus arrived, the skunk had disappeared into hiding in the store. Ulkus got on his hands and knees, shining his flashlight in search for the skunk. He was unable to find it.
Instead he and Goke set up a trap using tuna to capture the skunk.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Austin Offers Free Day of Dance (revised)
Picture courtesy of www.freedayofdance.com
Blurb: Dance lessons of all kinds are being given around the city today for free.
Those who have always dreamed of being a dancer get their chance today to learn some new moves during Austin
About 70 hour-long dance lessons are being taught throughout the city for free at six participating studios from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lessons are available to dancers of all ages and levels. The event is sponsored by Austin City Dance Club, Austin Uptown Dance, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Esquina Tango, Go Dance, and Rhythmic Motion. Owner and instructor of Austin Uptown Dance Kristy Watson said this is the studio’s second year in participating in the event and looks forward to participating in the future.
“I’m looking forward to learning more swing dancing,” Miller said.
Other types of dance to be taught are belly dancing, country waltz, and rumba.
The city-wide dance lessons give all those in and around
For those unable to make it out today for dance lessons, see pricing and schedules for the participating studios [map here with links]:
See Melinda Valero's Coverage of the Free Day of Dance on "Top of the Hill News"
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Blog #2: Closing the Achievement Gap
Many seniors in high school are finishing college applications and planning their future after they graduate in just a few months. Yet, some seniors are struggling to even meet requirements for graduation and don’t know what a college application looks like.
The reason for such extreme differences in students is the achievement gap. This is the extremity in different measures of performance of groups of students based on factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, and race.
One of the many examples of the achievement gap is seen in low-income and high-income schools in Chicago. Oprah did a segment called "Trading Schools" on the differences in the way they are taught and materials available at each school. It also portrayed the difference in expectations students have for their future based on the wealth of their school.
Teach for America is one program that is made up of mostly recent college graduates who are sent throughout America to some of the lowest-income schools. The goal is to help close the achievement gap and create an equal opportunity for learning for all students, regardless of the geographic area and income of their school.
Those who are admitted to the program go through a five-week training during the summer before they begin to teach. They are matched up to a grade and topic to teach based on preference and need. The location of teaching is determined in the same way.
Laura Vinsant recently finished teaching second and third graders in
Vinsant graduated from Louisiana State University with a public relations degree. Although she was offered a job in the public relations field after graduation, she chose to take part in Teach for America for two years first. She said she feels it was definitely the right decision.
Teach for America is currently accepting applications until Feb. 19.
Mary Ann Roser article
Headline: Austin Reporter Shares Experience Covering Medicine and Health
Blurb: Medicine and health reporter Mary Ann Roser spoke to journalism students at St. Edward’s University about her background in the field and the powerful stories she has covered recently.
In the last few minutes of a Journalism class at St. Edward’s University, students were shown a video of a story that reporter Mary Ann Roser covered. The video resulted in a classroom full of amazement.
The powerful story of a girl with a rare medical condition was the foundation of Roser’s lecture to the class. It portrayed her dedication to beat reporting and the possibilities it can hold.
Roser, medicine and health beat reporter at the Austin American-Statesman since 2000, spoke to journalism students at St. Edward’s this morning about beat reporting. When explaining what beat reporting is, she said it is a defined area of coverage.
Within her beat, Roser said she covers a variety of topics including medicine technology, pharmaceuticals, the Food and Drug Administration, and health care.
“I am not the New York Times,” Roser said when explaining that she works for a regional newspaper. She said she covers stories based in the Austin area the majority of the time; however, sometimes her stories have national implications.
Roser shared stories she is currently or has previously worked on. A story in progress is about a 23-year-old man who has hemophilia, a bleeding disorder that could be life threatening without medication.
The man is about to reach his maximum in health care because of the expense of the medicine. Once he reaches his maximum in a couple of months, he will not be able to take his medication and will hold an extremely high risk of death with even a small sign of blood. Roser said the man felt like he had a death sentence, but has done nothing to deserve it.
A past story shared was about a 7-year-old girl who has Crouzon syndrome, a uncommon condition that causes bones in the face and skull fuse. It also causes increased pressure as the brain, eyes, and other facial features continue to grow.
Roser spent several months on the story about this young girl who underwent major surgery. She kept up with the family before and afterwards and said she really got to know what they were going through. Roser shared her article with the class and a video that went with it, which helped portray the total story in a powerful way.
With most stories, Roser said she likes to include video along with the article because multimedia has become such an important part of journalism. The online content often contains video she has filmed. She has been learning to edit footage herself on iMovie because it is easier than having to tell someone how she wants the story told.
She said links and pictures are also essential parts on online articles.
Roser’s time with the class allowed students to better understand what it takes to be a beat reporter and the powerful stories one can cover working on a particular topic.
Blurb: Medicine and health reporter Mary Ann Roser spoke to journalism students at St. Edward’s University about her background in the field and the powerful stories she has covered recently.
In the last few minutes of a Journalism class at St. Edward’s University, students were shown a video of a story that reporter Mary Ann Roser covered. The video resulted in a classroom full of amazement.
The powerful story of a girl with a rare medical condition was the foundation of Roser’s lecture to the class. It portrayed her dedication to beat reporting and the possibilities it can hold.
Roser, medicine and health beat reporter at the Austin American-Statesman since 2000, spoke to journalism students at St. Edward’s this morning about beat reporting. When explaining what beat reporting is, she said it is a defined area of coverage.
Within her beat, Roser said she covers a variety of topics including medicine technology, pharmaceuticals, the Food and Drug Administration, and health care.
“I am not the New York Times,” Roser said when explaining that she works for a regional newspaper. She said she covers stories based in the Austin area the majority of the time; however, sometimes her stories have national implications.
Roser shared stories she is currently or has previously worked on. A story in progress is about a 23-year-old man who has hemophilia, a bleeding disorder that could be life threatening without medication.
The man is about to reach his maximum in health care because of the expense of the medicine. Once he reaches his maximum in a couple of months, he will not be able to take his medication and will hold an extremely high risk of death with even a small sign of blood. Roser said the man felt like he had a death sentence, but has done nothing to deserve it.
A past story shared was about a 7-year-old girl who has Crouzon syndrome, a uncommon condition that causes bones in the face and skull fuse. It also causes increased pressure as the brain, eyes, and other facial features continue to grow.
Roser spent several months on the story about this young girl who underwent major surgery. She kept up with the family before and afterwards and said she really got to know what they were going through. Roser shared her article with the class and a video that went with it, which helped portray the total story in a powerful way.
With most stories, Roser said she likes to include video along with the article because multimedia has become such an important part of journalism. The online content often contains video she has filmed. She has been learning to edit footage herself on iMovie because it is easier than having to tell someone how she wants the story told.
She said links and pictures are also essential parts on online articles.
Roser’s time with the class allowed students to better understand what it takes to be a beat reporter and the powerful stories one can cover working on a particular topic.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
In class writing 1-print version
Headline: Man Shot and Killed at Home During Robbery
A man was shot to death in his driveway during an apparent robbery Tuesday night in north Houston.
According to Houston police, Juan Luna, 28, was with his family in the driveway of his home when a car pulled up and shot Luna. Houston homicide detectives are currently investigating the crime.
When the car pulled into the driveway, the gunman said, "This is a robbery," and fired the gun once. Houston police said the car was a dark-colored two-door import. After shooting Luna in the chest, the car sped away.
Juan Luna was a construction worker and married with two children. The family resided in the 600 block of Coronado. The shooting took place about 7 p.m. Luna was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital and died hours after being admitted.
Houston homicide detectives are requesting assistance from the public. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact HPD homicide detectives at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
A man was shot to death in his driveway during an apparent robbery Tuesday night in north Houston.
According to Houston police, Juan Luna, 28, was with his family in the driveway of his home when a car pulled up and shot Luna. Houston homicide detectives are currently investigating the crime.
When the car pulled into the driveway, the gunman said, "This is a robbery," and fired the gun once. Houston police said the car was a dark-colored two-door import. After shooting Luna in the chest, the car sped away.
Juan Luna was a construction worker and married with two children. The family resided in the 600 block of Coronado. The shooting took place about 7 p.m. Luna was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital and died hours after being admitted.
Houston homicide detectives are requesting assistance from the public. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to contact HPD homicide detectives at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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