Course Evaluations!

I really learned alot about technology in this course. I learned more ways the internet can be used in my professional career. Also, I had never learned anything about photoshop and I am glad that I was able to learn how it works. Photoshop is becoming more and more popular so this skill will be helpful. I wish we would have done a resume in this class, only because I am about to graduate and I have never had to write a resume which would be very helpful in my next coming months. I think that this was a great class. It was paced very well and the peer reviews helped us get feedback on our work before we turned it in so that we could turn in the best product possible. I think that this class was very helpful.

Facebook

I am a member of facebook, but when I first signed up it was much simpler. It did not ask for so much information and didn't ask us to download 10 new applications every time we sign on. I still like facebook, but I see where Hass is coming. No one actually has to put up all of the information users are prompted to. There are also privacy settings that only allow people who are your friends to look at the profile. As far as the idea that cops and future employers are able to go online to get another view of potential people of interest, I think its a great idea. People cannot be arrested for having parties, they just have to be more careful that the people they invite are old enough to drink. I believe that it is a smart idea for people to look people up online because in today's day and age, a resume will not give some employers all they need to know about a potential employee and really their investment in that person.

research proposal

As I understand it, this assignment is for us to explore deeper into the research paper. It helps us look for a more direct and specific thesis. It lets us look at what we are really trying to say in our papers and figure out what information is important enough to keep in the paper in order to effectively narrow our topic and help the readers understand the point better. It also pushes us to get into the mode of researching to push us further toward actually sitting down to write the paper. The research proposal in a helpful tool!

My Plan

My plan for this research paper is to build upon a short paper that I wrote for English 112. I believe that this is a great controversy that I feel very strongly about. I think I will start by explaining the intensity of modern compeitive cheerleading and some statistics of how the sport has grown recently. I want to explain the athletic talent it takes to compete in cheerleading and why it should be considered a sport instead of somply an activity. Then I will talk about the common counterarguments that others make about why cheerleading is not hard enough to be considered a sport. I think that I will be able to plead a very good case for this because I will then respond to the counterarguments with suggestions or proof that I have found that proves my point. I think that I have enough personal experience with this topic to discuss it and argue for it strongly.

Effective Websites

An effective website, in my opinion, is one in which the receiver of the message understands it in a way that the sender of the message intended. I think that an effective website should be eye catching and should give the visitor all the information they are looking for. I think that the website should be very well organized so the visitor can navigate to their desination. I also believe that a website should satisfy whatever the person visiting the website needs. For instance, if someone is seeking information or entertainment, etc., they should receive this information. Most importantly, an effective website must bring in return guests. I think that if a website does its job and is effective, people will continue to return for more information.

Faigley

After reading the assignment I really agree with the author. He really let me see that there is more to advertisements than what the text says. We are able to formulate ideas and opinions based on the message the advertisement is sending as a whole instead of reading it in pieces at face value. We are able to see hoow the ad relates to people and can tell us more than what is really there. A good advertisement is one that keep the reader intruiged and keeps them thinking about the product. Just like the SUV example, we are not supposed to just see a picture and think "Wow that looks pretty cool and expensive", we are supposed to read the material about the actual facts (like safety features, etc.) and take something away to think about... not just continue on like we never saw it. Visual image is everything to the reader and is an important factor all advertisements.

Peer Evaulations

I thought that the peer evaluation was very helpful. I really liked being able to get a second opinion on my work before I turned in the final draft. Also, I liked being able to help others with ideas that I thought of while brainstorming for my own paper. I thought that the whole input process was helpful as well as giving us the chance to polish our own paper and have a draft ready before the final due date, so we are forced to keep from procrastinating.

Discourse Community

I think I have a basic view on discourse communities. I feel that a discourse community does not have to be something so formal or distinct to bring people together. To me it is a place or situation in which people who have common/ shared goals, ideas, intentions, work, hobbies, etc. can go to discuss and share their interests. Some can even use a discourse community for things like finding friends or a job. I don't think that we have to qualify these communities by different group names or styles. For example: We'll say that there is a discourse community online for those in the comminucation department at BGSU. All of these people have at least one thing in common which is their interest in the world of communication and how they can use the skills they've learned at the university to make a life for themselves in the real world. Within this discourse there can be found a million other things that many of the students might have in common. From this discourse community could be groups of people interested in IPC, or telecommunication, or real estate, or advertisement. I just feel that when people come together to share ideas about discourse and interests, there is always a discourse community, because there is no limit on the number of people in a community.