9/9/2011 - "The golden arches of McDonald's are more recognizable worldwide than the Christian cross." (Regarding semiotics, or the study of signs)
My response : When I first heard this from Rob, I was shocked. But being perfectly honest, I did not know if he was lying or not. It makes sense that the golden arches would be more recognizable than the cross, just because of how society is moving towards fast food. How could McDonald's take over Jesus though? I went onto Google, typed it in, and I found our some pretty nifty information:
According to Fast Food Nation, a new book by Eric Schlosser, 96 percent of American schoolchildren can identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition is Santa Claus. Schlosser says it's nearly impossible to overstate the impact of the fast food industry on the nation's culture, economy and diet. "McDonald's Golden Arches," he writes, "are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross."
9/12/2011 - "You don't always have to tell the truth to the Internet." (Regarding the creation of our blogs and our info)
My response: When I first heard that, it made me think of what really is factual out there in the cyber world. Are we just reading lies? When is it acceptable to tell the truth and to not tell the truth? When I read articles on the world wide web, I don't necessarily stop and wonder if these articles are true... I just assume they are; I expect for there to be factual information. It can be easy though to use deception and fool people into thinking what you want them to believe - I could say on my Facebook that I am a 25 year old successful scientist, making revolutions in the medial industry. Who would know if I am lying or not? So what truly is factual out there?
9/23/2011 - "We are the Sims of God; He has incredibly high-powered graphics." (Regarding the one reality we live in)
My response: Today really rattled my brain. I never thought before about what if we could make our own virtual world. I mean, who thinks about that? So is God telling us what to do and how to live our lives like the Sims game? Rob was talking about if we had amnesia and he told us that our name was "Sam" and we were uploaded into his virtual world. It makes you think critically, at least for me, about whether or not that could be possible in the near future. It kind of makes my brain hurt to be honest. What if we could create our own reality, and everyone else could do the same? Would we have high-powered graphics like God? I typed in to Google about being Sims to God, and I found out that there is a Facebook page about this: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17296399094 . Weird.
9/30/2011 - "It's going to be tough picking the winner." (Regarding the totally awesome group presentations)
My response: I really do agree with this statement. In all honesty, I thought that every group did an awesome job. The first group made a great impression because obviously, they were the first to go and show off their Prezi skills. The second group had the really innovative sounds and dialogues. The third group had a skit and were very active with their teachings of the earliest forms of media. Lastly, our group--we rocked it. In all seriousness though, every group did really well in explaining the oldest forms of media and our understanding of the media. The decision is up to you Rob.
10/3/2011 - "I'm 32. Imagine when I'm 50." (Regarding the man himself, Rob Larson)
My response: People may think that Rob is a quirky man with a odd sense of humor, but to me, his class of media literacy is my favorite. I always look forward to his class and I never know what to expect out of it. If this is how you act now Rob, I think you'll be just as funny and entertaining when you are 50. And, how could someone not enjoy this class--we have an entire blog post dedicated to what you say.
10/12/2011 - "'A 50 foot bride was stolen in western Pennsylvania...'" (Regarding Shattered Glass Ops articles)
My response: When reading this article, it made a huge laugh out of the class. When we write, or even when journalists write, we need to make sure that we have correct spelling. Yes, sometimes we do slip up and make mistakes, but when millions of people are reading what you have to say, it would be a good idea to make sure that you don't have an error. It would be quite the headline to see that a 50 foot bride had been stolen, but that is not the story. Just one simple letter mistake can change everything.
But maybe this story is true......
10/19/2011 - "I can't really tape your eyelids open..." (Rob regarding the documentaries)
My response: Yes, this is true that you cannot tape our eyelids open. The documentaries we have been watching are, in my eyes, difficult to understand. I never have thought about the information given, such as the Federal Reserve. I do not understand politics that well either. By showing these documentaries though, Rob is trying to make us critical thinkers. He is challenging us and having us make our own opinions. Many of us probably wanted to shut our eyes and not take notes, but by staying awake and trying to learn the material, we are only broadening our minds and the way we think.
Here is a short video to motivate us to be more challenging in our lives. (The music in the video makes it even more motivating.)
10/26/2011 - "Well you look spiffy." (Regarding Rob's attire)
My Response: Why is it that we take people who dress better more seriously? One of the many benefits to dressing for success is the ability to gain self-confidence and self-esteem. Those who look good, often feel good about themselves. This extra confidence is important when looking to dress for success, especially in instances where you may be attending a job interview or an important business meeting. Another one of the many benefits to dressing for success is all of your options. It doesn't matter whether you are male or female, you should have an unlimited number of options, in terms of dress for success clothes. When shopping, you will find that a number of retailers sell clothing pieces and accessories that are ideal for those looking to dress for success.Appearing stressed, rumpled, or downtrodden lowers your professional image. Portraying a harried image - regardless of how hard you work or how smart you are - places you at risk of damaging your professional reputation, impeding your success potential, or not getting the job you want. People do notice the details of your image. More importantly, people make assumptions about you based upon your late or mid-afternoon image just as much as they do at 8:00 a.m. Statistics show that executives are especially observant of their cohorts’ business image. According to a recent survey conducted by MRI (Management Recruiters International), more than one third (34.2%) of executives polled think that business casual dress has gone too casual, eroding respect. So dressing up does play a key part in your profession, so we should try to look the part. That does not mean that I will give away my sweatpants though.
11/2/2011 - "There will be smell-o-rama television..." (Regarding the possible future of televisions)
My response: With the presentations the groups have been giving in class, it has made me wonder what the future may hold for us. Will televisions indeed have smellovison? Technology is changing so fast every single day and advancements are taking place as well. There was a man in the video we watched about the future of televisions, where he said that "it's science fiction today" but in 10 to 20 years time, this all could be possible. We could watch our favorite shows through a hologram. Maybe television will be so life-like, it will be as if the actors are in our own living room. It's fascinating to know that technology could be so more advanced than it already is, even in 10 years time. Maybe we will be living like the Jetsons sooner than we think.
11/7/2011 - "Interconnectivity." (Regarding the social networks available for everyone)
My response: Merriam-Webster defines the word 'interconnect' as "to be or become mutually connected". Social networking allows us to become interconnected with people in our hometown, or even the world. Many people criticize the Internet because of the fact that we as a society spend more time on the computer and Facebook, than having actual interpersonal communications. Critics say that websites such as Facebook has taken people away from actual human interaction. Even though the critics have some good points about not having face to face communication, I think that we become more connected because we are able to communicate to our friends right next to us or across the globe. We can learn of events and news happening anywhere. We become interconnected to our friends. Even technologies such as Skype allows us to see people who may live very far distances away from us. So even though we may not have a conversation where that person is at, we are still able to become connected to them through a webcam. I think that we as a society has become very interconnected and will only become more connected through social networking.
11/11/2011 - "Pretty soon the whole place is going to be bugged." (Regarding technological advancements as well as Rob's recording pen)
My Response: I think it is amazing how something as small as a pen can also be a video recorder. Not only that, but the video quality was better than what I expected. Now when I see a person walking the halls with a pen in their pocket, I'll probably think "is that pen recording?" These types of technological advancements make me think of spy movies. Who knows, maybe someone has been secretly taping us. I found a website where there is an iPhone app which enables secret police recording. I had no idea about this, so what other technologies of secret recordings, video taping or whatnot, is out there?
http://www.policeone.com/police-technology/mobile-data/articles/3870504-iPhone-app-enables-secret-police-recording/
11/14/2011 - "The medium affects the message." (Regarding how we present ourselves can convey a message)
My Reponse: Whether you wear footie pajamas, skinny jeans and a band t-shirt, or a suit and tie, you are conveying a message. When you dress up and wear nice clothing, comb your hair, and just put together an overall professional appearance, you yourself appear as a professional. Your medium affects your message. When we have to do our video recordings, the way we will dress will have an impact on our message. Sometimes what we want to get across to viewers is through how we put ourselves together. There is the saying, "Never judge a book by its cover", but don't we usually? Basically, our medium has a profound impact on the message.
11/30/2011 - "I'm giving you Google points..." (Rob, regarding what we have at our fingertips to look up information, topics in the media, or even words that we don't understand.)
My response: I use Google every single day. Whether I need to look up some information for homework, if I dont understand an unfamiliar word, or if I want to look up the latest news, I go to Google and type in whatever I need to search for. I went onto Google to see how many people use the Google search engine, and this is what I found:
"In June 2011, comScore puts Google's worldwide reach at 1 billion unique visitors per month."
Now that is a lot of Google-ing.
12/5/2011 - "This will be the fourth addition..." (Regarding the Media Literacy Journals)
My response: I think it is really exciting for all of us to get our work published. I never knew until this class that websites, like lulu.com, allows people to have their work published, and at a very reasonable price. To actually have a paper that I have worked hard on to be published into a book is something I never thought about. When I was younger I thought about being the next J.K. Rowling and write books for a living, and even though these books might not become as popular as hers, just knowing that there is a book with my work in it is pretty awesome. People dream of having their work printed, and for 30 college students to have their work published into an epic Media Literacy journal is thrilling. I am excited to see how this process works out and what the final product will be!
12/12/2011 - "Some people are like 'College...whaaaaat?!', and get A's" (Rob regarding one type of college experience)
My response: So true. There are some people, like me, who work really hard, and probably too much, to achieve A's. Then there are the people who don't stress out at all, can party, and the next day, get A's. I wish I could not stress out about school and not have to study as much as I do and get A's. Different subjects come naturally to some people, where they do not have to study as much. Me... I have to study everything and then overstudy.
12/14/2011 - "Every object has a story, if you know how to read it." (This quote comes from the documentary, Objectified)
My response: We interact with objects every single day of our lives. All of these objects though, come from one source... a digital source. Our scissors, toothbrushes, chairs, and vegetable peelers are designed on the computer. Computers design our uses for reality. Essentially, every object's story starts with a computer design. When will the time come though when items that aren't made on the computer, such as apples, bananas, or even the human kidney, be able to digitally made on the computer and printed off? All in all, the key point to all of this is that design is what is behind the media. We design it all. This may be the key point to what we have learned this semester of Media Literacy, but a big question still remains: what does the media want?
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs
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