Final Project- Movie w/ music

Final Project- Extra Google Map

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This map displays the number of schools around the world that have general education programs.

Final Project- Story with headlines and links

 

General Education: Waste of Time?

It’s no secret that every college student hates having to take those random classes required by their school’s individual General Education Program. Because Winthrop is a Liberal Arts school, it is required to give students an education compiled of many areas. Many students get upset when they find out the amount of courses they must take outside of their major in order to be considered to graduate.

But there has to be a reason why someone put these courses into place. General Education programs, such as the Touchstone Program here at Winthrop, are placed to help students become better, well-rounded students and potential employees.

“In order to create an academic environment in which students use their talents to achieve excellence, take responsibility for the integrity and quality of their own work, the faculty developed the Touchstone Program at Winthrop University, our distinctive general education experience,” Winthrop’s Mission statement for the Program said,  “The Touchstone Program captures the dynamic quality of Winthrop’s academic environment that provides students with a framework for learning and responsible decision-making that they will use throughout their lives. The courses in the Core program will acquaint students with academic writing and critical thinking and will build capacities that students will use throughout their university experience and their adult lives.” 

Many students, however, do not see the use in wasting their time stressing over unnecessary classes. They come to school believing they will gain knowledge in their specialized are when they actually are taught many different areas.

“Personally, it really upsets me that I am a Graphic Design major, yet I’m spending a majority of my time stressing over writing an essay for my HMXP (Human Experience) class. I obviously will never be using this in my career,” freshman graphic design major Xavier Thomas said.

This poses a great question. If students come to Winthrop in order to gain a degree in one specific area, why are they being forced to take courses that are the farthest thing from their major?

“I can understand why we all need to take writing and speech classes, but I, as a Mass Communications major, should not be stressing or even taking for that matter, a chemistry class," sophomore Chelsea Brown said.

Another question posed is how badly these classes that are required by the Touchstone Program are affecting the GPAs of many students, consequently affecting their standing in their graduating class and maybe even whether or not they get many job opportunities. An option students have is the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading system, however, only 4 are allowed.

“I remember my freshman year, my grade in my Political Science class almost killed my GPA. It was really disheartening because I knew from the beginning that class wasn't going to be beneficial to me and I couldn't use any more of my S/U opportunities for that semester so I was really just out of luck," junior Psychology major Rashawne Coates said.

All in all, the Touchstone Program at Winthrop has great intentions but maybe a few faults. Students believe the program can stay in affect but the school officials should consider making a few, minor alterations. Students at Virginia College wrote this article voicing their opinions on what should be changed with their General Education Program at their school. One student understands both the advantages and disadvantages of general education, but offers a few suggestions.

              “I understand the purpose for the program and why some felt it necessary to add to graduation requirements. After all, we did come to college to become better people and individuals. But it also is important that the classes required by this program is not setting our students up for failure," freshman Psychology major Courtney Williamson said. "In order to successfully help each student, maybe courses outside of the anticipated major should not affect the academic standing as much."

Final Project- Extra Graphic

This graph shows the completion of a school in Arizona and how well students did throughout the years of 2007-2011.

Courtesy of Google Images

Final Project- Infographic

Final Project- Actual General Education Requirements for Winthrop University- Extra

These are the credits that must be fulfilled along with major credits in order to graduate!! General Education Courses		Semester hours
ACAD 101	Principles of the Learning Academy	1
Critical Skills		15-21
Writing and Critical Thinking
WRIT 101 & CRTW 201	Composition, Crit Reading, Thinking & Writing	6
Quantitative Skills
MATH 150	Intro to Discrete Mathematics	3
Logic/Language/Semiotics	See approved list, p. 16	0-6*
Technology	See approved list, p. 16;	3
ARTS 281	Computer Imaging in Design
Oral Communication	See approved list, p. 16	3
Skills for a Common Experience and Thinking Across Disciplines		3-9
HMXP 102	The Human Experience	3
Global Perspectives	See approved list, p. 16; may be met with ARTH 175.	0-3
Historical Perspectives	See approved list, p. 16; may be met with ARTH 176.	0-3
Developing Critical Skills and Applying them to Disciplines		16-22
Constitution requirement
ECON 103 or PLSC 201	Intro to Pol Econ or American Govt	3
Social Science	See approved list, p. 16; cannot use course with	3
	the same designator as Constitution requirement
Humanities and Arts (2 designators)		3-9
See approved list, p. 16; must have one course outside CVPA and other may be met with ARTS 120 & 220, or any other 2 Gen Ed approved courses in the major.
Natural Science	See approved list, p. 16; must include one lab science.	7
Intensive Writing	See approved list, p. 16	0**

*Hours may be covered in Technology and Oral Communication only if applicable CSCI courses and SPCH 201 are selected.
**Hours may be counted in Major requirements.

Final Project- Sidebar w/ bullet points (numbers)

The Touchstone Program at Winthrop University was not just put in place by some professor try to complicate the lives' of Winthrop students even more. But, in fact, the program does add some value to the education each student will gain while spending there 4+ years at this institution. Listed below is the seven goals the program have as to give the students a well-rounded education and set them up for success in the future.

The Touchstone Program for Winthrop University consists of seven goals: 

1.    to communicate clearly and effectively in standard English

2.     to acquire and appreciate quantitative skills

3.     to use critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a variety of research methods

4.     to recognize and appreciate human diversity of ideas, institutions, philosophies, moral codes, and ethical principles

5.     to understand scientific knowledge in terms of its methods or acquisition, its specific quantitative nature, and its dynamic and contingent character

6.     to understand aesthetic values, creative process, and the interconnectedness of the literary, visual, and performing arts throughout the history of civilization

7.     to examine values, attitudes, beliefs, and habits which define the nature and quality of life




Courtesy of Office of Records and Registration- Winthrop University

FINAL FASHION INFOGRAPHIC!!!!!!!!

View 5th Avenue in a larger map

Presidential Video

Is Your Life in Danger?

The program that I attended on February 28, 2012 was located in the Wofford Classroom in Wofford Residence Hall. This program was put on by the Resident Assistants of Wofford Residence Hall in order to help students to be more aware on the dangers of losing their Life, Hope and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships. Subs from a local Substation were served to students as an incentive for attendance. Knowing that college students always are up for a free lunch, thought it was a great idea. One of the Resident Assistants, Corinthia Spann opened up the program with a brief introduction of each speaker and shared a brief story of her own. She told the students that she, as a freshman, lost her Life Scholarship for her sophomore year and burdened her parents with having to pay an additional $5000. Students were allowed the opportunity to ask questions to those who would be able to give the best advice. Both Michele Wolf, director of the campus’s Academic Success Center, Michele Wolf and Leah Sturgis, Director of the Office of Financial Aid. Both ladies gave valuable advice on the services Winthrop University offers in order to assist them in making sure they keep their scholarships for the next academic year. Handouts were given with information on the various hours that the Academic Success Center is open and how to contact certain tutors and the different subjects they provide. Michele Wolf also provided students with study skills that will allow them to be productive and get work done, while at the same time, not tiring themselves out where nothing is learned. A multitasking activity was done to teach students that as much as it may be heard, multitasking does not exist. It was proven to the students that trying to accomplish more than one task at a time takes a longer amount of time and increases in errors. Another handout was given that supplied students with the correct qualifications for both the LIFE and HOPE scholarships. Mrs. Sturgis also supplied a list of frequently asked questions to help the students to know where to start when it came to asking questions. The program was closed by allowing students to ask the directors specified questions based on their individual circumstances. All in all, the program was beneficial to students because they were allowed the opportunity to figure out how they could save themselves from losing their scholarships and grants.

Click on this link to find out more information on how to acquire more money for your next year at Winthrop.
http://www.winthrop.edu/finaid/default.aspx

Click on this link to access the operation hours of the Academic Success Hours.
http://www.winthrop.edu/success/default.aspx?id=13045

Click on this link to visit the Financial Assistant website for South Carolina.
http://www.winthrop.edu/success/default.aspx?id=13045

Click on this link to learn tips on how college students should study.
http://www.academictips.org/

Click on this link to access the official website for the Office of Nationally Competitvie Awards

http://www2.winthrop.edu/onca/

Saxaphonist playing at the Harlem Renaissance located in the Edge of the DiGiorgio Center.

Beyond the Beat: Getting to Know the Real Will Latimer

The Basics on Effectively Using Twitter!!

"To participate in any community, first you need to know the langage. And we can all be thankful that there are only a handful of 'insider' terms you need to know in order to be a functioning member of the Twitter community."

-DM: Direct Message
A DM allows you to directly communicate with someone else where no one else will see the conversation but the two of you.

-the @ symbol
Including this symbol before a Twitter ID allows you to "mention" someone where it shows up directly to them. (for example @guyreel)

-Tweet: As a verb it means sending a message on Twitter; as a noun it means the message sent or received.

-RT: Retweet, meaning copying someone else's tweet and posting it so your followers can see it, too

-TL: the space where the tweets of all your followers are located

-Hashtag: A common label for any tweet that should be tied together with others' tweets, preceded by a # symbol; especially effective for a news event or a conference (for example, #MCOM226) this hashtag allows easy access to find all tweets related to this subject when inserted into the search box.

-There are four main things you can do on Twitter:
    1. post a message: It's easy,but there's a 140- character limit.
    2. read other people's messages:It's easy, too, since the messages of the people you follow automatically display
    3. reply to other people's messages: If you want to reply to someone, simply add the "@"
    4. send and receive direct messages: click "Direct Messages" and select from the drop-down menu the person you wish to communicate with. That person will receive an e-mail notification regardin the receipt of a direct message, and the message is not public.

**Find a group of people to follow.
-Go to search.twitter.com and search for terms you are interested in. When you find a post that looks interesting, you should add him or her to your feed.
-Now posts from those people will appear on your Twitter. When someone reposts another post, follow it and you'll probably find someone else new to follow. Following just a few new people everyday will quickly increase your followers.


**HAPPY TWEETINGG!!**
Cited: Briggs, Mark. Journalism Next. Washington: CQ Press, 2010. Print.

Write up of Advanced Blogging

PROF. REEL, I had this last class but got so caught up with finishing my video, and forgot to turn it in. I do have an actual print out but I put it on here just to prove to you that I did do it.
So sorry, Brittaney






Brittaney Major
MCOM 226
Professor Reel
1 February 2012
          After reading the chapter on Advanced Blogging, I know see the techniques that major bloggers use. Since blogging is one of the most recent types of journalistic publication, there is still some debate on how to effectively blog news stories. How frequently it should be updated, whether there should be more than one contributor to a blog, what the layout will look like, whether or not to allow audience feedback/comments, whether or not to use photos/videos/screenshots to describe the story, etc. All in all, this chapter discussed exactly how blogging got started and some of the main rules that have been discovered so far.
          In the three blogs that I looked at, specifically perezhilton.com, momsandbabies.com and fashiongonerogue.com, they obeyed most of the rules observed in this chapter. To start off, the theme or topic of the blog was clear and consistent throughout the entire webpage. Additionally, it was easy for the user to figure out how to navigate around the blog site. There were clear links to navigate from one section to another. Some attributed to full articles on topics that were discussed throughout the blogs, while some others were links to pictures, videos or surveys. The writers of all three blogs had content that was believable. On Perez Hilton’s website, he did a really good job with his “scanability.” There were many places where a quote or a headline would stick out so that if a reader was just scrolling through, their eye would easily get caught on something. For Moms and Babies, there is a picture for each blurb which could help a user identify quickly while scanning.

Brandon Grate podcast

Middle School

Middle School

      I listened to the story called Middle School aired last year that was basically an interview where a host, Ira Glass, was talking to a 14-year named Annie who emailed the website with a suggestion for a show. She said she got the idea for this show because of a conversation she had with her friends earlier that day but did not want to put her name in the email because she feared being ridiculed by her fellow classmates.

 The entire interview was sound clips with some music of the interview between Glass and Annie. There were some direct quotes from Annie, but at some times Glass did summarize a response she had with an indirect quote. The music that was played was suitable for the audience this story was intended to attract. It wasn’t too childish but not too mature either.

After the interview, Glass talked to some specialists about the stage of a child’s life where they are in the middle of being an adolescent and a teenager. During this part of the audio, you heard the voices of both Glass and the specialist and some music. While she was discussing the part of a child’s life where they are acting more like children, you heard music from different famous cartoons that children watch often. But once she moved on to their earlier stages of the teen years, different music came on.

Like it said on the website campfire journalism website, dialogue allows the audience to see and hear characters interaction with one another. Instead of just using quotes form Glass’s interview with Annie and putting them in a written story, he decided to make an auditory story that allowed his audience to be able to hear first-hand exactly how she answered the questions—where she laughed, when she paused, when she got quiet. All those little things played a very important part in being able to adequately tell this story.

Later on in a different interview with a teacher talking about students during a middle school dance, you could hear in the background the kids laughing, yelling and having fun along with the music. This was a brilliant idea because everything the interviewee was talking about, we could also hear in the background.  

Full Article Here

http://storify.com/britt_is_major/media-coverage-on-political-panel#publicize

Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney visits Winthrop
GOP presidential visits Winthrop campus on Wednesday

Former Massachusetts governor will be visiting the Winthrop campus, sponsored by the College Republicans on January 18th at 3:30 pm in McBryde Hall to discusss the importance in turning out the S.C. GOP primary on the 21st. Romney claims, if elected, he pledges deep spending cuts, smaller government, tradepenalities on China, and a new Federal Reserve chairman and sweeping deregulation.

Full Article Here.

Theatre opens season with musical Chicago
Students put on Chicago as first show for fall 2011 season

For the fall semester in the 2011-2012 school year, students of the Department of Theatre and Dance put on the musical, "Chicago," for the Winthrop family. The play will be put on nine times throughout October 5th through the 9th.


Full Article Here

Winthrop University senior showcase 2011
Winthrop University dancers present choreography done my senior students. 

12 pieces were performed by dance majors of all years with different themes from HIV/AIDS to Hitler's reign over Germany. The purpose of this showcase was to display the talent of the senior dance major to the rest of the Winthrop family.


Full Article Here

Teach me how to use this

I did it!!  Yayy me(: