Thanksgiving Class at Panera!

This week Doc Chris took us all to Panera in celebration of Thanksgiving! We had a great class discussing the final and our homework over the Thanksgiving break. Doc wants all of us to write a blog post about what we are thankful for. I think this is a great homework assignment because I believe it is important to stop every once in a while and appreciate what we have. There is so much for all of us to be thankful for and I am looking forward to writing the post over break.

Doc pointing at a student who is clearly on trial!

When we got to Panera, there was tons of food and desserts for us to snack on as we talked about the rest of the semester. However, even though the location of our class changed, Doc Chris' teaching style was pretty much the same - True to form, he put some people on trial for slacking on blogs! Obviously none of the members of Las Mujeres (the best group EVER) were put on trial!

Shinelle listening to Doc talking to the class

Google+ Hangout Reflection!

This week we used our Google+ accounts to have a virtual class! It was a fun, practical way to use social media in the real world. Having class on my computer screen and seeing all my classmates and my professor made me feel like I was in some new science fiction movie! This is exactly the kind of thing that innovators in the social media world are making possible. 

Our virtual class made me realize how many ways virtual media can connect people who otherwise might not have been connected. I also thought about how many opportunities something like a virtual class might give to people who might not have the means to attend a university. For example, I'm sure there are single parents all over the country who would love to get a degree but simply don't have the time or money to go away to school or pay for a daycare service. New technology, like the Google+ hangout feature, makes their goal more accessible. They would be able to do all of their work at home and still participate in an interactive classroom setting. It introduces an entirely new aspect to online schooling!

The picture above and below were both taken during one of Judge Dr. Chris' trials. The reason some members of the class were able to participate in the Google+ hangout from home rather than go to class is because we actually went to Charm City Cupcakes the week before. Everyone else who didn't make it to our on-location class had to be in class this week and go on trial for why they couldn't be there. Everyone in the hangout listened to the trials and were given the responsibility to determine if the accused was innocent or guilty. As you can see, we showed our support or  conviction of the person on trial by giving Doc Chris a thumbs up or thumbs down. Most of them (especially the girls) had valid excuses and we let them off the hook!

I think that it was an innovative idea for Doc Chris to conduct a virtual class on Google+ hangout. It is an unbelievable concept that people from all over the country are able to connect on networks like Google+ in such a personal way. While engaging in social media can have its downsides, like lack of privacy, things like the Google+ hangout demonstrates the positive aspects of social media that, I believe, outweigh the negative. I bet if Romeo and Juliet had social media back in Shakespeare's time, all that silly confusion would have been cleared up and they would have lived happily ever after! 

Class Reflection: Field Trip!

 Today we had class on location at Charm City Cupcakes! A few of us met up with Doc Chris at the small bakery in Mount Washington to enjoy delicious cupcakes and take advantage of filming and photographing at a new location. Amanda brought a video camera from GreyComm and captured some great footage of all of us crammed into Charm City Cupcakes while Doc treated us to dessert! All of the pictures below were captured on my iPhone. 

I had never been to the Mount Washington area before (had I known there was a Whole Foods that close to campus this would NOT be the case!!), but I am so happy I had the opportunity to go before graduating. The area is gorgeous, especially this time of year while the leaves are changing. While we were walking around, Doc encouraged us to take pictures of things around us like the foliage or the small stream. One of my favorite things about Doc is that he is constantly reminding us to be aware of all the different sights, sounds, and motions around us all the time. I definitely feel that taking this class has developed my creativity. I'm also now addicted to taking pictures and videos with my iPhone! I swear, I'll just take it out at the most random times and my roommates think I'm absolutely nuts! My explanation is always something like this: "Guys, this picture would be great for my multimedia blog!" 

After walking through the area, we all sat outside at Starbucks while Doc Chris talked to us about the final and what we should expect for the rest of the semester. He also announced that their would be trials for the people who didn't come to Charm City Cupcakes. Next week, we will have our first virtual class on Google+ hangout! That will definitely be a new experience for me. Over the summer I took a class with people who lived in different states so we all had a group discussion in the form of an online chat, but I have never participated in a class via video. 

I took this picture while we were sitting at a table outside of Starbucks. I have never seen a Starbucks with a tower like this on top of it and I thought it would make a cool picture. It reminds me of some kind of castle watchtower!