Final Exam Extra Credit Question!

Would you take this class again with Dr. Chris? Would you take another class with Dr. Chris? Would you recommend a friend take this course or another course with Dr. Chris?

Knowing what I know now about Dr. Chris' teaching style and his use of Edutainment, I would take this class, or any other class for that matter, with Dr. Chris again in a heartbeat! I got everything I had hoped to get out of the class and more. I hope to work for a public relations firm when I graduate and the level of proficiency I have gained from this class regarding social media sites will definitely give me an advantage over other communications majors applying for the same jobs.

I think that the Edutainment teaching method should be applied to every subject, so yes, I would absolutely take another class with Doc Chris! If these teaching methods were used in my other communications classes, I think that my learning experience would definitely be improved.

The second part of this question is easy to answer because I already recommended you to my roommate and she signed up for Video with you in the Spring! Almost every Thursday night I come back from class and show my roommates all the videos I take in class. They find the videos of Judge Dr. Chris' trials particularly entertaining! I think that everyone should experience this kind of learning experience before graduating.


VIDEO

Final Exam Videos & Sounds!

This is a video of Doc Chris talking to us at Charm City Cupcakes. Marissa brought a friend for the trip – she’s not even in our class and Doc put her on trial! After doing a headcount of who showed up, Doc put all the guys except for John on blast because none of them showed up! In the background, you can hear some of the girls shouting enthusiastic “Yeah’s!” when Doc is reprimanding the guys that didn’t show up. There are also other noises in the background me trying not to laugh in the background…clearly I couldn’t hold it in – Doc Chris was being too entertaining! Charm City Cupcakes is located pretty close to a main road so you can also hear cars passing by. 

In the next video, Doc Chris is explaining to the class what the final exam will consist of. In the beginning, you can see that Alex is also recording Doc! About halfway through the video, someone turns music on, making it a little more difficult to hear Doc. It’s great to be able to record Doc in class because if I ever need to refresh my memory on a topic we covered or an assignment that is due, I can just go onto my phone and see exactly what Doc and my other classmates said about it! It would be so much easier if I could do this in all of my other classes when we reviewed for the final exam or went over a really important topic in class.

 

I took this video (below) in Boston when I was waiting for a train. You can even hear a train passing by about 40 seconds into the video! There are usually people performing underground on the train platforms and I thought this was a perfect opportunity for me to capture something in real life that demonstrated the importance of sound, sight, and motion in our world! I love how you can see people behind him walking in and out of the subway or walking past him, going about their daily lives while he stands still, making beautiful music. There is something to be said for just taking a moment to appreciate something beautiful, even if we are constantly running around trying to get from one place to another.

I was also really happy that this guy was cool about me video taping him. Earlier that week I tried to record a video of another subway performer who was singing an Elton John song that I love and he stopped singing to tell me to put my camera away! I understand that everyone has a right to whatever privacy they want, but you would think that, as a subway performer, he would want as much exposure as possible! In this generation, so many famous young artists have been discovered on sites like YouTube (i.e. Justin Bieber!!!) He should definitely take advantage of the new world of social media!

I was VERY close to not posting the next video because it is so silly and embarrassing, but then I thought, “who cares?!” It is a video I took over Thanksgiving when a few of my cousins and I stayed at my aunt and uncle’s house. My Uncle Joe is a great musician! He plays the piano, a little drums, and is learning the bass guitar now. When he and my aunt were building their house in the Cape, he made sure that he would have a place where he could go, jam, and forget about the stresses of work and everyday life. As you can see in the video, he installed an amazing karaoke system that my cousins and I love to use! In this particular video, we are singing “Smile” by Uncle Cracker. Even though the video isn’t great quality, you can still see some of the posters on the wall – peace signs, the Beatles, Bob Marley!

To the right of where I was sitting (and filming), there are drums, guitars, a mic stand, and more, all plugged into an amazing sound system. My Uncle and I do open mic nights during the summer and we always use this room to practice!

My roommate showed me this video last year during finals when we were both completely overwhelmed with work. Once we watched the video, however, we couldn’t help but smile! It is so adorable and hilarious all at the same time! I decided to include it in this portion of my final exam because it demonstrates how, even as babies, we react to sounds! Sounds have the ability to make us happy, sad, anxious, relaxed, etc. One sound or song can evoke such strong emotions, influencing our mood like we see so clearly in this video. The baby was clearly very unhappy about being put in his car seat, but all it took to calm him down was one Bob Marley song!

 

I chose this video (below) from YouTube because Deadmau5 incorporates SO many sights, sounds, and motions into his shows! He is a really popular DJ that plays “house” music, which is basically techno/dance music. I said earlier that music has the ability to influence our mood and actions, and Deadmau5’s tracks are no exception! I have seen him live, and I can say from personal experience that when you listen to this music, you won’t be able to resist the urge to dance! The lights really add to the insane beats in the music. Also, having everyone stand on a dance floor, rather than sit in seats for the show, makes you feel as though you are celebrating and dancing with everyone there! It is an amazing feeling!

 

Final Exam: Pictures!

Here are all my pictures for the final exam - I know we were only supposed to use 5 photos but these are all so great and I just couldn't choose!

This first picture (below) was taken at a The Fray concert. The show was amazing! As you can see from the picture, the lighting created an atmosphere that made me feel like I was at a rock show. The picture is slightly blurry and out of focus, but I like how the colors blend together as a result. Another aspect of the show I really enjoyed was the sound. A lot of artists today can be characterized as "studio artists" meaning that their studio recordings sound great with the help of effects like auto tune, but they sound horrible live. Pop artists often lip-sync to avoid disappointing their fans. I have heard The Fray on the radio and after seeing them in concert, I can confidently say that they sound just as good live - the sign of true artists!

The Fray's stage production crew shows off their lighting skills!

The following two pictures were taken in Italy. The first picture, taken from above a structure of ruined pillars, has some great angles. Because of where the shadows are, the viewer of this photograph is able to discern where the sun was when the picture was taken! This gives the photograph more context like the time of day and the position of the photographer.

I love how the lighting on the second tier of this building point upward creating beautiful, yet slightly eery, shadowing. This lighting reminds me of when we learned about overhead and underneath lighting. Characters in scary movies are often lit from underneath their faces, giving them a creepy look.


The next three pictures were all taken while I was in Paris over the summer! In the first two pictures, I am in Giverny, the village where Monet lived! We walked through the gardens that he had man-made near his house so he could paint there! The lily pond was inspired by his famous paintings. Natural lighting is hard to deal with because you never know how it is going to come out on camera. I love how the sun is lighting my face in the picture on the left. The picture on the right, however, was taken in a location where the sun created too much lighting in the shot. 3-point lighting is so much easier to control!!!

Good lighting

Too much light

The third picture from my Paris trip is a picture I was inspired to take on my iPhone as I walked with my school group across a bridge. I even uploaded the picture to Facebook that day with the caption "Music on the streets of Paris!" I was even practicing the principles of Edutainment back then!

Music adds to the beautiful scenery on the streets of Paris!

The following three pictures are great examples of how a specific sight - a certain color, object, etc. - can function as a symbol that makes an audience feel a certain way. In other words, the sight can affect the audience internally. In all of these pictures, the Christmas lights make me feel excited for the holidays coming up, as well as nostalgic over holidays past. 

It's my favorite time of year at Loyola!

The campus is beautiful for the holidays!

 

I'm standing in front of a massive Christmas tree in Boston with my cousin, Jacquelyn!

I love the contrast of colors in this photograph (below)! Standing outside of Versailles, my red dress and pink umbrella really pop against the neutral colors (shades of brown, beige, and gold) around me like the ground, the castle, and even the other people's clothing. I also love how the castle's structure and the angle this photograph was taking makes it look as though the castle is framing the sky. The walls of the castle on the right and life sides of the picture really invites the viewer into the scene.

I felt like Marie Antoinette standing outside her castle!

Final Exam Questions!

1.  Are you glad you took this class? Why?

I almost responded to this question writing, "I am glad I took this class..." but if that isn't the understatement of the year, then I don't know what is! OF COURSE I am glad I took this class!!! Senior year is tough and I have had a pretty heavy workload (especially during the second half of the semester) but this class gave me something to look forward to every week.

I am also glad I took this class because I feel like I have learned so much valuable information about media and technology that will help me succeed in school and after I graduate. I now understand video, photo, lighting, and sound techniques and I am proficient in several social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and blogger. Using these sites and presenting in class has given me so much more confidence in my ability to communicate effectively!

2.  What did you learn that you did not know before coming into this class? What can you do now that you could not do before taking this class?

I think the most important thing I learned, as I mentioned above, was how to communicate in an entertaining an effective way. Doc Chris showed us how to do this by utilizing social media outlets and incorporating multimedia into our presentations. Looking back on the presentations I have done for other classes in the past, I can't believe how boring they were! The only things they consisted of were powerpoint slides and maybe a few pictures here and there - No wonder students never seem to be paying attention while their peers are presenting! I now know how to make a presentation fun, entertaining, engaging, and educational with the use of pictures, videos, sounds, and social media outlets.

Before taking this class, I only used Facebook and Twitter for my personal life but this class showed me that social media can be used for so much more. Taking full advantage of social media can help you perform better in school, work, an internship, etc. and this class has taught me how to apply social media to those aspects of my life!

3.  Evaluate your group's performance and your own personal growth in this course. Please give your opinion on the direction of the class.

I think that our group, Las Mujeres, performed exceptionally well throughout the semester. Week after week, we applied Doc's constructive criticism and advice regarding our chapter presentations, making each presentation better than the last. I think that forming groups was another way in which Doc Chris challenged us to become more interactive as a class and learn from each other. I think Las Mujeres rose to this challenge, bonding more and more every class.

As I reflect on my personal growth in the course, I cannot believe how much I have learned. When I have to learn about something for a class, I will often memorize the information before a test, and then forget it the minute I hand the completed exam to my teacher. In this course, I think I retained so much information because what we were doing never really felt like just learning; we were always having fun and being entertained. I also attribute my personal growth to the hands-on nature of the course. Rather than just reading about how to use social media outlets, we actually used them.

4.  Finally, you must evaluate me. Be fair but truthful. Have I been Helpful? Did I listen to concerns that you had? Have I tried to work with you through individual and group situations? Do you like the way the class has been conducted? Do you understand the purpose of putting people on trial? (Hint: it is not to embarrass you)

Doc Chris Edutaining!

One of the things I appreciated the most about Doc Chris is that he always encourage us to be better, but never penalized us for not being good enough. When we were doing the group presentations, for example, he would tell us what we could improve on and he always expected the next presentation to be better. When Doc Chris critiqued our presentations, it never seemed like he was taking point off, but rather giving us the opportunity to earn points next week. I think putting people on trial served a similar purpose - it gave students an opportunity to acknowledge their missteps and improve from that point on.

I have never had a teacher before who seemed as confident as Doc Chris did in every student's potential to grow. This came across in his encouraging words and willingness to help students who were struggling at different points. I also like that Doc always says that he is learning from us as well, discovering ways to improve the class for next semester. This made me feel like Doc truly valued our opinions and proved to me that he genuinely wants to perfect the course so that it is as effective as possible!

5.  Now that you have experienced Edutainment and convergence as a teaching method that helps you learn, what do you think?

All teachers have slight quirks that make their teaching styles a little different, but they all seem to be variations of the same teaching method. This is why I am SO glad I had the chance to experience Edutainment and convergence before I graduated! It is such an original and refreshing learning experience that provides students with the tools they need in a constantly evolving technological world. When I think about the fact that just 30 years ago cell phones weren't even commercially available yet, I realize how quickly technology has evolved and how much it has changed the world in which we live. Social media, for example, has completely redefined how we form and maintain relationships, how we interact with each other, how we express ourselves... (the list goes on and on!)

I love that the Edutainment and convergence methods incorporates and emphasizes social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google + into the lesson plan. It creates an interactive classroom environment that I have never really experienced before. I have learned so much this semester not only from Doc Chris, but also from my peers, and I don't think this would have been possible without the Edutainment and convergence method. Human beings are, by nature, social; we like to be part of a community. No matter what the experience is - eating dinner, working out, going to a movie - I enjoy it more when I can share it with others... So why should my learning experience be any different? Well, the Edutainment and convergence principles demonstrate that learning can be an interactive experience!

This video is all about how much technology influences our world today. I was blown away by some of the facts presented in the video because it seems like in such a short period of time, technology and social media have affected practically every aspect of our lives! Watch below and see for yourself how important it is for this generation's students to learn about technology in school:

Class Reflection: 12/1

Today in class Doc went around the room, checking each of our blogs to make sure we were up-to-date with our work. He made an awesome bet with John (I think) that if he had 20 blog posts, the class would be dismissed at 5:30! Thankfully, there were 20 posts and so the class was let out pretty early. I was so thankful that Doc Chris did this because I have been SO stressed out about the work I have to do leading up to finals. It was really great for Doc to give us this extra time to catch up on work and sleep! 

Other than checking on our blogs, Doc also went over what we should expect for the final exam. Below is a video of Doc Chris explaining what we will need to do for the final exam! The final will be a lot like the midterm with a few small changes. 

Thanksgiving Festivities!!!

To say that I LOVE Thanksgiving would be an understatement - it is probably my favorite holiday of the whole year. It even beats out Christmas and my birthday, which is surprising because I love presents! It's also my mom's favorite holiday, which is why she offers to have everyone come to our house each year for a Thanksgiving feast. 

Most people might think that Thanksgiving festivities start on Thursday when everyone shows up for dinner. However, for me, Thanksgiving is just as much about the preparation as it is about the actual day. I start to get into the Thanksgiving mood on Tuesday night when my mom, sister, and I take out our Thanksgiving centerpieces and decorations for the dining room table and the smaller kids table. After this, the real fun begins: cooking and baking! 

What's Thanksgiving without a turkey?!

This is a delicious pumpkin pie I made all by myself with my mom's secret pie crust recipe!

I don't know how my mom does it, but somehow every year she is able to plan and execute a Thanksgiving feast for 20 + people flawlessly! She is a lawyer by day, but she was definitely born for the catering business! Her mother, my grandmother, actually had her own catering business before marrying and having children. Nana definitely passed on a lot of her knowledge to my mom and I hope to learn someday as well! 

"Adults" table

The pictures above and below are of the two tables we always have at Thanksgiving. Since Jacquelyn and I are the two oldest cousins, it is always a joke that every year we are always seated at the kids table. We jokingly complain about sitting there but, in reality, we love being able to sit with all of our cousins. This year, however, everyone was shocked when Jacquelyn and I were seated at the adult table because we were both finally 21 years old! All of our cousins thought it was so funny and kept calling us traitors! My cousin Casey even tweeted this at Jacquelyn and I:

"@SarahMeaghan812 @DayumJacqui who said graduating from the kids table was acceptable? #sad"

We were obviously missed by all of our cousins and while it was fun to finally be allowed at the adult table, I think next year we might decide to return to the kids table. We missed our cousins way too much!!

"Kids" table

One of my favorite parts of my house in Cape Cod is this fireplace!
My Dad had a fire roaring all Thanksgiving day keeping everyone nice and toasty inside!

What I'm Thankful For...

I am so happy Doc Chris asked us to write a blog post inspired by Thanksgiving because this year I have so much to be thankful for! As I prepare to go home for the holidays, I am so thankful for my family. My parents have given me so much throughout my life - an amazing childhood, an education, security, support, love, and so much more - and I don't always take the time to stop and tell them how much I appreciate them. I will definitely make more of an effort to tell them how much they mean to me! 

I am SO thankful for my younger sister Kerry. We are less than 2 years apart and so, although we fought like crazy as kids, we have become best friends as well as sisters. We have been through so much together and are always there for each other no matter what. Of course, like all sisters, we have our disagreements, but, in the end, we know that we will always love and be there for each other! 

Me and my sister on Thanksgiving...
People always think we're twins!

I couldn't write a "What I'm Thankful For" post without mentioning the people I spend every Thanksgiving with: my extended relatives on my mom's side. Every year for Thanksgiving, my mom spends two days cooking, decorating, and preparing to host all of her brothers, sisters, in-laws, and their children for a massive feast! Not only am I thankful for the AMAZING food my mom prepares each year (she could give Martha Stewart a run for her money), but I am thankful for the people I get to eat it with! Below are pictures of all my aunts and uncles, my grandmother, and the cousins! 

All the cousins with Nana posing for a picture on Thanksgiving!
(Left to right: Peter, Stephen, Stefan, Jacquelyn, me, Casey, Nana, Monica, Kerry, and Rachel)

The picture above is really special to me because we (all of the cousins) have always been really close and that bond has only increased as we've gotten older. It is so much fun to talk and reminisce about the past. This Thanksgiving, after dinner, we all went upstairs and looks through hundreds of pictures from our childhoods, laughing about the things our parents made us wear or how chubby we all used to be! 

One of the funniest pictures we came across, and I wish I had it so I could post it here, was of my cousin Stephen dressed up as Aladdin when he was 1 year old. When Stephen was a baby, he had the longest eyelashes and most beautiful eyes that made him look almost like a girl. Because of this, we always joke that in his first halloween costume, he ended up looking more like Jasmine than Aladdin!

All of the moms, dads, uncles, and aunts on Thanksgiving!
(Left to right: Uncle Eddy, Aunt Mary, Uncle Joe, Auntie MaryEllen, Mom (Lisa), Dad (Michael), Auntie Moey, Uncle Stephen, Auntie Kacky, and Uncle Timmy)

    

I love the picture above because it reminds me of how close and supportive we all are as a family. Being part of a HUGE Italian and Irish family can be crazy at some times, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.