In Class: Whatever I Want

So I had a pretty great break. I ate a lot of good food and enjoyed a break from homework. I'm so excited for Christmas break and then Summer is going to be the best. My favorite part of my Thanksgiving feasts was actually the mashed potatoes. I grew up in Idaho and used to have real mashed potatoes all the time, but ever since I've moved here, for some reason I've only had the little potato pearls that you put in water. Those things are disgusting and I was really really excited to see real mashed potatoes on the table at Thanksgiving. Sometimes I have to laugh at the things that I get excited about.

Over the break I also bought a TV. I have been looking for a good TV at a great price for a long time but I could never bring myself to actually spend the money until my parents called me on the morning of Black Friday and said "We're giving you money for TV for Christmas so go buy one!" I was really excited and my new TV is awesome.

Unit Three Proposal

Unit Three Proposal

We have chosen to address the topic of music piracy. We would like to enter this conversation because music piracy has recently become more prevalent than ever. With websites offering free music at the click of a mouse, it is easier and more affordable to download illegal songs than it is to obtain the music legally.

It is necessary that we spread awareness of the consequences associated with music piracy. Although there are positive aspects to free music downloads such as exposure, copyright infringement is punishable offense. It is common that students are unaware of the consequences that can range from lawsuits to large fines of millions of dollars.

Our audience will be traditional students currently enrolled in Texas Christian University, usually between the ages of 17 and 25. These students tend to be more thrifty than others because of the high cost of education. Students are often the most common offenders of these copyright laws. Most students own a laptop and have access to the internet making it easy to download illegally.

Ideas for genres/mediums:
- Daily Skiff Article
- Poster (mainly visual)
- Song

Unit 3 Proposal

Unit III Proposal

Our chosen issue is oversleeping. Studies say that more than 8 hours of sleep per evening is "oversleeping". Many college students complain of not getting enought sleep, but really they are not using their time effectively. They tend to overcompensate after pulling an all nighter, rather than arranging their time appropriately. This sleeping habit can be dangerous to their health, causing physical and mental trauma.

If you sleep too much it affects your productivity, health and overall well-being. Developing good sleeping habits is important, especially during the college years. The benefits of getting an appropriate amount of sleep outweighs the costs. In our project we will address these issues and promote the idea that getting 8 hours of sleep or more is overrated. 

Our audience will be traditional full-time students currently enrolled in Texas Christian University (taking 15 or more hours per semester), usually between the ages of 17 and 25. These students are busy and balance academics, a social life, and often a job as well. Sleep becomes less and less of a priority. 

Ideas for geners/mediums:
Textual- Article in the Daily Skiff
Video- TCU News Now- segment
Visual- Pillow Case, Eye mask with holes in the eyes = sleep related items that are not condusive to sleep

In Class: I Did the Reading Before Class and Made Notes.

The reading for today discussed visual arguments. The book talked about the debate between Nixon and Kennedy and the effect that being able to see the candidates had on the election. It discussed how visuals are shaped to meet the purpose of the author. When analyzing visuals you would look at the following elements:

• Authors'Creators
• Medium
• Viewers/Readers
• Content and Purpose
• Design

And when using visual arguments the following should be considered:

• Arguments based on Character
• Look for images that reinforce your character
• Consider how design reflects your character (font, size, color, etc.)
• Follow required design conventions
• Arguments based on fact and reason
• Organize info visually
• Use visuals to convey data efficiently
• Follow professional guidelines
• Check for copyrighted material
• Arguments that appeal to emotion
• Appreciate emotional power of images
• Appreciate the emotional power of color

I will apply this knowledge by following the outlined steps for all our visuals. I'll consider everything from color to the organization of each visual to ensure that it helps support my argument.

Also, for my own reference, I made three comments on my peers' blogs today.

In Class: What I Learned From The Reading

Well, I did read last night, but to be honest it wasn't for this class. It wasn't even for school. I read my scriptures for a few minutes last night before I went to bed and I learned about a guy named Abinadi. Abinadi lived in ancient America somewhere and was telling a wicked group of rulers about all the things they were doing wrong and how God could not support their people because they were not obeying the commandments. To make a long story short, Abinadi was burned at the stake because the wicked rulers hated what he told them so much. After his death everything he prophesied actually happened and the people were in all kinds of trouble. From this I learned that obeying the commandments is important if we want to be happy. I also learned that we should listen to our leaders.

It has nothing to do with this class at all, but I believe I answered the question posed to us of  "What did you learn from your reading last night?"

Axel Hawker: Captain of Computers

I've always thought the title "Captain" was cool. I've probably thought that because I think pirates are cool and the leader of a group of pirates is the captain. I also like to set up all kinds of online collaboration for group projects because I'm a busy guy and don't always have the time to physically meet somewhere. In my search for better ways to not have meetings I've developed a love for all the cool stuff you can do online and with computers. I also like alliteration, just throwing that in there.
Because of these likes my job title is Captain of Computers. My job entails anything that specifically involves a computer such as online collaboration, editing photos or video, publishing to YouTube, or just whatever the team needs me to do. With my help we are going to be a super-efficient team that produces amazing work. My really cool teammates are Remley Johnson and Erica Torgerson.

In Class: Ideal Group Work Situation

In the perfect world of group work I'd be in a group of people that all loved to take assignments, do them, and then follow-up with the group. We'd all have Gmail accounts and we could collaborate on things without necessarily being in the same place or even at the same time. We'd all be respectful in a general sense but more specifically we would respect each others time. Everyone would also be a willing, compromising, supporting participant in whatever we were doing.