Final Reflection post

During my time in Digital Communications this semester, I was filled with many emotions. One of those emotions was terror. The reason I was filled with terror was because of the whole concept of Digital Communication. Even before I entered class on day one, I went in with the mindset that unless a miracle happened I was going to fail because I simply was not good when it came to doing anything digital. As it turns out my lack of skill is in an area that is referred to as “Digital literacy” In my mind, “digital literacy” is incredibly important because given that the world is becoming more and more digital, and there are a greater number of jobs that require immense computer skills, it is crucial to take a class such as digital communications.

• One of the most important skills that we learned as a class was that when writing on different platforms, it is crucial to write differently. If you are writing an essay for an english class it is important to use full sentences, with a much more sophisticated vocabulary, and really thoroughly developed thoughts. However, when writing on a blog platform, it is very important to keep your writing brief, to use a more casual writing vocabulary.
• The ability for your readers to be able to quickly scan your content is very important, Especially in today’s day and age when everybody is always so busy, it is cspirit.rucial for readers to be able to scan quickly and get the information they need. This can be accomplished by using things like using  bullet points, and spacing by the use of headers to draw the readers attention.
• You should be able to set up a website that is easy to navigate.

Now, did I achieve all of of these criteria that encompass digltal literacy in my opinion? Well, in terms of the first two criteria that I outlined, writing briefly, I believe that I improved at doing that over the semester, but I could still improve. One of my best blog posts that I believe shows growth in that area is the post I entitled “medical innovations.” In this post, I not only filled it with what I believe to be useful information, but I only included the crucial information that advanced my main point. I also used bold headings, spacing and photographs in this post, that I believe really keeps the readers attention.

Now that I have touched upon a post in which I showed improvement on the first two criteria on my list, lets discuss my website. Things brings me to the second emotion I felt during this project: gratitude. While we working on the video and podcast, which I am very proud of, my group members were very understanding about my limitations, and for that I am incredibly thankful. I also felt a tremendous amount of gratitude during this project towards are our TA Danielle Carr. I could not have done what I did without her and she deserves much of the credit for my success with the website. I knew that I wanted the layout of my website to feature a picture of the Boston Skyline on my main page because Boston is the best city in the world,  and I knew I wanted to create a “Bucket List” on my website in order to show my adventerous spirit, and I basically had the vision. Danielle put my plan into action. She was a awesome!

In terms of how I will apply these skills to the real world, the most important skill was learning how to write briefly and get to the point. That skill will be very important for me because I eventually want to be a sports writer/broadcaster.

To preview my website, click the image below.

Bivins- Lets get ethical

Bivins piece on ethics starts with talking about what he calls “stakeholders.” A “stakeholder is defined as anyone who is effected by our decisions or who is effected by our decisions. We are linked to our stakeholders by the effect our actions have on them as well as them as well as vise versa. As members of society we have different moral obligations to different groups of society. Though I found that it was interesting that there are four primary claimant groups that we are have different obligation towards, those being either clients or customers, the organization for which a person works, the profession of which we are a part, and society as a whole, the part of the reading I found really intriguing was the theory by James Grunig.

 

Educator James Grunig, who has a very interesting theory regarding linkages

 Grunig’s Theory

Grunig says that there are several linkages that are common to most organizations: providers, suppliers, receivers, associates and issue-defined associates.

. Providers- Provide the authority and resources necessary for the organization to exist. Examples include: Government agencies, legislative authorities, and board of directors.

Suppliers- furnish materials and other sources of needed input for the organization to exist.

. Receivers- Simply use the output of the organization

. Associates- The Organizations with similar interests or that have similar problems

Issue-defined constituents- Are those that arise as issues-dictate.

WHY DO i FIND GRUNIG’S THEORY SO INTERESTING?

.  I find his theory interesting simply because I can apply his linkages to my life here at Furman University

The providers for me here have been the people in the Admissions Office that accepted my application and enabled me to come here.

. The Suppliers that have been her for me while I have been at Furman have been my Professors because they have supplied me with the knowledge that it takes for me to exist in socieety

The Receivers during my time at Furman have been myself and my fellow students because we are acting like sponges and taking in all the knowledge that the Professors are providing us with.

. The associates during my time at Furman have been my friends and my fellow students because we all face similar challenges such as taking exams and trying to get the best grade point average possible.

The Issue-defined constituents during my time here at Furman would be anyone that comes from out of town to watch a particular sporting event

Engaging readers in a conversation

In this new world of social media, it has become common for people to want to always become interactive, and engage in conversation. That desire to become more interactive has spread to News rooms across the nation, as they try to engage their readers.

Different approaches to increase interaction

• Allowing users to customize their site.
• Opening up to users databases such as those for public spending and hotel reviews
• Providing extended coverage that would otherwise not be available on print or air.
• Administrating bulletin boards and chat.

The paper called the News & Record has been really making an effort to become more interactive. One of their editors named Lex Alexander, said that their goal in doing so hope to “better understand how we can work with the internet to expand the quantity and quality of the local news information, and dialogue we provide.”

Different proposals the News Paper has considered

• Assigning local bloggers to cover events that the paper does not.
• Recruiting one blogger per neighborhood
• Making “Letters to the Editor” into a blog.
• Digitizing Activities and making them, available online, free

The Lawrence-Journal World

The Lawrence Journal World is a newspaper that is experimenting with customizable newspapers and allowing its subscribers to tailor their own addition of the paper. While this may be a great idea and most people love these new innovations that newspapers are trying, for me it is terrifying.

Why is this terrifying to me?

These new innovations of newspapers where the direction is headed more online terrifies me, because I am not technically gifted when it comes to dealing with doing things online. I know that is awful for me to say for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I have been taking this Digital Communications class, and I should be feeling more confident with doing things online, like blogging, but the truth is, I am still not confident in my abilities. I am also petrified because I have an internship this summer at New England Sports Network, where they will probably ask me to do a lot of digital stuff, and I do not want to let them down.

That headstone is almost correct, what it should say instead is, “The Traditional” Newspaper Industry R.I.P.

Medical innovations

 

 

One of the greatest inventions that has taken the world by storm and has made the lives of people with physical disabilities a whole lot easier was the invention of the modern elevator. The elevator, which was invented by Elisha Otis, who ironically happens to be a distant relative of mine, was first introduced to the public at the Crystal Palace Exposition in 1854. Now elevators are old news and are featured in just about every building. However, one of the greatest parts about living in the twenty-first century with a disability is that scientific innovations are constantly making it our dreams come true.

A picture of the modern elevator first being demonstrated in New York in 1835.

 

 

Biofeedback

 

Biofeedback was first popularized by the Brucker Institute in Miami Florida, which was founded by Dr. Bernard Brucker. Brucker’s method of biofeedback uses subtle and innovative techniques to help restore and reeducate the brainwaves and help make new pathways for the brain’s signals. This is done by hooking the patient up to electrodes on to the head and the affected body parts. Then, as the electrodes are working, you look at a screen that is showing your muscle movement, and as you repeatedly look at the screen while you are doing various activities, your brain will start to realize how your muscle is supposed to behave, and thus create new muscle memory. Biofeedback is most effective for people, like myself, with Cerebral Palsy,

Image of a guy using biofeedback. As you can see, he is hooked up to electrodes which are then picking up his muscle activity and then showing them on the screen. The hope is that with enough practice, his brain and muscles will be able to remember what that feels like and eventually duplicate it. Also featured in the picture is Dr. Bernard Brucker, who sadly passed away in 2008.

The Exoskeleton

The Exsokeleton is a wearable suit that helps people who have suffered stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury(like Cerebral Palsy) and other forms of extreme weakness be able to experience what it is like to walk. People who thought they could not will finally be able to experience independence. Able bodied people take walking for granted, but I am not ashamed to say that tears are starting to accumulate in my eyes as I contemplate the possibilities that this suit could open up. The suit is primarily used in rehab centers but it has recently become available for commercial use. The only issue is right now the suit weighs about 55 pounds and costs about 40 thousand dollars.

 

Three people wearing the Exoskeleton getting ready to feel what it is like to walk again and experience independence

Watch this video of the Exoskeleton and marvel at how far medical innovation has come!

Disability Advancements

Being born with a physical disability has its own unique set of challenges. For instance, when most able body kids see a flight of stairs they will not give it a second thought and will walk those stairs without a problem. For me, and I think most people with physical disabilities, stairs is public enemy number one. However, it is not just stairs: narrow doorways are a pain, heavy doors, big thresholds as well as much more. Being born with a physical disability requires you to approach everyday life with a different mindset and to approach each obstacle with the determination that “where there is a will there is a way.” In terms o making places more accessible for people with disabilities, many improvements have been made but there is still a long way to go.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed into law in 1990. This law, which was the first law helped people with disabilities, prohibited discrimination of disabled people employment, public services or in public venues.

President George H. W. Bush signing into law the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990

                                             Colleges and Universities

Any student with physical disabilities has to take that into account when selecting where they will be going to school for the next four years. Some factors to take into account when assessing the stability of a campus: The size of the campus, the terrain of the campus, number of accessible entrances and size of the dorm rooms, Personally, one of the major factors that I looked for was the climate of the school because Cerebral Palsy does not react well to the cold. Thankfully, we do not have to search for all this information because it is all laid out for you on  this website

What are the criteria for declaring a school handicapped accessible?

There is a whole list of standards and codes that is way to complicated for me explain in s timely and understandable manner that would make sense to any of you, so in order to spare a you guys a headache, I will just point you to the ADA guidelines website if you would like to take a more in depth look at ADA guidelines.

Over the years much has been done to bridge the gap in society of students not only with physical disabilities not only by building ramps, or making the dorm rooms bigger and things of that nature but also helping students out from an academic standpoint. For instance, many colleges have what is called an Office of Disabilities Services, where students with disabilities are allowed to take their exams and are given extended time. It often takes students with disabilities longer to perform basic tasks such as writing on tests. So, why should they be punished from academic standpoint because of something we cannot control? The answer is: We should not. That is why the Offices of Disabilities services, for me at Furman University, and for many students has been a blessing.

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Cerebral Palsy…. Not all bad

When most people see a person with a disability they automatically assume that that persons life must be awful, sad and full of nothing but disadvantages. If you are one of those people you would be sorely mistaken. There are many advantages to living with Cerebral Palsy, including my trips to Disney World, seats at sporting events, and my maturity level.

Disney World

Disney World is widely considered to be the happiest place on earth.

Every year kids make the Journey to the that magical landing hopes of meeting their favorite character or catching a glimpse of their favorite princess before embarking on a day full of pulsing-rising rides. The place is magical. However, one of the unpleasant aspects of Disney World that most people have to endure are the lines. The day starts out fine and parents think that they are the world’s best parents because they swear that the lines are no big deal, and they start judging parents who complain about them. However, after the first fourty-five minutes of standing in line, your feet start to hurt. By the time another hour of standing in line goes by, the kids are climbing on their parents like jungle gyms and the parents are now willing to sell some of their less-vital organs for some shade and a comfy chair. However for my family and I this nightmare never becomes a reality, my family and I never have to wait in the lines and can ride the roller coasters as many times as I want! To a little kid that is music to your ears. While I was at Disney World, I took full advantage of this perk. In fact, one my last night, after a day of riding more then my fair share of rides, my stomach was so upset that I threw up on the poor guy that was dressed like Captain hook!

My favorite ride at Disney World called “Splash Mountain”

My heart still races as I remember the rush I felt as I whirled down that waterfall and water splashed my face at the bottom.

Great Seats at Sporting Events

These days tickets to sporting events are extremely hard to get and unbelievably pricey. However, thanks to the Americans With Disabilities Act, it is now law that there need to be a certain number of seats at sporting events that are set aside for people with disabilities. Not only are these seats regularly priced and do not require you to take out a second mortgage, but they have fantastic views of the playing surface My favorite place to watch a sporting event is Fenway Park, the historic home of the Boston Red Sox. There is nothing better then watching a baseball game, while enjoying a hot dog, on a hot mid-summer afternoon.

Great ability to converse with
As a kid growing up in a wheelchair, I did not get many opportunities to partake in the activities of able-bodied kids my age. This handicap made it so that I had to spend a lot of time around adults. This meant that my language skills evolved quicker than most kids my age, and as a result I become much more mature.

The meaning of images

After reading this article by Sturken and Cartwright, which was about how images can have different meanings to different viewers, It struck me how appropriate this article was given that yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday. This year was a viewing record for the Super Bowl with a reported 14.4 million viewers per minute. Aside from the game, a large percentage of the viewers watch the game just to see the commercials. I know commercials are not exactly the same thing as a still photograph but commercials still leave room for viewers to interperet their meaning. For instance, the Budweiser commercial with the puppy and the horses. In my opinion, Budweiser always makes great commercials but this years was particularly touching. Watching the puppy traverse the country, run away from his owner, and even risk getting eaten by a wolf, all in an effort to reconect with the horse was unbelievable to me. However, I am also aware that some PETA members, had a problem with the commercial because they felt that it was mean to put the puppy in life threatening situation. I had the opposite reaction. In fact,the commercial made me want to go out and buy every puppy I could afford. The fact is that images can have different impacts on different people.

This picture is very fitting because that is the same question that each person has to ask themselves when watching a commercial.

                                                                                  Targeting Audiences

Another concept that this article discussed was the fact that images can target specific audiences. For instance there was one Doritos commercial that featured an attractive woman and a baby. In this commercial, the guy in the commercial tried to convince the attractive woman to come sit next to him, but when the guy so that the woman had a small baby with her, the guy quickly tried to take back his offer but it was too late. I thought this commercial was not only hysterical but it was also a great job by the Doritos company to come up with an commercial that would appeal to men, which is the primary audience of the Superbowl. It was a great job of advertising because now it will be hard for me to forget about Doritos, as a result of seeing that beautiful woman, and the more I think about Doritos the more likely I am to buy them.

It is amazing to me the amount of thought, time, effort and money that these companies spend to make a 30 second commercial. In the end though, as long as the company sees a return on their investment then it is worth it for them.

I

Living with Cerebral Palsy.

“I am sorry Mr. and Mrs Rockett, we have to pull the plug on your son.” Those were the words that the Doctors said to my parents on no fewer then five occasions twenty-one years ago. That was not acceptable for them and they refused. The Doctors tried one more thing. Miraculously, my vital signs started to incrementally improve., so much so that after three months in an incubator, I was able to go home. I had come back from deaths door but had to pay a comparatively small price. After noticing that I was not progressing as a “normal” toddler should, I was diagnosed with a neurological disorder known as Cerebral Palsy.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is caused by by abnormalities in the parts of the brain that control muscle movement. In my case, the main cause of the abnormalities was due to the fact that I was born three months premature and had a severe lack of oxygen get to my brain which caused bleeding on both sides of my brain. As a result of this bleeding scar tissue built up and therefore the signals that my brain sends my muscles are blocked and my muscles cannot perform their desired functions.

http://news.wustl.edu/news/PublishingImages/CPBrainProtector.jpg. The brain of someone with Cerebral Palsy. The red circle is surrounding the scar tissue, which is what causes brain signals to be blocked,

Signs of Cerebral Palsy

• Decreased muscle tone or overly rigid muscles
• Muscle spasms
• Involuntary crossing of the legs
• Trouble walking, talking, rolling over
• Unable to sit without using both hand for support
• Bad Motor Skills

Cerebral Palsy Statistics

• Cerebral Palsy is evident in most children between the ages of 12-18 months. (In my case, my parents noticed something was wrong at 13 months)
• There are currently 17 million people worldwide who have Cerebral Palsy
• One out of every 1500 babies is born with Cerebral Palsy
• One out of every 3 babies born with Cerebral Palsy cannot walk
• 1 out of every 5 babies born with Cerebral Palsy cannot talk
• There are six types of Cerebral Palsy(I have the type called “Spastic quadriplegic”, which means that all four of my limbs are somewhat disabled, especially my right hand, and my muscles are extremely stiff.

A child with Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

The child is exhibiting some classic signs of Spastic Cerebral Palsy: Low muscle mass, floppy looking, and he cannot hold himself up without being assisted.

Hopefully after reading this blog, my readers will come away with some knowledge of Cerebral Palsy but they will also realize that even though, I was born with this disability, people with disabilities, including myself, have extremely fulfilling lives. It is not all doom and gloom. Hopefully, after reading this blog, the next time you see me, or anyone with a disability for that matter, instead of thinking how bad their life must be you just smile and give them a wave.

picture of guy in wheelchair proving that despite his disability, he doesn’t let it stop him from living life

This picture of the guy in wheelchair is so I can illustrate that even being in a wheelchair cannot stop someone from doing amazing things.

 Guy in wheelchair with no legs finishing a race.

Even when facing adversity, this guy didn’t let anything stand in the way of his goals.

 

Character Development

It has been has been said that the two things in life that are guaranteed are death and taxes, however, I think that statement needs to be changed. There are three things in life that are guaranteed: you will die, you will have to pay taxes, and at one point in your life you will both hear and tell a good story. However, even though everyone who has a pulse can agree that they love a good story, many people disagree on what the most important aspect of a story is. For writers like Eudora Welty, the most important aspect of a story is the plot, and for directors like Quentin Tarantino, the most important aspect is the “character-driven” stories. I would never thought I would say this because I am not a big fan of his movies because I find them overly gory and gruesome, but I agree with Tarantino that character development is the most important part of a story because it enables you to become emotionally invested in the story.

“Shawshank Redemption”

One of my favorite stories, which was adapted into my favorite movie of all time was “Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King. “Shawshank Redemption” tells the story of a man named Andy who is wrongly convicted of killing his wife and sentenced to life in prison. Not only is it a great story because it is a true story but also because the character development.

In the movie, the main character Andy is painted as an authentically smart, nice guy. The movie and book not only show his life at the prison but also the fact that he was a banker on the outside, which shows that he was a normal guy. The movie and book also go into the fact that Andy proposed to his wife under a huge Oak tree at a park in the dead of winter. This shows that Andy had a romantic side. Thirdly, the movie and book, describe how Andy helped another inmate get his GED, in order to graduate High School, while he was behind bars. This shows that Andy was capable of helping people. Thanks to this great character development, this caused me as a viewer to feel compassion and sympathy for Andy and become captivated by his struggles. I could watch “Shawshank Redemption” over and over again, and currently have seen it at least ten time.

Tim Robins and Morgan Freeman in the movie. “Shawshank Redemption.” Tim Robins plays, the main character Andy, who is convicted of killing his wife. Morgan Freeman plays his best friend and fellow inmate named Red.

                   “UNBROKEN”

An example of where, in my opinion, the character development fell short was in the new movie “Unbroken”which was adapted from the book by Laura Hillenbrand. The movie was such a let down in comparison to the book. Hillenbrand did a masterful job in giving all characters layers upon layers of a back story, which not only made the book unbelievably captivating but also helped created imagery for the readers.

The movie failed to develop any characters to the extent that I was even the least bit emotionally invested in the movie. I will never watch “Unbroken” again.

This picture shows Louie Zamperini, the main character in “Unbroken”  at a Japanese prison camp.