Blog Post #16
We are finally finished! Hilda Gonzales was my partner in my collaborative project and together we came up with many successful documents for our non-profit organizations. We worked with Bokenkamp Children’s Shelter and the Salvation Army in Corpus Christi. The collaborating part was somewhat hard for Hilda and I as there have been certain circumstances that we have both had to overcome.
The writing part was not difficult for Hilda and I because we both really loved the organizations that we worked with and felt a need in both organizations.
The first document we composed was a brochure for the Salvation Army. The brochure that they gave us in the meeting was very outdated and need new images and edited writing. We took the brochure and put it into a computer program and added the items that it needed. The brochure is now more colorful and is worded better.
The second document that we composed is for Bokenkamp Children’s Shelter. This document is about a volunteer that has been with the shelter for over 15 years. We wrote about her hardwork and dedication to the shelter and how big of an impact she has been. Bokenkamp wanted us to write this story over Elaine to show their appreciation for her volunteer work. This document will be framed and hung at the shelter for everyone to see.
Hilda and I are also re-writing both the Salvation Army brochure and the Bokenkamp children’s shelter brochure and translating them into spanish. As spanish is a common language used in southern Texas we figured that they needed both English and Spanish to reach out to their main audience.
The last document that we did was a news flyer that will go to both the hooks and brewster street organizations to promote a fundraiser night for Bokenkamp Children Shelter. The flyer basically asks these businesses if they would like to host a fundraiser night in which Bokenkamp would take some of the profit from that night.
These documents were somewhat of a challenge for Hilda and I to finish. The collaborating side of the assignment was sometimes a challenge with Hilda living so far away and my schedule being so full. We learned to manage our time wisely and to overcome obstacles that might stand in our way. Through Google Docs, email, Dropbox, and other programs that we learned in class over the semester, we were able to send the documents back and forth to be edited by each other. Not one part of any of the documents were only done by just one of us. We both took part in every aspect of the writing.
Each day Hilda and I stated what we did on the documents and made not of what the changes were that we made. This process made it easier to keep track of what we were doing and what we had left to do in our writing process. Hilda and I both felt as if this assignment was very helpful in many ways. It got us out in the community and we were able to see the needs that they face and not just our own here on campus.
Add a comment May 3, 2010
Blog Post #15
Success! We have started all 4 documents and all we have left is the editing stages! Hilda and I are working very diligently on these documents as the non-profit organization “Bokenkamp” has held a close place in our hearts. This past Tuesday we visited Bokenkamp together and met with their head volunteer who has been there over 15 years. She spoke with us on many issues and taught us more about the shelter. We are constructing an article about her that is in a since a biography.We collected a lot of information about her life and how she has affected she shelter as a volunteer. This document is just one of the three that we will be doing for Bokenkamp. We have also started the two flyers for both the hooks organization and brewster street. Hilda and i are using google docs and we both adding information that we believe will make the document better overall.
This project has helped me in more than one aspect of my life. It has taught me how to deal with organizations and also how to manage my time. Having to get these documents done in a timely manner is not easy when carrying 15 hours and playing a sport. Hilda has really kept me accountable also in that we are always emailing, texting, and using google docs to communicate.
This class has taught me so many things as both a student and a person. When leaving this class i will have learned more than i have in any other class that i have taken in college. I have learned so many ways to store my documents and how to keep them safe. I think that without this class i would not have been as knowledgeable about all the options offered out there on the web.
Add a comment April 29, 2010
Blog Post #14
This past week has been a very productive week for Hilda and I. We have spoken to Bokenkamp and they have given us three writing assignments that they would like us to construct for them. The first would be a letter to the Hooks organization asking if they would be interested in hosting a benefit baseball game, which would be like a fundraiser night for Bokenkamp. The second would be very similar except it would be a letter that would be going to Brewster Street asking if they would do a benefit concert night for Bokenkamp. Both letters would tell what Bokenkamp is and what they are doing for the community. The last document that they would like us to construct is a 15 year celebration of a volunteer article. This article will be framed and hung at the Bokenkamp site and will be given to the volunteer at her celebration!
We have began to work on the Salvation Army brochure and basically we are reconstructing it for them. We have edited the writing and added new pictures and things. We are doing this through microsoft word. Hilda and i have been collaborating through via email and also through google documents. We have yet to start the Bokenkamp work because Sarah Hill has not given us the amount of information that we need to start constructing those.
Add a comment April 22, 2010
Blog Post #13
Week of 4/15. This week as been a great week for Hilda and I. We have contacted both the Salvation Army and the Bokenkamp organization and there have been great news from both. The Salvation Army is very interested in the project that we have brought forth and we are working with them to see what kind of documents that they would be interested in. I had a meeting with Bokenkamp (Hilda does not come in on Wednesdays but she will be going tomorrow 4/15 to meet with them also) and the meeting was very successful. I spoke with Sarah Hill who was a former volleyball player from Texas A&M corpus christi and she was very excited that we had chosen their organization to work with. We have came up with two types of documents that we are going to create for them. The first is a benefit newsletter or press release. This newsletter will go to both Brewster Street and the Hooks organization to try to get them to have a donation night (concert or baseball game) to help fundraise for Bokenkamp. The second document that we will be creating is a personal accomplishment document. This document is one that is about a volunteer that has volunteered for 15 years and has donated many different things such as time and money. This document will actually be hung up on the wall at Bokenkamp to recognize her services. This organization is very excited about our services and we also look forward to writing for them!
Add a comment April 15, 2010
Blog Post #12
Week of 4/8. Hilda and I have contacted the Salvation Army and have spoken to them about the documents that we would be interested in creating for them. Hilda will be attending a meeting with them this Thursday (4/8), which i cannot attend because of class and she will be emailing me the information that she collects at the meeting.
We have created two documents, one for the Salvation Army and the other for Bokenkamp. We have shared them through google docs and will be adding to them each time we make progress with our organizations. We will be adding new information after Thursday when Hilda gets back from the meeting. These documents really help us to stay on track with our work and show all of the work that we have already done. Each document states the mission statement of that particular organization and also what we will be constructing for that organization.
Bokenkamp has called us back and we are going to set up a meeting for sometime next week to meet with them. They said that they are very excited to work with us and to see what we can create for their organization. We are collaborating with Sarah Hill who is the volunteer coordinator at Bokenkamp.
Add a comment April 15, 2010
Blog Post #11
For our collaborative project Hilda Gonzalez and I will be working with two non-profit organizations. We have chose the Salvation Army and Bokenkamp. We have tried to contact both organizations and have left messages in which hopefully they will be giving us a call back soon. We have recently been looking over different types of programs that we could use to create these documents for our non-profit organizations. We have found a brochure program, and there is powerpoint, and many different types of programs that we can use to make these documents wonderful. Hilda and I will be collaborating using technology such as email, texting, and google documents.
Add a comment April 15, 2010
Blog Post #10
The article “Literacy and Technology Linked” really grabbed my attention as a reader. As a future English Literature teacher i could really connect with the need that the article was referring to. The article was very informative and gave crucial information. I liked how it gave you definitions just incase you were not sure what the term meant. I also liked how each new paragraph had a topic or a header before it. It gave the reader an idea of they were going to be reading about. Overall i really found this article to be interesting and very well written.
The article “Attention Literacy” reminded me of our class right now. We have computer screens in front of us and when they are on we often find that we are trying to do to many things at once and find ourselves not giving the professor enough attention. When you do not dedicate enough of your attention to the lecture, so much is lost and you lack information that could be important later in the semester. I really liked the article overall. It was very well written and was not meant to be a mean article at all. I really liked how the professor in the story handled his situation or his problem with the laptop use and did not punish his students, but more less put them to a test. He got their attention in a nice easy way. I really think that reading this article helped me as a student, in the simple fact that, i myself try to do to many different things at once when i am in class, and i need to just stop and listen.
The article “Why Napster matters to writing: Filesharing as a new ethic of digital delivery” was an article that i really enjoyed. The issue that the article touches on is an issue that is often times frustrating to college students, particularly english language students. College students write hundreds of papers throughout their college careers. Finding information to write about can sometimes be hard when you have the plagiarism rules in affect. This article would be an ideal tool for teachers and professors to read sometime in their teaching career. Every subject that you write about in a paper has more than likely been written about before. This article will give a better understanding to help students that are struggling with plagiarism. Overall i really like this article and believe that it is very well written.
Add a comment March 28, 2010
Blog Post #9
The article “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” was an article that really caught my attention. I myself am an active facebook user and have never really taken in what the article was saying. Sometimes what we think we want, is not what we want at all. I like to know what my friends are doing all of the time and never really thought that instant news feed could be a bad thing at all. The way that some people use facebook make the website a great thing. Staying connected with friends and family is a great, but some people abuse facebook and can sometimes embarrass themselves. The article talked about how people put up that they were “Hungover” or they would put up pictures of Saturday night when the group was “Drunk.” These are the things that make people stereotype facebook. Facebook is not a bad tool unless you make it one.
“Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business” was an article that was interesting to read. I like the fact that there was also a video on the article that was optional to watch. The author reached out to not only visual readers, but also audio readers. I liked how they incorporate the economy into the article. People will pay attention to what they see is free. When they realize that they have to purchase something, it in an immediate turnoff. Necessities are a must in our economy and to have those free is even better.
Add a comment March 25, 2010
Blog Post #8
The article “Is Facebook unethical, clueless or lucky?” is an article that caught me by complete surprise. This day and age almost everyone has a Facebook. From young kids to senior citizens, everyone that is in contact with the web seems to have a connection with Facebook. This article took me by surprise as it showed a lot of personal emotions and opinions. I found that it only talked about the negatives of Facebook and never the positives. Being thirteen hours away from home is hard on someone’s phone bill. Facebook to me has been a great way to communicate with my family and friends and to get this side of it is a little depressing. Overall i enjoyed reading the article and it made me view the communication network from another point of view.
When viewing the website “Universe” by Jonathan Harris i found it to be somewhat strange to my liking. I really liked how the website was constructed and how you got to choose what things you wanted to view, but as far as the information it gave, i did not find it helpful. I am not sure that i really liked this website. I found it difficult to figure out and i would more than likely not visit it again.
The article “Naked in the Nonopticon” by Siva Vaidhyanathan is an article that talks about many issues that are very sensitive. When talking about Facebook i like the fact that when people started to get angry that Facebook was putting there things out into the world, Facebook immediately gave the option to delete their facebook pages. I viewed it as, why put personal things on Facebook that you don’t want shared. If you put them on your page, you obviously do not care who sees them. You control what you put on the internet. As a whole i really enjoyed the rest of the article. I found it very informative and interesting.
The article “You say you want a Revolution? Hypertext and the Laws of Media” was an article that was very interesting and very informative. I really like the quote “Hypertext is all about connection, linkage, and affiliation.” This pretty much sums up most of the article. I like where the article talked about copywriting. How it has changed in recent years. More and more people are copywriting now then ever before. People are looking back now saying, i wish i would have copywrited that. I really enjoyed this article.
Add a comment March 11, 2010
Blog Post #7
Fifteen short years ago Tim Berners invented the world wide web as we know today. The video “Humanity Lobotomy” is a video that shows how the world wide web’s growth is escalating everyday. I really like the idea of there is no middle man when it comes to the web. You produce it, you distribute it. That is the motto when it comes to the world wide web. The idea that the newspaper was the main source of information before the world wide web was popular is hard to wrap my mind around. The issue with the phone companies saying that they are going to produce this fiber and wanting control of it is kind of scary in a sense. The fact that someone is controlling what you do at home on your internet takes us to a personal issue. Tim Berners calls it freedom of connection, we are a society on the internet. 60 percent of the content put on the internet is put on by the people, not corporations. The end of the video asks what the internet means to me. The internet to me is a source. A source to use in papers, a source to find out breaking news, and a source to stay connected with friends and family. Without the internet, global communication would not be possible. I really enjoyed watching this video. I believe that it was very informative on what the phone companies are trying to do to the people, and what they have been doing for many years.
The article “Information wants to be free my ass” by Nicholas Carr is an article that really puts in check at how much we spend on information, and who we are spending it on. He talks about how we pay the person in the suit and overlook the struggling artist who’s information we love reading. Many of these people work hard at writing stories, or books that we love to read, and we are not willing to spend a little bit of money on something that they slaved over many months, or possibly years. We spend so much money on cable television, internet, magazine subscriptions, and other not needed things, and cannot bring ourselves to pay for a good book. I believe that Carr makes an excellent point when he says that we are throwing money away on things that we only appreciate because we bought them. We love them because everyone has them and we feel that we need them too. I think that the article was very direct and hit home in a lot of people. I think that it will ultimately help the struggling artists who need the publicity and are hidden by the major corporations or businesses. I really enjoyed reading this article and think that the world would be a much better place is there were more articles just like it. These types of reading are good to hear sometimes as we get blinded by the things that are not needed in this life.
Add a comment March 9, 2010
