E -portfolio

http://www.wix.com/lnb3420/eportfolio

WELCOME


Welcome to my e-portfolio. Through this portfolio I hope to share with you a little about me, my academic growth, and future plans.  By providing you with some examples of my essays, speeches, and blogs, I  invite you to come along for the ride as I briefly outline my academic year.  Communication , in any form, is vital in attaining academic success, so  I look forward to reading your comments and  suggestions.  

Enjoy!

    

 INTRODUCTION

     Life is full of twists and turns. We never know what challenges each day will bring or what joys the day will hold. Life’s journeys present new adventures that allow us to explore, grow, and prosper.
     As a Penn State student, I have been able to fully appreciate the opportunities life presents as I continue to grow and mature. This past academic year has been very enriching. Given the opportunity to explore, I was able to enhance my knowledge in different subject areas and begin to develop my other areas of interest. With each changing season and each year that passes, I learn new things about myself and use these valuable lessons to achieve an even brighter future.
     As I reflect upon this past academic year, I am able to see just how much I have learned. With a rigorous course schedule each semester, coupled with the demands of varsity swimming and being a member of the Schreyer Honors College, there was no shortage of demands placed upon me academically. Although this led to many improvements and life lessons, there are two specific lessons that I will take away from my successful school year. They are: always accept the challenge and understand the importance of communication.
       When I began the school year, I was fearful that I would not be able to balance the amount of credits I had with the demands of my other activities. But by taking on this rigorous course load and the requirements of the other activities, I chose to accept the challenge. By accepting the challenge, I was able to develop new skills such as better time management and organization. This allowed my academic year to be successful and rewarding.
       In order to be successful, however, I also needed to learn the importance of communication. Communication, indeed, is a general term. Yet, in every sense it is an integral part of every student’s life. When we interact with each other, we are able to share information and gain a better understanding of other perspectives. Communicating, for me, was a vital part of my academic growth this year. It occurred on not only a personal and social level, but also a global level. By speaking with advisors, I was able to plan out my academic future and choose my career path. By giving speeches and embracing the value of rhetoric, I was able to share my views and offer insight into various topics of discussion. By taking Spanish classes and interacting with others from around the world, I was able to learn about other cultures and share experiences.
       These lessons have provided me with a foundation for future success. Accepting a challenge is the first step in the process. This has allowed me to push myself academically and harness even more personal achievements. Communicating with others is also essential because it has allowed me see how we are all connected. Through further study, I hope to ultimately contribute to international progress.

A New Age

       This week in class we presented our video projects. These projects were unique because they were unlike any other assignment we have done. I found it to be a great way to present an argument and communicate with the audience in a different way. When giving presentations, we are often confined to a podium, trying our best to engage the audience with hand motions, voice inflection, and word choice. If we are given the chance to use a visual aid, it is often merely a dry PowerPoint presentation with a few slides that show graphs and charts to support the statistics we have just rambled off. And although this method may be very effective given the context of the situation, there are also ways to break from the mold and use new technology to your advantage. The video presentations perfectly exemplified this.
       Visual modes of communication are interesting because there is so much more to consider. The placement of the words, the pictures used, the background colors, and font choice all contribute to how the message is received. In the videos it was also important to consider music choice and the rate of speech. Each of these characteristics was vital in how the messages of the argument were to be received by the audience. The video presentations were also unique because communication took both a central and peripheral route. The arguments presented were able to reach the audience in a different way that a standard speech could not. I found this form of communication to be both effective in conveying messages, as well as entertaining and insightful. Even though these videos were really nothing more than PowerPoint presentations, the extra additions made them seem like a completely new form of communication. As we become more and more dependent of technology in our everyday lives it is interesting to think about how formal speaking presentations will evolve and change in time.

A Question of Ethics

    This week in class we discussed advocacy and how it relates to argument.  Advocacy is allows us to decide what is worth caring about and how we can find a means by which to alter our future to one we desire. Many topics were discussed such as styles of advocacy, how to become an advocate, the true meaning of advocacy in general. However, what really caught my attention the most was a topic that fell under research for advocacy and argument. This particular issue that caught my attention was the ethics of being a researcher. With so many new technological advancements there are increasingly more and more questions about what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to the way we obtain more knowledge. An important aspect of ethical research has to do with being open to new interpretations and changing your current beliefs based on the new information you receive.
     When researching or writing about another work, it is important to give credit where credit is due. By doing this it can be ensured that the work is not misrepresented, falsified, or fabricated. This is becoming increasingly more of an issue as we develop new, easy ways to share information. This has lead to the development of new guidelines and caused people to question what information can be exchanged without violating the rights of the original author. Ethics also calls into question how far is too far? In some cases people feel their personal rights are violated for the sake of scientific advancement. This is an argument that has been going on for decades, yet it is still a hot topic today. This is mainly due to the fact that all kinds of research is readily accessible and that many are not sure where to draw the line. But where should we draw the line? How far really is too far?

Visual Modes of Communication

     This week in class we discussed visual modes of communication. We spent much time on the logos and pathos of images and how great of an impact this has on an audience. I never really thought about how the arrangement of each element has an effect on the viewer. The way words, pictures, and colors are put together provide the audience with different ideas about the message and affect how the message is viewed. Although the presentation and position of words is important, and contribute to how visual arguments are made, the impact of color can not be overlooked. Although it is just one of many elements that make a visual useful, it is an element that carries great importance.
      As we look around us, we are bombarded with advertisements. They are on television, on billboards, and in newspapers. However, as we look at these advertisements we are not always aware of how much of an impact they are making, or what necessarily drew our attention to us in the first place. There are many elements that go into making a successful ad and capturing the reader’s attention. Color is one such element. The color scheme for each advertisement is no accident. The hue, the saturation, and the brightness of each color all contribute to the overall message of the ad. Some ads are brightly colored, while some are not. This is no accident. The colors chosen all contribute substantially to our emotions. For example, an ad for new Trident Vitality gum. This ad campaign uses bright colors such as sharp oranges, greens, and reds. This not only captures the attention of the audience, but also makes them associate the product with health, freshness, and healthy living. On the contrary, an ad for a law firm chooses dull, business-like colors. This evokes a more serious emotional response. Every ad may seem to be similar, however it is important to know just how much the color of an ad can impact you.

A Helping Hand

The disaster that recently occurred in Japan is tragic to say the least.  Lives have been ruined; a country has been entirely demolished. In this time of great despair, it is hard to find a light at the end of the tunnel.  But perhaps there is some hope as we turn to each other for support.  Charity organizations are advertising on televisions, radios, and Internet sites.  Everyone has the opportunity to support the people in Japan whose lives have been so greatly affected by this terrible incident.  But as I look for ways to help I can’t help but question our true willingness to help others.  Do we only offer aid in times of natural disasters?  There are millions of people in need of our assistant each day yet it seems we are not willing to lend a helping hand on an everyday basis.  However, as I was surfing YouTube recently I came across a company that understands that helping is important no matter how small the gesture.

Toms is a philanthropic organization that is dedicated to helping underprivileged children around the world.  This organization has been around for approximately 4-5 years.  They sell shoes that $40, but for each pair sold on pair is donated to a child in need.  They come in an assortment of colors and materials.  Over the years they have expanded and now even sell heels and have a wedding line.  On the Toms website you can even purchase their “one for one” collection t-shirts and pair of shoes will be donated.   This company has developed into multimillion-dollar organization and is still continuing to grow and expand. This organization and those who help it prosper clearly show that all hope is not lost. People are still willing to help others in need. However, it is still true that bigger steps can be taken to offer assistance to others on a daily basis.

Cars and the American People

      Recently we have seen several car commercials in class. Many classmates decided to analyze the appeals car companies make to American audiences so that they buy their products. However, all of the car commercials that were analyzed were American car companies. They spoke to American values and American life. But what about foreign car companies? How do they appeal to an American audience? 
      American car companies such Ford, GM, Dodge appeal to American values of hard work, commitment, and determination. They continuously portray their vehicles as rugged and tough, and “built to last”. Through these appeals they hope that the audience will trust their cars and trust them as companies. In several new commercials these American car companies draw upon emotional appeals to get their audience on board. In one commercial, Dodge makes its new vehicle, the Challenger, synonymous with the freedom.  In the commercial, as the Challenger rolls through the battlefield of the Revolutionary War, a flag is flying out of the window. This is a very “American” commercial in every sense. By portraying the past in a humorous, modern light, it appeals to our ideals of freedom, justice, and strength. This commercial places an American car, the Challenger, in a very American atmosphere.
       Foreign car companies are very effective in conveying their messages to American audiences as well. Companies such as Hyundai, Honda, and Nissan appeal to their American audience in a different way. Instead of capturing the importance of the American values of hard work, determination, and commitment, they stress the importance of harnessing the future, as their cars are always becoming sleeker, and more energy efficient. Instead of showing their cars in a rugged light, they appeal more to the audience’s desire for luxury. These companies understand their audience just as much as American companies, yet they use different tools to convey their messages, making them just as effectively as American companies.

Times Square

           In everyday life we are constantly bombarded with advertisements. They come at us from all directions—on television, in magazines, and on the computer screen. Every company claims that their product is the one you should choose. They claim their product is the cheapest, the best. Because we always have so many advertisements thrown our way, I thought it would be interesting to analyze how companies effectively advertise their products in one of the busiest commercial intersections—Times Square.
       When you visit Times Square you are blinded by all of the lights, bombarded by advertisements, maybe even taken aback by all of the commotion. The ads in Times Square are lit up and full of color. Approximately 500,000 people travel through the area each day, and more than 10 million people see live shots of Times Square on daily television shows. This shows that the advertisements in Times Square must be eye-popping and unique.  But what makes an ad stand out?
         Some companies like American Eagle Outfitters feel one of the best ways to appeal to the public is by being the largest and tallest. Its LED signs stretch over 15,000 square feet and cover 4 levels. American Eagle uses bright colors and their popular slogan, “Live your Life” in order to appeal to the potential customers bustling through this busy section of New York. MTV, on the other hand, may not have the tallest advertisement, but it definitely has the widest. Its HD video screen is the largest available to advertisers in Times Square. This huge screen is sure to catch your attention as it advertises concerts, special events, or the “next big thing”.
       Other companies, like Forever 21, always find ways to stop the crowd. Every day onscreen models interact with the crowd in order draw the audience in. Models on the 60 foot screen take photos of passersby and display them on the screen or shout to people as they walk by. This allows the public to become a part of the ad instead of just looking at it.
      Clearly these companies have found unique ways to appeal to their target audiences. They have taken the idea of advertisement to a new level and modified their uses of rhetorical devices to appeal to a new generation. They have taken advantage of the technology available to them and used it as a tool to catch the attention of viewers in more way than one.

The Swoosh

        Recently I attended a swim meet at Ohio State University. The natatorium was everything and more. It had great seating, a crisp, clean 50 meter pool and a large rectangular diving well. The whole facility provided the perfect atmosphere for one to swim fast--really fast. Throughout my life, I have visited hundreds of pools, from state-of-the-art outdoor 50 meter pools with 20 lanes, to indoor 25 yard pools that were much less extravagant, containing only 6 lanes.
      It is fair to say that I have witnessed many different kinds of pools each with its unique feel. So, when I stepped onto the pool deck at Ohio State, although I was slightly taken aback by its enormity and its contemporary feel, I expected the facility to be just another nice natatorium. Yet, as I looked around for the first time, something struck me- something I had never before seen on a pool deck in all of my traveling. On each wall there was a thin banner. On this red banner, written in white letters were the number of national champions, national titles, Big Ten champions, and team titles. This banner surrounded the lower level of the natatorium so everyone could see. The men’s accomplishments were on one wall, and the women’s on the other.
       As I examined the banner, I noticed that directly in the middle of the banner was a Nike Swoosh. The list of accomplishments was very impressive, and no one could deny the success of the Ohio State swim team, but the Nike Swoosh said it all. The banner didn’t have to say “Nike” for one to understand the message, nor did it there have to be a long, complicated advertisement; all that was needed was the Swoosh. I think that this is very powerful because it shows the influence Nike’s marketing campaign has had, especially in collegiate athletics. It was as if all of Ohio achievements were a result of Nike, all of the dreams that have come true for the Buckeyes would not have been possible without Nike. This showed the impact that Nike has had, and how rhetoric, whether you are aware of it or not, is always present, even at a swim meet.

                                                                                                             

Black History Month

     On Monday I attended the Black Wax Museum Program, an event part of NAACP Week. This event was a great way to observe both rhetoric and civil discourse at work. Students acted as wax figures of prominent African Americans, and with each blink they immediately came to life. The actors then provided the audience with a short autobiography and a fun or obscure fact about themselves. This allowed the audience members to interact and become engaged in the tour. Each audience member was able to learn more about African Americans who have contributed to society in positive ways. The theme of From Slavery To Freedom: Africans in the Americas gave the audience a way to celebrate African American culture and also learn something new. The actors told their stories through the use of skits and monologues. The actors were able to bring to life historical events and shed a little more light on just how much society has changed over the years. Through the skits and dialogues the members of the audience were able to engage in an interactive experience that brought past events to life. The skits made the event entertaining and somewhat spontaneous. One never really knew what to expect.  
      The audience was able to understand the hardship, the struggle, and the challenges they faced living in a society where they were treated as second-class citizens. The way the stories that were told, the way information was conveyed contributed to the mood of the event and really made the audience think about the past, the present, and the future. This event provided the perfect opportunity to learn a little more about our nation’s history and celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans. Through the use of the spoken word each member was able to connect a little more with those who have made a difference.

Winning the Future

      Recently, President Obama spoke to the Penn State community about energy conservation and technological advances being made. It’s true that people are becoming more and more aware of the need to “go green”, and President Obama’s speech was very fitting. In his speech he took advantage of both kairos and exigency. He was able to discuss an issue that calls people to action and did so under the right circumstances. He took heed of his audience and understood the importance of word choice. His delivery, his style, and his tone all contributed to a speech that made one actually want to listen.
     Because President Obama was speaking on a college campus, it was important that he understand his audience and how to connect with them. By assessing the situation, he was able to deliver a speech that was worthwhile and pertinent. He discussed the importance of fostering the construction of energy efficient buildings, as well as investing in research that will aid in discovering new ways to conserve energy. He stressed how this investment will lead to new jobs and contribute to a better economy.
      Although important topics were discussed within President Obama’s speech, it was truly his use of rhetorical devices that made his speech so poignant. He clearly assessed the rhetorical situation and was able to step into a kairotic moment and left the audience with an important message. President Obama covered many areas, but most importantly he endorsed change. He challenged the audience to take advantage of new resarech opportunities, to understand the importance of saving our environment, and what it would really mean if we all “go green.” He asked the audience to think about the future, to invest in it. By building off of his theme of “Winning the Future”, President Obama spoke of an issue essential in today’s political arena and used a plethora of rhetorical devices that really allowed him to drive his point home.

Be Mine?

http://www.zshare.net/audio/860404777937e5ff/

A Masterpiece

     Recently I attended an event in which the spoken word was celebrated. There were passionate speeches, entertaining stories, and uplifting poems. Although many of the stories spoke to me, and I could relate to many of the speakers, one poet really stood out.

     Not a sound could be heard except the sharp clicking of his shoes on the wooden floor as he took his place in front of the audience. When he took the stage, the room grew quiet. Everyone was silent, anticipating what was to come. As he began his poem, I could feel his intensity, his passion. He spoke of the inequalities he had experienced, his identity, and societal issues. Even though his poem was personal, his message was received loud and clear.With each word, I could feel the rhythm and the rhyme working simultaneously to create an experience the audience would not soon forget. He started off slowly, enunciating each word. But as he continued, his pace quickened. Each word grew more urgent than the one before. As he grew more powerful, I could feel the tension rising. Suddenly, a man appeared behind him. He was dressed in baggy jeans, a plain grey t-shirt, and clean white sneakers. The poet kept speaking with even more conviction. The man in the grey t-shirt slowly started to act out the poet’s words.  The poet’s rhythm began to change. The words started flowing, creating a beat of their own. As the poet continued, the man in the background began to dance. The words, the beat, the rhythm, the tone all matched perfectly. The simple poem became a rap in which the dancer could also express himself. No music was needed. No speakers were used. And yet, these two men on stage were able to engage the audience in an art performance like no other.  








This is an example of the poetry and rhythm discussed. It is a poem by Talib Kweli presented on the show Def Poetry Jam.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGvZ9aXg5Xs

Black History Month

        Communication is essential to everyday life. Therefore, rhetoric is essential to everyday life. We use rhetoric to make decisions, solve problems, and discuss issues. If we pay attention, we will be able to understand and analyze information that is presented to us.
       Recently I was afforded the opportunity to attend the 36^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet. Dr. King was an extraordinary man. He fought for equality and justice, and held his head high during times of adversity. Dr. King was a man who was able to use his voice to speak for those who suffered from prejudice and inequality. It is a commonplace in American discourse that all men are created equal, yet African Americans were treated as second-class citizens. Martin Luther King Jr. recognized this and was able to initiate social change through the power of words.  At the banquet, we were able to reflect upon Dr. King’s teachings and listen to some of his speeches. Dr. King clearly understood the meaning of delivery, the importance of tone, and how to connect to the audience. Because of this, he was able to leave a legacy that still lives today.
        Throughout the night many awards were accepted and speeches were given. The speeches were delivered with clarity and poise. Each speaker had his own style and was able to convey his message effectively. However, although all of the speeches were unique and insightful, the speech given by Dr. Vernis Welmon stood out among all the others. His speech captured the attention of the audience, drew upon our emotions, and he conversed rather than preached. Dr. Welmon stressed the importance of community. He spoke about the ideology we share as members of the African American community and how we still embrace Dr. King’s teachings to this day. As I listened to Dr. Welmon, I was able to feel his passion, energy, and excitement about various issues. He was able to connect with his audience, and that is what made his message so powerful.
        Attending the Memorial Banquet brought about a feeling of strength and a sense of community. By recalling what Dr. King stood for and remembering his achievements, I was overwhelmed with a sense of duty to give back to the community. At the banquet many were honored for their roles in helping others. With each speech, each dance, and each commemoration, I was able to feel part of a community that understood the importance of tradition, respect, and love. Attending this banquet made me proud of Dr. King’s work and honored to be a member of a community that listens to Dr. King’s messages to this day.