Morgan's Self Evaluation

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in this class and debated dropping it within the first two weeks.  As a user of social media, but not a lover, I was skeptical if this class would be beneficial for me.  However, I decided to continue with the class as Jeremy explained that the skills and tools we would learn would help students get jobs after college. 

I would describe the first few lab assignments as uncomfortable yet important.  Not only were Callie and I uncomfortable with our camera handling skills and approaching random students, but not all students were well responsive to us either.  This created a little bit of a discouraging feel.  However, I felt this feeling disappear as we began to make news stories and were assigned larger and less amateurish projects. 

I feel that Callie and I made a great team.  We were both dedicated to our projects and worked together to help plan out our trips, questions, filming, and editing.  With similar personalities, we helped each other get through the awkward situations, rough patches we hit in our projects, and were able to make things fun. 

As soon as I became more comfortable with the tasks assigned in this class, I was more open to using the tools we learned in class.  Flickr, Podbean, Storify, YouTube, and Google Maps were all very simple apps that I can now say I am confident in using.  I had the hardest time with Blogger and Twitter.  Blogger was only difficult as I had trouble remembering to post 3 times a week.  After planning out when and what I wanted to blog, it became much easier and less of a chore.  Twitter has always been a challenge for me mostly because it is hard for me to grasp the reasoning behind why people care what I have to say in a 140 character space.  I now understand why Jeremy and many others love it and see its benefits, however, I just don’t think it is for me.

I am very happy that I stayed in this class as I know I have learned a lot.  Truthfully, I have learned more in this class than any other class at Lehigh.  I don’t think I was ready for all of the work as soon as I signed up, but as soon as we got adjusted, the assignments became fun.  I can now say that I enjoy making new stories or documentaries.  And I have to admit, the behind the scenes access this class allowed me and Callie at the Iron Pigs game was unbelievable and very awesome.  I know that the tools and skills I learned in this class will help me in the long run and I am thankful I had the opportunity to experience all the things we did. 

Callie Burrows: Self Evaluation

I have to admit that I was very intimidated by this class at the start. The information learned in this class was said to be invaluable by past students and I knew by taking this class I would be pushed completely out of my comfort zone. I was right. As soon as I realized this, I made it a goal to stick with the class no matter what and embrace the uncomfortable situations I would be put in.

In the beginning, I felt very awkward and nervous about our lab assignments, which required us to go out and film Lehigh students and eventually local members of the community. It wasn't until after finishing our first News Style video that I felt more comfortable with using my camera, planning out interview questions, interviewing subjects and editing film. By the time Morgan and I filmed the News Style video I was more confident in my skills which helped me, in partnership with Morgan, to create a well-reported and informative news story.

As more video assignments were given to us, I became even more and more comfortable and although I still find conducting interviews to be a little awkward, editing film and piecing a story together is now a passion of mine. Putting together the interview footage with the B roll and making the perfect combination of those two plus some narration done by Morgan and I was a challenge but a fun challenge.

Throughout the semester I could tell I was growing. I grew as a Journalism student but also as a person. In terms of Journalism skills, I was able to join the Twitter world and hold my own, something I thought I would never do. Also, I was able to remember to blog three times a week and acquire a following of fellow foodies! Handling my little video camera became second nature and uploading videos to YouTube was a simple task, something that had started out as a long and intimidating process. In general, I feel much more comfortable interacting with the web and all of the options made available on the web including Storify, Podbean, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Google Maps, Weebly and Blogger. Before this semester I was skilled in writing and the traditional elements of Journalism; however, now I feel as though I am skilled in the more modern elements of Journalism that are required in this era.

As a person, I have become more outgoing and a better communicator and persuader. Often times subjects were at first hesitant to be on camera or to speak with us in general so it was essential to learn how to make people feel comfortable with Morgan and I, and trust us.

I am happy to say that I achieved my goal and was able to stick with the class, even when times were difficult or uncomfortable and it was SO worth it. I can confidently say I learned more in this class than in any other class at Lehigh and these skills will be helpful to me as I develop my career and move forward in life.

Iron Pigs baseball in Allentown, PA

Our documentary video on the Iron Pigs baseball team!

Podcast with Dana DeVito of Moravian Book Shop

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Here is our podcast with Dana DeVito, the general manager of Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem PA!

Final Project Plan: Hidden Lehigh Valley

Hidden Lehigh Valley

Morgan and I have set out to find the “hidden gems” of the Lehigh Valley and surrounding area. Although I have been a student here for 3 years and she is completing her second year, neither of us really knew much about what there was to do in the area, besides some of the usual activities students partake in during their free time. We figured if we were clueless on this, most likely other people were too. We plan to create a sort of informational, educational and fun directory for Lehigh students and locals.

Our news stories will feature a video on this year’s restaurant week and information on the one coming up this summer as well as a video on the Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market. We will include interviews with some of the vendors as well as some of the people attending the market. Hopefully this will not only draw traffic to the venue but also motivate people to check it out, especially since the farmers market on campus is only open seasonally.

Our podcast will be with an event planner from Arts Quest regarding the wide array of festivals and events they put on each year. These range from Musikfest, to Celtic Fest, to First Friday and Christkinlmarkt.

The Ironpigs baseball team will be the feature of our documentary-style video. We are in the process of setting up interviews with a few players and the hitting coach. We will also include input from those attending the games.

Our two written side-bar stories will feature the Crayola factory and the historic Moravian Book shop.

On our site we will be including a photo slide show documenting The Banana Factory and the variety of classes and events held there along with the various art galleries housed there. We will also be including a Google Map to show interested locals where the following places are so they can check them out on their own time!

                  -Ironpigs Stadium (Coca-Cola Stadium)

                  -Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market

                  -Banana Factory

                  -Arts Quest

                  -Restaurant Week Venue

                  -Crayola Factory

                  -Lehigh Valley Zoo

                  -Martin Guitar Factory

                  -Sands Casino

                  -Moravian Book Shop

                  -Touchstone Theatre

                  -Stabler Arena

                  -Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink

Also, we will include a resource guide with a variety of links, addresses and quick-look information.

Overall, the theme of our site will really be to get people excited about going out to local venues and exploring them. We hope that this will develop the Lehigh community’s relationship with local businesses and establish a positive vibe between the two. 

Final Project: Google Map

View Hidden Lehigh Valley in a larger map

Podcast with Army 1st Lt. Jake Fry

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Compiling my first podcast was not that hard of a project as I initially thought.  The process of converting my audio was very simple.  The only part of this project that I had difficulty with was the actual conversation with 1st Lt. Fry.  I found it difficult to have an average everyday conversation with him instead of it sounding like an interview or too pre-planned out.  Other than that, I thought it was a good experience and I am going to try more of them for my personal blog.

Muslim Acceptance at Lehigh, an Interview with Muslim Student Association President

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My podcast features an interview with Ayse Bayat, President of the Muslim Student Association on Lehigh's campus. She discusses her life before Lehigh, her satisfaction with Lehigh's treatment and resources for minority groups, her headscarf and her plans for after college. Enjoy!

Welcome to the Banana Factory: Slideshow and Voiceover

In order to promote the Banana Factory and make both Lehigh students and Bethlehem residents aware of the programs, events and opportunities available at the factory, I took photos and interviewed Mark Demko. He is the Director of Editorial Services at the Banana Factory and filled me in on glass blowing classes, potters' wheel classes and digital photography classes. The factory offers a art gallery open to the public and hosts a handful of events and festivals throughout the year.

Check it out!

Terra Cafe in Bethlehem, PA

Terra Cafe is new in Bethlehem after it recently took over Wildflower Cafe.  Here is a video that combines an interview with an employee and pictures from all around the cafe.  It was pretty simple creating this video and lining up her words with my pictures.  The only slight problem I ran into was at the end where my pictures no longer matched what the employee was talking about.  Other than that, I think this will be a helpful tool for me in the future. 

Terra Cafe slideshow, Bethlehem PA

Welcome to the Banana Factory Slideshow

Things to do: Bethlehem, PA Winter Restaurant Week

Google Maps Military Installations in PA, NJ, and NY

Here is my first attempt at creating my own Google Map! I chose my topic based on my personal blog topic. Since there are not that many bases or Forts in Pennsylvania itself, I had to expand to other states such as New Jersey and New York. Plotting points on the map is very simple especially when previously made Google maps already plotted the point I want. All I have to do is click on it and save it to my map - simple!



View Army Installations in PA, NJ, and NY in a larger map

Final Project Idea: Bethlehem, Not Just the Christmas City

Beyond the Christmas City!  Many people only know Bethlehem, PA for its Christmas events and activities.  However, there are tons of other events that occur year round that offer fun for everyone…

Essentially, Callie and I propose to uncover some of the hidden gems within Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley.  Not only do we want to let people know about some of the major events and festivals, but we want to discover and share some of the places locals enjoy.  With help from some of the local Bethlehem residents that we have connected with through social media, we would like to conduct interviews about these events, their purposes, their target audience, etc. 

Some of the events we could cover:

Winter Restaurant Week: January 30 to February 15

Shad Fishing Tournament: April 27-30

103^rd Annual Bethlehem Bach Festival: First and Second Weekends in May; May 7-8 and 14-15

Mayfair Festival of the Arts: May 27-31

Southside Film Festival: June 15-19

Summer Restaurant Week: June 27 to July 3

Sportsfest: July 14-17

Blueberry Festival: July 16-17

Eagles Summer Training Camp: July 16 to August 18

Musikfest: August 5 through August 14

Celtic Classic: September 24 -26

Bethlehem Harvest Festival: October 9

Bethlehem Iron Pigs Games

Lehigh Valley Steelhawks Games

New Bethlehem Business: Loose Threads Boutique

      Callie and I quickly thought of a topic and got started right away.  We called Loose Threads Boutique ahead to set up an interview and to make sure it was okay if we filmed their customers and the inside of the store.  The two managers were very friendly and cooperative and were very willing to answer our questions and be on camera.  We were able to get most of our footage the first day.  However, we had to go back multiple times in order to interview customers.  Our biggest difficulty with filming was picking up the sound that we wanted and not picking up outside noises.  While filming the outside of the store, we ran across problems with cars driving by in the background. 

      It was difficult to edit this film together because the computer only allowed for one person to hear the project at one time.  We also found that we had too much video and it was hard to cut it down to one and a half minutes.  Because we were asked to go out to new businesses, Callie and I were introduced to a store we wouldn't have normally stopped into.  We also liked that we were able to help promote this new business by creating a video and putting in on YouTube. 

Twitter Scavenger Hunt - What I Did and What I Learned

1)  School spirit:

Get a photo and quote from someone revealing school spirit.  My post was of my roommate wearing a Lehigh sweatshirt. 

2) Favorite off campus eating spot:

Get a photo and quote of someone eating at your favorite eating spot off campus.  My post was of my sister eating in my off campus apartment, where we love to cook our own food.

3) Professor:

Get a photo and quote of a professor on their thoughts on the role of social media.  My post was of Michelle Issadore, head of the Women's Center, who believes social media plays a huge role in social change.  Without things such as Twitter and Facebook, less people would be connected and/or know about important events going on world-wide.

4) Person on the street:

Get a photo and quote from someone about where they get their news.  My post was of Jake Fry, a Senior and International Relations major, who really dislikes all social media.  He thinks they are a waste of time and energy and believes people should get their news from "real" sources like CNN or FOX.

5) Academic Excellence:

Get a photo and quote that reveals how Lehigh contributes to cutting edge research/learning.  My post was of a student built racecar that Lehigh engineers designed and built.  Tom Koslowski, an environmental engineer, helped me see how much research the Lehigh engineers do.   

6) Favorite scenic spot on campus:

The picture that I took of my favorite scenic spot on campus is a view of the President's house that overlooks the Alumni Building.  Clear and bright, an American flag is always flying. 

7) Little-known fact:

Get a photo and quote of something many people might not know about Lehigh's campus.  My post was of a Lehigh tour guide, Alex Posser, who let me know that Coppee Hall was at one point Lehigh's gym. 

8) Fanatic fans:

Get a photo and quote from somebody on campus who is a sports fan.  My post is of sophomore Johnathon Miramonti, who is a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. 

9) Favorite spot on campus:

Get a photo of you in your favorite spot on campus.  I posted a picture of me in front of my favorite spot, in front of the University Center looking down over the UC Front Law.

10) Extracurricular extravaganza:

Get a photo and quote that exemplifies the variety of clubs and organizations at Lehigh.  I posted a picture of a wall in Ulrich that houses photos of all the different groups on campus.  My quote is from sophomore, Nate Hunt, who plays lacrosse and has friends in many clubs such as Frisbee and Best Buddies. 

I did use my mobile device during the scavenger hunt but because I do not have a smart phone, like an iphone or blackberry, I initially had trouble figuring out how to do it from my Rogue.  The first couple times I tried to Tweet from my phone the only thing that came up was a link to my TwitPic.  However, after a few more tries I was finally successful at getting text in my Tweet along with a link to my picture and the pertaining hashtags.  For my first few Tweets I consistently forgot to add the #J198 hashtag.  I went ahead and deleted the incorrectly formatted Tweets and redid them. 

So far, no one has replied to any of my Tweets or retweeted them.  However, I learned a lot during this project, especially about my phone and how easy it is to use social media on the go.  I can see how people who are very interested in social media use this as a great tool to communicate with others beyond words.  Unfortunately, I am not a lover of social media and am still reserved on my feelings of why this is important for me personally.  I find myself still struggling with the idea of "why does any one care what I have to say?"

Looking at the #J198 feed I was happily surprised at how diverse everyone's Tweets were.  Almost no one had the same pictures and/or people from whom they got quotes.  I enjoyed seeing people's favorite places on campus the most.   

Twitter Scavenger Hunt- Callie

Introduction Post for my followers


1. SCHOOL SPIRIT POST
Post from a former Lehigh cheerleader on the Lehigh traditions most students don't know about.

2. FAVORITE EATING SPOT POST
Tulum! The tiny mexican restaurant right off campus near Dave's Deli.


3. PROFESSOR POST
Professor Kuchta speaks on how social media allows for quicker response time but worries about whether or not people consider the effect of their "posts" when they write them on such an impulse.

4. NEWS POST
Brigette Cohan uses The New York Times online for her news, she doesn't get it from social media. As an IR major, her teachers suggest she sets her homepage to a news website for easy quick glances at the recent happenings in the news.

5. CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH POST
Lehigh's latest addition to campus, the STEPS building, allows for innovation, scholarship and cutting edge research in a completely "green building."

6. SCENIC SPOT POST
Ultimate scenic spot on campus: Lookout Point

7. LITTLE-KNOWN FACT POST
After writing an article for the Brown & White, I learned that Lehigh has one of the oldest ROTC programs of all universities involved. Who knew?

8. FANATIC FAN POST
With lacrosse season starting and the first game approaching, I spoke to former lacrosse player, Trevor Stapleton about his view of the team.

9. FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS POST
Whether writing an article for reporting or studying for a business test, my favorite place on campus is the rotunda in Linderman Library.

10. EXTRACURRICULAR EXTRAVAGANZA POST
Lehigh has 150 organizations for students to be a part of.

For our Twitter “Scavenger Hunt,” I used my smartphone and uploaded all of my photos and tweets with it. It was so easy to just click photos and be able to put them up on Twitter right away as opposed to waiting a few hours once I was finished with all of the data collection. The mobile application allows you to post information when its still fresh and relevant in your mind.

I retweeted information that my other classmates posted if I thought it was really interesting or if I agreed with it. I noticed that professor Littau retweeted a few of my posts but besides that I did not notice anyone else retweeting my posts.

I saw how creative our class gets when pushed a little bit. It was fun to see the range of pictures people took and people’s varying opinions on their favorite spots on campus and what they thought school spirit was.

After this scavenger hunt, I feel much more comfortable using my mobile application. Prior to this, I had no clue how to upload pictures so this assignment cleared this up and made me more at ease with the Twitter community.

The one thing I seem to constantly forget is to put the J198 hashtag at the end of each post. I am still very uncomfortable using hashtags in general because I don’t know how to find out which groups exist and which don’t. Is there somewhere or somehow I can find this out?

Interviews about Obama's State of the Union Address

During our lab today Callie and I went around campus interviewing people about Obama's State of the Union address and if they had watched it or not.  While conducting interviews, we utilized many different camera angles.  This technique allowed us to see what angles look best in what types of sunlight and with what types of background and environments.  The clips and interviews that came out the best were ones where the interviewee and Callie and I were all in the shade with no visible traces of sunlight.  Both Callie and I found it most difficult to record our interviewee while they were facing the sun.  We did come across some difficulties throughout this lab such as, the sun going down early and many people not participating for fear of the camera.  We effectively used the rule of thirds which can be seen in our camera clips.  This technique was particularly easy since the people we interviewed were not moving and we were at close to medium ranges.

State of the Union Interviews

Although we were supposed to utilize the sun in a variety of ways to show which lighting is best, the sun was setting during our interviewing process so many of the shots appear to be filmed with the same lighting technique. I noticed it was easiest to see the interviewee when both of us were in the shade, and it was hardest to see the interviewee when the sun was behind me while I was taping the subject. Morgan and I utilized the rule of thirds throughout this video which was fairly easy because the subjects were standing still. The assignment was helpful in getting us used to being out and about talking to people but also taught us the shocking realization that people are, for the most part, really not willing to talk... especially to those with video cameras. Frustrating!

Elizabeth Fifer at Work

Chef Chris Bagnell

My First Video