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?