JeremyBarrick

What EL200 has taught me. Hmm! Let me think for a moment. For one thing, I now

know the history of the newspaper, the printing press, and when the oral word progressed

to the written word. I never let my guard down one, although several students dropped

out of the class, for the unknown scares me. The class now consisted of 7 people that I

believe knew very little on the history of news, which is also the name of the text, by

Mitchell Stephens. Media Lab met only one day a week, Mondays, from 1-2pm. The

room was filled with eager minds and anticipation. Dr. Jerz who taught the class was a

mentor to me, I learned that when one lets their guard down, they will never recover from

the punches. Dr. Jerz believed in each and every one of us (students), he taught us that the

confident one gets the job, not the one who waits for it to come to them. A History of

News, by Mitchell Stephens was a bit to much like a history book, the text dragged on

and on, not offering me the creative inspirations that I wanted as a journalist. I can

understand why the text was used, to learn the history of something gives the individual

insight as to why the subject is the way it is currently. The assignments consisted of

reading a chapter or two, blog on the chapter(s), then come up with an agenda item (a

system developed by Dr. Jerz), post the blog onto the course website, and finally respond

to two student’s blogs. The final assignment, which will be presented on Thursday,

December 13, is a journalism contest. The contest will be random newspaper submissions

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from several area high schools. Judging will be done by the class, as a group dynamic.

The persons that created the contest are myself, Jeremy, and Michelle Polly, who was a

late bloomer in it. Polly and myself will distribute the newspapers throughout the class,

each person will find an article that interests them , with the exception of sports, they will

then bring the papers to Polly or myself and we will narrow the articles down to three,

with one being the obvious winner. The three winners will be notified via e-mail and their

article(s) will be printed in the Setonian the following semester. I have outlined the

semester of El200 to each of you because this is what led to the final. The build-up of

pressure, angst, and anxiety. Hopefully, all of it will pay off in the end.

Project Portfolio: Journalism Contest 2007

The portfolio will consist of several excerpts that I included in my blogs on the progress of the contest. I will go from the back to the front, in order to show what I have been doing thus far. Portfolio 4. EL200. Part 4. Term Project Assessment. The Contest is Alive and Kicking!
The final project is almost ready to go. Michelle and I have stuffed the envelopes with the entry applications, mailed them, and e-mailed the schools, giving them a heads-up about the contest. I have the return address as "Seton Hill University (SHU), attention: Dr. Jerz", so the submissions should be coming there. I need them, so Polly and I can read them, preparing ourselves for the final.
This came from portfolio 3: Part 2. Progress on term project.
I have gotten alot completed on my term project, by myself, the project this semester is a journalism contest. I have already gotten the addresses of the high schools, the envelopes, stamps, and the submission form. I had recently revised an older version of a high school journalism contest. As one partner to the aid of the contest had dropped out, I used my strategy wisely and picked up a new one, Michell Polly, so far Polly has shown interest in the contest, as she has been very active in the pre-production of it. The next order or buisness I want to achieve for the journalism contest is mailing out the submission forms with a pamphlet on Seton Hill University, describing the university as well as the New Media Journalism department. Befor any thing is sent out, I will have it proofread by Dr. Jerz.
Updates: Journalism Contest: Updates
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By the next portfolio, I want to have the action letter sent out. I will accompolish this by getting together with my group, writing the submission letter, obtaining envelopes and stamps, mailing them out.
Posted by JeremyBarrick on October 7, 2007 4:42 PM | Permalink
Contest Rules and Guidelines: EL 200 Journalism Contest Rules/Guidelines
Word count: 350-400
Submission date: ?
Topic: Leave to the teacher's discretion
Grades:10-12
Style: AP
How many submissions from each institution: 5
Award: The student gets their article printed in the Setonian/ T-shirt/ Helps out a day, for credit, at the Setonian office.
Each school recieves an SHU admissions guide and a pamphlet, explaining the journalism major.
Anybody adding to this would be of great help.
Posted by JeremyBarrick on October 4, 2007 11:09 AM | Permalink
Addresses for Contest: Addresses for journalism contest
Jeannette Senior High School
Public school • Grades 9-12 • 438 students
200 Florida Avenue, Jeannette, PA 15644
(724) 523-5591
Greater Latrobe Sr. High School
131 High School Drive
Latrobe, Pa
15650
(724) 539-4225
Hempfield Area High School
4345 Route 136, Greensburg, Pa 15601
Phone: (724) 834-9000
Greensburg Salem High School
1 Academy Hill Place
Greensburg, Pa
15601
(724) 832-2901
Greensburg Central Catholic High School
911 Armory Drive • Greensburg, PA 15601
(724) 834-0310
Mount Pleasant Area School District
271 State Street
Mt. Pleasant, PA 15666
(724) 547-4100
Belle Vernon Area High School
425 Crest Avenue
Belle Vernon, Pa
15012
(724) 929-9800
Penn-Trafford High School
3381 Route 130
Harrison City, PA 15636

Posted by JeremyBarrick on October 1, 2007 12:43 AM
Comments that I had received on my blogs, regarding the contest.
If anyone hadn’t noticed yet, I have a bit of a geeky side to me that I want others to witness. The contest was a creation of mine this year, the final year for this, I hope all goes well with the contest, so future students will have a template to follow.

Part 3: Advice.
I have tons of advice, want it or not. Never let your guard down, someone will punch

you. Listen, always listen, information is really vital. Take notes, you never know when

you may need them. Learn the history and mechanics of something before you take a

further step, it may be boring, but one day, it may save your life or get you that job. If

you fail at something, keep at it until you get it right. Nobody knows what the future

holds, seize the day and embrace it. It is a cut-throat society out there, there are many

journalists waiting to get that job, or take it from you, do the best you can; do not lie,

cheat, or steal but be strong. That is all the advice I have at this moment, if you would

like more, look me up, I am filled with advice and my own philosophies.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I think about it, I am sort of sad that this, EL227, is coming to an end. I got really comfortable with all the mayhem in class. Ok, Ok! So reading really wasn't something that I wanted to do, but had to do. America's Best Newspaper Writing , will I ever get that book out of my head? The book was interesting though. I can recall fond memories, a month or two ago, where I would pick up ABNW and was eager to read and blog, near the end of the semester, I cringed at the readings, so I made it an effort to become negative while blogging on them. I am going to point out the negative and positive blogs in my portfolio.
-Positive Blogs-
ABNW p, 87-97
Best Practices
-Negative Blog-
ABNW (Hull) p, 96-111
-Positive Blog-
ABNW (Fuson) p, 211-213
ABNW Chapter 10
-Negative-
ABNW Chapter 11
Well, I guess the positives outweigh the negatives. I wanted to show the contrast, and the fact that I am an unique individual, who tends to be a non-conformist.
-----------Part 2-------------------------
-Depth-
I think that I will write on myself this time, to show that I can write in depth. I get into a snow-covered car and blast the heater to the highest setting. I then go back into my side of the duplex that I live in and get a shower, as the water beads off of me, I begin to wake up. Getting out of the shower is torture in the Winter months, it is way to cold for warm feet to touch cold porcelan. After I get dressed, I look at my 11 year old mutt, Natas, and beg him to hurry while him and I are outside, as he does his buisness. "Job well done Nats" I say as I lead him back to the house. I get into a warm car and drive about two miles to get to Seton Hill University(SHU). The air is chilled with a brisk wind, I await the shuttle. The shuttle arrives as I anxiously jump into the front seat and listen to either John or Kathy's dirty jokes. Finally, stopped in front of the Administration building, I get out and climb four flights of stairs, exhausted and dazed, I have reached my destination. Panting, I walk into the room and await a lecture headed by Dr. Jerz. I sit in the front row and stare with the ambitions that one day I will be as wise as he. Dr. Jerz spouts off 50 minutes of information on the do's and dont's of journalism. He dismisses the class, I walk back down where I arrived from.
Part 3
-Interaction-
Bethany Merryman ABNW p, 97-97
Daniella Choynowski Fuson 211-213
Carrie Kraszewski ABNW Chapter 10
Part 4
-Discussions-
The following are comments that my classmates left on my blog:
Daniella Choynowski Fuson
Jackie Johns Chapter 11/ Plagiarism
Part 5
-Timeliness-
One blog in particular that I felt I actually researched thoroughly was the one in Chapter 11 entitled The Unoriginal Sin. I wrote on how I plagiarism disgusts me. I feel that I am an original guy, to cheat would make me feel less of a person. I want to be real, and individual, not part of the status quo.
Part 6
-Xenoblogging-
A comment that I left on Vanessa Kolberg's blog really made me feel as though I was being a little to rough. All it was, was a matter of opinion. If taken the wrong way, I appologize. I blogged the following on Hull,"Metal to Bone"
Part 7
-Wildcard-
I still feel that "The Dreams of Fudgecicles and Marshmellow Balloons" was and is the best blog. I put so much time and effort into the attempt to describe my life as a student. Although I have become a much better writer, I love this blog.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What I found to be quite interesting in chapter 11 was the section on plagiarism.
"There is one sacred rule of journalism, the writer must not invent and must not lift from another writer or publication without giving proper credit." David Shaw, the Los Angelos Times media writer attributes it to laziness, and sloppy work habits, deadline pressure, writer's block, temporary-or-chronic-emotional problems, and so on.
I find that to be most true, but are we, the public, always covering up for somebody who is cheating. It seems that we, the public, are always making excuses for others whom do not do, or can not do their own work.
When and will it ever stop? The President screws up, he says something he shouldn't have on national television. We credit him by saying, "he has alot on his plate, he is just stressed!"
When one reads the newspaper and notices a statement or quote that one may have heard before, one realizes that it is unoriginal. But, why do we always say, "it's okay, they must have been under alot of pressure!" None of that should be allowed. Being original is what makes each of us unique.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Part 1. Lab Report. The End is Finally in Sight.
Part 2. Essay. Actively Staking Out the Minuscule Habit of My Life.
Part 3. Blogs. A Blog is a Blog, Is a Blog.
Part 4. Term Project Assessment. The Contest is Alive and Kicking!

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Upon entering college, one is thrown into the world with no guard to hold onto.

Many experiences are new, which become memories that are etched into ones mind

forever. One thing about college, journalism specifically, was learning to blog, or getting

to know what one was. It was last fall, my first semester, I thought that the taking

journalism classes was going to be a cake-walk, well, it wasn't. I logged onto a computer

and froze. I said "What do I do?" "I have no friggen clue what this guy is telling me, and I

have no clue what a blog is!" I researched the word, blog comes from two separate words

web+log=Blog. After I had gotten to know what the word meant, I began to blog. Ever

since that Fall semester, I haven't stopped blogging.

It seems that first year students have a hard time with their blogs. I have asked

several of my classmates their own personal experiences with blogging, they said the

following: Michelle Polly, a freshmen at Seton Hill University(SHU) said " This is the

first year that I have blogged. It was hard at first, but now I seem to enjoy it. I may start

blogging, outside of the class, if I find something to blog about, or holds my interest."

Chelsea Oliver, a freshmen at SHU said "I didn't even have a blog at the beginning of

the semester. I didn't know how to open mine, another student had to help me, she opened

it up very quickly. The problem I have with blogging in this class(Media Lab) is that the

size of the class is too small."

One seasoned veteran of blogging in EL200 is that of Kayla Sawyer, a junior at

SHU. Sawyer has been blogging for a few years now, and has gotten very good at it.

Sawyer said "I do it because it's assigned. I read the chapters in our book (Stephens), find

an interesting idea, and respond to it. The blog then gets a response from other

classmates, who may find what I had written interesting and informing."

People who blog have specific ways in which they approach their blog. Some

write on ideas thay may have, while others blog on hot to do something, or make

something, others blog on what they have read. Either way, blogging gets a point across

to his/her audience, as a form of communication.

I take to my blog as follows, I read a section in the assigned book(Stephens), find a good

quote, or statement, then form my own ideas about it, then I blog it.

Dr. Jerz, Associate Professor of English--New Media Journalism at SHU stated "Jeremy

is taking actively to his blog this semester."

It may appear that blogging is tough at first, once you have learned how to do it, it gets

much easier. First year students seem to become easily frustrated when beginning to learn

how to blog. If I can give any advice, it would be to keep at it, do not give up, and try.

One will never know their capabilities if they do not try.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are some links to my best blogs on my best contributions to online discussions:
Stephens chapter 12
In that particular entry, I duscussed Karl Marx and his plight for a radical Democracy.
Stephens chapters 10&11
In that particular entry, I discussed how the beginnings of the newspaper reall had not formal names, and a quote that freedom-fighter Samuel Adams made regarding the "Free Press".
Stephens chapter 7&8
In that particular blog, I talked about how journalists, at one point in time, made up stories to print. The stories were a bit outlandish and made may a believer. Attempting to be serious to the reader is not as easy as one thinks that it may be.
Those blogs have also be given really good comments that have led to stimulating discussions.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The final project is almost ready to go. Michelle and I have stuffed the envelopes with the entry applications, mailed them, and e-mailed the scools, giving them a heads-up about the contest. I have the return address as "Seton Hill University (SHU), attention: Dr. Jerz", so the submissions should be coming there. I need them, so Polly and I can read them, preparing ourselves for the final.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The semester is finally coming to a halt. EL200, Media Lab is finishing up their last few classes. Dr. Jerz, professor of the class, has given them a portfolio to complete to show each student's progress throughout the last third of the semester. The focus of this essay is on Jeremy Barrick, a student at Seton Hill University (SHU), who has proven himself as a student and an academic major. This year alone, Barrick has written 4 articles for the Setonian, SHU's newspaper. He and a few others on the newspaper staff have their own column entitled "Off the Hill", all the articles in this section deal with people, places, and things going on off of the campus. Barrick's final article is on "Meals on Wheels" , the Greensburg chapter. The organization consists of volunteers who take meals to the sick and elderly. Barrick wrote the article due to the upcoming holiday season in hopes that his fellow classmates decide to make something of their time and volunteer. "I wanted to get into the heart of the student body, to make them realize that there is more to life than just hanging out with friends, and bumming around. I wanted each student to put a smile on the face of someone who may not have somebody for the holidays to talk to, or spend time with." said Barrick, a sophomore.
The last few weeks of Media Lab, students have been putting the final touches on their presentations. Barrick and classmate, Michelle Polly are doing a journalism contest. The contest will be on the last day of class, as several schools in the tri-state area will have participated in. Entries will be judged on clarity, theme, and subject matter. Students in those high schools do not have to be on the school's newspaper, just have an interest in writing, and possibly journalism.
"I feel this contest will be a good learning experience for me, this is my first year, so it will be a good way to gauge if I want to continue on in journalism" said Polly, a freshmen.
One last thing to mention,Barrick also does his own photography for all his articles. The latest is a picture of the Meals on Wheels building, located in Southwest Greensburg.
"Jeremy's articles have progressed throughout this term. We're very pleased that he's writing a column about 'off the hill' issues.' He's more aware of the events in Greensburg than others since he lives off-campus so it works out very well," said Kayla Sawyer, a junior.
We want to wish Barrick and the other students of EL227 good luck on their presentations, and future endeavors at SHU.

Posted by JeremyBarrick at 8:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)