« September 2008 | Main | December 2008 »
October 30, 2008
Eyeballs on my blog
Posted by RachelPrichard at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)
October 28, 2008
Posted by RachelPrichard at 3:47 PM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2008
EL 405 - Flash journalism - intro and part 1
" This book does not attempt to tell you everyting you about Flash. the idea is to tell you what you need to know, in order that it makes sense." (intro xvii)
I like the book so far because it is explaining to me simply the how and why of the book. So far I feel that this book will be a good journalistic guide that I can use in the future. The examples the author gives of his own experience with first seeing flash make me confident that this part of the class can hone journalism skills. I liked doing the podcasts back in media lab. I have always been a fan of the NPR style of reporting usinf audio. I see that I could somehow also work that into the slideshow work that is used in Flash. Flash also seems to be able to get some real feedback from an audience. As a writer, it makes me feel good to know people want to read my work, or that someone wants a copy of the Setonian. I think Flash takes that kind of audience feedback to a new level also.
Posted by RachelPrichard at 1:39 PM | Comments (1)
October 21, 2008
EL 405 - IF Revison
In my revision of my Inform 7 game I added more interactivity with the characters. In my testing I saw people wanted to be able to get some answers out of the characters, so I thought it would be a smart move. Maybe it comes from my ability to interview people and ask them questions. Also, found that it was not as hard as it seemed to add in some conversation pieces to the game. While I have not been able to completely redo my game, I think this part of it will make it more affective tot he player.
Since we will be moving onto using anothe program, My inform 7 days are probably done. I think this is an effective tool i teaching amore creative/fiction type of writing. It has the potential to really get a story that writer has going and feed their creative side. The problem solving aspect of the work in making a game is what I dealt with more in my experience.
I got my friend mike to take a look at my game over the weekend. Since he is a college guy, he has definitley dabbled in video games. He isn't really into problem solving games liek inform 7 but, he liked the relatable setting of SHU. He through the personal touch of characters liek the dudes in Havey were funny. He did get a lost on how to get the right commands at first, but he got the hang of it somewhat. When somone making an inform 7 game can relate to their audience's interest, it makes a difference. It was fun to see someone battling with inform 7 like I used to.
Posted by RachelPrichard at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2008
EL 405 - beta testing experience
Though I have never been a fan of inform 7 or gaming, you could even say that I downright loathe them. However, when the class started getting into the beta testing last week, I got curiously interested a little more. I think it is more of the interaction and testing itself that really got me. I like the idea of someone taking a part in something I work on, even if it isnt that good. Maybe that is why I am a writer. I've tried before to try to tie inform 7 to writing, but there really seems to be no tie. So on the thought that I may have just been enjoying inform 7 at the moment, I feel like I got alot out of the beta testing.
I'm going to work on trying to add more to the game so the details I have set up will be more playable. Mind anyone in the class who may play my game, I doubt I'll have every cardinal directions done, but at least one of even two. Another thing I found from testing was how people reacted to the steps I figured they woudl take. They either did exactly what I was thinking or the exact opposite. It was an interesting observation of people in general I found. I just hope that the rest of my game can turn out to get a good reaction from players.
Posted by RachelPrichard at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
October 6, 2008
E 405 - response to the Taylor blog and Cochran blog
I wish I could pick just one quote to use as an agenda item. But I cannot. This blog entry seemed just chock full of too much to talk about.
Ms. Taylor remind me of how some people come into the new media journalism program here at SHU. At first it seems like "how is this to relate to journalism?" In her case, it is how will the original ideas and mediums of journalism be able to relate to the new age of journalism and technology that comes with it (i.e blogs, online papers/articles).
I think she needs to open herself up to the old school rules and blue prints of what made journalism what it is today and put it where it is today. She complains of having to bring a copy of the New York times to class because is bulky and journalism classes in NYU tend to have their students do this. She should be happy she has an award winning paper to look at and use in her classes like a text book. Most journalism classes at some point require a compare or contrast of print to online. I wouldn't mind if in newswriting or writing for the internet class, we looked at one media or the other. It is a form of teaching and learning in this field. You cannot more forward without taking a look at the past. Without a paper like the NY Times ( which I find offers a great selection of online sites and articles) maybe there would not have been the writers who thought up her precious blog.
Not to bash on blogs or new media. But the public needs to see how both old and new news media play a big pat in journalism. Taylor makes a good point when she says that in the next few years people will be looking for writers who can write an online style and use online tools. The need for print writers still is there though too. I feel it is another tool in getting news to people. What we learn here in the SHU New Media Journalism program is not fluff. Though many of us are even having issue with the relevance of some of what we are learning in this class, the skills we gain cannot hurt. Just using an academic blog in the past 3 years for me, has helped me hone my skills in online writing.
I feel that Taylor really needs to open her mind and eyes to how she perceives journalism. No profession gets anywhere without paying respect to the styles and people who came before it. If the New York Times kills some trees to bring people the articles and writers they want...so be it. If blogs on facebook and Mashable make serious writers seem different...oh well. You cannot please everyone all the time, but you can learn from eachother if you open your ears, eyes, and mind.
I think Amanda Cochran had it right in her response. She pointed out what anyone else in this class would point out. That our experience with new media classes and traditional journalism classes has done good for us as writers. We allowed ourselves to be emersed in both the past and future of the profession. Maybe Taylor should try a schedule like ours?
I would really like to discuss these blogs in class further....I think they could bring on good discussion
Posted by RachelPrichard at 11:43 PM | Comments (0)
October 1, 2008
EL 405 - SHU Griffin Gate tutorial
Well here is my tutorial that is supposed to be of interest to seton hill students.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQvlkABZ23o
I thought that something that involved griffin gate would be appropriate for this exercise. Since I see people still having difficulty wth it, I hope this helps. The on thing I do not like about this program is how it takes up soo much space on my zip drive. Hence why it is so short and sweet.
Posted by RachelPrichard at 8:48 PM | Comments (0)