Classes for Spring 2009

I think that this class is very important for everyone to take because it really helps to prepare you for the future. During this class you will create different documents that will be helpful when preparing for the business world such as resumes, portfolios, cover letters, and etc. We had one big project during this class which was a client project. During this project we created a portfolio containing a proposal of an idea that could be implemented into a business and then we created the idea that our proposal contained. This project was a great way to experience things that are faced in the business world. We had to all work as a team to come up with an idea, create the proposal for it, and then create the idea that we decided upon. I think that this is a great class for you to take if you take it for the purpose of helping you prepare for your future.

Client Project

I have enjoyed working on this client project. It has been very informative for me, and it will be knowledge that I will be able to take into the work field. When working with my team members I learned how important it is to get every ones input and ideas. That way when the project is finalized it will actually be a team product not just an individuals. The biggest challenge was working with every ones schedule in order to get the project completed. It helped so much being able to have class work times, because it would have been impossible had we not of had this class time. The best thing about this project was learning how to create the proposal and that process. This information can be used in any work field, so it is important to already be familiar with it, for future assignments. All group projects are always different, but it is important to remember that every ones opinion is important and that it is vital for everyone to work together.

Dual Coding

It is important for designers to consider Dual Coding during their sketch and drawing process, because Dual Coding is all about how we respond to ads. In my personal opinion this Nike ad is not very appealing. When I read the text I can read and understand it, but it is not very attractive or catching. It does not draw me in and make me want to continue. Then when you look at the background, the colors are very dull and the letters are stark red. I think that the wall appears dirty and old. I also think that the picture is of a gym wall or a locker room, but I am not sure. I understand that Nike is trying to appeal to those that play "locker room" sports, but there is a wide range of people that wear Nike. I wear Nike and I do not play sports. I think that this ad is not very effective in gaining the attention of those customers or soon to be customers that do not relate with a sport or a locker room. I may have read way too much into this ad, but I do not feel that it is the type of ad that would make someone say, "hey, I want to go buy a pair of Nike's."

Miscommunication

Right at this moment, I can not think of any miscommunication that has happen in my office setting, that I have been made aware of. I do know though that miscommunication in the work place can occur very easily if everyone does not work together and communicate effectively. There can be situations in which a miscommunication can result in poor work skills, but it can also result in hurt emotions. A co-worker may say something, not realizing that the other person is hurt and effected by the words. It is very important that everyone realize that whether it be in the work place, in daily life, or anywhere that miscommunication can affect any part of our lives. It is vital that we think about what we say so that miscommunication will not be a result of a lack of communication.

Mock Interview Reflection Process

Before my mock interview I did not feel very nervous, because being nervous will just cause you to sike yourself out. Being nervous does nothing to help you. Most of the questions that were discussed I felt comfortable with, but there was one question that through me for a loop. It was asking about educational journals, which I have never heard of nor have I read. I did not respond to this question and then Mrs. Rogers explained to me how I should answer this question in the future. I am glad that I was asked this though because now I will be prepared for this question. It is important to have these mock interviews so that in the future I will be more prepared. If I could do this interview I would be a little more prepared. I would actually like to have the mock interview again just for the practice. I learned that you can never be too prepared. Going into the interview I thought that I would be okay because I know a lot about working with children and my major, but these interviews make you see that there is so much for me about my major and my passion.

Presentations

This week we were able to see many interesting presentations. I really enjoyed all of them but my 3 favorites were Rob's, Case's, and Katie's. I thought that Rob's presentation was hilarious. I have never seen anyone do a presentation like this, but it was both informative and funny. I thought that Case's presentation was very informative and interesting. I have never known why our state flag had the palmetto tree and half crescent moon, so it was neat to learn the history behind it. I enjoyed Katie's presentation and loved the Lemon Bars. I am excited to now have the recipe and will definitely be making them very soon! I enjoyed this week of presentations and I think that everyone did a great job.

Free Write

As senior year approaches it really makes me think about future jobs, and what to do now that will help me in the future. It is so scary to think that in about a year I will be student teaching and then I will have to have a job lined up for the next school year! Wow, is that stressful. I have been in many situations in which I have had to go through an interview and I think that it is great because you can never have enough experience with preparing for interviews. I am looking forward to the upcoming interview because, as the others, this will help to keep me on focus and task as far as what I should be prepared for in the near future. I hope that when I go into the real world looking for a job, that the interview process will be a pleasant one, but it definitely will not hurt to get as much experience with interviews as I can under my belt now.

Cover Letter

This website contained many articles that are very helpful when designing your cover letter. I had no idea about a lot of the information that was presented in these articles. I learned that the cover letter is written to the audience in order to show how you will help the business or company rather than just to tell of all of you accomplishments because stating your accomplishments is the purpose of the resume. I also learned that is it good to put a P.S. on the bottom because that is the first place that the reader will look and it is best to write it in your own handwriting because that makes it look personal. All of the information that was stated throughout these articles I agreed with. This site contains so much information that will be helpful when writing a cover letter, it even gives an example of one that we can follow. This is a great resource to use and I will definitely use it when I create my own cover letter.

Interview Preparation

For this blog I read the articles titled How to Answer the Toughest Interview Questions and How to Deal with Interview Stress. These articles really help to calm my fears of the potential interview questions that may be asked. It is very scary because you are going into an interview totally blind, having no idea what and all they may ask you, but by reading the first article about interview questions it gets you to thinking about questions and how to respond to them. It really helps if you practice different questions, so that when you get into the interview the responses can come to you quickly, but it is also not good to practice too much because it is important that your answers seem real instead of memorized. The second article really helps to calm your nerves as far as the overall interview process. It gives you helpful tips to use before and during the interview such as arriving 10 minutes early to an interview. These articles will definitely help me during mock and real world interviews because they get your mind in that interview process and help to reassure you not to stress or freak out. What happens happens, but it is helpful to do the proper amount of research to help avoid the worse situation.

My Future... 10 Years from Now

In 10 years from now I hope that I have begun to accomplish the goals that I am working towards now. I am an education major so I hope to have my own classroom, where I will be able to be a role model and a wonderful teacher to my students. I know that I am not perfect, but I pray that God will use me in others lives so that I can help to make a difference in my students lives, and the lives of those that I meet. I think that it is so important to have faith and to understand that it is not up to me, it is up to God and to pray that his will be done in my life. I hope that in 10 years that I will have a family and be a loving mother and wife, because as silly as it seems this is what I have always wanted since I was a little girl. Whether these things come true in my life or not, I know that everything happens for a reason and I just have to have faith that God will lead me in the direction that is best for me.

Web 2.0

I think that the title of this video puts it into perspecitive how much we as a society use technology in our everyday lives. The title "The Machine is Us/ing Us" really is true because today we all rely on the computer. Without these machines it seems that our world would not be able to run properly. We have become so dependent on technology, that it seems like we have had it forever, but people forget that there was once a day when people did things by hand instead of using a computer. I think that technology is a great resource and I am guilty of using it everyday, but we need to remember that we all have our own brain and if we were without a computer for a period of time we would be able to get by. For those people that have been in the workforce for many years the thought of technology scares them because they are not accustomed to using it. Those people are loosing their jobs because they do not have the computer skills, or the computers/machines are taking those peoples jobs. It also seems that for the young people going into the workforce they have the skills, but now the computers are beginning to replace the amount of people needed in the workforce. The sad thing is that the people that are being replaced by technology do not have many options. I feel that we are becoming too dependent on technology. When there is a glitch everything becomes crazy, and I feel that society needs to rethink how much technology is taking over the world and make sure that the day does not come when the computer is more important than a person.

All About Me

Hey! I am a junior at Clemson University, majoring in Elementary Education. I was born in Montgomery, Alabama and I grew up on a dairy farm. My family moved to South Carolina in 2000 and I started 7th grade at Tamassee-Salem Middle/High School. I graduated in 2006 and started Clemson in the fall of 2006. I chose Elementary Education because I have always had a passion to work with children. They are just precious and I can't wait to be able to have my own classroom. My favorite season is the fall because that means that it is football season! I absolutely love college football... Go Tigers and Roll Tide Roll! This summer I was able to go to Italy through the education study abroad program during maymester. This is a picture of me standing in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.