Week2-Li

I woud like to talk about use iPod to learn English and other courses. As everyone knows that ipod is related to the itunes, and itunes is related to ItunesU. There are many resource of courses in itunesU. especially for the Chinese students like me, need the classes with Chinese subtitle under it. There are many classes resources with subtitles in itunes to help international students learn English classes.


On the other hand is Podcast. I always use Podcast to listen Tedtalks. There are also many ebooks in podcast are free. Some of them can be read for you. You can download them to your touch, classic and iphone, then you can listen them, listen is a nice way to memories, it would help a lot for you learn English or a new language.


As you know how to download them, you can choose them on itunesU as you like. Make full use of your ipod, it can do many thing not only for listen music.


http://www.xuying.org/2012/01/ipod-english-learning.html

http://gigaom.com/apple/itunes-u-learning-wherever-you-are/

Week 2- Oubaid

My article is about a young boy from Lee Summit, Mo who died from testicular cancer. After his death his mother was inspired to make people aware about the disease by writing a book called "Together We Will Win: A Young Man's Story." The article tells us that there will be poetry inspired performances at THS where people can purchase tickets to help raise money for cancer charities. This story really caught my attention because so many people die from cancer and illnesses a year just because they couldn't afford treatment. I'm so blessed to have never lost a family member to cancer but I think it's so important to have cancer fundraisers and I'm really glad that things like that are taking place here. The article relates to mass media because his mother's story is helping spread the knowledge about cancer and the struggles in a way that makes it relatable to the public. Not to mention the poetry production is a multimedia experience because of the art, poetry, and performances. I hope some of you get an opportunity to check it out or just read the article. Hopefully it touches you like it did me.


http://cjonline.com/news/2012-01-26/video-ths-fights-cancer-poetry-prose

Week2-Hu

In the past month, Kodak, the name behind many photographic moments in our lives, succumbed to bankruptcy. Photography is still very much alive, but Kodak has been in trouble. Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 19th. Not surprisingly, their stock dropped 35%. But really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Currently, digital camera has been the mainstream of photography. Kodak, which is famous for film-based camera, cannot follow the fashion and fail to be alive in the modern camera competition.  In my opinion, Kodak’s failure is due to its anti-development. When almost every company is developing its digital technology, Kodak is still use lots of money to renew its roll film and film-based camera technology. As a creation, it put plenty of efforts to develop the one-time film-based camera. Even in 2004, Kodak invested 40 million to start a one-time film-based camera factory in Xiamen, China. Because the decisions of Kodak cannot follow the fashion and are always out of date, Kodak loses most customers and is in trouble now.

In the old days, photography is a professional thing. At that time, most of us had no chance to try it by ourselves. Kodak helped camera popular and helped us to buy our own cameras. But now, it fails to develop and head toward bankruptcy. Kodak’s story tells us that we must keep trying new technology and follow the fashion, or you will fail. Even you are Kodak.


Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-13/kodak-said-to-hold-talks-with-citigroup-on-bankruptcy-financing.html

Week 2_Wagers

So, apparently this year’s super bowl commercials are going to be more raunchy, racier, and sexier than ever. Big shot companies like GoDaddy.com, Doritos, and H&M are going to air, let’s just say not PG and even PG13 appropriate material during half time. As we all should know, the big advertising companies try to appeal to a certain audience, in this case, because it is football, one would think it is mostly men who watch the super bowl, or as I like to call it, “the super bore.” And what appeals to most men? SEX!!!

However, a study done at the University of Wisconsin shows that “spots with sexual imagery take 10 percent hit in ‘likability’ versus ads without racy images.” Researchers in this study also found that “most views actually prefer to see ads with kids or animals.”

Usually, at least in my experience, watching the super bowl is a family event; it is not just men who watch the super bowl. It is a time for families to get together and watch people throw a funny looking ball around, slapping each other butts, and kicking this ball between two yellow poles, and eating junk food all day, and yelling at the television. These men are not going to want to see a half naked woman with their mom/wife/5year old sitting beside them. I am so not surprised that these commercials are seeing a drop in their likability.

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Sexy+Super+Bowl+racier/6052195/story.html

Week 2 Southall

Microsoft is bringing its Xbox Kinect technology to laptops.  Two notebook prototypes were debuted to the public, as highlighted in a recent Wired.com article.  Microsoft previously indicated that desktop PC’s will be available with Kinect sensors this year.  

The Netbooks have Kinect sensors instead of web cameras at the top of the monitor. Having sensors on portable devices would open an entire new market of software. This would be yet another way to experience your games and Apps. This of course means big money for those who can get it on the market first.

It’s obvious this technology will be fun, I can’t help but think about its usefulness. For most of us this technology would be a perk not a necessity. It could be an asset to those who have trouble using current forms of media. I know many children with developmental issues that could benefit. In many cases it’s hard for them to coordinate a mouse or controller with a screen. The combination of hand eye coordination and the muscles needed to direct a controller often prove to be frustrating. Kinect technology removes half the barriers making it easier to use the new media’s.

Week 2- O'Neill

We all remember the days when our mom's and dad's would send us off to school with a backpack full of books for the busy school day ahead, but that could all change very soon.  Apple has recently announced that interactive iTextBooks are available for download on iPads.

Digital books are slowly gaining popularity in the academic world mainly because many of them are increasingly interactive.   The student can watch videos that relate to they're reading, take notes on the iPad, highlight material and engage in interactive chats that help students better understand the material. Companies that provide these digital books also add a huge social media piece to it, where teachers can communicate with their students. Students can communicate with other students, and the user can choose who they want to follow like a twitter account where you can pick which students you want to follow and follow their notes. But as learning is the ultimate purpose, the question still remains: Will kids really learn more and better on tablets than existing media?

It’s not that we shouldn’t use computers in classrooms. Technology is a movement that is ever progressing, but it’s not only the technology that is important, it’s everything else around it. If you have a place with bad teachers and poor instruction, it’s a great way for both teachers and students to waste time. Between the two, having good teachers is much more important than having digital media. The transition from regular textbooks to digital textbooks on tablets may be inevitable, but research has consistently shown that  good teaching skills and teaching ability effectively conducted to students can overcome socioeconomic background. Children need guidance and feedback. They’re not going to get that from electronic books alone. So until experiments and studies  determine how tablets best enable learning, I don't think schools don’t need to rush. 

Read more at: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/ipad-textbooks-learning/

Week 2 Lawson

I have recently found news about a new xbox system in the works to be released in fall 2013. It is said that the xb0x 720 (new xb0x) is supposed to have out of this world graphics up to 6 times better than the xbox 360 and 20 percent more power than the wii U which is close to release. There is also supposed to be a new kinect system which I believe is going to have a hard time beating out the first one due to a great response from the people. Xbox 720 is said to have new controller which will be smaller. I see no need for a controller knowing that everybody with an xbox is used to the won we've used for years. One rumor that comes with the xbox 720 is it may be produced with an anti used game system which I think would piss off multiple people including myself. This means that nobody could share or buy cheap used games anymore. Every game would be new and there would no longer be a time when your friend tells you to bring that game over so you can play. In other countries some game stores such as GameStop are closing and some wonder if it's because the recent articles about the anti game system. To end I would love to see a new xbox just like everybody esle but with this new anti game system I would put no thought into buying the new xbox 720, Tate.
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/science-updates/xbox-720-release-may-compete-with-nintendo-wii-u

Week 2 - Penn

Advertisers have always used product placement as a promotion technique since the beginning of time, or at least since it was ever so subtly exemplified with Pizza Hut, Pepsi, and Reebok on “Wayne’s World.” As mass media has expanded, grown, and evolved, advertisers continually use product placement through multiple mediums as a way to brand themselves. ABC’s “Modern Family” is no exception, but how it features products differs from the norm and proves to be effective.

Adage.com recently published Brian Steinberg’s article, “Many Brands Bid for Product Placement on ‘Modern Family,’ but So Few Make It,” illustrating how product placement continues to thrive.  Not only do advertisers want their products to appear in the show, they are fighting for a spot. “We get offers constantly. We do very few. We try to be extremely selective,” said Steven Levitan, one of the show’s creators and executive producers to Steinberg. Luckily, the producers can afford to be picky with so many options. A few lucky advertisers include Toyota, Audi, and Target, all featured throughout the season.

Traditionally, products appear somewhere in the show, but are seldom used in a manner similar to the way viewers would. Steinberg’s article says that ‘Modern Family,’ “puts name-brand goods in the hands of characters that incorporate them into their normal routine, in turn demonstrating exactly how most of the buying public might use them.” The relevance of a product to both the plot and characters dictates if it will be used. One character, Mitchell Pritchett, an environmental lawyer, drives the environmentally friendly Toyota Prius season one. Makes sense, huh? The producers’ idea seems to be, “If the “modern family” wouldn’t actually buy or use it, why market it?”

Producers of ‘Modern Family’ take product placement to a whole new level, perhaps because they use it to demonstrate reality. Characters aren’t shown using outlandishly expensive products, but rather products that develop and enhance their roles. In turn, viewers develop a better, more sincere connection to the characters, making the purpose of product placement that much more effective. Effective as it may be, cost is a big problem for advertisers.

The article says that “‘Modern Family’ is one of the 10 most-expensive shows for advertisers this season, and a 30-second spot runs $249,388, according to Ad Age's annual survey of prime-time ad costs. Using back-of-the-envelope math, every second a product appears in the show could be worth slightly more than $8,300.” With rates like that, few advertisers have the option to place products on the show. And so another issue arises in the world of mass media… But at least ‘Modern Family’ now serves as an example of how to more effectively advertise through product placement.

Click here to read the entire article on AdAge.com!  

Week-2 Williams

FACEBOOK......... You see this companies name everywhere. City buses , wal-mart ads , youtube, and almost anyother ad that wants to make money. I came across a article stating that Facebook is ready to file their IPO papers meaning Facebook is opening stock chances to the public and other large companies . My first thought was what took so long? The should be no quetion if this is a smart or good idea facebook is the face of the internet along with google, youtube , and other compaies that have been on top for years , so why not open stock to the public it will increase their earning so much more. I do not know alot about stocks but i know nothing nefative can come out of anything Facebook does. I trust the BOOK!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505124_162-57367651/will-facebooks-ipo-delight-or-disappoint/?tag=mncol;subStories

Week 2 - Clark

Whenever the phrase "social media" is brought up, a similar vision or knowledge comes to ones mind and to those of us who actively use them. From chatting with friends on Facebook to keeping up with our favorite celebrities on Twitter, we all use these forms of media to stay connected. While most of us are mainly using these to see our friends, some are taking advantage of these means to get people informed.

Take AIDs for example. This is a disease that is taking over parts of our world and something to not take lightly. Yet, not everyone is getting the important information that they need to keep themselves protected. AIDs officials all over the world are coming together to spread the message about the transferal of AIDs, primarily from mother to child. There are around 400,000 children born a year with AIDs, a sad reality.  Officials see they opportunities that various social media sites offer and plan to use them as resources to get the word out about the AIDs virus.

They plan on modeling their mission after Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Mark Zuckerberg, inventor of FaceBook. After pulling in 1,000 influential Twitter and FaceBook users, she used social media to raise $200 million to fight malaria. Social media, although fun and wildly entertaining, can be used in a very beneficial and inspiring way. They can broadcast the needs and informations regarding crisis occurring globally.

Remember that the next time you're stalking someone's pictures on Facebook or subscribe to someone famous on Twitter. Social media can be a simple way to save ones life. Information is there for those who seek it, and by making information available to all, it can be pretty powerful.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/27/3394851/business-social-media-to-prevent.html

Week 2- Lara

Seeing as how much a lot of people, including myself, use Facebook for just about everything, I chose an article that’s kind of intense to think about. I’m sure many people have thought about it, but haven’t really discussed it. It seems that everyone now has a Facebook. From our youth to even the little number of older folks. Whether it’s to interact with others to meet new people, share information, or even keep in touch with distant family. But, the question is, what happens to your profile when you pass away? 

“When you die, your social media presence lives on. But should it?” My opinion on this subject is kind of on the fence. But thinking about it more and more, a lot of people want to be remembered. Don’t you? I mean even if it’s your Facebook page, it was still your Facebook page so that people could always know that you were someone special. I think that you digital presence shouldn’t be completely erased, but I think that there’s a line to where seeing old statues and other things on someone’s page could be kind of hard for family members and close friends. 

Only Oklahoma, Idaho, Rhode Island, Indiana and Connecticut have created laws governing digital asset management after death. I think that Facebook has a good outlook on it. According to their policies, even after death they can’t issue login and password information to family members. However, Facebook does give the option for family to decide to keep the Facebook page up or even turn their page into a memorial page to where the page can’t be logged into again. 

http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-death-law-160533502.html

Week 2 Crayton

BlizzCon 2012, a huge gaming convention focusing on the products released by Blizzard, has been canceled. This convention is usually held every year, but Blizzard has stated that they are canceling it this year in order to work on products. Personally, I think their reasoning for cancelling this event is lame. With a company as large as Blizzard, I find it hard to believe that a 3 day convention is going to pull team members away from game programming…undoubtedly, they have a staff that would exclusively handle the event.

I think it has more to do with the fact that Blizzard’s release calendar as of late has been lack luster. While they do have some big name titles coming out this year, their recent release have been spread out far and few between. If anything, they are missing out on an opportunity to showcase Diablo III and the other titles this year. I think it has more to do with the fact that other conventions, such as PAX and PAX East, focus on multiple game publishers (including Blizzard) and they are beating Blizzard in the convention realm.

http://kotaku.com/5879120/blizzcon-skips-2012-as-blizzard-focuses-on-kicking-ebutt-and-making-games

Week 2-Qi

     Twitter may censor tweets in individual countries? When I first read this title, the first reflection came into my mind is it will be back in China in future. There is no doubt that is a good news for the users who onced sighed a account on Twitter, however, one day you found you cannot access to its website at all. I have known Twitter since 2008, and I felt it was very interest and you can compose your status or your word whenever you want and you don't have to write it so long. As the article said, it become our megaphones. In addition, you can find lots of celebrities also have a Twitter accountant, you can focus your idol just click the button. One thing I remember that at the night that I signed on the Twitter, I wrote three tweets in a row! Unfortunately, we cannot use Twitter and Facebook in 2009. The reason why Twitter and Facebook are not allowed to access is that our government regard them as a potential threaten unless they will be allowed to censor their content and wipe out sensitive ones.
     As the article said, Twitter's born make the world change though it is a only 6-year-old boy. It really make big effort to our society and our lifestyle, it makes our life colourful and informative. The new policy they will do definitely will good for them because they will enter into more countries and have more customers. One of the biggest customer is China. It is estimate the amount of people who are active on line in China is 50,000,000. This is only China's market, I do believe if Twitter change their policy, the countries that closed their service or never let them enter will open their heavily doors to Twitter. For Twitter, a net company, survival is the piority thing they need to consider everytime, especially they also have an ambitious agenda. Morever, the first thing they censor is to wipe out the childporngraphy, that's what they should always noticed and defend. In a word, it is a good news for us that our favorite net company will do some thing benefits us and we can use it in more places!

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-27/twitter-censor-tweets/52811702/1
http://www.chillingeffects.org/

Week 2 - Willis

Everyone has their share of regrets. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. Everyone goes through a time that we wish others didn’t remember. Typically, these times can be kicked under the rug and forgotten about. However, with Facebook’s recent implementation of the “Timeline” profile format, these memories could haunt you, and whomever views your profile, forevermore.

Available since the beginning of December, its been optional for users to switch their profile format over to Timeline. However, Tuesday of this week, Facebook released a warning to those who have yet to convert, telling them they had seven days to clean things up. (Remove photo tags, delete statuses, hide posts, etc.)Following the cleanup grace period, all profiles will be converted, making all of our pasts extremely visible. By simply clicking on a year on the right side of the page, observers can be directed to all the activity the user completed during that year. Including but not limited to: friends added, notes written, photo albums uploaded, and statuses published. Scary thought.

With enough effort, Facebookers can successfully hide their not-so-proudest moments from the typical base of Facebook users. Anything and everything posted to the Internet is archived, and accessible to companies and other investigators. All in all, it is of the utmost importance to comb through your past and clean it up NOW. Don’t wait. Your closest family and friends can understand when you say “the past is the past”, but future employers may not share that view.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/facebook-forces-users-to-switch-to-timeline-making-their-pasts-more-visible/2012/01/24/gIQAx3qNOQ_story.html?tid=pm_business_pop

Week 2 - Ogle

Early this morning, Wired.com published an article about Google’s recent acquisition of an abandoned paper mill that the company will use to house a new, state-of-the-art data center. One of the most compelling things about the article, and Google’s use of the building, is the symbolism behind it all. One of the internet’s biggest corporations expanding their reach farther than ever by “recycling” a facility that manufactured the very medium they’re replacing. Poetry for the tech-minded, but bitter irony for those who are still clinging to the last threads of the print industry. 

The building, which sits on the coast of the Baltic Sea just outside of Hamina, Finland, operated as a paper mill from 1953 until 2008 was forced to close due to the decline of the print medium and Google took immediate advantage of the situation. Google’s green initiatives go beyond the simple act of renovating and existing structure opposed to building from the ground up in a location; the facility itself comes with its own environmentally-friendly features. The builders of the paper mill dig a tunnel that used water from the Baltic to cool its steam-powered generators, and Google has adapted method to keep the data center’s array of servers from running too hot. 

As we move out of the industrial age and into the era of information and factories, plants and mills are being left to dilapidate; Google’s actions in Finland should be repeated more often. In Germany, for instance, empty steel mills and bombed-out relics from World War 2 now serve as restaurants, recreation centers and other businesses. Think of all the towns in America that are slowly dying thanks to the factories that were once the cornerstone of local economy. Those buildings sit unused, while forward-thinking companies could easily repair and renovate, thereby rejuvenating the town itself. 

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/01/google-finland/

Week 2 Churchman

For this assignment I chose to read an article about the upcoming 2012 Super bowl commercials since we will be seeing them in a few weeks. This year’s Super bowl is going to be held in Indianapolis on February 5^th. An estimated 90 million people watch the Super bowl on Super Bowl Sunday. It is safe to say that some viewers are more interested in the commercials rather than the actual game. Especially those people who don’t care about the teams involved in the competition. In this article I was amazed at how much it could potentially cost to fill one of the commercial slots. A 30 second slot can easily cost up to 2.6 million dollars. They do not know the total amount of money that they are going to be making this year on commercials alone, but it has been said that some of the commercials played will only be played on that one day of the entire year. It’s crazy that companies have this much money to spend on a commercial just to promote their services. However, I am one of the people who is very into the commercials and I judge them just as much as everyone else.

http://www.superbowl-info.com/super_bowl_commercials.htm

Week 2 Peterson

I have been a Nintendo fan since I was five, maybe even before that, I can’t remember.  I do remember fighting my little sister over the 12-inch black and white t.v. my grandmother gave us to play Super Mario Brothers on the old Nintendo Entertainment System, NES for short.

When I saw, (almost 18 years later), that Nintendo was releasing their new Wii U December 2012, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Not only does it mean I get to try out a new system, but it also means a whole new round of my favorite games will be following shortly behind. I have owned a Wii for 4 years now, so it’s needless to say I have played all the games I want to and am ready for new ones.

The only thing I am skeptical of is that the article says Nintendo hasn’t released important details, such as price. Who knows if it’s going to be $300 or $600, and believe me that is a huge detail that will decide whether I buy the Wii U right away or not.  As the article points out, the longer a console is around, the cheaper it is. The DS went from $250 to $170 and that is a large chunk of money. The same would logically go with the U, if they open it a huge price, I will probably wait a couple months to make my purchase.

Also, Nintendo has a reputation of setting a release date, then extending it until a questionable date, which could be up to a year later. So although I am excited for a new console from Nintendo, I won’t get my hopes up or sell my Wii just yet.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/01/nintendo-says-wii-u-will-arrive-for-holiday-season/1

Week 2 - Funk

For this assignment I wanted to choose a form of media that I currently use. One of the first things that popped into my mind was Twitter. While researching and looking through various sites I came across a new event that will happen in the spring. Currently, Twitter has been working to make a variety of new languages available for their members to use. One of the problems were languages that read from right to left such as Arabic and Hebrew. By working at their translation center Twitter is finding a way for the hashtags to read correctly in all languages. I found this article interesting because it shows just how diversified our mass mediums and social networking sites are becoming. Making Twitter available to a variety of languages and cultures is an important advancement for their site and I felt that it was worthy for me to post about.
 
http://news.yahoo.com/twitter-become-available-left-languages-spring-125622603.html

week 1-williams

Hello friends my name is willie williams. I am a mass media advertising major. I am am a junior in school and i also play on the Washburn football team. I am from st. louis missouri and it is 1000 times different from topeka kansas.

I changed my major many of times before realizing mass media was it for me. Other than work , being a dad, college , and football i have no life. I enjoy the movie theaters a lot i make my teammates tag along if i am not lucky getting a date. We have multiple bromances on the Washburn football team. Since i work out a lot during football i am extremely lazy when i get home . I hate to see people jogging on those days when its perfect outside because as a athlete i run on those nice days and rainy and snowy and so on and so on. I wish i could pick and choose when i wanted to work out.

Ok back to about be, i enjoy people i love interacting with all sort of people from all walks of life. I am looking forward to marketing hospice in St. louis Missouri. I like helping people so finding those people in life that would rather have a fun interactive month or two left in their life with their family rather than six months in a hospital bed hooked up to bags up of medicine-means a lot to me.

Looking forward to meeting everyone

Week 2 - Mitchell

I read an article that had to deal with Apple.  They organized an event to "better" education and unveil the "textbook of the future."  Realistically from how I perceived the article it was just Apple trying to push newer products to even more families who probably can't afford the luxury to have the "textbooks of the future."  When Apple convinces schools that these are what students need, where does that leave the kids whos parents can't afford things like this.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/19/apples-education-announcement-what-you-need-to-know/

Week 2- Koehler

How many people in the world have cell phones, certainly many of us have them. The industry for mobile devices was once meeting the demand ten years ago just to get a hold of someone if a person needed help in case of an emergency or just to say hello. Today the mobile phone industry is booming and the demand is higher than ever & technology is increasing rapidly.

The United Nations have approved the upcoming generation of mobile phone technology. Technology experts agree users will detect significant improvement in speed compared to 2G and 3G phones.
This new technology within this industry is fascinating, simply because it will take no time to have any page open on your mobile device. Many of Americans and the rest of the world still utilize 3G mobile devices which are very popular. 3G has been in use since 2000;however, 4G of mobile wires standards were approved by the ITU Radiocommunicion Assembly at a meeting in Geneva. Requirements were created and applied by ITU in regards for 4g service in 2009.

ITU in December 2010 stated that current technologies like LTE could be billed as forerunners to fourth generation devices, even though they don’t meet the requirement in regards to IMT Advance Systems.
This new technology in the mobile device industry means that TV shows may be downloaded within 20 seconds, and CD’s within a minute. Technology is power and technologies are evolving faster than ever before.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-19/un-mobile-4g/52680728/1

Week 1 Churchman

Hello everyone, my name is Courtney Churchman. I am a sophomore here at Washburn University and just recently declared my major in Mass Media/ Public Relations. I am from Kansas City, Missouri. I graduated high school in 2010 from Park Hill South. I am typically a shy person, until you really get to know me. I LOVE the outdoors and traveling along with animals. Some find it crazy that I am not pursuing a job working with animals and that I am still living in Kansas.

 I currently play volleyball here at Washburn as a DS/Libero. Volleyball is my passion, but I know I cannot play volleyball forever so that is why I would like to become an event planner whenever I graduate from Washburn. When I first entered college I thought I wanted to become a teacher, but quickly learned that teaching is not the job for me. Although this is new to me, I feel as if I will love the direction I am choosing to go in Mass Media/ Public Relations and do not plan on changing my major a million times, or at least I hope! J Looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you and learning more about this class.

Week1-Hu

Hi everyone! I am glad to have a chance to introduce myself to you guys. I am Xiaomeng Hu, a Chinese exchange student from Wuhan University of Science and Technology. I was born in 1991 in Xiangyang which is in the middle of China. After I went to college, I moved to Wuhan, a big city in Hubei and began to study there. In August 2010, I got a wonderful chance to come to United States because of the exchange program. I really appreciate the decision of coming to Washburn University, which changes my life.

This is my fourth semester in Washburn University. I major in Accounting in both Management School in Wuhan University of Science and Technology and School of Business in Washburn University. But after I took the course “Introduce to Mass Media”last semester, I found that I was really interested in this area and wanted to continue to study the courses of Mass media. This is why I choose “Mass Media Bootcamp”this semester. I hope that all of us can have a fabulous experience in this class. Thank you and good luck this semester!

Week 1 - Penn

Hello all. My name is Olivia Penn and I am a senior transfer from the University of Kansas. This is my first semester at Washburn and I am excited about familiarizing myself with the university. I am double majoring in Spanish and Mass Media with an emphasis in Advertising. Although KU does not have a Mass Media Department, its’ equivalent is Journalism with a Strategic Communication emphasis. From what I can tell, they seem to have the same focus and goals, which I am pleased about as I thoroughly enjoyed my classes at KU.

            I am a born and raised Topekan, so regardless of its’ less-than-highly-acclaimed reputation, it’s home and I love it. I appreciate Topeka’s culture and I have loved watching it evolve, change, and improve. My favorite places in Topeka include Topeka Civic Theater, Helen Hocker Theater, and various hole-in-the-wall restaurants. I am a self-proclaimed theater nerd and have always enjoyed singing and acting, as well as attending theatrical and musical productions. My favorite musical is “Wicked” and I had the stupendous opportunity to see it on Broadway. My other interests and hobbies include running, reading, and relaxing. Oh! And school. Speaking of which…

            I chose this major because I have always been fascinated by the importance of effective communication; something I believe to be an integral part of every facet of Mass Media. I have enjoyed learning and understanding how to best reach any specific (or broad) target audience most effectively. I am passionate about what Mass Media is all about and look forward to furthering my learning and understanding here at Washburn.  

Week 1- O'Neill

Hello class I am Sophie O’Neill, a sophomore  here at Washburn University majoring in Mass Media with an emphasis in Journalism, I’m hoping this class will help me have a better grasp on new types of media and I’m looking forward towards a terrific semester with you all.

I am from Glasgow which is in Scotland (United Kingdom) and I’m here until I graduate hopefully in 2014! I’m head of the tennis team here at Washburn so get on the Washburn athletics website and check out our playing schedule an come support us! GO BODS!!

I am blessed that when I was in Scotland, I did work experience with the BBC and was able to edit news clips for broadcasts and help write the dialogue for a live news broadcast. I also did some work experience with a former cabinet minister of Defense, Des Browne, who is a top member of Parliament in charge of MI5, Scotland Yard and the Ministry of Defense during his time in Westminster.  One of my favorite skills I have learned within the media department is thinking about the ethics of media and journalism reporting and also what technology will lead us to new types of media in the future. I love working with jobs that require hands on skills.  Being one of the many people in the world that follow politics and takes interest in certain current events, I hope to work for the BBC or CNN someday.  Thank you and good luck this semester!

Week 1-Mitchell

Hi Everyone!  My name is Tara Mitchell and this is my 5th year at Washburn.  I'm so close to graduating I can hardly wait.  Like most people around here I grew up in Topeka, KS.  When I graduated high school I moved to Rossville which is a small town outside of Topeka.  I consider Rossville to be my hometown even though I spent the majority of growing up in Topeka.  I enjoy knowing all of my neighbors and living in such a tight knit community.  I have several hobbies which include photography, softball, anything that has to do with art, and overall having a good time with my friends and family.  I'm not the most traditional student by anymeans in my opinion.  I started at Washburn when I was 25 and it wasn't methotically planned out.  I just woke up one morning and decided I was going to go to college.  I originally began at Washburn with every intention to major in Political Science with an emphasis in education.  The classes to me were mind numbingly boring and decided if I could barely stand to sit through the classroom to learn how to teach then it probably wasn't for me.  From then out I bounced around from major to major-I went to mass media-back to education-then to respiratory therapy-back to education-and finally landed back in Mass Media and majoring in public relations with a minor in art.  I chose Public Relations as my emphasis because it has so many opportunities to learn such different aspects of all mass media professions, it dables in advertising and marketing, all while trying to appeal to the public and I just love that. 

Aside from school I am currently 29--hoping to still pass for my early 20's haha--and living in Topeka.  I share a house with a roommate, her dog, my dog, and my cat.  I work for a bulk mailing company that primarily handles a lot of nonprofit mailings in massive quantities.  I like my job for the most part.  It's fast paced and keeps me more then busy, probably to the point of overwhelmed.  It's when I'm working 60 hours a week and going to school full time is when I step back and look at the picture and think what am I doing, I think I have too much on my plate.  But sometimes you just have to keep on truckin' and hope it pays off in the long run.

Week 1- Lara

My name is Victor Lara. I’m a junior Mass Media major with an emphasis in Advertisement and a minor in business. Although almost all of my family lives in California, I was born and raised here in Topeka. I graduated from Topeka West High School in the spring of 2008. I enjoy watching movies and music is something I enjoy very much. I wish that I could travel a lot and see the world for what it is so that I could spread the word of the many great things that other parts of the US and even the world has to offer. I also want to hope that it would help everyone think outside of the box.

 I started at Washburn in the fall of 2008. I came into Washburn not having a clue of what I wanted to do. I started with a major in business and realized that it was not for me. I thought about a lot of other things until I came upon the Mass Media department by taking one of the introduction courses. I knew that I liked to spread the word about something that I loved. I thought to myself, there we go. I figured that advertising was the way to spread the word about all kinds of things. I knew already that I enjoyed writing and find myself trying to think to the simplest thing to make something even more creative.  

I look forward to meeting everyone and am very excited to see what the semester has in store.  

Week 1-Qi

Hi, everyone! My name is Tianzhe Qi, you can call me chuck. I come from China, this is my first year and second semester in Washburn as an exchange program student. Communication is my major and I love it very much. It was born in american and now spread to all over the world. It has bond with mass media since it was born. I also have a great interesting and curiosity in mass media and the relevant technology. I like photography in my spare time. I travelled with my Canon 7D went to the west coast from San Diego to Seattle during the winter holiday and took a lot of beautiful pictures. Hopefully we can share beautiful pictures if you have a same hobby as mine.

I have a blog in China and I blogged sometime. Blog has been popular in China nearly 10 years. Lots of celebrities have their blogs and made it as a platform to communicate with the public. There is no doubt that blog change the way that we read and obtain information. In addition, it was also building a foundation to the latest and hottest communication platform microblog. This semester, now I have the first blog in american, I do believe it will become my good friends that we can share the information and learn from eachother.

We are on the way! Let's enjoy it!

Week 1 - Ogle

No officer, I was not texting and driving. I was blogging.

Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m a Mass Media: Contemporary Journalism major with a minor in English. I chose this path because I’ve been actively working in the Mass Media field for several years and hope to take things to a new level with a degree from Washburn. I’ve been working as a freelance music journalist for the last six years and have written for Blabbermouth.net, Hails & Horns Magazine, Outburn Magazine, Amp Magazine, ArtistDirect.com, About.com and several other print and online outlets. Three years ago, a colleague and I formed Clawhammer PR, an independent music promotion and PR firm that specializes in working with hard rock and metal acts. We currently have a roster of bands and labels that spans the globe.

When I’m not swamped with work, I’m usually spending time with family, watching football, playing guitar, trying to convince my wife that the bearded look is the way to go, reading or spending quality time with my couch. I was born and raised in Topeka, but spent eight or nine years in Lawrence before moving back two years ago. Since coming back, I’ve become actively involved in the local arts community, thanks to my wife who is an accomplished local artist. This year marks my second as the music director and board member of the Aaron Douglas Arts Fair committee. I’m currently wrapped around the finger of my two month old daughter, Ellery Allena.

So there you have it. I hope reading this was as quick and painless for you as writing it was for me. Enjoy the rest of your time here on Earth. 

Week 1 Southall

Hello everyone, my name is Ashley Southall but most people call me Annie. I’m a Mass Media major and considered to be a senior based on my credit hours. I originally started at Washburn in the fall of 2008. I slowly completed as many classes as my schedule would allow.  Eventually I was forced to leave school because no classes were offered at a time that I could attend.  Recently my job function changed which gave me the flexibility I needed to go back to school.  I’m excited to be back but somewhat discouraged by the degree changes. The Mass Media degree does not require the same classes it had in the past. I am now stuck between my original degree with less requirements and the new degree with more accessible classes.  A little tricky to navigate but I’m confident everything will work out.

Outside of school and work I’m very involved. I donate a lot of volunteer hours to the Mitochondrial Disease Foundation.  I’m also part of the committee that plans their 5k walk in Kansas City every year. I have a large family and love spending time with them. In my free time, you are likely to find me doing something creative. I’m also interested in the technical aspects of film, television and radio. Those combined interests are what landed me in the Mass Media degree.

Week 1- Koehler

Hello class I’m looking forward towards a terrific semester with you all. I am a senior soon to be graduating from Washburn University this spring.  My emphasis is digital and electronic media, Washburn University has taught me the essential skills needed to survive and succeed in the media world; coming as far along as I have. I’m excited to see what this class has to offer and hoping it will benefit my future.

I am from Atchison, Kansas home of the Benedictine Monks & Sisters. Atchison is also the birth place of Amelia Earhart, the first women pilot who mysteriously vanished during her flight in the pacific.  Many of you may know that Atchison is known for being one top 10 haunted places in the United States, so come visit us!

I attended Highland Community College and graduated in 2009, receiving my Associates of Arts & Science. My college career has been a blessing and exciting, I am grateful for being in school. However, I want to dive in the working world & see were my education will take me. I currently work for the Washburn Review as a sports journalist & videographer.  One of my favorite skills learned within the media department is editing film, I love working with jobs that require hands on skills.  Being one of the many people in the world that admire sports I hope to work for ESPN someday.  Thank you and good luck this semester!