Category: COM 601

I cannot believe that I am writing the final blog post for my very first grad school class. What a wild 8 weeks it’s been managing the workload of an accelerated course!

COM 601 has given me an idea of how future classes will be structured. The most important thing this course has taught me is the importance of time management. I have to get a lot better about utilizing my free time outside of work to complete assignments. I found that I was frequently racing the clock to submit homework dangerously close to the deadline. I always gave the excuse, “I work well under pressure,” but feel that I could reduce my stress levels by working on things ahead of time.

After reviewing my classmates’ digital presentations, I believe that their final papers were phenomenal. Speaking for those I left comments for, they really grasped the concept of equipment for living, and how the films they chose could serve as a tool for specific audiences. There were great takeaways from these projects that I will be able to use for my own future assignments:

Diante’ Gibbs taught me to elaborate and provide background information so that viewers can fully understand my argument.

Olivia Blaggrove taught me to speak with enthusiasm when giving a presentation to keep viewers engaged.

Da’Teisha Graham taught me to choose topics that I am passionate about when writing papers and giving presentations.

Not only did my classmates provide helpful feedback, but I was also able to gain a playlist of new movies to watch. Thanks for the weekend plans everyone!

I am ready to face the upcoming Communication courses within my program. Bring em on!

 

Let’s talk about the SEVEN traditions of communication theory during week SEVEN of my Queens University COM 601 course. Coincidence? I think not. I’m sure this is some sign that the odds are ever in our (my classmates and I) favor for final grades.

In the beginning of this communication course, just a few weeks ago, we were introduced to the seven traditions of communication theory:

Semiotic, Phenomenological, Cybernetic, Sociopsychological, Sociocultural, Critical, Rhetorical

A few of the discussion post assignments required us to apply the tradition of our choice to theories, personal experiences, and even movies. The traditions I leaned towards most were phenomenological (people understand and perceive situations based on experiences they have lived through) and sociocultural (people define who they are based on their relationships and interactions with others). These made the most sense to me because I truly believe that people are influenced by their previous life events, and who they are surrounded by. These factors can affect the way someone comprehends, relays, and responds to messages.

The communication accommodation theory is a theory that stuck out to me the most. It reminded me of times when I was still living with my parents and my dad would talk on the phone. My mom and I would always play the game, “Who’s he talking to?” We could make guesses based on his tone of voice and phrases he chose to use. Even though we all have separate unique identities, it is interesting to see how we show variations of our identity when communicating with certain people.

What’s the big deal about style guides? Listen to this podcast to find out!

Even though I’ve used APA (American Psychological Association) style previously, it can be difficult to remember all of the rules. I mostly rely on Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) when I’m not sure how to format in-text citations or sources for the reference list. This website is very helpful and easy to use. It is pretty simple to find the answers you are looking for in the sidebar on the left.

Interesting…

The one thing I find surprising about APA style is that it does not require you to mention the article title within the text. I figured, the more information about the source, the better. In this case, I guess less is more. Come to think of it, and article can be found in database using only the author and year of publication (hence the previous Scavenger Hunt assignment).

Questions

After using Purdue OWL and refreshing my memory during the first few weeks of this course, I still get confused about citing electronic sources:

• The “retrieved from” line should always be included when adding a database source to the works cited page, correct?
• When should a source doi be included, and where can I find it?

Things to Remember

Some of the small formatting things I will need to remind myself of are:

• Title page
• Page header
• Abstract

These are all important pieces of the APA format, and I will tackle them first when starting my final draft so that I don’t forget!

Check out my vlog summary of the article Dance and Music for Children with Autism!

Please take a look at my very first vlog for this course! I used to vlog a few years back, so I enjoyed this assignment and getting a chance to use a new tool – Screencast-o-matic. Forgive me for the constant “ums” and pauses; I wanted to appear on-screen and unscripted to get used to being out of my comfort zone, and to provide a more natural dialogue.

Feel free to share any feedback you may have!

 

This is not my first time creating a WordPress account. I actually created a blog via WordPress called CHAMP, which is an acronym for Changing Hearts and Minds Permanently. My passion for women’s body image and confidence sparked my desire to develop a page for this purpose. I wanted a space where women could come when they needed a pep talk when/if their confidence is low. If you decide to venture over to my previous blog, please excuse the lack of consistency with my posts. I am still working on the overall goal of the site before continuing.

I have found that WordPress is a helpful (semi-intuitive) tool to use when launching a blog. The platform is simple to sign up for, but takes a lot more engagement after domain creation. The thing that I find most challenging about creating the account is selecting a theme for the site. My anxiety about this feature mostly stems from my inability to make decisions and stick with them. WordPress does a great job of providing layout options, so sorry WordPress, it’s me… not you.

It’s exciting to get the opportunity to use digital media for this online class because it will provide a more creative outlet to communicate my thoughts in regards to each week’s reading and discussion. I love being able to write in an atmosphere that is a little less formal as it gives my brain a chance to tap into new ideas that I may have had trouble developing previously.

Looking forward to not only utilizing WordPress for this course, but Skype and Youtube as well!