Thoughts on the Journal

Well, I had the HARDEST time trying to find a journal for my department, I e-mailed 3 professors, asked my advisor, and went to the library, but no one would really help me, so I ended up reading articles from the National Parks and Recreation magazine. I actually learned some things that are going on in my major and how NRPA is trying to get departments to reach out to communities more and in different ways.

All of the articles had the same kind of structure. It stated a problem, then it would tell of a solution to the problem, which reminded me of our project we are currently working on for class. I also thought it was off since the articles I read did not have the same author. It was also an easy read for me. I was able to tell that the audience was for those who are involved in Parks and Recreation because it was the main focus of every article.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading these articles because it made me aware of issues that I will need to be aware of when I go into my career.

You've Got Tweets

Social networking is playing a big part in recreation now a days. When you go onto facebook, you can find pages easily for summer camps and even recreation departments. This article, "You've Got Tweets" tells the importance of getting into new technology to reach to the community.

The article is saying that getting into the social networks is reaching out to the community more over making a website with the information since things like facebook and twitter are familiar to society today. The article also suggests to use LinkedIn, blogging, & RSS for more of a "work talk" environment.

The article also stresses not to worry about which social network to use, because new things come out everyday. Also, it is easy to make a new page on another social network if one isn't working as well as one was expecting.

Technology is playing a big part in our society today and the parks and recreation departments are doing a great job in getting into figuring out the technology of today.

Your Finger, Please

So, we all have a student id which we need to have in order to get into Fike. Well, according to the article "Your Finger, Please" recreational facilities in Washington D.C. are doing finger swiping which will eliminate the use of a card. I believe that the Central/Clemson recreation already has this in use right now.

Doing this will save $50,000 a year for the recreation department says the County officials in the D.C. area! That is crazy!

The article states that a card scanner costs about $2,000 and the cards cost around $1.50 each. But, a biometric vein scanner costs about $100 and all a person needs is their finger!

Do you think this technology is going a bit too far? Do you think everyone will be able to catch onto it?

America's Backyard

When you were in elementary school, the best part of the day was recess. Going down the slides, swinging on the swing sets, climbing on the monkey bars, and just hanging out with your friends. What more can a kid ask for? I work with kids everyday in an after school program and all they want to do is play out on the playground.

While they are out playing, they are getting exercise, which is something that our nation is in need of! They are also interacting and gaining social skills with other children.

Simply put, parks are a good investment. After reading the article "America's Backyard" I have come to a better understanding of why parks are important in our society and what people are doing to make it known. America's Backyard is an organization that engages with the public and informs them in the need of parks. America's Backyard hopes raise money to build more parks for communities.

Finally!

I am so thankful to finally be done with the instructions project. At first I wasn't a fan of all the peer reviews, but when it came to do my final draft I didn't have much to do at all. Normally I don't like group projects, but when it comes to giving feedback on something I have done by myself it is useful.

I missed last class, so I'm not sure which group I am in. We'll see how this group project goes. Hopefully it'll be better than some of my previous experiences with group projects.

Blogging... UGH

So, to be honest, this is one of the things I totally forget to do for class. I am beginning to feel overwhelmed with school and work. I feel like summer did not last long enough.

I'm ready to get these instructions over with as well. I'm doing trench ball, a dodge ball game. Honestly, it's turning out a bit more difficult than I thought it would. I have written out instructions for games before; in fact, I made a book of games for my camp staff in the past. But, I am finding that this trench ball game is hard to explain in writing! Maybe I should have gone with a different game...

Instructions Pt. 2

So, I was debating on two things to write instructions on-- how to make a friendship bracelet or how to play trench ball. Instructions for both of these would be useful for my staff at summer camp and at after school care for the Y.

At first I was leaning towards the friendship bracelet, but then I realized how easier it is to SHOW someone how to make one. I've taught people hundreds of times how to make one, but I had a difficult time trying to write down how to make one.

I have decided to write instructions on trench ball. It's a dodge ball game that I have played with campers for a camp-wide game. The game is a lot of fun and can be played for hours! Plus, I found it easier to write down how to play the game rather than how to make the bracelet! :)

Instructions

We were told to bring instructions for our next class. This made me think of Legos for some reason. When Star Wars I came out into theaters, my brothers and I were into the Lego sets for that movie. We bought practically every set there was. The instructions for the Lego sets were easy to follow. In fact, we were able to complete the sets quickly.

Those instructions were probably the only instructions I've actually really used to put something together. I know when I get a new iHome system or something along those lines, I just start putting it together without looking at the book.

It seems like as we are introduced to more technology, the easier it is for us to set things up. I think this is so because we have already done it numerous times or have even watched someone do it before.

However, some instructions these days seem very complex and confusing, so we just toss the manual out anyways and call a friend or try to reach the customer service for help.

Instructions to me seem to be fading in a way. I know that they are necessary though and that they will stay around for a long time.

English 314

Well, last semester, I took this class with another professor, but I withdrew from it. I would walk in knowing the information; however, when I left class, I was extremely confused.

Here are the three main reasons why I did not like the professor:
1. She was monotone. She showed no expression. This made it VERY difficult to pay attention to her.
2. She was NOT organized. She made us make our grading scale on projects. That may sound like a great thing, but with this professor, it was not. She also had no idea what was going on in class. We would express to her why we would want to do things, and she would say something back to us that did not relate to what we just said.
3. She did not know a thing about computers. She would be so nit-picky about how we would do things, yet she was unable to do them herself.

Because of these factors, I decided to withdraw from the class. So far, take two on this class seems okay. I like to see a syllabus and a grading scale, and the professor seems more organized and tech suave than my previous professor.