My Last (required) Blog Post !

At the beginning of the semester, I wasn’t too find of blogging.  Primarily, I had never done it before.  Maybe I was nervous or perhaps I hated the thought of being required to post a response each week on a public site?  Today, I became used to blogging and I learned to love it.  I mean, don’t expect to see a second “Sara Hecht’s Blog” on the web after the semester.  However, I will admit that blogging came to be interesting and enjoyable.  I found that this is much better than handing in a homework assignment on paper each week.

In the article, “Why I Blog”, Andrew Sullivan makes a comparison between a diary and a blog.  I agree that the historic form closest to blogs is the diary.  Although diaries are typically personal accounts that are not read by other people, blog posts can be personal as well.  For example, I have an intimate relationship with my computer and sometimes, a personal tone is reflected in my posts.  It’s as if I forget that my posts are exposed to the public and most specifically, to my English class. Generally, people have the ability to personalize their blogs, similar to handwritten diaries.  Inevitably, people have the choice to do what ever they please with their blogs.  Blogs may be academic, personal, spontaneous and gossipy.

On a different note, writing using videos and images has not changed my ideas about writing and new media.  Since day one, I have been determined that the presentation of videos and images along with writing will solely enhance the piece and help draw a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.  The incorporation of videos and images help further the argument and make the writing more credible.  Typically, they provide evidence of the writing’s objective.  In blogs, videos and images make it more interesting and eye- catching for audiences.  Readers are engaged by moving images, pleasant sounds and intriguing pictures.

Just A Few Images I Stumbled Upon…

Last night, around 1:00am, I happened to stumble upon seven new media- related images on StumbleUpon.com.  The illustrations remind me of our discussions in class about society’s dependence on modern technology.  Now a day, people never leave their doorsteps without their cellphones, nor do they live a day without logging on to their computers.  It has become human nature to immediately check Facebook, interact with others on Skype and i/m friends on AIM.  Adolescents are growing-up in an entirely different era.  Compared to young generations, old generations, including our parents and grandparents, were cooped up behind barbed wire fences.  The restrictions for adolescents to explore have vanished due to the accessibility of the Internet.  Thirteen year-olds are now creating PayPal accounts in order to purchase items online.  My ten year-old camper just sent me a friend request on Facebook the other day.  In the near future, toddlers will be creating Facebook accounts so they can meet fellow toddlers before their first days of Nursury School!

Walt Disney: A Sentimental Modernist

During the early twentieth century, people across the globe witnessed the birth of an extravagant, American corporation: Disney.  In his lecture, David T. Doris conveyed that Disney is a monument of American culture and of global importance.  Doris explained that Walt Elias Disney was a sentimental modernist, an innovator and a “man of the people”.  His creation of the Disney Corporation is a fantasy transformed in to reality.  Its evolution is founded upon several advertising tactics and clever marketing techniques.

Walt Disney immersed people with entertainment through various pools of media, including movies, merchandise, television episodes, radio shows and amusement parks.  He was a sentimental modernist because he used the most advanced tools and techniques with every chance he got.  Primarily, Disney produced short, animated movies with Mickey and Minnie Mouse as protagonists.  Importantly, Mickey Mouse was portrayed as an emblem of a working-class hero.  However, children saw the famous mouse as an entertaining epitome. Disney’s movies continue to capture the eyes of adolescents around the world.

Walt accentuated numerous marketing techniques in order to promote his corporation.  For several weeks before Disneyland’s opening, he broadcasted a television show once week where he explained the wonders of the new park.  The show turned out to be a great success because one million people visited the park within the first six months of its opening.  Also, Disney merchandise is available around every corner.  For example, the first Mickey Mouse watches were sold to hundreds of people at the World’s Fair in 1933.

Today, Disney seems to be taking over the world.  Did you know that abc, Miramax, Pixar, ESPN and Touchstone Films are owned by Disney?  I was astonished when I discovered this.  In addition, the Disney television and radio channels are popular sources of entertainment for adolescents.  Disney animated movies are still alive and thriving.  Also, Disney’s cruise-lines offer fantastic get-a-ways for families.  Too bad Walt isn’t around anymore because in today’s day and age, he’d be “all up on” the Internet, being that hes a sentimental modernist and all.

GarageBand

It’s fascinating that everyday people are able to develop various sounds and learn how to play famous songs by using GarageBand.  People can utilize this program to record sounds, create Mash-ups and Podcasts, write music, and so much more.  According to iLife, “What is GarageBand?”, Garageband transforms the Mac in to a full-featured recording studio.  Less than one decade ago, this program had never been heard of.  Today, just about everyone knows about GarageBand.  Will this application cause adolescents to lose the desire to learn an instrument?  Or will this program enhance adolescents’ musical education due to its accessibility and comprehensibility?

There is no question that adolescents will feel less inclined to learn an instrument because GarageBand is at the tip of their fingers.  To most adolescents, GarageBand is more enjoyable because it accentuates the principles of New Media applications.  Today, Americans are drawn to advanced technological devices, rather than traditional tools.  One would agree that it is easier for adolescents in the United States to learn GarageBand instead of an instrument because they are already familiar with computers.  GarageBand is exciting and can be easily comprehended by young Americans.

On a similar note, this application will broaden the education of adolescents.  School districts across the nation are continuing to cut Art and Music programs.  Now, students do not have to miss out on a music education because they can take basic lessons on how to play keyboard and guitar from GarageBand.  In today’s day and age, anything is possible.  A flimsy computer and its abundance of applications can turn someone in to the next rock star.