Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Blogging Blog Post
I thought having a blog was a really good idea, especially for our small class size. They really helped to get to know each other better and were also a fun way to do the assignments. I learned a lot about everybody and enjoyed reading their individual writing styles. Having a blog made doing the assignments easier as well because you don't have to worry about printing anything out and you can do it on your own time. I also learned more about blogging which is becoming a lot more prominent and important in today's society.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Website Analysis
I looked at lds.org for my website to analyze. I thought this was an effective website because it used the techniques we discussed in class to its advantage and was clear to follow.
Alignment: I really liked the alignment because it used left alignment and, like Natalie pointed out, didn't use very much center alignment. I like how what you see first is a very simple picture with the church's name at the top left and only a few tabs at the top. The simplicity grabs your attention and draws your focus on the name and the picture. Then, when you scroll down you find more information that is a little busier than your initial view.
Contrast: I thought the contrast was effectively created by the pictures that take up most of the space. The first picture I saw was a lake next to a temple with a setting sun that contrasted nicely with the dark blue background. When you scroll down the page you also see more pictures that have contrasting colors but that still go well together. I also like how the words "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" are in white which makes it easy to read against the blue background.
Proximity: There are clear sections in the website that go together (such as "April 2012 General Conference", "Mormon.org", "Scriptures", etc.). This makes these sections stand out more and are easier to focus on.
Repetition: There are only a few fonts that are used on the website which makes the whole thing easier to read and look at. Also, the repetition of soft colors (dark blues, gray, tan, white) gives everything a sense of peace and comfort. All of these colors go nicely together so that you aren't jarred when you look at the website.
Composition: The church's logo isn't put right in the center. It's in the top left, but your eye still naturally goes to it. Also, most of the pictures you see follow the rule of thirds and are more pleasing to look at. The bottom section itself is divided into thirds and the whole thing feels comfortable to look at.
Alignment: I really liked the alignment because it used left alignment and, like Natalie pointed out, didn't use very much center alignment. I like how what you see first is a very simple picture with the church's name at the top left and only a few tabs at the top. The simplicity grabs your attention and draws your focus on the name and the picture. Then, when you scroll down you find more information that is a little busier than your initial view.
Contrast: I thought the contrast was effectively created by the pictures that take up most of the space. The first picture I saw was a lake next to a temple with a setting sun that contrasted nicely with the dark blue background. When you scroll down the page you also see more pictures that have contrasting colors but that still go well together. I also like how the words "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" are in white which makes it easy to read against the blue background.
Proximity: There are clear sections in the website that go together (such as "April 2012 General Conference", "Mormon.org", "Scriptures", etc.). This makes these sections stand out more and are easier to focus on.
Repetition: There are only a few fonts that are used on the website which makes the whole thing easier to read and look at. Also, the repetition of soft colors (dark blues, gray, tan, white) gives everything a sense of peace and comfort. All of these colors go nicely together so that you aren't jarred when you look at the website.
Composition: The church's logo isn't put right in the center. It's in the top left, but your eye still naturally goes to it. Also, most of the pictures you see follow the rule of thirds and are more pleasing to look at. The bottom section itself is divided into thirds and the whole thing feels comfortable to look at.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Solving the issues with my Issues Paper
The way I tried to solve my problem with using too many quotes was going back and really analyzing each one. I tried to expound on the ideas that they were showing and tie it back to my thesis. I don't know if I've completely solved the problem but I think it's better:)
With the solutions problem, it helped to think about who my audience is for this paper and see what would directly impact/help them.
I still haven't completely solved the procrastination problem though:) Any help or suggestions in regards to this would be great! Haha
With the solutions problem, it helped to think about who my audience is for this paper and see what would directly impact/help them.
I still haven't completely solved the procrastination problem though:) Any help or suggestions in regards to this would be great! Haha
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Patchwriting and Issues Paper Struggles
Paraphrase: Many times people disregard myths and don't realize that they offer valuable insights into the study of history.
I think the hardest thing (well a couple hard things) for me with the issues paper was using my own ideas and not just filling the paper with quotes from the sources. Another hard thing was coming up with a good solution to the problem I was addressing. Oh, and the whole procrastination thing:) But I've resolved to be better at not doing that anymore! Sleep is a good thing I've realized.
I think the hardest thing (well a couple hard things) for me with the issues paper was using my own ideas and not just filling the paper with quotes from the sources. Another hard thing was coming up with a good solution to the problem I was addressing. Oh, and the whole procrastination thing:) But I've resolved to be better at not doing that anymore! Sleep is a good thing I've realized.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Paper Proposal
My topic is (for now:) about sports vs. academics in America. I actually got interested in my topic after hearing the incredible forum address last Tuesday by Dr. Benjamin Carson, a very successful neuroscientist, professor, and author. He said something that really stuck with me. He said that America is more worried about sports than academics and that in a survey of the 22 leading countries of the world, America ranked second to last in academics. He said something like "In the end, will it matter more if you can shoot 50 straight free-throws or solve a differential equation?"
I totally agree with his view and so my paper will address the consequences of America spending more energy and money into sports rather than academics. I will take the stance that it is detrimental to our country and its standing in the world. I will also look at online sports as well as normal athletic ones. My research questions will be: How much has America spent on sports compared to academics? How does this compare to other countries? What is America's standing, academically in the world? Why is it important to be academically strong/secure?
I haven't done a ton of research into this yet besides hearing the forum address and some basic information I've heard from different people. I do know that professional athletes make an enormous amount of money while our teachers make barely enough to support a family on. My mom is a 5th grade teacher so I've heard a lot about this:) I care about this because if we want America to keep its freedom and stay as strong as it has been in the past, we need to be able to compete academically with other leading countries.
I totally agree with his view and so my paper will address the consequences of America spending more energy and money into sports rather than academics. I will take the stance that it is detrimental to our country and its standing in the world. I will also look at online sports as well as normal athletic ones. My research questions will be: How much has America spent on sports compared to academics? How does this compare to other countries? What is America's standing, academically in the world? Why is it important to be academically strong/secure?
I haven't done a ton of research into this yet besides hearing the forum address and some basic information I've heard from different people. I do know that professional athletes make an enormous amount of money while our teachers make barely enough to support a family on. My mom is a 5th grade teacher so I've heard a lot about this:) I care about this because if we want America to keep its freedom and stay as strong as it has been in the past, we need to be able to compete academically with other leading countries.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
20 Topics
1. negative impact of social media on academic performance
2. effects of a dirty apartment
3. sports vs. academics in society
4. running/exercise
5. dating (or lack of it:)
6. impact of how much sleep we get
7. diet/eating
8. negative impact of video games
9. age that people get married
10. pop music vs. classical music
11. whether money brings happiness or not
12. required religion classes at BYU
13. people trying to be "perfect"
14. does America have an obligation to help other countries?
15. obesity in America
16. violence in movies/media
17. going "green"
18. negative news in newspapers
19. family and society's view of it
20. crazy things people do
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