Last Word

How do I feel about using blogs? It certainly saves paper and is a lot easier to start and stop at different times of the day. I'll be honest, at first I was slightly skeptical as I had some major malfunctions with this Web site. Towards the middle of the class, however, I grew to be a fan of the blogging. I think it's interesting to see what other classmates are learning and how they interpret things differently from me. It's also nice to have other people comment on your blogs that share the same feeling you had about an assignment. The way in which technology is gradually creeping into classrooms everywhere, I think this class is a predictor of what younger generations can expect from college courses in the future. We are going to be media professionals sooner than later and we'll have to keep up with the most recent and tech-savvy sites that are out there, otherwise we'll get left behind. Overall, I think the blogging has been a great experience and I wouldn't mind if more professors integrated it into their classes.

I have learned so much from this class. A classmate and I were talking about this after last week's class. It's so interesting that in the class we were able to basically interpret everything for ourselves. It never felt like the hum-drum classes where you sit and watch Power Points for 2 hours, then every few weeks you're tested on those slides. I felt like this class was more of a growing experience for each individual and we were allowed to voice our opinions on an issue dealing with race, gender and the media. I know that by taking this class I've become more aware of the diversity that I will face in the workplace. I think I'm prepared, with my "tool box," to work with people different than me. I think I'll be able to understand where other people are coming from that are different than me. Probably the most important idea that I'll take away from the class into the media field is white privilege. The fact that I even know that exists now makes me more sensitive, no.. that's not the word, more.. aware of what's going on in my surroundings. The massive amounts of group work have also taught me how to be more patient and assertive, as needed. Because we weren't able to choose our own groups, we had to practice what we were being taught about diversity. I know that my group was a collaboration of a mixture of people. We all do things differently, but we were able to complete tasks.. which is a crucial skill in the workplace.

Here is a funny clip from The Office on "Diversity Day".. this can be a "what not to do" example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j7wr-wsmcI

I've said this before in previous blogs, but it's one idea that I think should be enforced. We've actually had a class discussion about this topic also. I think this type of class should be mandatory for every student trying to become a working professional. The fact that our college offers us this class as an elective is great. But, it's just that.. an elective. It fulfills a requirement that can be interchanged with other classes that are offered. It would be a wonderful thing for atleast every college to offer a class dealing with race and gender issues in society, not just solely in media. The people who have the opportunity to take this class, we are the ones with the advantage in the work place. We have become aware of all of the issues and we're prepared to deal with them. Also, by publicly discussing the topics in class has also given us an advantage to actually hear other people's viewpoints, causing us to realize that our opinion or view is not the only one that matters. In fact, other's do think differently. THE END.!