“I got my start by giving myself a start.” – Madame CJ Walker

Creativity is everywhere…a shower curtain, our shoes, even our mechanical pencils that we use almost everyday. What’s sad is those creative and ingenious objects are not recognized today. Yesterday’s inventions are today’s misuses.


Take the television for example…before the multiple camera angles there was just one camera dollying up and down and panning right and left. The multi camera use opened up so many doors as well as helping evolve the television. Hair cream is another example that most people overlook. Madame C.J. Walker invented a hair cream for colored women because the market was targeting white female with different hair textures and chemical balance. This helped bring more and more cosmetics onto the scene that serves to different types of women with different types of needs.


I never really realized how many things in my house or even in my classroom are very creative and interesting…that is until last week’s class. Honestly when PROF. HUFFORD told us to create a NEW vending machine I didn’t have anything in mind. I thought, “Crap, what am I supposed to do? A vending machine is a vending machine!” But once my team got together and brought all our ideas to the table I saw a new and improved vending machine come to mind.


God has truly given us all amazing gifts…so why not use them. There’s no doubt in my mind that because of this class we are able to use Web 2.0 as well as our God given talents to invent or improve anything that is put on our plate. Because of the Digital Media class I believe our awareness of the various mediums that are used in professional cases have increased entirely. Before this class I had no clue what Twitter was…or even Web 2.0 (I didn’t know that there WAS a name for it!) We can all now use our knowledge that we learned in class in the future because WE ARE creative.


Mariam is a VERY creative person…but because she is so creative, outgoing and a hard worker she’s up against other young adults who have graduated from top schools that only have a diploma that says they met the minimal requirements. But I know that because she is very consistent and intelligent she is so much better than those Harvard and Colombia students because she’s gotten experiences that no other graduate has. She’s been put in situations to have her creativity pour out onto the screen. For those of you that don’t know she’s one of the producers for WIWU-TV51’s show Crossroads. How many students can say that they helped produce a successful television show? NOT MANY!!!


Creativity is in everyone! I hate it whenever people say that they’re not creative! That’s saying God forgot about you or didn’t give you everything he intended for you…which is NOT true. We are all creative in different ways. Some of us are creative in art, in editing…some of us have the gift of GAB so we can come up with really good questions or write really well! Creativity doesn’t stop…so we shouldn’t put ourselves down to stop our creativity.


Well guys that’s my thoughts about creativity…sorry if it’s all jumbled up and random! : ) until next time! <3 Glenda Rojas

FINALLY!

http://amateurtraveler.com/

My Band on Facebook

I'd like to let you all know that I have yet to be tagged in a My Band album.


PLEASE TAG ME!

Dancing Application

Title of Application: DANCE!


This application would let users not only see pictures and videos of different dances from around the world, but it will allow the users to have the ability to "dance" with certain people and/or other users. This dancing feature has terms such as: "Kyle just DROPPED you!", "Mariam just asked you to be her dance partner, do you want to dance with Mariam?".


This application even has quizzes and fun facts about other countries and their types of dancing. Each country has their own technique and style when it comes to music and dance and this application helps other understand and experience a bit of another culture just by the art of dancing.


The application first asks you to create an avatar is dressed in your favorite dancer's traditional attire. This avatar will be used for chats and will be posted for anything that you post having to do with the application; you're able to change it throughout the time that you're part of the application. If you create an account with the application, you are able to take the quizzes on the other types of dances and techniques to gain points. You may also gain points by having "dance-off's" with other users and/or your friends. This dance-off is a game that is played on the application page that requires your avatar to dance in any type of style of dance to win points.


The purpose of this application is to let those who love dance get to express their love and knowledge of dance to those who might not know much about it. Since facebook is pretty much universal this application reaches all over the world giving the users a great tool to get to see and experience the world of dance straight from the people who participate in it.

Pacers vs. the Cavs.. well.. ok Lebron

Last week, Feb. 10, 2009, our Digital Media Class took a very exciting trip to Indianapolis to take a look at the Indiana Pacer's Digital Media department. What I found was a skinny guy who talked really fast but is really passionate about his job. I found it very interesting and intriguing that this one man, along with only about a handful of people, is the reason that there are certain events and that there is even a a functioning website.


The trip, all around, was pretty much awesome! I enjoyed the company of everyone in the class as well as the food! :) YUM! Even though the educational part was pretty short, I was able to understand the importance of Web 2.0 and how it affects everyone's lives. I believe that there are certain people who don't really understand the importance of technology as well as the usage. I think that this experience not only opened the eyes of many of us, but made us realize what an impact we can make later on in life.


<3 Glenda

My 3 pretty sweet action websites... :) <3

NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM





I love love LOVE National Geographic's website for so many reasons. I always love to see what's going on with their video feeds and their "breaking news". I don't know about other people but when I see something about an ancient culture that was just found or updated I am literally GLUED to the screen. I think that for some reason the pictures on the screen are what mostly captivate me...I mean you have a polar bear, the earth and a beautiful shot of nature. Since the drop down categories isn't really "drop down" per say... it's more like.. horizontally down? Yeah.. don't know the actual terminology for it.. but yeah. I just think that the graphics are just amazing..yes there are ads.. but come on.. seriously! Look at everything that's going on... there's a video that plays right there on the screen after it's done loading!...awesome




MARTHASTEWART.COM





Even though Martha Stewart did go to jail... I really do love this website! :) Not only are her colors very soothing it doesn't really make you scream because you see red and pink everywhere! I love it! Ok, to me...color scheme helps you with everything!...as does fonts! The main topic on this page is last minute valentine gift ideas. Not only does the picture help out with getting the customer's attention but it makes one think about actually making the craft yourself. From seeing this, I really wanted to know if I could make what I was seeing on the screen! I also think it's very interesting how there was a search engine for the website for recipe's and more as well as drop down subject bar lines that help the viewer know exactly where to go because it is all conveniently labeled. What is also pretty interesting is that the ad for the cruise is almost right next to the headlining topic which makes the eye look at it and perhaps tempt a viewer to click on it. What happened to tempt this strong willed blogger was the Martha Stewart Blog...which is written by... (drum roll please...) Martha Stewart herself. The website is very well structured and seems to be very easy to use.




BET.COM





BET is pretty much the bomb...(am I allowed to say that?) I love love LOVE the background on this website, first of all, because it's kinda of fantasy-like and kind of compliments the ad that's at the top by the teal border. I also think it's a very good business procedure for the "hot/popular" items to be in red so the reader/audience knows what and where to click. Now besides the EXCELLENT color scheme, the wording is just as essential and makes certain words and/or ideas come to mind. The font used for "Swagger like us" that is used in the graphic on top of the picture makes you WANT to click on it and find out about the concert. The site includes drop-down bars, skip/rewind button for the featured story, links to music videos, latest news and ringtones. The BET website just pops out at me because of everything that is on the page...I also think that it reflects the type of personality the demographic is as well.

Painting my nails

Photobucket Album

Don't judge a book by its cover....

Allstate





Direct TV
Between these two ads I've found that there's just a limited space that you're allowed to advertise in...and it has to hook your audience quickly and make them think about the product.


I also found out that the color scheme has to deal with what page you're on and even the target audience you would like to reach.


...that is all...


ttyl...Glenda

Is that DELICIOUS?... really?

http://delicious.com/rosariobunz

^delicious account?^


Honestly I don't get bookmarking... I mean I only use it on my computer to get to some of my favorite sites faster. I also think that a bit of my mother is coming out of me when I say I was a little eerie about posting my blog online for all to see (if they wanted to).


I mean seriously... I get how it works for businesses, tv shows, and other people... but I don't understand how people can get addicted to it. Is it adult's myspace or facebook? Hopefully I'll get this all explained pretty soon... :)




TTFN


Glenda

Response from Eric Beato: Following the Equator Blog

Eric Beato
Editor, Following the Equator
EF Educational Tours
1 Education St.
Cambridge, MA 02141


Blog: http://equator.eftours.com/




1. Why did you get into blogging?


Blogging is a great way to reach a new audience with information, and we started our blog as a way to share our travel expertise with our customers and with anyone else who is interested in educational travel. As a writer, I also enjoy the challenge of writing in this format — making our posts compelling, brief and conversational.




2. What is it about traveling that attracted you to blog about it?


Well, as an educational travel company, it’s the obvious topic for us to blog about. But, in general, I believe that travel and blogs are an ideal match. The format and simplicity of blogging work well with the demands of travel, and the amazing moments and discoveries of travel are a perfect source of content for blogging.




3. Why is it important to keep your blog updated?


I try to post something on our blog every weekday. I believe it’s important to blog often to keep the content fresh and relevant and to give our readers a reason to come back to our blog regularly.




4. What do you do to drive viewers to your blog?


We promote our blog in several places on our company’s website,www.eftours.com, and we include it in regular emails and direct-mail pieces to our customers and mention it in other online ventures, such as our Facebook fan page and application. Also, I’ve reached out to other travel blogs that might be of interest to our readers — such as National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel and About.com’s Student Travel Blog — to have our blog included in their blogrolls, and I’ve found that helps drive traffic. Personally, I talk it up and mention it (in person, online and in emails) to anyone and everyone. We also benefit from a high percentage of traffic from search engines, mainly Google. As we continue to post a wide and varied amount of content on our blog, the chances of our blog being ranked high in organic searches increases. I’ve been amused by one fun (but unintended) consequence of our blog’s name. We named our blog after Mark Twain’s final travelogue, Following the Equator, so our blog tends to show up in Google searches when people search for anything related to the equator.




5. Do you blog for the financial gain or for the passion?


I blog to share our passion for travel and global awareness. Our blog does not make money in and of itself. Our hope is that the information on our blog is useful to our customers and attracts other readers to the wonderful advantages of educational travel.




6. Do you fear that your blog will/can be misunderstood?


No, that is not something that we have feared or really considered. Most of the posts on our blog are aimed at a wide enough audience and hopefully interesting enough for our blog not to be misunderstood.




7. What is the biggest difficulty for blogging while traveling?


Unfortunately, I don’t regularly travel the world. However, I did blog during one trip with a group of our teachers to Paris last year. The biggest difficulty was finding the time — because our days were so packed with sightseeing and other activities, I found myself staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. in order to write posts for the blog. The other big difficulty is finding the proper Internet connections. Our blog platform, TypePad, is completely online, so I really just need a computer and Internet connection. I also was able to blog from my BlackBerry, which proved helpful. Oftentimes, though, you can find Internet access in hotel lobbies and Internet cafes — especially in Europe.




8. Has your blog site been a burden for you or any of your loved ones?


It’s definitely a challenge to keep our blog updated, and it’s constantly on my mind. But because I’ve incorporated the blog into my job, it is not a burden to me nor my family.




9. Do you travel with a laptop or other services to help you blog while you're traveling?


The only time I’ve blogged while traveling I did not have a laptop. I did use my BlackBerry, and I used the computer in the hotel lobby. I don’t think a laptop is necessary — but it sure would be nice to have next time.




10. What is the most important thing, to you, about keeping a blog?


The most important thing about blogging is sharing information with a wide range of people and participating in conversations (through the blog’s comments) about a common topic. Although ours is a corporate blog, it’s not intended to drive sales or generate revenue; its purpose is to promote educational travel and share our belief that travel is critical to increasing global awareness for all students and all people.

the wiki I editied

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Sipán#Location


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moche#Material_culture


Since I was able to work with the archaeologist who found the Lord of Sipán in Peru this summer, I was able to gather a whole BUNCH of knowledge over the subject. My family happens to be Moche/Mochican and I have done very thorough research over the subject.


The Lord of Sipán, el Señor de Sipán, was found in the Peruvian town of Sipán (located on the west coast of the country).


Dr. Walter Alva Alva was the archaeologist that found the tomb.





Now, the Mochican culture is PRE-INCAN... so no.. I'm not Incan. But the Mochican culture is actually very interesting and shocking. But the Lord of Sipán is of the Moche culture so I just went ahead and edited most of both of the sites. For the Lord, I changed a bunch and put more information about his tomb and the history behind it.


If you have any other questions about this subject you're more than welcome to email or just ask me about it! :)


ENJOY!!!!!!


Glenda

RSS, Ideas and Bears! OH MY!!!

RSS aggregators: easssssyyy way to view headlines, blogs, podcasts and other stuff.


Honestly, I don't really get RSS aggregators... I mean I know that I had to use it for my scriptwriting class.. but besides that it seems kind of worthless to me. Because, ok, for me the only difference that I see is that it just seems to be without all the bells and whistles...just straight forward info or text that was/is on the webpage.


TOP 3 FINAL PROJECT IDEAS!!!


*Habitat for Humanity


*The American Red Cross


*The Dress for Success




Sooo... that's what I've though of so far... I honestly think that my best bet is the American Red Cross...or the Habitat for Humanity.


Okie Dokie! That's about it! :)


UNTIL NEXT TIME!


Glenda

The purpose.. the plan.. and the details

Why not travel to Egypt to see the pyramids? Or to France to see the Eiffel Tower? What about Greece to swim in the clear blue waters? There are many people who travel to just..well... TRAVEL! They stay in fancy hotels, eat at 5 star restaurants that are "Americanized" and even travel in the highest quality of cars. To experience a different country you need to actually "experience" it. One must get their precious shoes dirty, eat the local delicacies,and at least try to walk the streets without buying anything. My personal opinion is to NOT be a "Hilton" when visiting another country.


Travel Blog sites aren't only an asset to see where to go, what to eat and what to go see when you're in a specific place... it's also allowing you read the experiences the writers have had on their travels. I chose the blogs on my page to research not only because they had to deal with writing, but because I can read about the personal meanings behind certain events that have happened in the writer's life. These people are trekking through terrain that is life changing. I believe that the because of these travel blogs, more and more people are liable to go out and travel as well...meaning that these blogs are affecting people through digital communication. Posting pictures, movies and personal thoughts on their blogs shows the public a National Geographic way of seeing the world right from your computer...which at times, inspires some to get off their butts, go buy a backpack, passport and plane ticket and go see it for themselves.


My goal in researching the bloggers themselves is to find not just the reason behind their blogging but what keeps them motivated TO keep blogging. I plan on basically "gutting and dissecting" the reason behind travel blog to properly understand it so I may explain the process and everything that deals with it to anyone who is interested!


Until next time..


Glenda

NEW TOPIC!

OK.
i'm doing my blog on travel blogs..


:)


youre welcome.


<3 glenda

"Interpretations differ from individual to individual"

"Interpretations differ from individual to individual"


A direct quote from our Web 2.0 book!...who would have thought that such a simple little quote could spark me to write down what I really thought about the topic. It's true that each individual is different from another, but we're all supposed to be made in God's image...


see...thats where i get LOST!


We're made in God's image, I get that... and we're all different for a purpose.. I get that too.. but what I don't get is why so many people see one topic so differently. I would take GOD as an example.. but I don't feel like getting chewed out anytime soon.. so I'll pick Tupac Shakur.


Tupac Shakur, the rapper. Yes... the rapper.. I go to IWU and like rap.. give me a friggin break... not all of us like to listen to worship music everyday... geesh


Some view Pac as a great musician who was violently murdered. Some view him as a horrible gangster who never knew the Lord. Some people even think that Pac was just a crazy dude that laid the "F" bomb way too many times. Now, if you go to Google and just type in Tupac in the search bar (like it says in our book), you see lyrics to his songs, links all about his life, youtube links, and of course a wikipedia link that explains everything that you'll need to know about Pac.


Last semester, I was a peer facilitator for UNV180...and I shared with my students that to get the real, 3-D image of God... you need to be able to listen and read other people's views...not to be biased and only believe what you want to believe. You need to see different points of view to see the all around view.


So my point is... besides Tupac wasn't a bad guy, haha, is that I believe that as Christians, we need to be more open, patient, and to be able to just sit and listen to other people's opinions.










Lord, I pray that you will give me patience, especially this semester Lord as I try to understand you better through others. I know what I believe, I know what my parents, grandparents and what my schools believes, but I pray that you will show me other people who will not only spark my curiosity, but question my faith. I pray that you will help me through my path...because you said that it would be weary, that I would be persecuted, that I would be questioned...but that you would also be there and take care of me. Thank you Lord for giving me that promise, and letting me be able to not only your child, but a young, true missionary for you. En su nombre Dios, Amen.


Thanks guys for reading! Hope your day goes well and that class will be awesome for you!!!






Glenda