Semester Reflection

This class was definitely a great learning experience for me. As an architecture major, there were fewer opportunities for me to express myself in writing than I would have liked. When I received the Presidential Scholarship, I began looking for classes that friends and peers had taken that may interest me, and a friend Becca Raphael recommended J198. She explained to me the general M.O. of the class, which included blogging, interviewing, video editing, and learning a little about Twitter. I suppose you could say that Becca's brief description guided my expectations for the course coming into it, but I have found that my skills in departing have far exceeded what I expected.
I had made a few videos in iMovie before, and was interested in learning Windows Movie Maker to develop video-making skills across the Mac/PC divide. I certainly feel as though I've done that. What was beyond my expectations was actually learning the art of filming, the rules if there were such a thing for the medium. Before, I was making videos based on my own logic and now I simply feel as though I have a better understanding of what is expected for different movie and video types.
I knew that I would really enjoy the interviewing part of the course because I find myself in conversations with complete strangers all the time, but to be able to record good conversations and edit them into the story I wanted to tell was an awesome experience for me. Rather than being in a conversation and wishing I had a video camera to tape it, I was able to capture those conversations and share them with others.
As far as blogging is concerned, I had started one while I was abroad for those who wanted to follow my semester in Denmark. I enjoyed it but didn't fully embrace it the way that I was able to with "delectable." I really enjoyed what having the blog did for me; in many ways the blog forced me to quantify and record my on-the-fly recipes that a part of my daily routine. "Delectable" also allowed me a forum to talk about my favorite restaurants, and has even prompted restaurants to invite me to do reviews for them. "Delectable" was, above all, a place for me to write about whatever I chose and with some kind of purpose. For that purpose, I thank Professor Littau and J198 because I'm not sure that I would have had the courage to start my own culinary blog on my own, or think I had the time for it. Throughout the semester, it became one of my favorite activities to sit down and contribute.
My respect for Twitter and what it has the potential to do is probably the most astounding and unexpected result of this course. Before, I thought Twitter was made up of the worst parts of Facebook. I didn't want to hear about what ____ bought at the mall today. Within the first minutes of our introduction to Twitter and the assignment to begin following people in the Lehigh Valley, I immediately began to appreciate the connectivity the Twitter platform can provide. I began using Twitter as a way to find new restaurants and stores and organizations in the Lehigh Valley, and eventually began using the people within this network to crowdsource for their favorite local restaurants, which became my Googlemap project. I met, both on Twitter and eventually in interviews, several interesting people. I found recipes I never would have otherwise. I realized that through my control of who I followed, I could make my Twitter newsfeed contain exactly what I want: it is now my one-stop-shop for news, recipes, special business offerings, and even humor. I look forward to taking this ability with me where ever I land next, to develop a community and benefit from the information Twitter has to offer.
Finally, I have to say how much I appreciate a course that gets students off campus. I enjoyed using it as a platform to inform people about off-campus destinations and restaurants that are of great quality but unfortunately often overlooked. I really enjoyed using videos, Twitter, my blog, and interviews as a way to pass the word along on these kinds of places that deserve attention, and perhaps reach new groups of people simply because I am a student and can make the student-community connection more easily than a newspaper reporter or business owner could. I also certainly discovered new things as well! These are the kinds of experiences that I hope begin to occur earlier in most Lehigh students' careers because First Friday or Blue Sky or any number of great places are not the types of establishments you want to wait until Senior year to discover.
Professor Littau, thanks for your contagious enthusiasm about everything you taught in this course. I understand why. I agree that while these skills are now contained in the journalism department, their relevance extends across many disciplines and careers. Architecture and real estate development careers are already showing a need for the skills I learned in this course as a means of marketing, publicity, and public transparency. Interviewees have already shown an interest in these skills and they are certainly becoming a prominent part of my resume. I really can say that these skills will be incredibly valuable to me as I continue on! I look forward to learning more. Thanks for a great semester!