Class Review 1, Part 1

Hybrid VS.Traditional

Wow! Have we really been in this hybrid Web Writing class for five weeks already? I must say that time does fly in a class that only meets once a week. Although, when I think about it, the two other classes that I am in that only meet once a week feel like they have been going on for EVER! So, what is it that makes this class different from the others?

And The Winner Is....

As with everything, there are pros and cons to taking a hybrid class. Such labels (pros/cons, ups/downs) are defined by personal preference. I don't know about all of you, but time-management has always been a challenge for me. This hybrid, Writing for the World Wide Web, class demands that we manage our time in an orderly fashion. But, doesn't every class demand this from us? Yes! Although, since this class is majorily online, it forces you (well it forces ME atleast) to designate "school-time" within your "free-time". This is beneficial because it teaches us a life-skill that is without-a-doubt something necessary to be successful, but I sometimes see it as a con because it can be so damn frustrating dropping everything you're doing to go online and blog! 

If I am the official in this match- Hybrid class versus Traditional class- I declare a draw. I'm sure this isn't how many people would "call" it, but, for me, there is something about going to a classroom, sitting at a desk and taking notes, and learning face-to-face that helps me stay more organized and retain information better. However, I do feel that when we meet in class on Thursdays, the conversations amongst the class are much more personal and possess much more meaning than they would if this was a traditional-style class. This is one ascpect of a hybrid class that I especially like! So, in conclusion, I cannot say that one style of learning/teaching is "better" than the other. They are just different, and change from the "norm" is a good thing!

Profile Me

"New Member? Create Your Profile!"

I think that it is safe to say we have all seen something along these lines more than once in our lifetime. In making a personal profile for a website I, personally, always keep in mind how public the internet is. This is why I tend to be more vague when creating a profile, so that I am not allowing people who don't know me to learn as much about my personal life. I know that this is not the case for everybody and I'm sure even some of you put a lot of personal information about yourself in your web profiles. For me though, privacy is crucial. Another crucial thing in creating a profile is recognizing what I will be using that specific website for so that I can create my profile accordingly.

 For instance, with Facebook I knew that I would be using the website to keep in touch with friends as well as meeting friends of friends. Therefor, I knew I didn't want to put very much personal information in my profile since the people that I would want to be viewing it already know a good amount about me and the people that I don't know do not get to learn my life story in reading it. However, with this blog I knew I would be using it for class and to hopefully network with all of you, my fellow Columbia students. For this reason I geared my personal profile for this blog towards my major and what I hope to be my career. I think that the way I have created my profile does effect the way that I write on that website. With Facebook my writing is extremely short and has very little meaning for the reasons I stated above. In this blog, though, my writing tends to be more academic while still including some personality so that all of you are able to understand a little bit more about how I think. Overall, in creating a profile for any website, purpose and privacy are my main concerns.

Materiality

Reading and Writing: From Past to Present

Traditionally when we think or talk about reading and writing text, books and essays are what come to mind. "Walls of words" written or typed on paper are typically the way these forms of writing are presented to us. The topic of materiality refers to writing text in a way that facilitates the reader's comprehension of the subject matter. In books and essays using images is the most common way of accomplishing this.

 However, as we know, the times are changing and books are no longer the most popular medium of text.....

With the internet constantly growing, both in size and popularity, Web Writing has become one of the most popular mediums of text. With that being said, it is obvious that writers have been forced to change the way they write. Instead of writing paragraph after paragraph like in a book or essay, Web-Writers are faced with the challenge of keeping the attention of their webpage-skimming audience. To accomplish this, writers must consider this idea of materiality to make the subject matter jump of the page at the reader. I, personally, am still learning this skill, but by using things like images, links, and videos a piece of Web-Writing does a better job of grabbing readers' attention as well as getting your point across.