My Experience in J198

When I signed up for J198, I was expecting to learn about multimedia aspects of journalism, simply because that’s what I had read in the course description. After receiving an e-mail over the summer about creating my own blog, twitter and YouTube accounts, I realized I was going to be learning A LOT of multimedia tools. I was skeptical about learning these new things. I had never really thought of myself as someone who “tweets” or “blogs,” and I didn’t quite see how they had anything to do with journalism. I had already taken a videography class, and therefore I was a little familiar with editing videos – something I definitely enjoy.

Through the course of this class, I developed so many different skills that I now realize are the most important aspects of journalism. This course made me realize that utilizing tools like google maps, blogs, twitter and interactive videos is so important in this industry. For this semester, I have to say this class was by far my most interesting! I wasn’t expecting to be traveling into Bethlehem and interacting with all the different people that I did. Although I was skeptical at times, it turned out to be an overall great experience. Talking to random people in the community helped me to become more confident and outgoing with my interviewing skills. I also learned things about Bethlehem that I never knew before, and probably would never have bothered to learn otherwise. I spent hours in North Bethlehem talking to a man at the Sun Inn, which is supposedly haunted. I spoke with a waitress at Sal’s pizza and learned that the restaurant was one of the most friendly and family oriented places around Bethlehem. I interviewed dozens of business owners and learned about how grueling and intense it is to prepare for the Christmas season in Bethlehem. I am incredibly grateful that this class pushed me out of my comfort zone. I feel like every student at Lehigh should be forced to do the same! As a hands-on learner, I need to do things and experience things to truly learn about them. This class undoubtedly supplied me with experience and hands-on learning with multimedia tools.

One of the aspects of the class I was most surprised with was how interested in my blog and twitter I became. I never thought I would do these things, however I am so happy that I have them now. At the beginning of the semester, I found it difficult to write a blog 3 times a week, and tweet several times a day. By the middle of the semester, though, I actually got really into it. Since we were allowed to make our blogs about things we were actually interested in, it was easy to be passionate about it. My blog was a movie review and I actually found myself leaving a movie theater after seeing Saw 3D, saying “I can’t wait to write in my blog about how bad that movie was.” After I said that, I was so surprised with myself. But as it turns out, I actually like sharing my opinion and having people listen and respond. Seeing the stats, and seeing that people actually read what I wrote was empowering! When people responded to me on twitter and re-tweeted my thoughts, it made me feel the same way. It felt good to connect with the community and share my thoughts things with people that I didn’t even know.

I am not only going to use my twitter, blog, and knowledge of videos and websites to my advantage in the professional world – where it is totally necessary to know about all of these things – but also in my personal life. This class never felt like something that was boring or tedious, it was fun, but I also learned so much. Taking this class was definitely a great decision, and I'm actually sad that it's over!

Evaluation

An evaluation of J198...where do I even begin?

Our very first lab assignment was basic work with our camera and working with video files.  All that was assigned was to produce two video files that would be uploaded to our YouTube accounts when we were finished.

An incredibly simple assignment, but way back when this assignment made me nervous.  I had no idea how to even begin such an assignment, let alone how to upload and produce videos to YouTube.  Technology was never my friend before this class.

After one awkward interview with Imani, I made it through the first lab.  And with each lab, my skills progressed.  By the end of the semester I could not only produce videos, but I could dress my videos up and edit them in such a way that they told a story, something I never thought I'd be able to accomplish.

The video I am most proud of is the video Jackie and I produced about the Sun Inn.  That was the very first video that we produced that truly told a story.  We spent a lot of time editing nearly 2 hours worth of interview footage, but our work paid off when the Brown and White featured this story on the multimedia section of their website.  The coolest part of this story was how it evolved by itself.  Jackie and I had little direction about where we wanted to take our story when we first decided to cover the Sun Inn, but it became one of the most interesting topics we covered.

Another thing Jeremy's class has provided me with is an addiction to social media.  Twitter, a website I had little understanding of before J198, has become a site that I see great potential in.  I think if more people understood the relevance and capabilities Twitter has they would be more apt to use it.  I will be a Twitter user for a long time thanks to J198.

Another social media aspect that I've fallen in love with: my blog.  My blog has become my little baby.  I get such a thrill when a friend of mine texts me indicating that they love my latest post.  I think my proudest blog moment came over Thanksgiving Break.  My older sister ran into a friend at a bar who was wearing OPI Burlesque shades on her nails.  Her friend had read my post and gone out to have her nails done in the shades I discussed.  My post was her inspiration- wow.  I cannot wait to continue working on my blog and ultimately take it to the next level.

Outside of video editing and social media proficiency, Jeremy's class has taught me something that I doubt he even realizes.  Jeremy's class has confirmed for me that I am studying something I love.  None of the "assignments" ever felt like work.  Instead, they felt like an opportunity; an opportunity to immerse myself in the local community and feel like a journalist.  I found out that I love being on camera and would be thrilled to incorporate that into my future, though Samantha Maes may give me a good run for my money.

There were many Wednesdays where I left class eager to email my family links to the YouTube videos I had produced.  Pride and joy in work is something that can't be taught but Jeremy's class made that possible for me.

http://www.insidechristmascity.info/     <--This is the site that I created with Jackie as our final project.  I am incredibly proud of this and excited to share it as well.

Business in Christmas City: A Documentary

Podcast: All-Time Favorite Movies

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Alyssa Gutjahr and Angelica Halat talk about their favorite movies, actors, actresses and more!(Spoiler alert: They talk about the endings at some points!)

Practicing podcasts

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I learned how to podcast in J198 today.  At first I had some trouble because I was attempting to download a wma file as opposed to a mp3 file.  Unfortunately this podcast isn't that interesting as it's just a bunch of background noise in class.  In the future I look forward to making a podcast that is much more interesting.  In fact, our assignment for next week is to do a podcast that is at least 5-10 minutes.  Jackie and I will be working together on that and we'll see how the finished product comes out.

Flag Football Championships

We learned how to incorporate audio into a picture slideshow today in J198.  I didn't have much audio so it was a challenge for me to tell the whole story with a small sum of pictures, but overall I enjoyed this project.  I tried to incorporate the most interesting pictures that still told the story well. 

Anne Bracaglia and Carina Meleca were my interview subjects.  They provided me with some great input concerning their feelings about the game.

College Against Cancer Pink Week table

Colleges Against Cancer sold shirts, cupcakes, cookies and pretzels to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Flag Football Championships

 

Gamma Phi's intramural team was successful this flag football season and made it to the championships for the second year in a row.  The championship game was held just the other day against the team who took the title from them last year.  The game was intense as both teams were neck in neck the whole time.  In the end, the Rebels beat Gamma Phi.  The girls of Gamma Phi were disappointed but it was a fun game to watch.

Colleges Against Cancer Pink Week

Here's a slide show from the Colleges Against Cancer club Pink Week table! They sold t-shirts, cupcakes, cookies, pretzels and ribbons to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Billy's Downtown Diner

When Laura and I went to Billy's Downtown Diner yesterday in North Bethlehem, I had no idea how helpful and friendly all the staff and customers would be! Everyone was so nice, it was no trouble getting a good interview and learning all about the diner.

We wanted to focus on how community oriented, friendly and original Billy's diner really is. In addition to the great food and atmosphere, the staff make the customer's feel like friends. We also learned how Billy's diner started out and what makes it different from all other diners.

I highly recommend checking out Billy's Downtown Diner in North Bethlehem!

Billy's Downtown Diner

Yesterday, Jackie and I made our way to a spot in North Bethlehem that we're both huge fans of.  We stopped by Billy's Downtown Diner and got the chance to talk to Billy himself about how he's trademarked his restaurant as an out of the ordinary diner. 

Billy is a lively and personable guy who knows a thing or two about the restaurant industry.  While growing up, Billy's family owned a couple of diners.  His love for food, people and the industry led Billy to starting his very own diner with his wife 11 years ago.  As many businesses do, Billy's Diner struggled in its initial phases.  However, with hard work and enthusiasm  Billy and his wife made their diner into one of the best of the Lehigh Valley.

Everytime I've ever eaten at Billy's I love the food and the atmosphere.  Billy and his wife often approach the table and check to make sure the food is to your liking.  They're extremely hands on and it's evident in their success.

If you haven't been to Billy's Downtown Diner then I highly suggest you go.  In fact, get off the computer and head over there right now!

Closest movie theaters in the Lehigh Valley area

Check out where to catch all the latest movies at the closest theaters in the Lehigh Valley!


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Here is a map of all the closest movie theaters in the Lehigh Valley area, including the 18015,18018, 18109,18045,18102,18104 areas.

Popular places to eat at in the Lehigh Valley

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Have you ever been dying to dine in the Lehigh Valley but simply had no idea of where to go?  Well, look no further.  This map that I have created includes all of the most popular places to eat at in the Lehigh Valley.

Whether you're looking for a light lunch or a heavy dinner, you will find a restaurant on this map that will suit your needs.  There are more expensive options for a nice night out but inexpensive options like diners and cafes as well.  I have featured Italian restaurants, Thai restaurants, Japanese restaurants and American restaurants too.  Happy eating.

Explanation for above: In J198 today we were taught how to make and publish maps for the Web.  I chose to make a map of the most popular places to eat at in the Lehigh Valley.  It was really simple.  All I had to do was login to Google, go to Google maps and use the "My Maps" link.  I titled my map and gave it a brief description.  Afterwards, I began searching locations in the search bar.  All I had to do was save the locations to my newly created map.

My Sun Inn Experience

Learning the local history of where you live is such an important thing. Leaving the comfort of your college campus can lead to new and interesting things. I learned this when my partner Laura and I were assigned a project in our J198 class. The assignment was to videotape and compile a story about something going on in the local Bethlehem area.

Laura and I decided to visit the Sun Inn, a historical inn filled with history. (http://www.suninnbethlehem.org/)What we didn't know about the Sun Inn when we went there was that it is allegedly one of the most haunted placed in Pennsylvania. Five different paranormal groups reported paranormal activity at the inn!

We wanted to focus our news story on this aspect of the inn, although we did take a tour of the inn and learn a lot about other history as well! After interviewing the inn keeper, the chef and even the manger of another nearby local business, we learned that they all believed in this paranormal activity as well. The staff at the inn and other residents of Bethlehem were so helpful and willing to provide us with stories and whatever other information we needed. Not only does our story, cut down from over an hour of footage to just a minute and a half, show the paranormal history of the Sun Inn, but it also shows the vibrant and friendly personality of the residents of Bethlehem.

Going off campus, you can discover things you never would have learned about otherwise. Like the ghost hunting tours that the Sun Inn does in Oct., or the fact that several Bethlehem residents have even experienced paranormal activity. Overall, visiting the Sun Inn and compiling our news story together was an interesting and fun experience I'm glad I had.

My take on the Sun Inn

Jackie and I went to the Sun Inn expecting to learn a lot of fascinating history regarding 18th century Bethlehem.  Although we did learn all of the incredible history of the Sun Inn, we were surprised when we found out that the Sun Inn is also well known for being one of the most haunted places in Pennsylvania.  We couldn't help but be curious and decided to take our video in this direction.

We learned that five different paranormal groups made their way to the Sun Inn and all of them found some form of paranormal activity there.  Local paranormal groups still work with the Sun Inn and they host ghost tours as a means of fund raising for them.

We found that the locals of the Bethlehem area believe in the paranormal activity as well.  Other businesses located near the Sun Inn claim they've had paranormal activity in their locations too.

Jackie and I gathered nearly an hour worth of footage so cutting it down to a mere minute and thirty seconds was a challenge.  We wanted to make sure we incorporated interesting clips in a cohesive manner.  Overall, I think we really got an interesting story, and it was great how insightful and eager to help the staff at the Sun Inn was.   

 

Sun Inn

Interview with Andrew

This is my first blog for my multimedia class! Just practicing uploading video.

Interview with Jenny from Sal's

For my multimedia reporting class, another student and I interviewed Jenny, a waitress at Sal's restaurant in the Lehigh Valley. The first video is just the straight interview with Jenny, but the second one includes an audio/visual overlay of her working as well! We just learned to do audio overlay on Windows Movie Maker, so there it is :)

The Frustrations with Taylor Gym

In J198 today Jackie and I ventured out of the classroom and onto the beautiful grounds of our campus.  We were in search of students that we could interview about what’s going on at Lehigh.  I stumbled upon sophomore Jen Ballen.  Jen has frustrations with Lehigh’s Taylor Gym, as many Lehigh students do.  As a frequent gym-goer myself, I’m familiar with Taylor Gym’s inconvenient hours, lack of equipment and overall crowdedness.   Jen likes to swim as part of her fitness routine but finds it difficult to do so at Taylor.  The pool hours simply don’t work for her schedule.  Jen believes Lehigh should offer a variety of pool hours.  Jen also finds the lack of treadmills somewhat frustrating.  She often has to wait just to be able to use one.  Lehigh students have extremely packed schedules and the gym should be an opportunity to release some steam or get some endorphins flowing.  Right now, Taylor Gym is more of a stressful place than it is a place to release stress.

Robbie Swartz on Lehigh Dining