Class Overview September 28, 2007

Class this morning was a really neat experience. When first hearing that we would be chatting on the computer instead of having a class discussion, I was wondering what the point of that was. Automatically, I came to the realization that having a discussion in a chatroom with other classmates opened up a world of possibility. Instead of having to raise your hand to share your thoughts, everyone could be talking at the same time. Also, it allowed us to withhold our identities and create a different name, so other people wouldn’t know who exactly they were talking to. Not only this, but the class went by so much faster!

            My group focused our conversation on authorship. What is that exactly? I would come to the conclusion that it is the writing one produces and claims ownership to. On terms of authorship on the internet, that is a bit of a different story. With so many people blogging anonymously these days, sometimes it is hard to tell who a true author is. If people blog anonymously they are risking the chance of someone else stealing their work and claiming it as their own. With the digital world producing so many possibilities, it is hard to come up with a clear cut definition of what authorship really is. What does authorship mean to you?

                                                                                                -Amanda

I Write. September 28, 2007

At the long-awaited conclusion of DeVoss’ article, “Why Napster Matters to Writing”, reasons are given as to why people write:

 

“People write because they want to interact, to share, to learn, to play, and to help others. They engage others for connection, compatibility, love, sex, desire, self-fullfillment (or egomania), the thirst for justice, the thirst for freedom, out of boredom, out of need for interaction, to make their lives more comfortable…”

             This got me thinking. I am a Writing Arts major. When first applying to Rowan I declared undecided because I was torn between education and journalism. After taking some education courses, I found that I really do want to be a teacher. My College Comp I course, though very challenging, was the most writing-intensive course I have ever been involved in. The articles we read and topics we wrote about were very intriguing and even though it was difficult to master, I was always pleased with the final drafts of my writing. I was writing at a level I didn’t know I was capable of achieving. Reaching desired goals on terms of grades, I found self-fullfillement. My professor was very informative and thus I requested her for College Comp II. So what am I rambling on about here? I have always had a desire for writing, and for conquering seemingly difficult tasks. That’s why I came to declare Writing Arts as my dual-major. 

            On more personal terms, I write because I can. I write because I want to. I write because I have to. I write because I need to. I write to relieve stress. I write to remember. I write to study. I write to inform. I write to understand. I write to vent. I write to impress. I write for the fulfillment I feel after producing something valuable and worth reading. Ultimately, I write for me. So far this course has introduced me to ways in which I can write freely, publish my own thoughts, and receive feedback on my own written words. Stories of bloggers being recognized for blogs they post provide me with the motivation to start doing the same. I can write what I want, when I want, at the convenience of my own home. This suits me perfectly, since my main profession will be in teaching. I don’t know what I want to do with writing when I “grow up”, but I do know that it is something I will always have a desire for. With the advancements of writing in digital spaces, who knows what I will get myself into. Whatever it may be, I am looking forward to it.

                                                                                                -Amanda

Lonely Girl 15 September 28, 2007

Wow! Prior to this assignment, I never had any idea about LonelyGirl15 and the amount of attention she drew from viewers across the nation. After reading “The Secret World of Lonely Girl” I was anxious to watch some of the videos. It seemed really neat to me that some kid just wrote a little series, decorated his room as if it were a girl’s, and found an actress to play the role of a geeky girl in a lonely town. It leaves the impression that anyone can make it big in this world. The videos that I watched were pretty good. I never really just go on YouTube and browse for videos so this was kind of a new experience for me. I have watched videos on YouTube, but I never viewed a series quite like this.

Honestly, I think her videos are cute. She comes off as a typical girl just bored in her room, venting her emotions. The only difference: she’s talking to the entire world. In my opinion, it makes no difference whether she is pretending to be someone else or if she is acting as herself. The only thing that matters is that she is entertaining and keeps the viewers’ interest. After all, we all watch a multitude of shows on TV and those people are not acting as their true selves. I guess the only problem here was that she posed as if it really was her, when really it wasn’t. But oh well, that’s how it is these days. Anything online can deceive you, especially with the technology that is out there and on the advance. Kind of gets me thinking…what’s in store for Lonely Girl now?

                                                                                                         -Amanda