I'm done... I'm done!

I'm done! Well, done one course that is... 5 more left to get out of the way. On with this week's, and my last blog entry:

Dr. Orr wasn’t overly exciting or educational; but, he presented a couple of interesting points. I can relate to how he is saying that formal education (such as college) and learning are not the same. Formal education forces us to remember and regurgitate information, but learning and understanding forces us to understand and be able to utilize what we are taught. I also did not agree with his statement about it being the educated that are harming the environment. I feel that it is all of us that are. While it is likely true that the educated are in a higher position to influence environmental change, it is up to all of us to do our part.

Dr. Senge’s presentation was boring and hard to follow and he kind of sounded like a dumbass throughout. However, I did find the part about the school in Finland to be very interesting. The fact that there are no teachers or classes, simply one large “project” in which the students are put in charge of developing a company is a very interesting concept. I think this type of course has a component in all business schools; however I don’t think it should encompass the entire program. He did make a couple interesting comments on moving out of our comfort zone and working in an unknown manner.

I think one of the biggest things that our blog assignment allowed us to do was “step out of our comfort zone” as Dr. Senge presented. For many of us, this was one of the first opportunities we were given to write in a less formal, non business format. We were also forced to use a variety of techniques to help display our true emotions and feelings, such as self disclosure. I think one of the greatest things the blog assignment and the CMNS 390 class in general accomplished was allowing us to learn and use teamwork building and social skills. For myself, I have learned a number of things about each person in the class, where as in most courses I’m lucky if I know everyone’s name by the end.

I think CMNS 390 has been an excellent class and have been recommending it to all of my friends that are going into their third and fourth years. Great job on the course design Marc. I still wonder why this course isn’t mandatory. It is definitely more applicable to the real business world than the majority of our other mandatory courses.

Uniqueness of Voices...

Wow that was a long and hard audio clip to listen to. I found it very hard to stay focused and digest what was being said. It’s kind of ironic in a way that an article talking about how important voice is is portrayed in such a generic way. In fact, the main announcer is one of the most generic voices out there. He reminds me a lot of the guy who narrates kids Christmas stories on CBC.

I’ve always been amazed at how everyone’s voice is unique. I often find myself able to recognize voices even after only meeting the person for a couple of times. Think of how many different people you know and regularly talk to. Its pretty amazing that we not only all have unique voices, but that we are able to instantly distinguish them. Remember the days before call display? Or when someone calls you who’s number or name is not displayed? I’m often able to recognize who it is, even if all they have said is Hello.

People are attracted to people for a variety of reasons. Think of yourself when you walk into a room of strangers. One of the first things you do is look around and see who you can relate to. Maybe its the guy wearing a shirt with the logo of your favourite snowboard company. Maybe its the girl who’s carrying a textbook from a class you are in. Typically, humans have a need to socialize and be included in groups. This is one of the many reasons that people are attracted to other people and seek to make connections with others when in an unfamiliar setting.

Radio ads are a great example of where voice can be used in conjunction with peoples need to associate with others. Aunt Jemima is a great example. She’s not real, however she is a character that people can relate to. She’s a character that makes the product have a human characteristic. It makes it a product that feels like its been with you forever. It’s like its part of the family.

One of the most memorable blog posts that I have read is Matt Lang’s post on Kelowna’s infestation with Choches. When I read his post, I can picture him saying the exact words that he has typed. I’ve known Matt since high school and the rant that he goes on in his blog post is one that I can hear him saying in real life. His post about his passion of snowboarding is another great example of how he has projected his real-life voice onto paper with his blog. In both of these blogs the voice and tone being used greatly portrays how he really feels on these topics. The disgust and hatred towards Kelowna’s Choch comes across clear and there is no question as to how Matt really feels on this issue.

The Mystery of the TimBit Bandit

Well it’s about time that Marc gave us a free and open blog topic. For once I actually have an idea about what I want to write. I’m not usually very creative when it comes to this kind of writing, so usually it takes me a long time to come up with something.

I originally came up with this topic back during one of the first seminars. One of the presenting groups brought in a box of TimBits as prizes. The box made its way around the classroom and finally got to the east side where myself and a few other students were sitting. Upon getting the box in our hands, we notice there is a half eaten TimBit sitting inside the box. Who does this? It was one of those really gross ones so I don’t blame the person for not wanting to eat it, but come on, who puts the remaining half back in the box? When I noticed this, Marc had just been talking about how we would have a couple opportunities to write a blog without any guidance. Upon discovering the half eaten, chewed on TimBit, I knew that I would dedicate one of my blog entries to it.

I even went so far as to snap a picture of it with my camera phone for evidence (see the bottom of this entry). Now you’re probably thinking “That’s kind of weird, who cares enough about a half eaten TimBit enough to not only dedicate a blog entry to it, but to also take a picture of it?” Well it is pretty gross. Just ask Matt. I remember him being faced with a dilemma: The last chocolate glazed TimBit was resting against the half eaten morsel. Should he man up and eat it, despite it rubbing up against a half chewed on TimBit? Or should he pass it up and go without? I’ll let Matt tell you what he eventually chose to do. So there you have it. Either eat the entire TimBit or throw it out, don’t put it back in the box.

PS: If anyone knows who the guilty TimBit biter is, CALL THEM OUT ON IT!!

PSS: Actually don’t... I don’t want to embarrass anyone that bad....

Skiing - My True Passion

My first thoughts upon readingng the topic for this week’s blog were “hmm do I even have a passion?” After giving it some deep thought over a glass of wine (who drank all of the beer?), I realised that I do in fact have a number of passions. At first I thought about my love of automobiles... I’ve owned a wide variety of cars, trucks, SUV’s and even a street bike. I also thought about my love for wakeboarding. There’s definitely nothing as relaxing as spending a lazy summer day out on the lake with a group of friends. Golf is another sport that consumes a fair portion of my free time. However the one activity that I truly have a passion for is skiing. It all started back when I was in elementary school. My family had planned a weekend down in Spokane, however it started snowing heavily on Friday morning, the day we were supposed to leave. So rather than risk driving through the storm, my parents decided to take my brother and I up to Apex for a weekend of skiing. At that point I was hooked. Pretty much every weekend from that point on I spent at the hill learning the art of the perfect carve, the ability to rip a zipper line of moguls, even got into (attempting) inverted airs (I’m too old to be doing that stuff now). I spent a few years in competitive skiing, however my true passion is being able to ski what I want, when I want.

Skiing is unique in a variety of ways. One of the things I love most about it is being outdoors. No motors, no concrete jungle, just snow and trees. Another aspect of skiing that is great is that it can be done either solo or in a group. Sometimes I like to take a few hours to myself and ski by myself, taking a rare opportunity to be alone and clear my head. Other times I ride with a bunch of friends, giving each other a hard time over the nasty crashes and complimenting on a perfect run.

I let others know about my passion in a variety of ways. I always love to talk skiing, whether it’s about the latest technologies available in gear or which resort just got a massive dump over the weekend. When I’m able to make free time, I also try to volunteer at my local mountain (Apex) with events, however during the last couple years it’s been pretty tough to make the time as school has been fairly demanding. Whenever a friend or colleague expresses interesting in getting into the sport, I always try to encourage them and even give them some of my old gear if it will fit. I must admit that this year I’ve been fairly busy with school and so far only managed to log about 15 ski days so far, however I plan to get in another 7 or 8 over reading break. If anyone plans on riding up at Apex at all this reading break give me a shout, as I I’ll be spending most of my time up at the hill.

Poor spelling and improper use of grammar - Two ways to instantly discredit your writing

Writing an article for the masses to read, such as the two news paper articles evaluated for this week’s blog post, takes time, skill, and a general knowledge of the audience you are trying to attract. Failure to make the article both interesting and understandable to the target audience can greatly undermine what may have been a very intelligent and meaningful piece. There are many factors that I look at when evaluating an article. I used five different categories and the scorecard approach to evaluating the articles:

• The first factor, “Is the topic interesting?” If I don’t find the general topic of the article interesting, then I find myself asking why I am even bothering to read it.

• The second category is based on the writing style and professionalism of the author. This includes spelling mistakes, use of correct grammar, and the overall flow of the article. Failure to write at an acceptable level (neither too high nor too low), and the presence of spelling and grammatical errors greatly reduces the authors credibility and can greatly influence the readers opinion and understanding of the article.

• The third category deals with my ability to relate to the subject of the article. If the article has no meaning to me, then I am not likely to be interested. Being able to form a personal relation between the subject of the article and the reader can create a connection that causes the reader to become attached and want to continue reading.

• The fourth category deals with the conciseness of the article. Extra words and filler take away from the article and can turn an interesting article into a waste of words.

• The fifth and final category deals with the overall feeling I get after reading the article. If the article comes to a solid conclusion and answers the questions it originally raised, then it is a more effective means of communication and does not leave me looking to gain further information on the topic.

Article #1 was nowhere near perfect and was riddled with spelling, grammar, and formatting errors. The content of the article started off strong but quickly went downhill. The part about the death of the author’s father was unnecessary and did nothing to add to the point the author was trying to portray. This article raises a number of questions. First, how can someone who claims to “write for a living” produce something so full of errors? The author claims to have produced a variety of written documents including proposals, presentations, and sales letters. Even one small error in any of these types of documents instantly discredits the company they represent. I would be truly embarrassed to have an article like this published or even read by others.

Article #2 was not perfect either. After evaluating both articles with the scorecard I developed, I found “The value of an eduation* is in the process, not the paper” to be a better article. I must admit that I am hesitant to choose this article because it contains a MAJOR spelling mistake in the title. What makes this mistake even worse is that the word “education” is spelt wrong on an article that is written by an employee of the Okanagan College. While it may be a mistake on the part of the publisher and not the writer, it still makes the college look horrible. In fact, all I could think about the entire time I read the article was how bad of a mistake it was. Due to the fact that both articles have major flaws, I am hesitant to choose and support either one, however when evaluated with the scorecard approach, article #2 is clearly the better piece.