Interlachen Meeting- 1 hour

Wednesday October 27- Today I met with the Interlachen staff at 12 in the communications building. We discussed upcoming events and met a few new members. The meeting lasted about an hour.

Business Meeting and Interlachen Meeting- 3 hours

Tuesday October 19- Today I was in the Business and Economics Building from 11-1pm. I continued to formulate questions to interview the different professors in the department. We plan to ask each professor genereal questions about teaching, engaged learning, the business daprtment, and then questions pertaining to their specific concentration. This has taught me that you can't just interview someone right away. It takes careful planning and consideration so you know what to talk about and what questions will be interesting to an audience.

Wednesday October 20- Today I went to the Interlachen meeting for about an hour. We discussed upcoming events. I signed up to take pictures at the soccer game on Saturday.

Business Meeting and Ice Cream Social- 2 hours

Business and Economics Ice Cream Social Open House- Today I went with Lauren to photograph the open house in Rogers Auditorium. I planned on writing a story about the event, but there was not a turn out as big as expected. I made sure to take pictures of the staff and the business major volunteers. The event totaled 1 hour.

Business Meeting- My workstudy job is in the Business and Economics Building. Today I met with Lisa and Dr. Mike Tracy to discuss an upcoming project. They are planning make the department more digital. Theres going to be different videos made that include different clips and interviews with professors and students. I would be the anchor and do interviews. We discussed all of the plans and I came up with all of my interview questions. This totaled 1 hour.

Midterm

As cliché as this may sound coming from a communications major, the most important thing I have learned so far this semester is that communication is crucial. At the beginning of the school year, knew that being able to communicate with my peers and professors was going to be important. It wasn’t until I got some practical experience in my field that I realized just how vital communication really is.

I have of course learned other things too. Being a member of the Wellness TV staff has taught me a few of the things involved in being a part of a production crew. I have learned about some of the different elements that going into making a segment. For example, there can be main footage and then a b-roll on top of that. I have learned that while reporting on a topic for a segment, its best to get the opinions of both a professional and a participating bystander.  From being on the staff of the Interlachen, I have become familiar with new equipment and cameras. As a result of the ROTC shoot I worked on, I’m now able to arrange large groups in ways to be visually pleasing in pictures. I’ve also learned about some of the different techniques and rules used in a specific writing style. For example, abbreviations should not be used in the first reference to a group, organization or club.

All of these lessons that I have learned are important, but I would not have known any of them if they were not communicated with me. The most obvious means of communication is discussions at meetings. I have attended all of the Wellness TV and Interlachen meetings. Each one was productive because we were able to discuss upcoming events, projects and shoots. The sign-up sheets clearly communicate who is going to what event. The times, dates and locations are clearly stated. There is not any confusion as to what you need to be doing.

I learned that as a freshman, I need to communicate with the upper classman and the editors. They have experience and there’s a lot they can teach me.  I worked with Lauren, who taught me how to work the cameras on shoots. I received a quick workshop from Mandy who taught me a little about yearbook writing. I’ve listened to the way they speak to each other to become familiar with the different terms used.

Another big lesson I’ve learned so far this semester is to communicate when things are going wrong. Instead of worrying or trying to solve problems on my own, I’ve learned to trust the rest of the staff. For a Wellness TV episode, I was supposed to be a part of the healthy eating segment. When I was told that the schedule had to be arranged around the older students’ schedules because I didn’t know how to do anything yet, I thought that was true. As a result I could never help because I always had class or a previously scheduled Interlachen event.  It wasn’t until I talked to someone in charge and let her know what was going on that I was able to start participating. If I didn’t communicate with her, I still would not be involved.

During the remainder of the semester, I already have many shoots scheduled. I’ve been in contact with the leaders of Wellness TV to get information about future episodes. However, I know there is still so much for me to learn. I plan to work hard and gain all the knowledge and experience I can.

Interlachen Meeting- 45 minutes

Wednesday October 6- Today the staff of the Interlachen met for 45 minutes. We confirmed dates for upcoming events. I'm attending the Business and Economics Ice Cream Social tomorrow. I plan on taking pictures and writing a story about it. Then we recieved our press passes. We are now able to get into all of the school events easily.