Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Education and New Media
Monday, September 8, 2008
New Media, New World
Its a common theme that surrounds technological evolution. Technology is always out ahead of "infrastructure." For instance, pirating technology always finds a way to circumvent any system, but especially proprietary systems. Technology simply evolves too fast and creates a lag between new ways of doing things and old tried and true methods. In this case, faculty cannot adequately prepare students for today's media landscape because they gained all/most of the experience with the old system.
Jones' article provided a great solution to this burgeoning problem. The suggestion to invite local or regional media reps to campuses for annual meetings to take the pulse of the industry is really the best way to deal with this growing divide. Hiring more adjunct instructors who work in the industry is another good way to supplement these annual meetings. Media should attempt to act as R&D for the industry. What a waste to see all of this opportunity for evolving media go to the wayside. Schools should push the envelope instead of lagging behind.
The old media are slow to embrace New Media, but are slowly coming around. The situation is reminiscent of the Industrial Revolution.
Taylor's article no doubt speaks to almost everyone who chooses to major in any communication/media program. The courses simply aren't there, but its no all the fault of the institutions. It is alarming to know that even a prestigious school like NYU isn't even up to snuff when it comes to New Media.
I still have not caught the Twitter bug. Before reading the article on how news orgs are utilizing it I didn't see much practical use for it. Its definitely a great way to get up to date news. I'm glad to see the newspaper industry is beginning to experiment with these ideas and technologies.
For those majoring in communication/media related fields the writing is on the wall. Be ready for anything and everything. Having the most diverse skill set possible is the best route to take in today's rapidly evolving media world.
The following is an interesting video I found that deals with the information revolution and related topics. http://www.mixx.com/videos/2111138/doug_rushkoff_on_the_new_renaissance_there_is_no_personal_democracy
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
It's me! Cherie!
From Hi to Howdy
Currently, I work at the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung as the Sales Manager. And let me tell you selling newspaper in the digital age is skill not many people have or can even acquire. But overall it is a great community and a great place to raise a family. I have three year old son that seems to get smarter every day, and is an absolute thrill to watch grow and learn. I have a beautiful supporting wife of about 10 years that i am very happily unmarried to. Yes, unmarried - it's like unbirthday.
Well enough about me, this is part of class that i loathe the most. I mean, I see me all day every day (like any good happy hour) and to boast about who or what I am or have accomplished is not very humbling. So, I will start with being humble. I don't like to be the loudest person in the room, and am much more comfortable watching, listening and learning from every around me. Basically, I enjoy my grad classes because I believe everyone is else is much smarter than me and am truly amazed at the knowledge of my peers.
Hello Everyone
I work mornings managing a horse ranch's internet customers, creating tedious customer databases, cruising facebook for chicks ( joke), and lately playing this addicting game
I also work nights running a tutoring center at a local boarding school where I am in charge of the high school men.
I took Cindy's class in the Spring and I absolutely loved it so I am looking forward to another interesting semester.
I guess I will end this with some random factoids about myself:
- Played soccer my whole life but ended with an injury on the college team I went to play for.
- Born in New Orleans, grew up in Houston (My Dad is in the black gold industry, don't hate).
- Finished my undergrad at Texas State so went straight into the grad program upon graduation.
- Never challenge Adam Lee to a foot race.
- GO COWBOYS
- Rx Bandits will change your life (ask J.Zillion).
- Nicknames include Addy, Pono, Leester, and Pubert.
- Looking forward to getting to know all of you better this semester.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Last Semester!
Hey hey hey
Greetings.
Hey kids!
Max the Media Watch Dog
I have been referred to as Ms. Valderrama for the last few years while teaching high school speech classes. I hope to go by simply Stephanie now and to enjoy being a student. I also enjoy video editing the occasional wedding and spending time with my dog Max. You will probably see more pictures of Max in future projects.
Max is a crazy Jack Russell and is great for entertainment. My students at school heard a lot about Max which coincidently is a great way to get people to open up. Ask them about their favorite pet and see what kind of responses you receive. Better yet ask them to give a speech on caring for their pet and all of a sudden public speaking isn't that nerve racking.
I am really interested in learning Dreamweaver, Flash, and InDesign. My students frequently used iMovie to edit small news stories and I really hate it that the new iMovie isn't as user friendly as the older version. So this will be a great opportunity to learn the newer version of iMovie. This class covers so many programs that I am eager to learn I hope to utilize everything right away. We are going to have a great learning experience!
-Steph
A little bit about me
While I am not in class, I'm a GA for Kym Fox, so I teach two of her Intro to Mass Media Writing labs. In between that, I do coverage on the elections for MTV's Choose or Lose street team. You can see some of videos and blog posts here. This week I'm going to either Austin or San Antonio to cover McCain acceptance speech watch parties for them. If you can't tell already, I LOVE politics. My Twitter feed is dedicated to that (with the occasional blurb about myself) and I'm trying to develop a following. Feel free to add me if you haven't already while tracking Gustav. Somewhere in between that I sleep, take care of my two new miniature dachshund puppies and a fiancee.
When I grow up, I want to be a new media journalist. My background is in print, but I love this new era we are in and want to be a part of merging new technologies with solid journalism. Once my post with Choose or Lose is up after the elections, I want to start a political news blog aimed at college-aged people. I know what I learn in this class will help me immensely with that endeavor. One thing at a time though...
They Call Me J-Zillion
Actually no one calls me that...but I'm hoping it'll catch on. "They" really call me Jon Zmikly because that's my name.I recently found a neat service called Cha-Cha. You basically text any question to 424424 (C-H-A-C-H-A) and they'll answer it as best they can. Two days ago I asked them "Who is Jon Zmikly?" and here's what I got:
"Jon Zmikly is a grad assistant at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX."
So I guess that sums me up...at least that's probably what you'll find if you Google me. You may also find that I moved here from Michigan about a year ago, where I studied Broadcast and Cinematic Arts at Central Michigan University. I've had two internships at news stations, and I worked at an oldies radio station for about four months before moving here. I currently teach a lab of MC1313 Writing for the Mass Media, and I'm the executive producer of Bobcat Update and a student-run talk show called "To The Point."
I'm really excited for this class because I've always wanted to be web-savvy. I recently started to update my church's website, and I want to have a presentable resume website when this class is over. I am getting into the whole new media scene, and it's so interesting to see traditional media evolve into something completely new. It's definitely a good time to be in the business.
I have recently signed up for Twitter and Friendfeed. I have a del.icio.us site. I have a Facebook page, a LinkedIn profile and a Youtube account. I author a blog about my life and times in Texas, and I created a semi-professional website in Cindy's multimedia class last semester. I'm still learning what I can use each for and how they can help me communicate online, and so far most of them have proven extremely useful. I can't wait to make all the sites for this class and learn more about the trends of the industry.
Allow me to introduce...myself
The web allows me to pursue all of my various interests. I post videos on youtube, I blog at the illuminaughty , I read blogs, share articles and etc. on friendfeed, shop, and scour wikipedia just to name a few.
I am interested in furthering my knowledge of web design and expanding my abilities. Convergence culture is in its infancy and I want to be able to grow and expand with it.
Good morning!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Howdy!!!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hello All,
A little bit about me...

I am excited about learning web design and I hope that I can get all of my links to work (the Geek Squad would never hire me). I won’t be found on any social networking sites (sorry Jac) and I mainly use the Internet for checking my email. I understand the importance of the Internet; I just haven’t managed to fall crazy in love yet.
I would like to leave you all with the recipe for success according to Emerson, “ To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived”.
Introduction
I look forward to learning how to design websites this semester. I spend a lot of time on the internet, but I wouldn't consider myself necessarily 'tech savvy.' Sure, the basic things I understand, but I don't know how to design a website from scratch and I'm not familiar with the various web-designing programs that exist. I think the skills I'll gain from this course will be extremely valuable to me both on a personal as well as professional level.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Say Hello....old April Wine song
This marks my last semester at Texas State for the Mass Comm graduate program. The good news is I have also just applied for a Media Specialist job for Student Publications at Texas State.
Please, please for the love of god please join me on Facebook, I only need four more to reach 100. And if you really get bored you can go to YouTube and watch my videos. I'm especially happy with "Chicken Goes Boom Boom" and my cat has several videos posted there too. My channel is jacmalloy.
Before I get outta here tonight maybe I'll set up my linkedin page.
Introducing....Me

Hi everyone,
It's your instructor here. I know most of you, and heaven knows, there's lots about me online. I'm friends with many of you on a variety of social networks. Feel free to friend me on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, follow me on Twitter. And, if you didn't join WebPubNET last semester, you will have a chance to do that again this time. It's been very helpful in getting people connected when it comes to job hunting. And, it's just a good way to stay in touch.
I also have a delicious page, where I bookmark articles that I find to discuss in class. And, I started a tech blog at cindytech.wordpress.com . I also do a music blog at onthatnote.com and I started doing a newsletter for TX Music Magazine. No wonder I'm always on the computer.
I am the proud owner of a 3G iPhone, making me very obnoxious at parties and social events ("let me look that up"). In my spare time, I do research on social networking, so I can one day receive tenure and the resulting job security. I'm happy to have the opportunity to work at TX State teaching online skills and concepts. It is an exciting time to be in media. Looking forward to hearing from the rest of you about what's been going on and what you hope to learn this semester.
Please add links and images to your posts! The photo with this post was taken at SXSW this year, before the Web Awards. The grad student group blogged the event at sxtsu.blogspot.com . Pictured are Sunday Udoetok, Theresa Fore (neither of which are still in the program) and Jon Zmikly.
Cindy
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thanks from India
Saturday, April 12, 2008
International Dialogue
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Retooled or I realized too late we did not have a blog due... enjoy.
I liked how the Web Theory Ch. 7 presented the issue as
“The debate then, should be framed not as creators versus the public, but as copyright holders versus the public.”
The text asserts that “the time is ripe for old notions and institutions to be re-examined and re-evaluated, and then to be retooled to better serve people”. Another way of saying this would be “new media warrants new police”.
I do agree that copyright policy needs retooling (every time I read “retooled” I thought of several appropriate Metalica jokes).
I enjoyed Lessig’s ideas on the use of the law in regards to cyber property. “From the point of view of the state, we need law only when the other three modalities leave property vulnerable. From the point of view of the citizen, real-space code (such as locks) is needed when laws
and norms alone do not protect enough. Understanding how property is protected means understanding how these different protections work together.”
I think to this point, entirely too much responsibility for property has been placed on the law.
I agree with Lessig in his article “How I Lost the Big One” when he states that “The real harm is to the works that are not famous, not commercially exploited, and no longer available as a result.” I have never really thought about this before, but that is a very sad thought that some works without commercial value, although still valuable in other ways, may be lost. I wonder if there is any hope for these works found in the longtail theory.
This is what I got out of “How I Learned to Love Larry”…
This
should be ok.
In my opinion, as far as the law goes, yes. As for taste, no.
(btw, I went to school with the “troll” playing “bass”)




















