My Last Blog Post for Publications…

By Makenna Rogers in Assignment 4, Blog post 3 of 3, Class Reflection, JMC 3343

…well kind of…I still have to do my extra credit blog posts tonight!!

Overall, I am kind of sad to be leaving this class. I feel like I have learned so many valuable skills, yet there is still so much I do not know. The time that I have spent in this class I have learned so many practical skills for not only PR practitioners, but also just people in general. Learning how to use what I consider some of the most intimidating software was challenging yet fun for me. Although I got extremely frustrated at times I can reflect and see that 1. I did learn something and 2. Hard work really does pay off.

I actually thought I was going to hate this class in the beginning. I knew I was not a creative person and that I struggled with Photoshop and Indesign. The first day, as well as the first actual assignment, was definitely a little intimidating to me. Once I got into the swing of things; however, I was no longer intimidated by the amount of creativity I was given – I was looking forward to it.

I think the hardest part of the class for me was our workdays in he computer lab. For some reason, I can never focus or be productive in those settings. It happened to me in Writing for the Mass Media as well. My brain just does not function in those types of settings. I usually spent the class time drawing out my ideas or looking up ideas/ information on the Internet that way I did not waste an hour of my day. This actually ended up paying off in the end because when I would actually sit down to work I already knew kind of what I wanted to do and I cut my production time in half.

Although I do not wish every course I had were in the same setting of a computer lab, I do wish they were all hands on like this one was. I have discovered I learn best when I am learning practical skills and when I can practice them and try them out. I think I learn and retain the most in this kind of setting because I do not spend my time cramming for tests I will forget the information on. I am learning how to actually do something.

Another aspect of the class I really enjoyed was our blogs. I have been saying for a year now that I am going to start blogging. Now that I can’t make excuses I can finally do something I have wanted to do for ages. I have not decided what I am going to turn my blog into subject wise, but I do plan to continue using it.

Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about this class. I feel like I learned everything I was suppose to, which is nice. I also believe I will be able to use this knowledge for years to come no matter what my profession.

Originally posted at OU Public Relations Publications

The Life of a Sooner Scandals Chair (Freestyle Post)

By Makenna Rogers in Assignment 4, Blog post 2 of 3, Freestyle Post, JMC 3343

Recently, I was selected as the new chair for Campus Activities Council Sooner Scandals 2015. For those of you who don’t know Sooner Scandals, or Scandals for short, is one of the oldest most beloved traditions on campus. Scandals is a production where six acts perform 12 minute Broadway style musicals to a theme selected by the chair and executive committee. The acts compete for awards and bragging rights for the rest of the year. This past yeas Scandals theme was “And so it was said.” This theme required acts to base their stories off of famous quotes or words of wisdom.

Before you can understand why I am so excited about my new position, I should probably explain my history with Scandals. Sooner Scandals was the first event I was a part of when I came to OU. I fell in love from the moment I joined the executive committee my freshman year. I have been on Scandals exec for the past 3 years. My first year, I was on the sponsorship team so I raised money for the event. My sophomore year, I was a technical director and was responsible for the technical part of backstage during the shows. This year I was a Vice Chair where I served as the Assistant to the Chair. Being a member of exec that first year is what gave me the confidence to apply for other positions on campus and take on more leadership roles. You see, my “college experience” started with Scandals and I am so glad it is going to end with it.

As the new Scandals chair, I have already started working on next years production. My Vice Chair applications closed today, and I will pick four of the applicants to become Vice Chairs before school is out. I have also set up exit interviews with show directors. We are making a lot of changes this year with Scandals so I wanted to get the director’s opinions on what they liked and did not like about Scandals this year. So far the meetings have been extremely productive. I have also had meetings with the Student Life Advisors and other event chairs. I am also supposed to be studying for finals…but that is way less fun then planning Scandals!

This summer I will make my budget for the year, reserve classrooms, plan out the executive committee, begin think of themes, and much more with my Vice Chairs. Once we get back to school in the fall, it will be time to select our executive committee members and begin the process that is Sooner Scandals!!

If you want to follow my journey, you can keep up with everything Scandals related on this site on my blog.

In honor of Scandals 2014, I have also added a picture of my best friend and I at this years show. He performed in his fraternities show 1789.

 

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Originally posted at OU Public Relations Publications

Assignment 5: A Night to Remember

By Makenna Rogers in "Assignment 5", Assignment 4, Blog post 1 of 3, JMC 3343

For this blog post our instructor asked us to make up an assignment for the class. We had total creative freedom. The assignment I created is below. Let me know what you think!

 

Assignment 5: A Night to Remember

Due Thursday May 1, 2014

Scope:

Create a “special event’s” print and web publications. The event can be a wedding, a shower, a banquet, a gala, etc. The list of items for the event includes: invitations (both print and electronic), a program for the night of, a graphic to change social media profile pictures, a Twitter account for the event ran by you with an official hashtag and 5 Tweets posted on the account (2 leading up to the event, 2 at the event, and 1 after it is over), and a premade email to all guest reminding them of the event.

Blog Post:

Students will also write a 250 word reflection blog post for the assignment.

Did you struggle with any section of this assignment? What did you like? Dislike? What did you learn from this assignment?

Hints:

  • Pick an event or an organization planning the event that you are familiar with.
  • Invitations should be 4 in. x 6 in.
  • Programs can be as small as 4 in. x 6 in. or as large as 8 in. x 11 in.
  • Graphic should be minimum 180×180 pixels

Grading:

100 total points: You will be graded per publication (20 points each)

Rating: 3

Originally posted at OU Public Relations Publications

Wrapping Up PR Pubs

By Megan Young in Assignment 4, Assignments, JMC 3433

Wow, this semester has flown by so fast! I can’t believe we’re finishing up our final project of the year. Well, first of all I have learned so much in this class over the course of the semester. I definitely enjoyed working in a lab-intensive environment on all of these projects and having the opportunity to learn about InDesign and Photoshop. Personally, I feel accomplished knowing more about these two program. I hope to learn more about these two programs, and I hope I have the chance to work with them at my internship or job in the future. I think these specific technology skills are important to know, especially in the public relations field, because although PR mainly consists of writing, PR practitioners should be able to create visuals for their clients as well. My favorite part of this class was being able to work on these InDesign and Photoshop because I like creating different projects and learning new skills on the programs.

Throughout this course, we also had a writing component on our blogs about the book we read at the beginning of the semester as well as describing how we went about making our projects. Personally, I did not think it was too hard to write to a public audience because of my past experiences. During my freshman year of college, I wrote blogs for OU for their prospective student blog site. In addition, while I was studying abroad in Seville, Spain, I wrote a blog for family and friends to keep up with my trip. So I enjoyed writing for a public audience, and I look forward to continue writing on this blog after PR Pubs ends.

Truly, I wish every PR class could be like this class because I enjoyed coming to class every Tuesday and Thursday! Personally, I  believe that students should have to take PR Pubs before PR Writing because then students can utilize their skills on InDesign and Photoshop on their projects in PR Writing. For my PR Writing class, we had to create a portfolio, with writing and visuals. However, I made all of my visuals on Microsoft Word. Although they ended up looking pretty good, I think it would have looked much better if I had known how to create them on InDesign or Photoshop.

Overall, I would say that this is one of the best PR classes in Gaylord. Although the class could be tough sometimes with making sure to have enough time to complete projects or not knowing how to do something on InDesign or Photoshop, I really enjoyed everything I learned throughout this class. Sometimes I feel like certain classes I take not meaningful and will not help me throughout my life. However, this course is the exact opposite. PR Pubs made me excited to work at an internship or job in the PR field, and I’m looking forward to utilizing all my new skills developed from this class in the future!

Originally posted at Megan Young - Gaylord Student

What Makes Me Smile

By Megan Young in Assignment 4, Assignments, JMC 3433

Throughout my college career so far, I have learned some of my passions in life. Although I thought I knew most of the things that make me happy, I have discovered two activities that truly make me smile: community service and studying abroad.

When I first came to OU, I had no idea about what activities to participate in, except for events going on within my sorority. I looked around for the first few months and couldn’t figure out what my niche could be at this school. In high school, I loved going to community service events, and on mission trips with my church. However, during my first year at OU, I couldn’t find community service events that I loved. I wanted to be involved with an organization who loved to help others in need. That’s when I discovered Soonerthon.

In March 2012, I participated in my first OU Dance Marathon, which is now called Soonerthon. I had no clue what to expect at this event, and only knew it was OU’s biggest philanthropy which raised money “For The Kids,” or (FTK). I arrived on the morning of Soonerthon with excitement in my heart and a motivation to stand for 12 hours all for the kids. With my sorority sisters by my side, we danced the day away and played with some of the sweetest and amazing kids you would ever meet. By the end of the night, I will never forget how much body, specifically my feet, ached with pain. However, when the Soonerthon chairs revealed the final total of over $100,000, the pain suddenly went away. I looked at my best friend and immediately began to weep. I couldn’t believe how much we had raised for these deserving children. That’s when it hit me: I wanted to become apart of this organization.

During the fall of my sophomore year, I applied, interviewed, and received a position on the Operations Staff of the new and improved Soonerthon. I couldn’t wait to get started and work with other people who loved this philanthropy as much as I do. After an entire year of planning and getting ready for March, Soonerthon 2013 was finally here. Once again at the final reveal, I was bawling over our final total of $196,034 all FTK. This year, I had the opportunity to serve on the Recruitment Committee of Soonerthon and once again had the experience of a life time. Since this was my second year of being apart of the giant Soonerthon family, I truly soaked up every ounce of it and when it came to final reveal, I couldn’t believe what I saw. We had raised $318,711.14. My heart overflowed with emotion. That’s when I truly felt like I found my home on campus, with these people raising all of this money FTK. Soonerthon has inspired me and my dreams in the future. I hope to either intern or work for Children’s Miracle Network or Hospitals in the PR department.

The other activity that I truly love is studying abroad. Before college, I had only traveled out of the country to Mexico and Costa Rica. I had never been to Europe, but I had a passion to go and experience the different cultures. However, during my sophomore year I received the opportunity to study abroad in Seville, Spain. My best friend and I decided to take a chance and go with students from different universities throughout the country to study Spanish in Spain. I was worried about so many things before going abroad, such as traveling to Europe with only my best friend or being pick-pocketed in the streets of Spain. In addition, my family had just decided to sell my childhood home and move into a condo a few blocks away. However, the excitement to study abroad conquered my fears and I forgot about everything I was worrying about.

After months of anticipation for this trip, we finally traveled to Seville at the end of last May. Although I had been away from my family for a month before, this was a new experience for me being over seas, and I felt bad not being there to help my family move. However, when we arrived in Spain, my whole world changed. People always tell you that you’re going to feel homesick and experience culture shock, but I was the exact opposite. Living and studying abroad in Seville made me never want to go home. I wanted to stay there forever, and keep living the relaxing, Spanish style of life. A few days before I came home, my mom even asked me if I was still coming back or staying there forever. After being back in the U.S. for a few weeks, I realized I had adjusted my lifestyle to some of the Spanish traditions. I learned so much about Spanish culture, life, and traditions while in Spain as well as discovered my passion for studying abroad. I also made life long friends through this activity, and will never forget the memories I made.

As a result of this trip, I decided to pursue this new love of mine, and thus became an alumni ambassador for my study abroad company. After learning about the other programs the company offered, I decided to study abroad again this upcoming summer in Dublin, Ireland with another best friend of mine. I look forward to learning about a new culture and once again, taking part in one of my passions.

Through both of these activities, I feel like I have found my place here on campus. Studying abroad and community service have become a part of my life that I continue to cherish every day. Without these opportunities, I would probably still be walking around OU’s campus without a clue of what I was interested in. I’m thankful for these opportunities, and hope to continue traveling abroad and volunteering at philanthropies after college. These activities will always be important to me because I’ve truly discovered two things that make me smile.

 

Originally posted at Megan Young - Gaylord Student

Intriguing Infographics

By Megan Young in Assignment 4, Assignments, JMC 3433

For assignment 5, students will design two infographics for an organization of their choice. Students should create these infographics with the help of InDesign and/or Photoshop. The infographics will be graded on specific aspects of the images, such as:

• color
• design
• creativity
• use of art
• no clutter
• layout
• clearly ties to the organization

When choosing an organization for this assignment, students should consider creating these for an organization they work with or are interested in working for in the future. Selecting an organization should be the first step the student takes in creating this project. It is also a good idea for students to consider choosing an organization that they have a relationship with, if they are in need of assistance or information from the organization. If students choose an organization that already has infographics made, then redesign these and develop your own style through these new infographics. I suggest using Pinterest as a source for ideas and look around for other organizations’ infographics on the Internet.

- Document Specifications:

Students should design each infographic to be smaller than 700 px wide and saved as a .png.

Make sure to upload both of the infographics on D2L to be graded when done with the assignment.

- Grading:

Design (80 points – 40 points for each infographic) Demonstrates proficiency in creating, design clearly ties to organization, not cluttered, color, creativity, use of art, layout, alignment, and contrast.

Self Reflection Blog Post (20 points) Explains how each infographic ties to the organization, who would be interested in these images, and how the student used design concepts to create each infographic. In addition, the student needs to explain to the audience how they designed this and what ideas helped create these graphics. Walk them through your ideas.  Also answer the questions of: What did you learn? What was difficult on this project? What was different about this project compared to the other assignments? Also, make sure to embed the infographics into the blog post to show the audience what you made.

Difficulty Level: I would rank this project with 3 stars because I think it takes time to make good and informative infographics. This should not be a fast project for the students to complete. They need to take the time to think about what organization they want their infographics to be for and how they want to design these images. I would allow the students about 2 and a half weeks to work on this assignment. Also, I would assign this in probably the middle of the semester to allow students time to understand InDesign and/or Photoshop so they can make impressive and intriguing infographics.

 

 

 

 

Originally posted at Megan Young - Gaylord Student