Goal: To make you aware of and reflect upon your current interaction with media.
Goal: To make you aware of and reflect upon your current interaction with media.
Select ONE day from the first week of the semester.
Create a detailed and easy-to-read media-use log that provides the following information for that day. Present that info in the 4 columns as shown in the model below. Scroll all the way down to see a shortened model of what your log must look like. Since this material must be a 4-column log, you can handwrite your log rather than type it if you want. If you do, you must take a photo of it and paste it into the file with your typed reflection. Whether typed or hand-written, your log needs to be easy to read, comprehensive, and follow the model.
To receive full marks for your log,you must have at least 8 entries
You must provide specific titles of TV shows. movies watched and videos games played. For shorter media texts like social media posts or songs, a general summary of the content is enough (see model for examples).Be sure to format all media titles properly (whether you type or hand write your log).
If you need help figuring out how to add your pic to your file, go here for tips.
Then, review your log and type a reflection with THREE paragraphs–one for each of the following tasks:Identify what the single most important media experience was to you, and explain why it was the most important. Push yourself to be introspective in discussing why it was so valuable.
Identify which media technology was the most important to you and explain why it was the most important to you
Reflect on specific ways your daily life would be different if that media technology (i.e., the specific technology you discussed in paragraph #2) didn’t exist. Again, push yourself to imagine an alternative universe where that technology never existed.
Before submitting your entry….Read the tips below, review the grading checklist, re-read your entry to ensure it fully satisfies ALL requirements.
For all entries this semester,check that it is double spaced
includes your name and Spring 2024 on the top,
follows all media title formatting rules.
For a reminder of all submission and formatting requirements, see the Submission Instructions section of the Media Diary page.
Upload by 11:59 pm Monday, 9/4.
Media Use Log Requirements
How to Succeed on This and All Remaining Entries
We use will use the following checklist to evaluate your entry. As you can see, it converts the requirements from the prompt into a list. If you want to earn the full 5 points, you need to satisfy EVERY requirement. Otherwise you will loose points. For a reminder of our grading system, go to the Media Diary page.
Tip 1: Look for the places where you can raise your bar for what you think it takes to satisfy a requirement fully. For example, you should ask yourself: “What can I do to show Dr. Becker that I made the effort to create a log that is easy to read and is a comprehensive summary of my day?” AND: “What does significant introspection look like? What level of introspection might Dr. Becker expect? How can I really show him that I took the time to ponder the topic?” AND: “Do I know what all of the submission requirements are for diary entries? Have I followed all of them?” (If you don’t, your entry will earn 0 points.) To review submission requirements, re-read the Media Diary page.
Tip 2: We will be using such checklists when grading all of your diary entries this semester. So when you read each weekly prompt, look for the elements that will be on our checklist and make sure you fully satisfy each. If a prompt tells you to do something or include something in your entry, it will be on our checklist. So read the prompts with care and follow the directions. Details matter.
Instructions: To submit your assignment, click on the Submit button on the right. Follow the prompts to upload your file. Make sure it is a .doc or .docx file.