Today in class I learned how much the Department of Communications is growing at BYU - Idaho. We have so many different emphasis and programs we can become involved in. In the four years that I have been at BYU - Idaho I have seen so much growth in the university. We also discussed in the importance of meeting with our faculty mentors. Our faculty mentors can really help us with both pre-grad and post-grad questions and concerns we have. They are a great tool to have at our disposal.
Week 2 (September 20): I~Comm Introduction / John Thompson
Today is class we had students from both I~Comm and The Scroll come and talked to us. The one big thing I learned is that I~Comm does not only do broadcasting, but are involved in video production, public relations and advertising. One thing that everyone stressed was the amount of experience you gain from both of these classes. I wish I would have known more about I~Comm before my last semester because I am really interested in gaining more real-life experience working with clients and I~Comm and The Scroll seem like they could definitely do that. Another thing I learned is that both programs are managed mostly by students, which I think would provide a great opportunity to apply the learning model and teach one another.
Week 3 (September 27): News / Journalism / Lane Williams
Week 3 (September 27): News / Journalism / Lane Williams
The main thing I learned in class today was that journalism connects us a human beings. It provides opportunities for unheard stories to be told and for issues to come into light. It also serves as a tool to regulate and watch government actions. Though newspaper revenues have decline substantially over the last few years, journalism is a function and will continue to serve its purpose through other mediums. In a world where opinions are valued over facts, blogs can be great tools. It is important to establish a web presence, and though the thought of creating your own content can be scaring, the advice I appreciated was to "jump in with both feet and share with others".
Week 4 (October 4): Video Production / Brian Howard / Ron Weekes
Week 4 (October 4): Video Production / Brian Howard / Ron Weekes
Today in class we learned about the various opportunities and careers you can have in video production and broadcast journalism. Important skills to have in both of these fields, and basically any communication field, is to be able to write well and have some experience with video. We also learned about the importance of having a good internship experience. Internships can create great opportunities to network. Take your internship seriously and build various skills to make yourself more diverse.
Week 5 (October 11): Academic Discovery Center / Tyler Christensen
Week 5 (October 11): Academic Discovery Center / Tyler Christensen
Today in class we learned more about the Career Advising Center. I learned that for the 2012 catalog year students do not need a minor or cluster. Something I like about clusters is that it gives you the opportunity to explore and try different things. BYU-Idaho makes it fairly easy for students to complete major petitions, create custom clusters, and fast-grad forms. By using the Grad Planner students can plan all remaining semesters and make sure they have taken, or at least plan to take all required courses for their major.
Week 6 (October 18): Public Relations / PRSSA / Mike Cannon
Today Mike Cannon came and talked to us about public relations. I learned that public relations is primarily the relationship between the public and a company/organization. It is important when working with the public that the relationship is developed on trust and loyalty. One thing I liked that Brother Cannon said was that public relations is Performance Recognition. In PR it is vital that your remember your audience and the power of messaging. Developed writing skills are important when sending messages so the public can see through all other communication clutter.
Week 7 (October 25): Visual Communications Emphasis / Caryn Esplin
Today we learned about visual communications. I learned that the growth and need for people with visual imaging/editing skills is increasing and in high demand. I also learned how beneficial using key words and SEO can be to help generate more results on search engines. Students graduating in Communications need a broader skill set and need to be efficient, skilled, and versatile. I wasn't aware that so many different types of jobs required visual communication professionals. Some I was surprised at were: press releases and youtube videos. Writing skills are still very important when studying visual communications because content is important.
Week 8 (November 1): Advertising / Jeff Hochstrasser
Advertising is about both advertisement and entertainment. Advertising is a "structured and composed non-personal communication of information". Social media outlets are a great way to advertise your product or service without having to buy media. A good example of this process is Pinterest. Advertisers need to have adequate writing skills (correct grammar and spelling), accept criticism, have a team mentality, and be confident without being arrogant. There are many opportunities to increase your advertising experience on campus, such as joining AAF, attending internship expeditions, and being involved in I~Comm.
Week 9 (November 8): Ethics / Plagiarism / Shane Cole
Today in class we discussed ethics and plagiarism. Ethics is knowing good from bad, whereas plagiarism is taking someone's thoughts as your own without giving acknowledgment. Copyrights for someone's fixed and tangible work lasts the life of the author, plus 70 years after their death. Fair use is the limited use of someone's work without having to get their consent. All of these concepts are beneficial to know as a Communication major because we will be asked to create written work in our jobs and can destroy our credibility through plagiarizing.
Week 10 (November 15): Internships / Sheila Wener
Today in class we discussed internships and its importance after graduating. Internships not only give you experience, but teach you how to be successful and validate if you have chosen the right career path. When planning for an internship there are four important steps: 1) Invite the Lord's help in this important search, 2) plan ahead carefully, 3) gather all possible necessary information, and 4) proper education preparation. There are multiple different resources students can access when searching for an internship or job. Some of these resources include: bulletin board, internship emails, career navigator, expeditions and fairs. Students should start looking for an internship two semester before and register before they start working.
Week 11 (November 22): Thanksgiving Holiday / No Classes
Week 12 (November 29): Getting There From Here / Lee Warnick
The main lesson of today's class was to get as many tools onto your belt as you can. It is important to have skills, experience and a good attitude to excel. Things we can do to get the extra edge in communication professions are:1) immerse yourself, 2) specialize, 3) technologize, 4) unite, 5) network, 6) world watch, 7) balance, 8) challenge, 9) create, and 10) brand. All of these can help set ourselves apart from the clutter.
Week 6 (October 18): Public Relations / PRSSA / Mike Cannon
Today Mike Cannon came and talked to us about public relations. I learned that public relations is primarily the relationship between the public and a company/organization. It is important when working with the public that the relationship is developed on trust and loyalty. One thing I liked that Brother Cannon said was that public relations is Performance Recognition. In PR it is vital that your remember your audience and the power of messaging. Developed writing skills are important when sending messages so the public can see through all other communication clutter.
Week 7 (October 25): Visual Communications Emphasis / Caryn Esplin
Today we learned about visual communications. I learned that the growth and need for people with visual imaging/editing skills is increasing and in high demand. I also learned how beneficial using key words and SEO can be to help generate more results on search engines. Students graduating in Communications need a broader skill set and need to be efficient, skilled, and versatile. I wasn't aware that so many different types of jobs required visual communication professionals. Some I was surprised at were: press releases and youtube videos. Writing skills are still very important when studying visual communications because content is important.
Week 8 (November 1): Advertising / Jeff Hochstrasser
Advertising is about both advertisement and entertainment. Advertising is a "structured and composed non-personal communication of information". Social media outlets are a great way to advertise your product or service without having to buy media. A good example of this process is Pinterest. Advertisers need to have adequate writing skills (correct grammar and spelling), accept criticism, have a team mentality, and be confident without being arrogant. There are many opportunities to increase your advertising experience on campus, such as joining AAF, attending internship expeditions, and being involved in I~Comm.
Week 9 (November 8): Ethics / Plagiarism / Shane Cole
Today in class we discussed ethics and plagiarism. Ethics is knowing good from bad, whereas plagiarism is taking someone's thoughts as your own without giving acknowledgment. Copyrights for someone's fixed and tangible work lasts the life of the author, plus 70 years after their death. Fair use is the limited use of someone's work without having to get their consent. All of these concepts are beneficial to know as a Communication major because we will be asked to create written work in our jobs and can destroy our credibility through plagiarizing.
Week 10 (November 15): Internships / Sheila Wener
Today in class we discussed internships and its importance after graduating. Internships not only give you experience, but teach you how to be successful and validate if you have chosen the right career path. When planning for an internship there are four important steps: 1) Invite the Lord's help in this important search, 2) plan ahead carefully, 3) gather all possible necessary information, and 4) proper education preparation. There are multiple different resources students can access when searching for an internship or job. Some of these resources include: bulletin board, internship emails, career navigator, expeditions and fairs. Students should start looking for an internship two semester before and register before they start working.
Week 11 (November 22): Thanksgiving Holiday / No Classes
Week 12 (November 29): Getting There From Here / Lee Warnick
The main lesson of today's class was to get as many tools onto your belt as you can. It is important to have skills, experience and a good attitude to excel. Things we can do to get the extra edge in communication professions are:1) immerse yourself, 2) specialize, 3) technologize, 4) unite, 5) network, 6) world watch, 7) balance, 8) challenge, 9) create, and 10) brand. All of these can help set ourselves apart from the clutter.
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