Studying Abroad and New Technology

            In Adrian’s lecture about the relationship between studying abroad and new technology was very interesting because I never thought of how having all this new technology to communicate with could affect the experience of studying abroad. About twenty years ago when you were studying in a different country, you couldn’t communicate with family and friends as easily as we can now.

            Thinking about it, I know I wouldn’t be able to last more than a day without communicating to a friend or family member if I was so far away let alone multiple weeks or months abroad. Having access to a phone, texting, internet, email, Facebook, and Skype make it one hundred times easier to communicate with anyone in any part of the world.

            Adrian mentions how this new technology has affected the culture shock that we usually experience after being in a different country and culture for many months. New media has made that shock not as severe for people now days who go study abroad. I believe that all of this new technology and media hinders people from getting the full experience of being away and trying to learn about a different culture and how to fit in.

With the technology we have now, being in a different country doesn’t feel as scary. You have GPS that can help you get anywhere, translation applications to help you communicate with people who speak a different language and other things of that sort. You don’t get to experience it the old fashion way which is probably the best way of getting to really know and see a different country. You almost need that culture shock to get to the mastery level. Staying in the honeymoon level doesn’t let you learn anything.

            After listening to Adrian’s lecture, I definitely think I will try not to use my phone, internet, Skype or any other kind of communication devices if I ever study abroad. Living the whole experience of being in a different country and interacting with a different culture would definitely be more amazing without the reliance on technology as much. 

Storytelling

            In Professor Barnhurst’s lecture he discusses storytelling and explains the stories have many specific parts to it. I never thought of storytelling having so many different aspects to it and I never thought of it that way until I saw his lecture. It’s very interesting to see how we all tell stories in a similar way to each other and we use the same steps to do so.

            At the beginning of Professor Barnhurst’s lecture, he has all the students speed narrate and tell a recent story about something they really care about to one other person. After that, he had them go into a group of four to look at each others notes and analyze them. He wanted them to figure out if there was a pattern and similarities between all four stories. This introduced the students to different parts of telling stories to other people.

            He then goes on explaining how everyone becomes a narrator when they tell a story and when anyone does, they always announce that they are going to tell a story. They might perhaps say something like “Oh that reminds of…” or “I’m mad because…” That clue, which is called the abstract, lets your listeners know that you are about to tell a story. The setting is the part of storytelling. The setting takes your listener somewhere and the location of your story. It gives them a picture in their head of where you were, who was there, what you were doing, and so on.

Next is the complicating action “And then” or “You won’t believe what happened next”. After that comes the response and the resolution of the story. He continues on with interpretation which is everywhere. Right from the beginning of the story everyone knows and has an idea of what kind of story it’s going to be through their verbal, non-verbal, intentional and unintentional cues. The tone of their voice or the face expression they make help us know whether it is going to be a story about work, school, a secret or private story.

The way we begin a story will always let the listener know what the story is going to be about and lets them determine whether or not they are going to be interested in listening to your story. That’s why framing is important. The first word or sentence that comes out of your mouth should catch the person’s attention. Now when I tell a story, I will be more aware of how I tell it and how I can keep someone interested in what I have to say. 

Communication and the Internet

            In Dr. Steve Jones’s lecture on Communication and the Internet he explains how communication technology has changed dramatically and it has continued to change even more rapidly in the last couple of years. The technology they had back in the day was much more expensive than it is now. He mentions how his first MP3 player which held around a dozen songs was two hundred and thirty dollars and now you can you can buy a 1GB MP3 player for five dollars.

            The evolution of how we receive information has advanced from the industrial age to the information age. During the industrial age, information was very limited, costly, and institutionally oriented. Now, information is easily accessible, cheap, and is used for personal use. People in our generation are always using the internet for mostly everything. With the internet, we have access to almost anything. Having internet gives us more time in our day to do other things but in our generation, we use it to play games or go on Facebook.

Back in 2000 adults didn’t use the internet as much, have broadband at home, have wireless internet connection, or fast mobile connections like we do now in the present. We have so much media now then we don’t know what to do with. We have choices between listening to the news or weather forecast on the television, radio, newspaper, on our phones, or on the internet. But as technology grows, mass mediums like newspapers, radio, and TV are affected. It also affects the different aspects of communication between human beings; interpersonal, intercultural, interviewing, small-group, public, and organizational communication.  People are starting to communicate with each through emails, texts, phone calls, and through video chat more and more. You no longer have to travel to another state or country to see and talk to family member or friends. You can stay in contact with them and see them through video chat. You can make videos and send them or post them online for anyone to see so that they can be part of an exciting moment in your life.

Through internet, we are now able to see videos, music videos, and movies from websites like YouTube and Hulu for free. You can download and buy music, albums, music videos and movies in a matter of seconds with just a click of a button and you don’t even have to go to the store. Video stores have gone out of business because of websites like Netflix, an on-demand internet streaming media where you can watch TV shows and movies and they can send you DVD’s for a low flat rate. Sooner or later I believe we won’t even use DVD’s.

Towards the end of Dr. Jones lecture, he asks the class if anyone has ever tried going a day without a phone or using the internet. We would feel lost and we would not know what to do with ourselves. We rely so much on our phones and internet and we are so use to always having a phone and access to the internet that we don’t know what else to do with our time. It is kind of sad when you think about it. I feel lost and feel naked when I don’t have my phone for just one day. I use it to text, talk, to schedule, to remind me of things, for the internet, Facebook, email, and a lot of other things. It keeps my life together, organize, and it keeps me occupied throughout the day. And I know that it is the same for a lot of other people of my generation and it will be the same and perhaps even worse for generations to come. 

Christina G.

      In Professor Andrew Rojecki lecture on The Tea Party and the Politics of Insecurity he brings up many different topics about political communication, globalization issues and insecurity, media, and movements. I took interest in this video because I am one of those people who just simply do not care for politics. I don't follow it nor do I watch or read the news. I don't really know much about politics and like Professor Rojecki mentions in the lecture, trying to keep up with it will just cause anxiety and frustrate me. In our generation we have so many other things to occupy us like new and advance technology and nothing forces us to pay attention to news. We have so many channels on the television and radio to pick from that we avoid the news channels because they bore us and we have no interest in it. As we go about living our lives, we hear about the news from other people in their opinion and we don’t see it in any other way. We should all have our own individual opinion about what goes on in the world but even through news channels on the radio and television, we have to rely on what they say. There is a disconnection between the economy and politics that it becomes dysfunctional and we become insecure.

          At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Rojecki asks whether we think politics and finding a job have some kind of connection with each other. I most definitely believe that there is a connection between the two because we rely on the U.S to be able to provide jobs for us. Although at the time I do have a job and it wasn’t hard for me to find a good paying job, there are many people out there who have not been as lucky as me. And I know that one day when I have to find a real career job; I will probably struggle to find one. Because of globalization, most of our jobs have been taken overseas to other countries like China and India where it is cheaper to make things since they pay their workers very little money and make more profit out of the products they make and sell in the U.S. This has made other countries richer over the years and it is affecting us.