Ian's+weekly+journal

Ian's Home Page

//__Please answer these three questions each time you make a journal entry.__//

1.How well are things going with your Senior Project?
 * Falling behind schedule
 * Having some trouble with certain pieces
 * Making Great Progress
 * Moving Along Fine
 * Stuck and need help

2.What do you need help with

3.Journal below about the progress you are making on any aspect of your Senior Project: lessons learned, information obtained, contacts with mentors or advisors, etc.. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Mar 5 I can't wait to hear how the trip goes. Hope you get some info or are able to contact George Washington University while you're there. Mrs. Melin

Mar, 5, 2010 This week, I finalized my travel plans. I contacted my relatives via phone and confirmed that they will be availble to provide transportation as needed during my second week in DC. I also received my final iteneray from American University. It involves tours of several communications facilities, as well as general campus information sessions. As my flight leaves this Saturday, I will not be able to journal for the next few weeks. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx Feb, 27, 2010 This week, I kept in contact with my relatives on the status of my trip, making sure they are aware of my plans and able to plan accordingly. I also purchased clothing and other item that I will require. I am awaiting finalized schedules from American and George Washington Universities for my visits. Once I receive these, I will inform my relatives so we can make arrangements for transportation to and from the universities to my relative’s residence. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Feb 19, 2010 This week on my senior project, I correpsonded with Jennifer of the American University Day Visits staff. She is arranging an itenerary for me to tour various communications facilites all day March 15 and possibly March 16. I have also contacted Jeff Slater, a professor at American U who was a childhood friend of my father's. Once I recieve my day visit schedule, I will arrange a day to meet with him to discuss any lingering questions I have about the university. I have also arranged to tour George Washington University on March 17, and have emailed admissions personal requesting arrangements for a personalized trip to GW communications facilities. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Feb 12, 2010 This past week on my senior project, I made great progress towards my trip to Washington DC. I corresponded with the Program Director of the United States Senate Youth Program and gained her approval to remain in Washington DC after my time with the Senate Youth Program is complete. I purchased round-trip airline tickets for my travel, allowing me to leave for Washington on March 6, participate in the Senate Youth Program until March 13, and work on my senior project until March 20. I also completed a Purchase Order for these tickets. Additionally, I contacted my aunt and uncle and updated them on the status of my project. They reiterated their willingness to host me for a week and their excitement at seeing me. In the past few weeks, I also revised my grant application, changing my physical project from a power point presentation to a journal, and incorporating visits to George Washington University in addition to American University into my project proposal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Feb 8, 2010 Here are some follow up thoughts to our discussion last week...First, did you resubmit the grant application to Ms. Knight? I did not find it in the SLC box on Friday afternoon when I checked it. I would like to get the plane ticket booked ASAP so you can feel confident in your plans and can relay that information to your Youth Senate advisor. Speaking of which, I emailed him last week and am waiting for a response; the jist of it being that you're working on a senior project and will require an extended stay and you'll have the required info to them that they need to turn you over to your relatives. Along the line of mentor, what are some of your ideas? Remember it needs to be someone who can see your project through various stages of completion. Since you are looking at "journal as a product" as an option, along with an article to the paper some logical connections I see are your relatives as a mentor or maybe Christine. Through either option I see there being value in discussing what you have experienced from each university and sharing with them the pros and cons of each! If you have other ideas for mentors too, you might discuss the options with Ms Knight in your advisor conference this week or bring ideas when you come to book your flight and we'll discuss it then too! Don't forget to make contact with other universities in the area to set up some tours there as well this week. Mrs. Melin

Jan 31, 2010 Last week, I met with the Senior Project Advisory Committee regarding my grant application. They recomended several changes to the body of the grant, which I will abe dding when I resubmit the application this week. I will be in contact with the cordinators for the Senate Youth Program to cordinate flight arrangements. I just received an email saying that my travel arrangments for the Senaate Youth Program will be in the mail the second week of February, so I am waiting to recieve that information before contacting members of the program regarding possibly delaying my return flight to accomodate the senior project. I could use some clarification as to what your expectations are regarding the project component. Can you give me some examples of suitable "projects" that would meet the requirements. My assumption has been that the undertaking of this trip fullfilled the project component. Do I need to produce a physical product in addition to the completion of my trip to fullfill all the requirments of this process? What specifically are you looking for? My mentor status is in limbo since my project has changed. I've got a few names in mind who might be willing to serve as my mentor, looking at this project as a college preperation trip. I will send out some emails this week and see what kind of responce I get. I've got a poster completed, but I've been having trouble opening it on this laptop. I'll keep working on it and get it to you soon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Jan 31, 2010 Ian, hopefully we can get some things settled for you this week once you resubmit the grant application. I will also contact your chaperone for the group you are flying out with to confirm ticket arrangements made there also. One thing I'd like you to think about as you prepare for your trip and are gathering information while there, what will the format for your project be? Ms. Knight said you are thinking about a power point, but I'd like to challenge you to really put your creative genius to work for this and make it truly something worthy of your time. Remember that during the presentation you are not just showing a power point to the judges and calling that the project and presentation. The other thing you still haven't confirmed is the mentor piece. I am curious what options you are looking at there since your plans have changed since you were looking at public radio (for example). If you want to spend some time brainstorming ideas, I'm available 1st and 5th hours and SLC during the day, or after school (but I know you have lights on). Another way to network since time is limited is through this site. I'll check back to see if you have sent out an SOS with ideas from your end this week (or drop in and tell me to check out your thoughts if you put some on and I don't catch it right away). You also need to get your locker poster revised and up on the wall and revised on the web site since the direction has changed. We will be having advisor meetings next week so try to have something to approve by then. Hang in there! Mrs. Melin

1/22/10 This week, I continued to plan for my trip to American University. I gathered contact information for a general campus visit, and sent a copy of my grant application to my relatives to keep them up to date as to my progress. At the moment, I am waiting for confirmation of funding before taking any more definitive steps toward the completion of my project.

1/21/10 Ian, I'm glad to see you making some plans toward your trip. We would like to meet next week in SLC to go over the grant applications with everyone who submitted them (probably Tuesday) so that you can make more arrangements and define your project more firmly. Please add the date to your journal entries and post them below the XXXX line so you will be able to see the reference questions when you journal. Looking forward to meeting! Mrs. Melin

This week, I focused on completing my grant application for my senior project. Since I was awarded a week-long trip to Washington DC through the Senate Youth Program the week before spring break, I have arranged to remain in Washington to visit American University, incorporating my senior project into the previous trip. Since my last journal, I have begun organizing the logistics of my trip to American University. I have been in contact with Jill Swiatowy, the senior advisor of Undergraduate recruitment and retention for the School of Communications at American University. She has referred me to the Undergraduate Admissions office to schedule a day visit at the school, and has offered to arrange a specialized tour of the communications facilities once I have confirmed that I will have funding for my trip. Additionally, I have emailed my aunt and uncle who live in the Washington area, and they have agreed to allow me to stay with them for the five days which I will be in Washington DC.

11/13/09 This week on my senior project, I focused on compiling research from a variety of sources. I completed source cards, and have begun drafting my paper. I am spending a considerable amount of time watching “News Wars” a 2007 PBS Frontline documentary which focuses on examining the status of American journalism. The interviews and commentary the series presents are extremely informative. Additionally, I have begun corresponding with admissions officials at American University to begin arranging a campus visit. Ian HitchcockFriday, October 30, 2009 1.How well are things going with your Senior Project? 2.What do you need help with 3.Journal below about the progress you are making on any aspect of your Senior Project: lessons learned, information obtained, contacts with mentors or advisors, etc.. As of Friday, October 30, I have yet to receive a response from journalist Eric Slater, the journalist who Mr. Hibbert recommended to serve as my project mentor. Should I not receive a response from Mr. Slater by Monday of next week, I will contact Wyofile journalists ** Rone Tempest, Laton McCartney, Anne MacKinnon, Geoffrey O’Gara, and/or Samuel Western with requests for one of these journalists to serve as my senior project mentor. In conducting research, I came across Wyofile, a website whose stated mission is to provide in depth online coverage of issues of importance to **** Wyoming ****. I plan to explore this website and observe one manifestation of online journalism in a seemingly unlikely location. **
 * Comment by Tina Melin (Advisor) 11/02/2009 2:52 AM I visited with your dad at conferences and he said you had a local line on a journalist that sounded promissing; was that one of the ones you have stated above? It also sounds like maybe we need to sit down as a group this week and discuss your project some more and make sure its still the format that you are interested in following for your project or if you have other ideas besides blogs at this point. Ms Knight also sounded interested in discussing other options with you, so if you can meet on Mon in SLC lets try to work some of this out and see where you're at and what you need help with to keep moving. Mrs. Melin
 * Having some trouble with certain pieces

I have begun following the blog of journalism student Austin Bock, in an attempt to observe the opportunities that online blogs offer.


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Comments Ian HitchcockFriday, October 23, 2009 1.How well are things going with your Senior Project? 2.What do you need help with 3.Journal below about the progress you are making on any aspect of your Senior Project: lessons learned, information obtained, contacts with mentors or advisors, etc.. This week, I began contacting potential mentors. I asked Mr. Hibbert to contact a friend of his, Eric Slater, a former reporter for the LA times. He informed me that he would inform me of a response this weekend. Should Mr. Slater be unable to serve as my mentor, I will pursue other avenues to find a mentor. I contacted various colleges inquiring as to the possibility of visiting their journalism program, but was unable to determine a specific time to visit before grant applications were due. As such, unless another round of grant money is issued at a later date, any form of travel will not be possible at this time.
 * Moving Along Fine


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Comments Ian HitchcockFriday, October 16, 2009 > *At this point you should have 2 green check marks by the components Letter of Intent and Sign of Committment on your home page. If you don't see 2 green check marks, click on the links for those components and see what you need to do next to complete them. If there is nothing else to do once you check for notes there, see me this week to help you get these components completed. Mrs. Melin 1.How well are things going with your Senior Project? 2.What do you need help withGathering local resources for poetential journalism mentors. 3.Journal below about the progress you are making on any aspect of your Senior Project: lessons learned, information obtained, contacts with mentors or advisors, etc.. This week on my senior project, I have begun gathering information on journalism professors at colleges which I plan to apply to in order to communicate with them at a later date. I have also continued my research on my subject. This week a came across a blog entitled media shift, which serves as PBS's self proclaimed "guide to the digital media revolution". One post entitled "10 Reasons There’s a Bright Future for Journalism" was particularly interesting. the author made the case that the internet allows for greater accessibility to journalism, gives each individual the opportunity to voice their opinions, gives amateur journalists the chance to collaborate and correspond with professionals, helps "fact check" professional stories, provides follow-up on stories that are often left uninvestigated in traditional means, and increases transparency by allowing journalists to explain their personal biases. While I find this article interesting in extolling the benefits of online media, it does little to address the concern that fewer and fewer journalists are being paid to create content. My concern is that this makes it impossible for people to make a career out of in depth investigative reporting, instead relegating it to a hobby of the politically inclined. However, I am encouraged to see potential benefits to the online revolution on the industry at large.
 * Comment by Tina Melin (Advisor) 10/19/2009 1:51 AM A couple of notes to you...Looks like some exciting research as you are diving in to the project! I have your typed reflection paper, so don't worry about the reflection #1 with your journal entries for last week-you have a grade for it. As you have been looking at the blogs are you getting some ideas for your own project blog? As facinating as this project is, remember you only need to complete 15 hours minimum, so leave some time to make the blog and try to pace yourself with the research, you'll have time in LA to do some of it as well if you need to be working on other things (scholarships, homework, applying to colleges, ACT prep, etc.).
 * Moving Along Fine


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Comments Ian HitchcockThursday, October 8, 2009 1.How well are things going with your Senior Project? 2.What do you need help withOnline filter on school computers renders research and set up of blog impossible to accomplish at school. 3.Journal below about the progress you are making on any aspect of your Senior Project: lessons learned, information obtained, contacts with mentors or advisors, etc..This week on my senior project, I have started and am nearing completion on my senior poster. With regards to my paper, I have begun preliminary research, and have begun collecting articles and other resources on the current state of journalism. I have watched videos which are the standard of commerical news, and have read several TIME magazine articles which discuss possible futures for print journalism. Additionally, I have begun researching potential mentors to contact at a later date.
 * Comment by Tina Melin (Advisor) 10/12/2009 12:47 AM Great job moving ahead with your work! I will visit with Mrs. Hibbert about the issues you are facing with the blog research. I'm not sure if she can do anything about it, but if you have a list of sites you'd like to use in your research we may be able to get those cleared through the filter. Is that the only thing you're having trouble with or do you need help with anything else? Mrs. Melin
 * Having some trouble with certain pieces
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