Interactive HTML Update

INTERACTIVE HTML UPDATE

Good news! My project is now expanding to something that can be really great. To give you a bit of a refresher, my assignment was to pick places to eat around Cerritos College. Well, I decided to take it to another level by researching every food outlet in Cerritos to eat healthy while maintaining a good budget. With links to Diabetes awareness and put my Piktochart imbedded in the webpage. 

I emailed all the instructors in the physical education department to please respond with what their classes were about and perhaps special tips to help maintain a healthy diet for college students. 

Well, the bad news is only one instructor was kind enough to email me back. The good news is she is on board and wants to help as much as she can! Special thanks to Jeanine Prindle! 
She is the instructor for the Fitness and Wellness class as well as the Stretch and Relaxation classes available at Cerritos. With her help I'm sure I can make a great idea become a reality. 

More updates to come. 

P.S 
Want to know where theres a GREAT place to eat on campus? Stop by the Cafe Cerritos and get a great meal made in front of you by aspiring cooks! Check them out on youtube! 

Chapter 1 & More

CHAPTER 1, INTERACTIVE HTML, VISUAL RESUME, AND AMY GOODMAN.

I first a foremost want to apologize for the short absent. I am back and ready to talk about all the great things I have done in class and discovered on my own. 

We were assigned to read Chapter 1 in our textbook PRODUCING ONLINE NEWS. It felt a little backwards to start from chapter 1 seeing as we have already read chapters 10 and 11. Although, you can never get enough information and learn more about Journalism. As an amateur and aspiring Journalist I could use all the information and education I can get. The book discusses beats and goals a journalist needs to create a great story. To understand your audience and capture the information that will be most useful and what people really want to know. I don't think anyone has stressed more in my readings then to know your intended audience. 

Journalism 20 years ago was so different then from what it has become today. Media is vastly different in so many ways. There are no longer 3 news stations that anchors will pick and chose what stories to run and when they should run them. The people control the media's influence. The web has been a leader in the efforts of independent news feed. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and so many more web outlets have given users a voice. Journalism happens everyday in the homes of millions across the globe. This is now a new major challenge for Journalists today, how to stand out. 

Discussion forums have been a great way for people to comment and discuss viewpoints on a variety of subjects ranging from hot button issues to occurrences that are now making new headlines. I feel fortunate to live in an age where information is at my fingertips. Being a Journalist is more to me than exposing a wrong or reporting on daily, breaking, or investigative news. It is about giving people information and giving them what they want to hear and what they deserve to know. With the internet that has been possible and quiet easy to access. 

INTERACTIVE HTML 

This assignment is by far going to be the most challenging. Quite honestly, I do not understand it at all. I have no idea how I am going to put this into webpage form. I understand what we are suppose to do. I just don't know how I am going to do it. 

I surely hope someone will help me. I always thought I knew enough about computers and programs enough to get through college and possibly learn new steps on the way but I didn't know I would be completely illiterate! I will be learning a lot these coming two weeks. 

So, lets get to the point. What is the assignment? It is my job to research and find places to eat around Cerritos College both on and off campus. Simple right? Exactly. Too simple. Its boring! I needed to spice things up a bit and give myself a challenge. A week ago we had an assignment for the infographs. My topic was Diabetes. I am going to incorporate that into this assignment. My official title for this assignment is...

HOW TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY DIET ON A BUDGET AT CERRITOS COLLEGE. 

It would appear that "times are tough" but quiet honestly times are always tough as a college student. Whats worse than making sure you studied for your midterm, finished your essays, and make it to class on time?? That oh, by the way, you've gained 5 pounds because all you have time for is to grab chips and a soda at the Elbow Room. By the time you are down with school and work the only place that is open is you're empty refrigerator and Jack n the Box. An apple is not filling and it wont give you the boost you need. 

But what will? Perhaps an apple with peanut butter and a 5 hour energy? 
I will be writing a step by step guide to help the college student who wants to try and eat healthy without damaging you're wallet on organic whole foods and vitamin supplements. 
Diabetes is alive and threatens our daily lives, some more than others but ultimately it does for everyone. Young people may not be at as high of a risk as people in their late to early 50s but it is still significantly high. Food should be the last worry on our minds. I hope with this project I can help that  a little. Just give everyone an easier way to a healthier lifestyle without sacrificing too much. More to come on this!

AMY GOODMAN & DEMOCRACY NOW!

I understand this blog is suppose to be about Cerritos College Multimedia Journalism but I can't help but sometimes share great things that have come my way. I'm sure you have noticed I talk about Amy Goodman a lot and I do this because she is my role model. To me, she is the epitome of an investigative Journalist and one I would very much like to someday have the pleasure of working with. To those of you who share the same aspirations as I do or if you are simply curious, feel free to watch her interview on AOL dot com. JOURNALISM WITH A HEART 

Piktochart

TELLING A STORY THROUGH PICTURES AND STATS AKA PIKTOCHART DOT COM

I know I've already made a blog discussing the piktochart and the best ways to describe its usage out of it, but I did not finish it.
This is a simple, short blog today. My piktochart is on Diabetes in the U.S. You can find out more information about diabetes on the two websites I got all of my usful information from here and here.

DIABETES,CERRITOS COLLEGE STUDENTS & STAFF
Diabetes is an American Epidemic and we should all be more aware of it. Anyone is suseptible to Type 2 Diabetes and should always try to live a healthy lifestyle.
I'm sure everyone who attends school at Cerritos College is aware of all the food outlets we have available.

Although, a lot of us are new students (such as myself) and we may not know of some great food outlets that are right here on campus and discounts available off campus. Such as STACKED. Which I discussed in an earlier blog. To recieve more information reguarding STACKED please visit my earlier blog here

There are some great food outlets here at Cerritos College, although, maybe not the healiest. Stress causes a big percentage of people to eat unhealthy food as a way to outlet their stress. Another great way to relieve that stress and stay healthy is excerise and eating right.

What exactly do I mean by eating right? Well, chosing what you want to snack on can be a start to a healthier lifestyle. Don't believe in diet? Me either. No need to stress yourself out more by conciously deciding what to eat and drink.
For example, if I feel like a cup of coffee and a muffin in the morning I eat it!
Maybe for a later breakfast when I get home I have boiled eggs and yogart.
Hungry for a snack?

The Elbow Room in between the Social Science Building and Liberal Arts is a great way to get a snack on the go or a quick meal inbetween classes. They have plenty of healthy items as well as yummy treats. Another great way to get your daily excerise even if you're at school all day, walking up the stairs and skipping the elevator. Power walking to class! It may sound silly but most of us barely make it in time anyways so we may be already doing it.

The last thing students and teachers alike should be worrying about is the amount of sugar they are taking in and worrying about their high blood sugar. That can be a major stress triggar in itself.

Stay happy and healthy everyone! Heres my piktochart on Diabetes.

BLOG REVIEW

MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM BLOG REVIEWS & WAYS TO IMPROVE

Today in class I grouped together with three other students to discuss our blogger sites and how they are coming along, ways we can improve our own, and give feedback to others on their strengths and weaknesses. 

The three students that evaluated me were 

1. Daniel Garcia's Wrong Turn Right Place
2. Jennifer DeCruz's In Omnia Paratus
3. Isirdo Perez's Multimedia Reporting

Each of them have strengths and weaknesses to their blogs. I wont go into detail about their weaknesses but I will point out each of their strengths and ways I should apply these to my blogger. Without hesitation I feel I could improve on my own blogger without their feedback is my own. I have a lot of information on my side bars but have made no effort to fill them in. You can find me on google+ and I have links to find my blogger so it can be easy to access my account. After I spent some time critiquing my blogger and making it better I gave it a good look today and saw that I have no followers besides my classmates who I'm sure don't even look at my blogger. I have no google+ followers and no one has even read any of my blogs. This needs to change if I want to be a true multimedia Journalist. I need to network myself better. 

Strengths about my fellow blogger classmates!

• Wrong Turn Right Place by Daniel Garcia is very artistic and creative

I really like the layout of his blogger. It can be a little confusing on the dates of when he posted his blogs, but that is a very simple fix and its not that confusing. I like the title of his blogger and the way he came up with it. He has written a little poetry in his blogger which is great, it really shows his artistic side. 

• In Omnia Paratus by Jennifer DeCruz is beautifully simple which is very much my style

Jennifer helped me figure out how to fix the color on my links. They are in black so it is hard to tell where you can find my links if you are just skimming through my blog. She helped me figure out how to make it pop more. I thank her for that! When I first saw her blogger the first day we reviewed our first blog post I copied her style. I love the simple white background with black print. It just makes everything look clean, simple, and professional with a feminine feel to it. She inspired my blog so I must say hers is my favorite. All of her blogs are up to date and she has very nice writing. 

• Mulitmedia Reporting by Isirdo Perez has a title that is very clear and to the point

This makes it easy to find a multimedia blogger. It pops right up and as a reader/visitor to the site we know exactly what he is talking about. I like that he uses the simple layout of his blogger which makes everything easy to see. I will admit I do love my look and style but maybe a little color might help mine pop a little bit more. Isirdo has done this. With his simple blue layout it brings enough life to the blogger but still maintains the simplicity and easy access to the links he has provided. 

What I'm going to do to better MeganMelissa Multimedia:

• Add google+ followers

I need to make a bigger effort to get on the web and network

• Research multimedia bloggers on blogger

Get out there and find great multimedia bloggers and FOLLOW THEM

• Reach out and comment on their blogs and ask for feedback on mine

I haven't read anyone's blogger sites and I should start doing that, it will help me connect with everyone in the class in a better, more positive way. 

• Find more multimedia links, read the advice, apply it to mine

When I found the multimedia blog sites on the side of my blogger I did not make a big enough effort to actually read all of the content. I should and I will. 

• Talk to my classmates on blogger, post comments

Maybe I should start posting discussion boards to help us all get more involved. 

• Start discussions with fellow classmates on blogger

Ask others to comment on my writing and how they are taking my blog posts. Am I doing well, ok? Let me know!

• Get more involved at Cerritos College

The last bullet point I think will be the biggest challenge for me. I believe I have mentioned I am a bit of an introverted person and I am new to Cerritos and Cerritos College. I need to spread my wings a bit more and perhaps go to a basketball game here and tweet about its wins and losses. Continue to participate in the Brown Bag meetings. Although I did attend the first one I did not say much while in the meeting. When all eyes are on me I get nervous and blush. I need to work on being a better public speaker because it will reflect in my writing. Making a bigger effort to be informed is crucial to a great Journalist. It is required in this class to be more involved at Cerritos College and I have been on the sidelines. Its time to get my feet wet. 

Infographic Assignment

INFOGRAPHS & PIKTOCHART DOT COM

In Thursday's class we were assigned to make an Infograph using PIKTOCHART DOT COM. We were given four different subjects to chose from to research about. 

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches 
• California Community College Enrollment
• Diabetes 
• Filing Federal Tax Returns

I wanted so badly to pick Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches but I thought it would be more professional of me to chose Diabetes. 

Infograph's are a great visual aid to make a point on a particular subject. It tells a story with pictures, statistics, and colors. The concept sounds simple enough and almost elementary, but it has been scientifically proven that people respond to bright colors and attractive things. What better way to get someone's attention than with an inforaph? Its packed with great informative stats and percentages that can a person intrigued. 

Wikipedia's definition: Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends.

All of this information on infographs I'm sure is quite helpful, but the best way to show a great infograph and what exactly it is, is to show you. 
This is a great infograph about infographs! This was made by Beth's Blog site. You can visit her and more of her great Infographs on her blog site. Beth's Blog

This is another great infograph, again, about infographs. This was made by Adrienne So. on Wired dot com. You can visit the original site here. Wired dot com on INFOGRAPHS

Animated Cartoon

XTRANORMAL & ITS MECHANICS 
How to make an xtranormal video and post it on youtube!

Anyone a film junky? Perhaps an aspiring director, screenwriter, producer, actor, everything that has to do with film? 

Xtranromal is a website that helps you create your own animated cartoon for fun. It does cost money, not too much but there are free options! 
This was one of our assignments in our Multimedia Journalism class at Cerritos College. 
Our assignment was to create an animated xtranormal video that had to do with something we were passionate about, with a funny twist. 

Xtranormal has lots of helpful ways to create an original story. There are lots of different backdrops to use, characters, voices, background music, themes. The list seems endless! The animated videos are not just cartoons, they are 3D and have so many different character options your video can be different from everyone else's. 

The type of video I wanted to use was very simple stick figures with a white paper background. 

Don't limit yourself to stick figures though! One video I saw about Super Bowl 47 was very funny. It was the winner of all the class videos. You can watch it here! 

I had to think about what I was passionate about. There are a lot of things in life that I am passionate about. My current passion is school and transferring to a university. So, I thought I would make my video about that in a funny way. 

Feel free to watch my xtranormal video! I hope you enjoy it. 
Head in the Clouds

Cerritos Mayor Jim Edwards & STACKED

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OUR CERRITOS CITY MAYOR, JIM EDWARDS?

To give a brief history of Mayor Edwards biography which you can find here, he has been apart of numerous city councils and is currently a "Liaison" for the ABC Unified School District. 

On Thursdays first Brown Bag Meeting at Cerritos College a student read in the Spanish Newspaper that our Mayor Jim Edwards owns his own towing company and people have been getting their cars towed at a very high price by his company within the city of Cerritos and Norwalk. A very big conflict of interest. 

Although I could not find any factual evidence or proof via internet about these claims I am reaching out to my readers to find some. So my statement above is merely here say and I would like to research this subject a bit deeper for purposes of college students on a tight budget. 

What can be worse than getting a $600 fine for parking in the wrong spot whilst racing to class on time because there was not enough parking at Cerritos College? 

I think it is clear to say that most college students are on a very tight budget, myself included. The last thing we need is a fine of that price or even a $40 dollar street sweeping ticket can be hard to pay. Thats not even a full tank of gas! 

WHAT IS STACKED?
Have no fear fellow students! There are ways to save an extra couple of bucks to help during these tough times. Here are some helpful tips to start saving and get a jump start on your day. 

• Get to school early. I know it sounds simple enough and the last thing any of us want to do is get up even 5 minutes earlier than we have to, but, you can enjoy a warm cup of coffee with a muffin and sit in your car doing homework with a GREAT SPOT. 
• Become a member of STACKED. I'm sure we all got that email, but if you didn't you should consider becoming a member. Its a restaurant at the Cerritos Mall that you can custom build your meal on an ipad. If you become a Cerritos College member you can get $5 off your meal! With every person that signs up and eats at STACKED the restaurant will donate 5% of their revenue to Cerritos College for funds and scholarships for US! Sign up now! 
• Eat healthier. Again, this notion is simple enough and I'm sure a lot of us eat healthy for the most part. Think about this though...A pack of American Spirits is $6.50. A Starbucks with a pastry is about $6.20. Taco Bell's # 7 with a Pepsi is $6.26. A subway sandwich "$5 foot long" is still over $5 if you want chips and a drink with that! That is roughly $25 spent for the day which may not seem like much but if that is an everyday occurrence, you are spending a little under $130.00 in 5 days!! An apple at Henry's costs 80cents. A jog around the neighborhood is free verses the $30 a month membership at 24hour fitness. Think about it!
• Become a Vons club member and you can save at the pump at Chevron every time you fill up! You get points towards your Vons club card. ALL FOR FREE. 
• Last but not least, the Long Beach Transit can take you anywhere you need to go with a passport. It is cheap, fast, and easy. No worries about gas prices, oil changes, or parking permits. Get to school on time and save! 

We all have our own struggles both professionally, personally, and trying to get our education. Lets not get bogged down with Towing Fee's and unnecessary headaches. Perhaps we should ask our mayor what he has or can do to help Cerritos College and its students succeed. More updates on this topic soon to come!

Relating Chapter 11 to Real Life

SUNDAY SUPER BOWL 2.3.13
U.S INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR ON DRUGS
STUDENTS & CERRITOS COLLEGE
CHAPTER 11 PRODUCING ONLINE NEWS

This day is very special to many Americans. To myself? A quiet day to relax while everyone is out watching the Big Game elsewhere. Personally, I hope the 49ers win. And that is my two cents about that. 

This morning I read an article about the WAR ON DRUGS and the amount of money the U.S is spending, the amount of troops being deployed, and its goals to stop trafficking in Latin America. 

The article was quiet long and detailed giving specific strategies and tactics on fighting these corrupt Drug Lords. According to the Associated Press & Yahoo! News over the past decade has spent 20 billion on battling the WAR ON DRUGS. This number keeps rising and the battles waged on these notoriously violent cartels has only escalated to bloodier attacks on locals and law enforcement. 

Three things spoke to me as a reader:
1. ENGAGING THE AUDIENCE- The paragraphs were short, packed with statistics, and detailed descriptions of the U.S strategies. It reminded me of Mr. Cameron teaching us about shorter sentence structure and leaving out information unnecessary to the reader. If you look at my earlier blogs my paragraphs are quite long. 

2. CHAPTER 11-Responding to the readers. There was only one comment on the Associated Press release of the article today. In Yahoo! News, over 1,700 comments. Maybe there aren't as many American's watching the Super Bowl today. The reporter of this article is Martha Mendoza. You can find her on twitter at @mendozamartha. Based off the 10 comments I have read on Yahoo! News I, as a reporter, would filter the comments based off negative responses, questions unanswered, and what my readers are looking for. 

• -Most of all these readers find it useless that the U.S is spending so much on what they are calling the FONY WAR ON DRUGS. 
• -They want to know this money is not being spent on education, employment opportunities, and feeding the homeless. 
• -They are upset by this article and seem like they are demanding an explanation to these facts presented in front of them. 
• HOW I WOULD RESPOND
• -As a reporter I would seek to find those answers and give them helpful links to write letters to their local congress, representatives, and state governments. 
• -I would find out how much the Obama Administration is spending on enhancing education and Gun Control.
• 
  
• -I would also encourage my readers to contact me with information they feel might help me find those answers. 
• All of this information I learned from reading CHAPTER 11. It lays out the foundation of a MULTIMEDIA BLOGGER reporting on BREAKING NEWS. What to do when you are faced with a problem where your readers want more and how to go about it. 

Reading this article rose all these questions and I, personally would like some questions answered. 

So, what does this have to do with CERRITOS COLLEGE AND COLLEGE STUDENTS? 
Cerritos College is fortunate to still have a lot of departments not shut down and still maintain its stability. Long Beach City College has shut down their nursing, music, and (I believe) journalism departments. 

With 20 billion spent in gun, training, and weapon specialization to combat these Drug Cartels and our local Colleges in California being threaten to not have the opportunity to have summer school is crazy. 

I think we can all agree that what is going on in Latin America is horrible and should be stopped. I do not think anyone would disagree that these countries do need help and training to combat this horrific terror they endure everyday. 

With that said, I do firmly believe and think all my readers would as well that the best way to combat street violence, drug trafficking, bloody wars, and drug abuse is to be educated about its effects. 

COMBAT VIOLENCE IS TO LEARN ABOUT IT. Educate our young Americans to be a better, stronger, nation. The only way to do that is to make it easier for us College Students to stay in school and have the resources we need to stay in and finnish.