Can't believe the term is already over and exams are just left. The thing that I can't believe even more is that I created a podcast. Never in a million years did I imagine myself doing something like this.
I am, surprisingly, very happy with how the podcast turned out. I did not think I would be this happy with the final outcome. For the first time, I feel I did a very effective job of creating this podcast and editing all my segments into one final outcome. I also enjoyed creating this podcast, since it was on a topic that was close to heart. This podcast has also helped me become more comfortable with recording and being more comfortable with people reading my work.
I cannot think of anything that I would change, except to force myself to not get frustrated so easily.
The one piece of advice that I would share with a student who is just starting this course is to follow your guideline for the things you need to do. Stick to that timeline, just like I did, and do not fall behind; this will make a lot of things easier. Also, believe in yourself and don't doubt yourself. Keep positive!
This course has been very enjoyable and I have learnt a lot of things. Enjoy your summer!
Showing posts with label Christine Hawryluk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christine Hawryluk. Show all posts
Saturday, 12 April 2014
Thursday, 10 April 2014
Holodomor: The Untold Story of Ukraine's genocide
This is my Final podcast! Hope you enjoy it! Below is the summary (from my pitch assignment) for my podcast!
Hi my name is Christine
Hawryluk and I am here to pitch an idea for a podcast about an emotional and
inhumane historical event to the podcast show Stuff You Missed in History
Class. Before I begin, I have a question for you to simply think about: Have you
ever thought if it is possible for people in a country to be killed very slowly
at the rate of 30,000 people a day and nearly a third of them being
children? Not many of you may have heard
of this event, but this is why I am here today, to inform you about the
Holodomor. This was a brutal, man-made famine caused by Joseph Stalin from 1932
to 1933 on Soviet Ukraine. What makes this event most devastating is that
Stalin took away something that people here in Canada take for granted—grain,
which was Ukraine’s primary food source. My goal is to examine how Stalin’s
removal of grain affected the people of Ukraine. To be informed about how
millions of Ukrainians died in the most cruel and brutal way possible, by
starvation, is something that would be an eye-opener for many. Food is
something that millions of people around the world take for granted, but these
Ukrainians had nothing to live off of. This is why it is important! This is why
people should know about it. This event is not like WWI or 9/11 where people
were killed instantly by some military machine. This event is different from
others because Stalin’s motives were inhumane by choosing a method that takes
much, much longer to kill a person, rather than shooting them and dying
instantly. To see images of people deteriorating slowly after having no food or
nothing to drink for weeks and weeks, and seeing them barely crawling on the
ground is an image that will never leave someone’s mind. The most interesting aspect of this large
event is to see how Stalin’s removal of grain affected the Ukrainians: to see
Stalin’s goals, how exactly these goals were accomplished, the effect these
goals had on the population of Ukraine and the final result. To see this
timeline of events would make those two years seem much shorter. This issue of
how Ukrainians were treated very poorly by the Russians can still be seen today
with what is happening in Ukraine this very moment—showing that the Russians
never give up, that all they want is power over Ukraine! The mercilessness of
the Russians can be seen in Stalin’s implementation of his goals on the
Ukrainians where he doesn’t care who gets hurt. In my eyes, the Holodomor is
considered “the lost famine,” since not many people know about it, but I am
going to change that!
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Christine Hawryluk, Week 9, Recording and editing software
Hey everyone! It's time for crunch time. Can't believe the school year is almost over. A bitter-sweet moment it is. So this is my first time using editing and recording software, but I found that Audacity was the best bet to go.
I have never used Audacity before and was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but after fooling around with it for a bit, I realized that it is not that hard to use once I am comfortable with it. After all, we are not recording some major new hit that will be on popular radio channels.
To help me understand how to use new programs, I always head first to user guides. I find I understand more and retain more information when I read something, rather than listen to YouTube clips or someone else trying to explain to me what to do.
The first source of information that assisted me in learning this new program is the Audacity manual. This manual was honestly a life saver. I could go through all the different aspects of Audacity that I needed to learn to be able to record and save my podcast so that I am able to post it when the assignment is finally due.
I honestly checked on other websites and youtube videos, but all of those other sources I found did not help me at all. This Audacity manual had everything that I needed to understand how to use Audacity.
I was playing around with audacity by recording my voice from my laptop and I found that wasn't working. I decided to record my voice on my IPhone (I also have an IPad), and I found my voice sounded a lot better--clearer and less noise in the background. After I recorded my voice, I tried to upload it on Audacity, but it would not let me, so I needed to convert my voice from my IPhone recorder into a WAV file. This website I found converted my soundtrack very quickly.
After I converted it, I was able to import my sound into Audacity and export it and save the file onto my computer. I know someone from my group said that she needed to download a LAME mp3 converter. However, when I double clicked on my exported file, it right away started playing it ITunes, so I know it worked.
From playing around with my phone and audacity, I now feel comfortable with recording my podcast. I feel very happy with the way my voice sounds my using the Apple recording software available on my Apple devices! The hardest part is going to be fixing up my transcript to the way I want it for my recording process!
Good luck everyone!!
I have never used Audacity before and was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but after fooling around with it for a bit, I realized that it is not that hard to use once I am comfortable with it. After all, we are not recording some major new hit that will be on popular radio channels.
To help me understand how to use new programs, I always head first to user guides. I find I understand more and retain more information when I read something, rather than listen to YouTube clips or someone else trying to explain to me what to do.
The first source of information that assisted me in learning this new program is the Audacity manual. This manual was honestly a life saver. I could go through all the different aspects of Audacity that I needed to learn to be able to record and save my podcast so that I am able to post it when the assignment is finally due.
I honestly checked on other websites and youtube videos, but all of those other sources I found did not help me at all. This Audacity manual had everything that I needed to understand how to use Audacity.
I was playing around with audacity by recording my voice from my laptop and I found that wasn't working. I decided to record my voice on my IPhone (I also have an IPad), and I found my voice sounded a lot better--clearer and less noise in the background. After I recorded my voice, I tried to upload it on Audacity, but it would not let me, so I needed to convert my voice from my IPhone recorder into a WAV file. This website I found converted my soundtrack very quickly.
After I converted it, I was able to import my sound into Audacity and export it and save the file onto my computer. I know someone from my group said that she needed to download a LAME mp3 converter. However, when I double clicked on my exported file, it right away started playing it ITunes, so I know it worked.
From playing around with my phone and audacity, I now feel comfortable with recording my podcast. I feel very happy with the way my voice sounds my using the Apple recording software available on my Apple devices! The hardest part is going to be fixing up my transcript to the way I want it for my recording process!
Good luck everyone!!
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Christine Hawryluk, W14: Structure of podcast
Hi all!
After listening to the podcast episode "Icon Access" of 99% invisible, I was able to find 31 citations.
Looking through the different podcast structures, I was able to most identify with the structure "This American Life". However, my podcast episode is crafted a bit differently from this structure, so I created my own podcast structure drawing.
After listening to the podcast episode "Icon Access" of 99% invisible, I was able to find 31 citations.
Looking through the different podcast structures, I was able to most identify with the structure "This American Life". However, my podcast episode is crafted a bit differently from this structure, so I created my own podcast structure drawing.
Like This American Life structure, it follows a historical account or story, where it tells the order of events. My podcast is like this and this is why I have included the zig-zag style. You may be wondering what the loop in the centre represents. This represents how my podcast is structure from This American Life, which is that I include first-hand accounts in one of my sub-topics in my podcast. This element, I believe, sets my podcast apart from other podcast styles and adds an element that the audience would be able to connect to by forming an emotional connection.
I think that my podcast episode does resemble Stuff You Missed In History Class. It tells a story of a historical event and provides a fair amount of evidence. I feel very positive about my podcast. The only thing required to do, in terms of the work before recording, is to tighten up my points, clarify a few things and exclude things that I do not have time to expand on.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
Research Strategies- Christine Hawryluk
Hi everyone!
I have to say that reading week was not very relaxing as I
pent the whole week doing effective research for my topic. In all of the
research strategies reviewed in class, I have found that the Boolean operators
were the technique that helped me the most.
Boolean logic is used when looking in a database by
using the words AND, OR and NOT. This technique is supposed to be helpful when
looking for scholarly articles and looking on databases by narrowing down the
search of possible search results.
In my research, I was most successful in using books
(primarily secondary sources). However, I did decide to search on the York
University Library Database, as well as Google Scholar. For both cases, I did
find that using the Boolean logic was very helpful and was somewhat successful.
On Google Scholar, I did happen to find a few useful and relevant articles to
my topic, while through databases on the York University Library website I was
not able to find any useful articles.
This is not my first time using Boolean logic and I
find each time I use this research strategy, it helps me to narrow down the
list of search results, as well as the relevance of the articles that come up
in the list. Therefore, I will use this research technique again in the future,
since it is a technique that is reliable and useful.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Christine Hawryluk: Digging Deeper
Hi everyone, I hope everyone is enjoying their reading week. Usually people do not want to do anything school related, but this year, at least for me, it happens to be inevitable.
When beginning my research, I found that the term "Holodomor" was a fairly specific term, but then I also thought that "Ukrainian famine" was another option.
I first began my research by heading down to the reference library, since I find that I am usually most successful with books (secondary sources). When I headed down to the library, I found many useful books, but the one that I spent my most time reading was The Holodomor Reader by Bohdan Klid. This book is a sourcebook for many different articles of information including articles, first hand accounts and documents. However, I found myself spending too much time at the library and decided to calls St. Vladimir's Institute in Toronto, which happens to have a library. There I found I was able to take out the above mentioned book, as well as a few others which have been very helpful.
The next thing that I found was a documentary called The Soviet Story which had a small section on the Holodomor, which I found some information that I had not found in my other sources so far. There is another documentary called The Harvest of Despair, which is all about the Holodomor and I have heard from other Ukrainians that it is a very informative documentary.
The final thing that I have done, so far in my research process, is went on to the York University database to see what I could find in the historical databases and I have found absolutely nothing on the York databases that was useful. However, I made an appointment with a librarian at York to assist me on finding sources through York.
However, I decided to look on the Toronto Public Library website and look through their database called the Academic One File, which runs through Ebscohost. I used the Boolean method: Holodomor or Ukrainian famine and removal of grain. I found when I narrowed it down to using this Boolean method, I really narrowed it down and found more useful sources, rather than just using the term Holodomor.
I am finding much success in my research so far and I hope that the rest of this assignment goes this well! Have a great day everyone!
When beginning my research, I found that the term "Holodomor" was a fairly specific term, but then I also thought that "Ukrainian famine" was another option.
I first began my research by heading down to the reference library, since I find that I am usually most successful with books (secondary sources). When I headed down to the library, I found many useful books, but the one that I spent my most time reading was The Holodomor Reader by Bohdan Klid. This book is a sourcebook for many different articles of information including articles, first hand accounts and documents. However, I found myself spending too much time at the library and decided to calls St. Vladimir's Institute in Toronto, which happens to have a library. There I found I was able to take out the above mentioned book, as well as a few others which have been very helpful.
The next thing that I found was a documentary called The Soviet Story which had a small section on the Holodomor, which I found some information that I had not found in my other sources so far. There is another documentary called The Harvest of Despair, which is all about the Holodomor and I have heard from other Ukrainians that it is a very informative documentary.
The final thing that I have done, so far in my research process, is went on to the York University database to see what I could find in the historical databases and I have found absolutely nothing on the York databases that was useful. However, I made an appointment with a librarian at York to assist me on finding sources through York.
However, I decided to look on the Toronto Public Library website and look through their database called the Academic One File, which runs through Ebscohost. I used the Boolean method: Holodomor or Ukrainian famine and removal of grain. I found when I narrowed it down to using this Boolean method, I really narrowed it down and found more useful sources, rather than just using the term Holodomor.
I am finding much success in my research so far and I hope that the rest of this assignment goes this well! Have a great day everyone!
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Topic Refinement: Week 5, Christine Hawryluk
Hi everyone! I did find the pitch exercise very helpful. It really allowed me to sit down and think about my topic. I knew which topic I wanted to do, but it allowed me to make my research question more specific. My research question now is: How did Stalin's removal of grain affected Soviet Ukraine during the Holodomor? By doing this pitch exercise, it allowed me to realize which aspect of this large event would be most interesting to the audience to entice them to keep listening to the podcast. I realized that the emotional element of this event would keep the audience engaged and they would want to be interested in hearing what brutal and non-humane things the Ukrainians had to live through. Through this pitch exercise, I realized that the elements that I want to focus on in my 15 minute podcast is:
1) Stalin's goals
2) how these goals were accomplished
3) the effect these goals had on the population of Ukraine
4) The final result- the final impact
I think the pitch would be helpful in some projects, but on the other hand, doing an outline and brainstorming would do the same thing, in my opinion.
This is my podcast transcript:
1) Stalin's goals
2) how these goals were accomplished
3) the effect these goals had on the population of Ukraine
4) The final result- the final impact
I think the pitch would be helpful in some projects, but on the other hand, doing an outline and brainstorming would do the same thing, in my opinion.
This is my podcast transcript:
Hi my name is Christine
Hawryluk and I am here to pitch an idea for a podcast about an emotional and
inhumane historical event to the podcast show Stuff You Missed in History
Class. Before I begin, I have a question for you to simply think about: Have you
ever thought if it is possible for people in a country to be killed very slowly
at the rate of 30,000 people a day and nearly a third of them being
children? Not many of you may have heard
of this event, but this is why I am here today, to inform you about the
Holodomor. This was a brutal, man-made famine caused by Joseph Stalin from 1932
to 1933 on Soviet Ukraine. What makes this event most devastating is that
Stalin took away something that people here in Canada take for granted—grain,
which was Ukraine’s primary food source. My goal is to examine how Stalin’s
removal of grain affected the people of Ukraine. To be informed about how
millions of Ukrainians died in the most cruel and brutal way possible, by
starvation, is something that would be an eye-opener for many. Food is
something that millions of people around the world take for granted, but these
Ukrainians had nothing to live off of. This is why it is important! This is why
people should know about it. This event is not like WWI or 9/11 where people
were killed instantly by some military machine. This event is different from
others because Stalin’s motives were inhumane by choosing a method that takes
much, much longer to kill a person, rather than shooting them and dying
instantly. To see images of people deteriorating slowly after having no food or
nothing to drink for weeks and weeks, and seeing them barely crawling on the
ground is an image that will never leave someone’s mind. The most interesting aspect of this large
event is to see how Stalin’s removal of grain affected the Ukrainians: to see
Stalin’s goals, how exactly these goals were accomplished, the effect these
goals had on the population of Ukraine and the final result. To see this
timeline of events would make those two years seem much shorter. This issue of
how Ukrainians were treated very poorly by the Russians can still be seen today
with what is happening in Ukraine this very moment—showing that the Russians
never give up, that all they want is power over Ukraine! The mercilessness of
the Russians can be seen in Stalin’s implementation of his goals on the
Ukrainians where he doesn’t care who gets hurt. In my eyes, the Holodomor is
considered “the lost famine,” since not many people know about it, but I am
going to change that!
Friday, 24 January 2014
Week 3- PITCHING
This is the week that I have been dreading. I have never done a pitch before and am nervous at the thought of doing this for the first time. I am also a person who is not very fond of doing presentations. However, looking online for pitch advice has made me more at ease of making my pitch. Below are the following websites that I have found useful pitching advice:
1) BBC Academy: The killer pitch- pitching tips
When beginning my search for pitching advice, this website popped out at me. I am familiar with BBC as a reliable network for information and, therefore, felt comfortable using it as a source. After looking through the transcript, I found these three tips helpful:
a) Research + Plan
- know the audience: match the tone of your pitch to your audience
b) Be Passionate
- believe in what you are pitching
- have a clear, exciting + enticing idea that will stand out among the rest
c) Be Clear
- Don't pitch too many ideas- pick your best one!
2) Quick and Dirty Tips: How to Sound Better
When I first came across this page, I did not think that I could trust this source, so I skipped right past it and kept on looking for more reliable sources. However, I found myself coming back to this one page. After looking at the website in the about section, I found this site to be very reliable. In fact, the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips is Mignon Fogarty, none other than Grammar Girl (podcast show). After discovering this fact, I found this site to be reliable. After reading through the advice on How to Sound Better in pitches and even in regular presentations, I found these tips helpful:
a) Use your Natural Pitch
- important to keep your voice as low as naturally possible by taking slow, full deep breathes- will help to keep your nerves under control
- think about changing the pitch of your voice on certain words or phrases
- think about the important words, phrases + sentences and modify your pitch to draw attention to them- DOESN'T NEED TO BE A BIG CHANGE
b) Change your Speech Rate for Impact + Momentum
- SLOW DOWN!
- take time to let your words settle + digest with your listener
- talk slightly faster or slower when you are about to deliver important words
c) Choose your words carefully: Use Repetition
- repeating important words + phrases makes them more memorable, impactful + persuasive
3) Instigator Blog: 15 Quick Pitch Tips for Kick Ass Presentations
When I first came across site, I wasn't sure because blogs are not usually consider reliable sources, especially with the title of this blog. However, after looking in the about section, I felt more comfortable knowing what this man's background is and what exactly he does. Once I knew that I could trust this blog, I began to read and realized that this man is very insightful and seems to have a lot of experience. These are the top tips that I found impacted me the most:
a) No Wimpy Words Allowed
- wimpy words diminish credibility + the power of presentation
- statements such as "I think...." or "We believe...." are considered wimpy- the audience knows you think it because you are saying it
b) Keep it Simple
- the audience needs to be convinced that you know what you are talking about, without getting lost in jargon or acronyms
c) Tell Us What You Do Upfront
- within the first 30 seconds of your presentation, I need to know exactly what you do + why should I care
- if you can't get that boiled down into 30 seconds + you can't start your presentation with that information, you are going to lose most people
- this specific tip can apply to introducing your topic for the podcast + why it is important- this will keep the audience interested
d) Don't Save the Best for Last
- Common mistake- people want to end with a punch
- the "aha!" moment really belongs at the beginning
- most often people leave this until the end when most people have stopped paying attention
e) But Don't End Weakly
- ending still has to be strong
- point of the ending isn't to explain what you do
- the end of your presentation is there to hammer home your key message (of which I would recommend only having 1-3)- the things you want people to remember when they leave
- ending doesn't have to be flashy- has to be concise, convincing + concrete
After reviewing all these tips, I think the best thing for me to do before my pitch this week is to sit down and group together all my information that I would like to discuss about my topic and see how it would really emotionally connect with the audience. In my opinion, when viewers/listeners can connect emotionally with a topic, that is the best way to make an impact and the best way to keep the audience's attention. Once I get my information gathered, I would answer the questions and then find an interesting way to connect all the information into a clear and concise paragraph. LAST STEP- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
1) BBC Academy: The killer pitch- pitching tips
When beginning my search for pitching advice, this website popped out at me. I am familiar with BBC as a reliable network for information and, therefore, felt comfortable using it as a source. After looking through the transcript, I found these three tips helpful:
a) Research + Plan
- know the audience: match the tone of your pitch to your audience
b) Be Passionate
- believe in what you are pitching
- have a clear, exciting + enticing idea that will stand out among the rest
c) Be Clear
- Don't pitch too many ideas- pick your best one!
2) Quick and Dirty Tips: How to Sound Better
When I first came across this page, I did not think that I could trust this source, so I skipped right past it and kept on looking for more reliable sources. However, I found myself coming back to this one page. After looking at the website in the about section, I found this site to be very reliable. In fact, the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips is Mignon Fogarty, none other than Grammar Girl (podcast show). After discovering this fact, I found this site to be reliable. After reading through the advice on How to Sound Better in pitches and even in regular presentations, I found these tips helpful:
a) Use your Natural Pitch
- important to keep your voice as low as naturally possible by taking slow, full deep breathes- will help to keep your nerves under control
- think about changing the pitch of your voice on certain words or phrases
- think about the important words, phrases + sentences and modify your pitch to draw attention to them- DOESN'T NEED TO BE A BIG CHANGE
b) Change your Speech Rate for Impact + Momentum
- SLOW DOWN!
- take time to let your words settle + digest with your listener
- talk slightly faster or slower when you are about to deliver important words
c) Choose your words carefully: Use Repetition
- repeating important words + phrases makes them more memorable, impactful + persuasive
3) Instigator Blog: 15 Quick Pitch Tips for Kick Ass Presentations
When I first came across site, I wasn't sure because blogs are not usually consider reliable sources, especially with the title of this blog. However, after looking in the about section, I felt more comfortable knowing what this man's background is and what exactly he does. Once I knew that I could trust this blog, I began to read and realized that this man is very insightful and seems to have a lot of experience. These are the top tips that I found impacted me the most:
a) No Wimpy Words Allowed
- wimpy words diminish credibility + the power of presentation
- statements such as "I think...." or "We believe...." are considered wimpy- the audience knows you think it because you are saying it
b) Keep it Simple
- the audience needs to be convinced that you know what you are talking about, without getting lost in jargon or acronyms
c) Tell Us What You Do Upfront
- within the first 30 seconds of your presentation, I need to know exactly what you do + why should I care
- if you can't get that boiled down into 30 seconds + you can't start your presentation with that information, you are going to lose most people
- this specific tip can apply to introducing your topic for the podcast + why it is important- this will keep the audience interested
d) Don't Save the Best for Last
- Common mistake- people want to end with a punch
- the "aha!" moment really belongs at the beginning
- most often people leave this until the end when most people have stopped paying attention
e) But Don't End Weakly
- ending still has to be strong
- point of the ending isn't to explain what you do
- the end of your presentation is there to hammer home your key message (of which I would recommend only having 1-3)- the things you want people to remember when they leave
- ending doesn't have to be flashy- has to be concise, convincing + concrete
After reviewing all these tips, I think the best thing for me to do before my pitch this week is to sit down and group together all my information that I would like to discuss about my topic and see how it would really emotionally connect with the audience. In my opinion, when viewers/listeners can connect emotionally with a topic, that is the best way to make an impact and the best way to keep the audience's attention. Once I get my information gathered, I would answer the questions and then find an interesting way to connect all the information into a clear and concise paragraph. LAST STEP- PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Sunday, 19 January 2014
Christine Hawryluk: W14- Topic Selection
Hello again! At the beginning of the week, I narrowed down my topic to emulate the podcast shows of Lexicon Valley or Stuff You Missed in History Class. After brainstorming on my two different topics, I decided to go with Stuff You Missed in History Class. I specifically liked the shows titled "What Really Happened in Salem?" and "Lizzie Borden and her Axe (Update)." These two shows particularly captured my attention and, even though I am not specifically emulating the topic of these shows, I like the way the podcast is created.
What really captured my attention from these two podcasts is the way they spoke quietly, yet annunciated everything properly so that I could still understand what they were saying. I found that the quiet conversation that they were having is what particularly kept me engaged because it sounded like they were telling a story. This story telling aspect is what I particularly want to emulate. Their pace was slow, which was what allowed me to keep up with all the information they were telling me. The interesting thing about these podcasts is that even though their sentences are quite long, I am still remembering most of the facts and am still interested throughout the entire podcast. It felt as if the two podcast speakers were standing right in front of me and telling me the story and, therefore, it felt quite personal.
The use of quotes and sources from newspaper articles, books and news shows is exceptionally useful because, if a listener is interested, they can look up the full source online. It also allows the podcast speakers to be seen as credible since they are sourcing where their information is coming from.
I liked the titles from the podcasts as well like the ones I stated above, as well as one podcast I have not had a chance to listen to yet since it is exceptionally long- titled "The Fantastic Fitzgeralds." The titles of the show are simple, yet still tell exactly what the show is about. The use of a small description below the title is also very helpful. Like the podcasts on this show, I want my podcast to have the same effect. What I mean by this is that each time I listen to another podcast from this show, I become more and more interested, and want to listen to more of these podcasts. Not only are these podcasts interesting because of the topic, but also because of the style (language, tone, pace), which I stated above.
My podcast show will be about the Holodomor, which is the Ukrainian genocide. I decided to do my podcast on this topic because I am Ukrainian and have been informed about this event for most of my life. I feel like not many people (non-Ukrainians) know about this tragic event and I want to be the person to inform others about it.
I already had an idea of my topic before Professor Bell mentioned SPARK in lecture and when I started to try to look for the site, I could not find it on the internet because I have never heard of this website and I didn't realize that it was on the York University website. However, I did find tips on narrowing down a research topic on two other University websites from America (*see below*). These tips were helpful when I was trying to formulate a research question. I realized that I wanted is to emulate the title of one of the podcast shows from Stuff You Missed in History Class, so my research question is: "What really happened during the Holodomor?"
My final tip? Make sure that you are interested in your topic and that you know for sure that you will be able to stick with it for the duration of the project!
Time to start researching! Good luck everyone! :)
Links stated above:
http://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic
http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/choose-a-research-topic
What really captured my attention from these two podcasts is the way they spoke quietly, yet annunciated everything properly so that I could still understand what they were saying. I found that the quiet conversation that they were having is what particularly kept me engaged because it sounded like they were telling a story. This story telling aspect is what I particularly want to emulate. Their pace was slow, which was what allowed me to keep up with all the information they were telling me. The interesting thing about these podcasts is that even though their sentences are quite long, I am still remembering most of the facts and am still interested throughout the entire podcast. It felt as if the two podcast speakers were standing right in front of me and telling me the story and, therefore, it felt quite personal.
The use of quotes and sources from newspaper articles, books and news shows is exceptionally useful because, if a listener is interested, they can look up the full source online. It also allows the podcast speakers to be seen as credible since they are sourcing where their information is coming from.
I liked the titles from the podcasts as well like the ones I stated above, as well as one podcast I have not had a chance to listen to yet since it is exceptionally long- titled "The Fantastic Fitzgeralds." The titles of the show are simple, yet still tell exactly what the show is about. The use of a small description below the title is also very helpful. Like the podcasts on this show, I want my podcast to have the same effect. What I mean by this is that each time I listen to another podcast from this show, I become more and more interested, and want to listen to more of these podcasts. Not only are these podcasts interesting because of the topic, but also because of the style (language, tone, pace), which I stated above.
My podcast show will be about the Holodomor, which is the Ukrainian genocide. I decided to do my podcast on this topic because I am Ukrainian and have been informed about this event for most of my life. I feel like not many people (non-Ukrainians) know about this tragic event and I want to be the person to inform others about it.
I already had an idea of my topic before Professor Bell mentioned SPARK in lecture and when I started to try to look for the site, I could not find it on the internet because I have never heard of this website and I didn't realize that it was on the York University website. However, I did find tips on narrowing down a research topic on two other University websites from America (*see below*). These tips were helpful when I was trying to formulate a research question. I realized that I wanted is to emulate the title of one of the podcast shows from Stuff You Missed in History Class, so my research question is: "What really happened during the Holodomor?"
My final tip? Make sure that you are interested in your topic and that you know for sure that you will be able to stick with it for the duration of the project!
Time to start researching! Good luck everyone! :)
Links stated above:
http://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic
http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/choose-a-research-topic
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Week 1: Introductions (Christine Hawryluk, W14)
Hi, my name is Christine Hawryluk and I am a third year English and Professional Writing student. I am taking more second year courses later, since I switched to the double major program at the end of my first year of University. You can say that I have always had a love of reading and writing, so I really enjoy this field of study. The stream that I am interested in pursuing is the book stream. I am also really interested in photography and do enjoy taking some scenic pictures when I have a free moment.
When it comes to research, I do not enjoy it very much, unless it is a topic that I am really interested in. I would like to learn how to go a little farther when researching and learn some new tips on how to research in a more effective way. I usually use the internet for quick research and for when I am writing an essay, I use many scholarly books, as well as scholarly articles courtesy of the Toronto Public Library. I have never used information management software, so I am interested in learning how to use this software.
I have never created a podcast and never listened to any podcasts. This will be a completely new experience for me and I am excited, yet still intimidated, to create my own podcast. I am confident that by the end of this course, I will have learned many important research techniques that will benefit what I would like to do in the future.
I listened briefly to a few podcasts to start my brainstorming process of deciding which topic I am interested in. I have narrowed it down to three podcast styles:
1) Grammar Girl
- Since I am in English and Professional Writing, I took a second year Grammar and Proofreading course. I learned the names of many different grammatical elements, such as participles and gerunds, and I feel that I would be able to create a podcast that would be beneficial for others.
2) Lexicon Valley
- In my time at University, I have realized that I really do love to write, even essays, so I believe that this podcast on words and phrases would be something that I would enjoy. I looked through some of the podcasts and I was particularly interested in the following: Why is No among a child's first words? How to raise verbal children? Are some languages faster than others? and The meaning of scrabble. I am possibly interested in emulating one of these podcasts. However, another possible idea that I came up with is possibly to look at a specific language and how the language is different between those who live in the native country and those people who live in a country like Canada or the United States. For example, I could look at the British/Irish way of speaking and look at the difference between those people who actually live in that country and those people who are of British/Irish decent, but live in a country like Canada or the United States.
3) Stuff You Missed in History Class
- This is my last option if for some reason the previous two options do not play out. I am interested in certain things historical. One of the podcasts that I saw and seemed like an interesting topic is the one titled "What really happened in Salem?". A topic that I myself am interested in and am really passionate about is the Ukrainian Genocide, the Holodomor. I am Ukrainian and have been learning about this genocide since I was a child and I think it would be beneficial for many people to learn about this genocide. I think about it is the lost genocide since not many people know about it. I would focus on Stalin and how the Russians were ruthless toward the Ukrainians and show the impact it had on Ukraine.
When it comes to research, I do not enjoy it very much, unless it is a topic that I am really interested in. I would like to learn how to go a little farther when researching and learn some new tips on how to research in a more effective way. I usually use the internet for quick research and for when I am writing an essay, I use many scholarly books, as well as scholarly articles courtesy of the Toronto Public Library. I have never used information management software, so I am interested in learning how to use this software.
I have never created a podcast and never listened to any podcasts. This will be a completely new experience for me and I am excited, yet still intimidated, to create my own podcast. I am confident that by the end of this course, I will have learned many important research techniques that will benefit what I would like to do in the future.
I listened briefly to a few podcasts to start my brainstorming process of deciding which topic I am interested in. I have narrowed it down to three podcast styles:
1) Grammar Girl
- Since I am in English and Professional Writing, I took a second year Grammar and Proofreading course. I learned the names of many different grammatical elements, such as participles and gerunds, and I feel that I would be able to create a podcast that would be beneficial for others.
2) Lexicon Valley
- In my time at University, I have realized that I really do love to write, even essays, so I believe that this podcast on words and phrases would be something that I would enjoy. I looked through some of the podcasts and I was particularly interested in the following: Why is No among a child's first words? How to raise verbal children? Are some languages faster than others? and The meaning of scrabble. I am possibly interested in emulating one of these podcasts. However, another possible idea that I came up with is possibly to look at a specific language and how the language is different between those who live in the native country and those people who live in a country like Canada or the United States. For example, I could look at the British/Irish way of speaking and look at the difference between those people who actually live in that country and those people who are of British/Irish decent, but live in a country like Canada or the United States.
3) Stuff You Missed in History Class
- This is my last option if for some reason the previous two options do not play out. I am interested in certain things historical. One of the podcasts that I saw and seemed like an interesting topic is the one titled "What really happened in Salem?". A topic that I myself am interested in and am really passionate about is the Ukrainian Genocide, the Holodomor. I am Ukrainian and have been learning about this genocide since I was a child and I think it would be beneficial for many people to learn about this genocide. I think about it is the lost genocide since not many people know about it. I would focus on Stalin and how the Russians were ruthless toward the Ukrainians and show the impact it had on Ukraine.
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