Emilia Vieni W14 : Software

As of now I plan on using Audacity to record my podcast. In high school, I took a media studies course where we used Audacity for one of my assignments, so I already have an idea of how it is used. I have begun to play around with it, making sure I have a working knowledge of how to record my voice, add and remove sound clips, etc. Here are some tips I have gathered as of now:

1. How to record your voice www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/ats/AudacityInstructions

     I will just post the link for this one, I feel like it is a helpful page that gives a good step-by-step process for recordings. I used it myself and it worked, so hopefully anyone who reads this can use it for themselves.

2 .If you are having trouble selecting sound clips from the feed, zoom in more. By doing this, you can see the more exact location of what you are trying to cut, add, or paste into your recording. When you have a lot of clips added, it can get frustrating finding the exact time/location of what you need.

3.Audacity does NOT used wma. files, so if you are using your computer (like me) to record your voice, make sure you have a converter you can use, that way you can record your voice and upload the files onto the program for editing.

When recording my voice, I am happy with the way I sound. I just have to make sure that when I read my script, I speak clearly with no awkward pauses or word fumbles. If I have a lot of those, it will take me MANY tries to finally have that one good podcast. I also do not want to have to paste together a bunch of smaller files from my recordings, I hope to have just a few longer ones to work with.

I think in terms of the editing itself, using Audacity will be a good experience and shouldn't give me too much trouble. What I am most worried about is the file conversions, I still have to test them out, and I hope it will be an easy process since I am sure I will need to convert a LOT of files. Overall, Audacity has many positive reviews online, so I have faith that it will be the right choice for my podcast recording.

            

Emilia Vieni, W14: Structure

My podcast would most definitely be using the "morning edition" structure. I start out with the "opening scene" so to speak, which would be introducing fuel cells. Then, I would be giving a good amount of background info, and history of how fuel cells were invented. Finally, I would talk about the state of fuel cells today, and how they are soon going to become an everyday source of renewable energy. In terms of how Lee Falin (from Everyday Einstein) presents his podcasts, I think it is safe to say that mine will be more or less the same structure and tone. As I mentioned in my earlier blog posts, I enjoy his tone and manner of presentation in his podcasts, so I will aim to emulate them as much as possible.

Citations counted from "Icon for Access": 22 (hoping!)

Emilia, W14: Search Strategies

    To my knowledge, Boolean logic is when you use specific words as symbols. In the case of my research, it would be good for narrowing down search results. For example you would use the words "and, or and not" as keywords that can give you more results that are specific to your topic. Ex. Fuel cells "and" environment 

It was actually a really useful method for my research. I was able to find many valuable resources and without it I may not have found sources with the same quality. Will  I use it again? Most likely, especially if I am looking into a topic I am not too sure about.

      A "subject" in this case refers to a topic known professionally, for examle "automotives". It is important to know how to look these up in trade, journals, because these trade journals are used by the professionals of the industry to stay up to date with all the information on whichever subject it may be. So, when conducting research, being knowledgeable on the proper use of these journals can give you some quality information. As of now I have only taken a peek at these journals but I did not use them for my research. My topic, fuel cells, had a lot of information that I was able to find in a lot of other places. That being said, I am not completely going to ignore trade journals, and I will take another look at them if I need more information.   

    In regards to Google Scholar and Library databases, I prefer library data. since all my information is right at my fingertips. I got pretty frustrated with Google scholar at times. I would be searching for something, would find an AMAZING source and then realized I could not even access it. Google scholar isn't all bad though, at times you can get some useful bits of information. In that way, you can use scholar and databases together by starting with Google to get ideas and then with those ideas, you can go to a database to find a more detailed version of the information you need.

Emilia, W14: Topic Refinement

I found this pitch exercise quite helpful. I chose to write it on my refined topic, "Fuel Cells" (what they use to power electric cars). What I liked most about writing a pitch, was that it forced me to gather information and really flesh out my topic. For example, I was originally going to write a pitch on Humans Living on Mars, but after attempting the pitch, I realized it wasn't good enough. When I tried fuel cells however, it ended up coming together much easier and gave me confidence with the future of my assignment. Definitely a good exercise if you are unsure of your topic or if you need help breaking down information.

Emilia Vieni, W14: Pitching

I googled "pitching an idea" and got these sources which I feel provide me with some good points for me to keep in mind when presenting my podcast pitch.

1) http://hbr.org/2003/09/how-to-pitch-a-brilliant-idea/ar/1
 This article does not give advice on the content your pitch should have, but instead talks about how one's character is judged when pitching to a large business. I think sometimes people forget that your character actually comes a long way when you are in front of a new group of people, and the way you speak and talk about your idea can be the winning move if you plan on selling it. "Catchers" are the ones who judge whether you have the most valuable trait needed to be successful with your ideas-creativity (which decides whether or not your idea should be used). If you read the article in its entirety, it explains the types of creative individuals that usually come through successfully when in front of a catcher.

2) http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/07/17/how-to-pitch-anything-in-15-seconds/
Provides me with a good point-if you can't grab your audience's attention with your pitch within 15 seconds, it is probably not interesting enough and will not go anywhere. It is important to just state your facts, and make sure they have good details to back them up and prove that your idea is worthy and credible. Too much talk=too much fluff.

3) http://www.inc.com/thebuildnetwork/3-ways-to-pitch-your-idea.html
This was my favourite article out of the three that I looked at. As the title suggests, it shows you different ways that you can pitch your idea to an audience, or to judge its credibility: The one-word pitch, the subject line pitch, and the question pitch. These simple pitching ideas can allow you to organize your information and to understand the direction you wish to go with your idea. The one-word pitch is just that-reduce an original 50 word idea to one simple word that would describe it. By doing this, you can come up with the word that comes to mind when you think of your idea, which can help you decide whether or not it is truly credible. If it can't be described with one word it is probably too complicated. The question pitch is when you have a strong argument. Starting it off with a question, whether rhetorical or not, can be essential in convincing your audience or your argument. Finally the subject-line pitch. If you can think of an interesting subject-line for your idea, then it will probably intrigue your audience's curiosity.

From the information I've gathered, I believe I need to make sure my topic is broken down even more so that I can make it more concise and appealing. My topic "the colonization of mars" may be a little too complicated as a one-word pitch and should perhaps be broken into various sub-categories.

Gallo, C. 2012. How to Pitch Anything in 15 Seconds [video]. [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/07/17/how-to-pitch-anything-in-15-seconds/  [Accessed Jan.25/14]

Elsbach, D. Kimberly. 2003. How to Pitch a Brilliant Idea [online] Available at: http://hbr.org/2003/09/how-to-pitch-a-brilliant-idea/ar/1 [Accessed Jan.25/14]

The Build Networks Staff. 2013.Three Ways to Pitch Your Idea [online] Available at:http://www.inc.com/thebuildnetwork/3-ways-to-pitch-your-idea.html [Accessed Jan.25/14]

Emilia Vieni, W14: Topic Selection

       Despite what I wrote in my last blog post, I will be researching a topic related to Everyday Einstein instead of Freakonomics or Under the Influence, which I had at first planned. I ended up thoroughly going through every set of podcasts, and realized I actually find Everyday Einstein to be very interesting! I enjoy the range of topics, from the Space Time Continuum to something more simple, like Why the Sky is Blue, and I realized that in my free time (especially when I am at work) I research out of interest many topics similar to what you would find on Everyday Einstein, as they spark my interest quite a bit. I think I would really enjoy my research experience a lot more if I could report on a mysterious, scientific topic.
        Like I said, I enjoy Everyday Einstein's range of topics, but I also found the way they are explained quite effective. Lee Falin keeps a good pace throughout his podcasts, which allows for a better understanding of what he is talking about, even when he reports on the mathematics of space time continuum. He also uses a vocabulary that isn't too saturated, which is good for keeping a level understanding with the audience members.
        After getting a better understanding of the kinds of podcasts created for Everyday Einstein, I then had to think of something that I would enjoy explaining. After reaching topics related to space and earth (which I find the most fascinating), I ended up going with "The Colonization of Mars". This topic explains how and why humans might seriously one day, permanently move to Mars. There is a lot of information on the topic, so a challenge for me in my podcast will be breaking down all my information into a 15 minute segment, and keeping it simple as well as accurate.
      I took a look at Spark while I was trying to find a topic. It seemed fine, but I suppose it did not help me as much as it could since I already knew the direction I was going with my topic (so I had already taken the steps it outlined subconsciously). If you are having trouble with your topic selection, Spark does help a little when it comes to breaking the search steps down, but I think it is more for people who are new to the task of finding a research topic, since the steps are very simple and if you are already used to research, then you will already be doing what they state. I would not add to their advice, as I think it is fine as is. Anything more complicated or detailed would take away from the simplicity it is trying to convey to students in order to help them not feel so overwhelmed with the task of finding a topic.
        

   

Emilia Vieni, W14: Introductions

     There isn't really much to say regarding what I wish to learn about research. I think anyone who has some sort of passion or academic pursuit (in fact any interest at all) would benefit from knowing the proper ethical methods of research. For me, specifically, I hope that by the end of this course I will at least be able to research  faster, as well as have a working knowledge of all the ethical ways that research is completed and cited, which is very important if you plan on becoming a professional writer, in any field.
      Most of my research experiences come from searching about my interests and hobbies. I cannot say I am an avid researcher, but when I have a question or if I am in need of a bit of background information I usually turn to my public library, or, the famous Google. As of now I am in my third year of professional writing (institutional) and plan on also going to Seneca afterwards for a diploma either in creative advertising or business. School is where a good portion of my research takes place, and I often find myself searching for ebooks that contain good quotes and information on an essay topic. One of my most memorable research experiences would have to be in first year when I had to research George Orwell, and in doing so I actually learned quote a lot about his life and what he aimed to convey in his stories.
     I have no idea how to use Refworks or Zotero, but I am sure I will get used to it more as we go on with the course. In terms of podcasting, I do not feel intimidated but I have never made or even listened to a podcast so it will definitely be a new experience for me. I look forward to it though, as I can use the knowledge I gain from this later on for other projects.
     For the course project I am considering doing either Freakonomics or Under the Influence. Freakonomics appeals to me the most as of now. I really enjoy challenging conventional ways of thinking and looking into the meanings behind the meanings, so this podcast will give me a lot of good ideas to report on. I could see myself also having some fun with Under the Influence. When you really take a close look at an advertising campaign, you find a lot of things that may surprise you.