Criterion E- Evaluation

Criterion A-
For criterion A, we were first supposed to visit various thinkquest websites that won the competition and identify which aspects of the website you liked and disliked. Then you had to read 3 major articles along with sub-articles that were tips about making a website, what to be careful on, etc. Then you had to summarize them and post it on the blog. You also had to find the connection between the project and the society.

I followed all directions as followed. I identified which websites i liked/disliked and stated why. I had a bit of a hard time reading the articles because I wasn't familiar with the HTML language, but I understood the key points of each article and tried to summarize them best to my ability. I also found and stated the link between the project and the society.

In this criterion, I still think there are various methods to improve. For example, I could have read further articles to broaden my knowledge, since I didn't have any to start with. I could have looked into more specifics in evaluating the thinkquest websites. I could've also asked people with experience of HTML to translate for me some of the languages I didn't understand in the 3 articles I read.

Criterion B-

In this criterion, you first had to think of 3 ideas for your website. Then we had to evaluate them using the design specifications from criterion A that you developed. Then you had to choose one website that you will work with and also evaluate that against the design specifications. Then you had to have a paper design on a rough idea of the layout of your website.

I think I did ok for this criteria. I gave explicit explanations to the three ideas i thought of, on what was good, what was bad, why i would choose it, what would be required, etc. Then I evaluated them against my design specifications and knocked off two of my ideas. The thing was, I had already chosen an idea to begin with, but I nonetheless made three feasible ideas. Then I also made a paper design. However, it was very quickly-done and it looks a bit messy.

I could have done better in this criterion through various methods. First of all, I could have spent more effort on my paper design. I could have actually colored in the thing, could have had some sample pictures that I would have inserted, etc. I could also have thought of more ideas, and explain them in a greater detail.

Criterion C-
For this criterion, you had to make a feasible timeline to make your webpage. You also had to state which materials you would need, how long it would take, the dates, and also list the steps you would take. Furthermore, if you didn't follow your plan as you have made, you had to alter your plan and edit it and post it again.

I actually did a good job in this criterion. I made a detailed schedule with timelines. I was first worried that I couldn't follow my plan, because of the getting-used to and the unfamiliarity towards HTML, but I actually followed my plan, so I didn't have to change anything.

The only thing I could have improved in this criterion is to have a more detailed timeline.

Criterion D-
Fir this criteria you had to create the actual website. For us, we had to use the Coffee cup software to make the product, and we also had to stick to our plan and design specifications as best as we could.

I used the coffecup software, since there were no other open choices. I chose one of the templates the software had from the start and used that as the base to create my website. i used the research that I have done for my project and put the content in the areas. I also made an additional navigation menu on the top (it originally had 3, I made it 5). I also changed some headings, made some links, and inserted some images. Since we had to site our images, rather than having a separate URL on the bottom of the image, I instead inserted the URL so that it shows the URL when you have the mouse over the image for 2 seconds, for the purpose of making it look neater. I also tried changing the color of the template to match my paper design of criterion B, but I failed miserably. However overall, it looked very neat and I thought it was a small success (especially considering my 0-knowledge on HTML and creating websites).

I could definitely have improved on this criterion. I could have read the coffeecup help to change the colors of the template to match my design specifications. I could also have made my own template after practicing and researching to a great extent. While I did like my final webpage, it wasn't "perfect." I could also have done greater research on this subject; instead of the list of universities I could have found all the pages and linked them directly. There are so many things that I could have improved upon, but that's for next time, since i now have more experience in website-designing.

Evaluating my product (self)-
Here was my design specifications:
1. My website will provide reliable information
2. The information on my website will be useful and easy-to-see
3. My navigations will facilitate the exploring of my website
4. The design (layout, color choice, etc) will not inhibit the eliciting of the information from the website (basically it won't be a distraction, but it doesn't need to be an appealing website either)
5. The website will not have an automatic video on the home page
6. The content of the website will have more importance than the design of the website itself.

I think I followed my specifications pretty well.
In my opinion (I may be biased since I made the website myself) the information I provided was reliable, especially with all the links I have attached. I organized the content so that it is easy-to-see and easy-to-find while it is useful (for me). i suppose the navigation within the template helped the exploration of my website. My website looks professional and it doesn't distract the eliciting o information. It doesn't have an automatic video on the home page. The content was more important than the appearance. So in my opinion, I followed my design specifications quite well.

The only thing, though, is that it felt the work had been already half-done because of the template. But without it, I would have failed in making a website miserably, so I am very happy with it.

Evaluation of my product (according to my test method)-

We judged each other's WebPages on the 25th of May. We judged on three aspects: Navigation, Content, and Visual Appeal.

For my website, I received an 8.5 for Navigation, 9.8 for Content, and 4.9 for Visual Appeal, giving an average score of 7.7.

Here were some of the comments received from peers:
" A lot of info explaining almost everything"
"Wow, this website could be a 'real' web. But sometimes it's too much info"
"I'm a visual learner and I think your website could have been much better if you put some more pictures or colors, or separate the content into separate pages"
"Not that many pics"

Basing my standards upon my design specification, my website is a complete success. The information on my webpage held the most importance and was useful. It was easy to see and was guided by the navigation that was easy and also that worked. My website looked very professional (according to the comments received). Even though I received a mediocre score for visual appeal, my design specification was that it will not be a distraction and that it will look professional, which it was. it also wasn't required to be colorful or fancy, so I thought that even though the score was low, it was actually a success, since that was what I was aiming for.

The impact of my product as of right now is somewhat unclear. because it has not been yet uploaded to the Web, not many people could see it. However, I believe that once I upload it and people start visiting, it will help them greatly, since it is very well organized. It also influenced me since I want to apply to some of these programs.

Criterion C- Planning

This above is my timetable.

Criterion B - Design & week 3 Moodle

paper design-


Even though I already have a detailed design specification with a certain topic of my website of my choice, here are some other designs (topics) that i could talk about and what areas I need to focus on.

1.
Topic: Horror Films

Content: It will contain information on new horror film releases as well as horror films of the past. It will also have rankings of horror films in different categories (such as ratings, audience numbers, earnings, etc
). It will also have a page that has a list of recommended horror films of my choice and follwing explanations of it. It will also have a page of history of horror films.

Layout: This will be as important as the content. People definitely needs to get the feeling that the website is scary, spooky, or at least flashy. As the nature of movies admit importance of advertisement and visual aids (including the movies themselves), the mood that people sense needs to be strong, and in this case, scary. So probably a black background will do it's job with blood patterns. As for the text, it will be a black text on white background, but on the white, there should be scary factors like drops of blood, etc.

Problems: The major problem for this kind of website is that it needs to be constantly monitored and updated. As for the nature of this assignment, it will be close to impossible to keep on updating it. Also, the time it will take for me to create the product will be so long that by the time I finish the website, new films and new information would have arose.

2.
Topic: Recommended Online Games of Korea

Content: It will mostly contain information on different online games. It will have a seperate page on different genres of games (FPS, MMORPG, RPG, social, etc.). In the pages, I will give an image of the game itself (the official title, etc) as well as some screenshots. I will also give pros and cons of the game itself, and state whether you have to pay to play, or whether it is a free online game. I will also give short explanations of the games themselves. I will also give ratings of the games according to my standards. I could also have another page of foreign online games that are worth playing too. Each game should also include the official age of permission to play the game.

Layout: Layout, in this case, holds about 40% of importance (while content is 50%). One major aspect of games itself is because of the "cool" effects, graphics, and the visual aspects of it. So assuming that the people visiting my website will be those who play online games, the visual aspect is important. The designs would be different for every page. For example, the homepage could be a collage or a mix of different genres of a game. FPS page would mostly include guns, knives, and militarty uniforms. RPG page would mostly include characters with ID's and status of the characters, and etc.

Problems: Since it is about Korean online games, the language use itself is a problem. Also, Korean online game market is ever-expanding, so again, it will need constant updating. Also, it would be kind of pointless to create this website for the audience of foreigners because korean online games require a social security number and even if foreigners wanted to play, they would not be allowed uinless they are korean citizens or working in Korea.

3.
Topic: Baccaulaureate of Science, Arts/ Medical Doctor (BS/MD or BA/MD programs) offered in universities in the United States.

Content: The content is of 90% importance here. The audience who will come to visit my website are people who seek for information, not people who are bored and want to explore the web. So giving reliable, profound, and organized information is crucial to the success of this website. hence great research needs to be done to gather the information. The main pages of this website will be: List of BS/MD prgrams in the states (along with universities that offer it, tuition, and other basic information). Another page will be an overview page (possibly my home page) on "what is BS/MD?". Another page will be the necessary or the recommended requirements of high school grades, official test grades, etc. it should also have a ranking page (if i can get the ranking information). It should also have another page on the paperwork required for admission (including the financial aid, admission itself, scholarship paperwork, etc.)

List of pages: Homepage, Introduction page, Basic requirements/recommendations page, list of universities offering BS/MD page, financial/tuition/scholarship page.

Things to include: Font- Times New Roman 13-15. Bckground color- dark or smooth green. Color of font for navigation: white. Text- White bakground black writing. Images- Have not decided yet. Reliable information under the pages listed above.

Layout: The layout for this page will be of minor importance. Again, the visitors come to elicit information, not for boredom. But one thing that i do need to keep in mind is that the page needs to look professional : in the sense that it must look as if it was recently created (because old information is the last thing anyone would want for BS/MD programs). So overall, it should just be neat, and not flashy or tacky. (more design layout shall be on the paper)

Problems: The research itself will take a lot of time, so extra extra effort is required. Each university program differs with each other, so having a great content would take a lot of effort. But other than that, there are no major problems.


Again as mentioned before, I already chose what my website is going to be. however, the major factors of my design spec were that : my information is reliable, the information will be easy-to-see, have good navigations, no automatic video, the designs will not be too noticeable, and that the content will be more important than the design itself.

So idea 1 will not work. My information will be less reliable (since I need constant updating). The information would be easy to see as well as have good navigation as well as i work hard. But the major problem is that the design part will hold equal importance to the content itself (as metioned above).

Idea 2 will also provide problems. As mentioned above, it will be useless for foreigners. Some aspects of the designs should be eye-catching, and the design holds quite some importance in the website.

Idea 3, however, will work. The information will be reliable (as I only need to update it once a year), and the content holds greater importance to the website itself. What i really did was i set the design specification to meet this topic itself, so it really is a perfect match.

The reason I chose idea 3 was mainly because I was personally intersted. I am thinking of applying to BS/MD later and the research would do myself good. Furthermore, it won't be impossible to do, as long as I put adequate effort into it. But mainly, I chose this because of my personal gain from this assignment as well as the level of difficulty of creating this website compared to my other ideas.

I've also made a model of the website on paper. The paper idea included everything that I wanted to have. However, it does seem quite a big job since there were many pages. I am still a little skeptical on including images though, since most of the images will be useless. But for the sake of the design layout itself, I might include some images. I'm really not sure on which type of font to use. I want something formal like Times New Roman, but it would sometimes look too boring. But anyways, the model itself met all the design specifications. It had everything i wanted to include. The layout would hold less importance compared to the content. There was no automated video in my design.Also my information (even though i have not collected) will be most definitely reliable since they will mostly come from university websites themselves and other famous scholastic websites (such as collegeconfidential, etc). The navigations to me seemed fairly straight forward, so the readers will not have trouble trying o find where to go.

Criterion A- Research and Investigation

Our new unit is called "websites". For our product, we have to create an individual website on a topic that we chose. It needs to contain various avigations and informations. The topic should be something that one should be interested in.

This unit/project is most definitely important in society. As society is developing side by side with technology, it is crucial for us, the generation with developing technology, to have a firm grasp upon the modern trend of technology. This of course includes website designing. Websites are one of the most popular resources to research. Nowadays, it is used for even more various purposes such as shopping, calling (telephoning), conferences, entertainment, and even educational purposes. Websites are an inevitable part of our life no matter what, and it is extremely important for us to learn how to use them as well as make them. By learning to use and make the websites, it will facilitate our lives greatly, enabling us with more various options of activites such as learning, shopping, etc. Therefore, it not only holds a temporary value of being able to have other options, but as society is becoming more dependent upon the cyber world and the internet, it will give us a productive long-term effect. It also aloows us to follow the trend of modern society.

One of the phases that we were introduced was to go to thinkquest.org and look at different student-made websites about random topics. We had to then explore different websites they have made and pick one that was most appealing to me in a design standpoint. The most appealing website for me was the leadership page (http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/02289/). I thought that the website seemed very smooth, while very clean and organized. They did not insert any pictures that looked cheap (unlike the chocolate website)and it seemed easy to navigate. I also like how they had the intro video on the hompage but did not make it automatically start, because I never watch the videos and think they're annoying. Furthermore, it didn't take a long time to load despite it being quite colorful. I also thought the inserting-your-name when you went to the site was interesting. however, I thought it was a little unnecessary, but because it didn't take a long time, it was excusable. The colors they used and the targeted audience fit quite well too.

There were some website topics that seemed interesting while others weren't. I thought that chocolate, portable stuff (cellphones and games), and leadership were interesting topics, while topics such as "save the rainforests", "Amazonia: Endangered Beauty" didn't even make me want to visit the website. Again, the leadership site was interesting too. It had a lot of content in different media (games, videos, text) and so it did not bore me out immediately. It was a very interactive website, which i think was appropriate for the audience the website designers targeted. The content itself was also interesting. THe reason I believe I am not interesting in the websites related with amazon or rainforests is because of personal taste (in my opinion) since i'm really not into "save the nature" schemes.

Week 2
what designs scare you-
I think I can relate to almost all of the comments on this article. I most especially agree with "automatic video" and "Red...". i am especially annoyed by the automatic video features in several websites, even more than normal people would because we have such a slow internet connection in Mongolia that if there is an automatic video website, the internet browser would just freeze and I'd get frusttrated. I also could relate to the "red" article. Red is the color that excites, while tires one's eyes. It is very annoying to have a red background, especially if it is bright beight red. For me, it not only applies to red, but any other color that is heavily bright to hurt my eyes. I also do not want the blue website links, because not does it only hurt my eyes, but it makes the website look so cheap. I am not so sure on the black text though, because I like it in the sense that it is simple. I also could agree with other comments, such as disliking websites that have an automatic advertisement or audio with weird and repetitive music. It is just pointless, and because of the sound it creates, I naturally turn my speakers off if i ever have to visit again (which were very few out of the millions) or not go back at all. I also agree with PerAb's statement about the animated images and navigations, because that was what made the "chocolate" website look cheap.


Accessibility-
I most definitely agree with the "Website navigation", It was basically tips on what is a good website navigation. It said that it needed to be simple and accessible while having a good bread-crumb trail. Also, it is best to have a common layout that is accepted by most people.

"content accessibility" is basically about tips of content of a websie, in general terms. It basically says you should consider various audience with different needs or handicaps (such as deaf people, color-blind people, etc). Also, it said that you shouldn't use different colors for emphasis, but rather add a * or sth like tht.

I honestly did not understand much from "Logical Style". I was jsut recently introduced to HTML by Ms.Wilson, and I do not understand the concept of logical and presentational elements. But if there was anything that i understood, it was the last part of the article that said each browser has different formats, so rather than saying "bold", saying "strong" would be more effective because a website can be an audio webpage.

I thought that "Testing your pages" was much more easier. Even though I didn't understand it completely, I believe the main point it tried to say was to consider your webpage for different and different versions of browsers. So do not make it super high tech, and have the resolution set so that you wouldn't have to scroll sideways. Also, the hand-code might contain various errors, so have it checked with a software.

"10 Bad things" was quite intersting. I do agree with many of it, such as "page under construction" or "slow webpage". I thought the progressive downloading idea was really interesting and a good idea for a big webpage. But i don't necessarily agree with the part of the updates. i mean, for me, I go to webpages to just get information, not to get updates or new information. But maybe i'm not very involved in the cyber world.

All I understood from the next article was that the web designers musut consider different webbrowsers for different people. Also, it said to use CSS which is the most preferred. But it said that flash player isn't recommended unless absolutely necessary.

The article about colors seemed a little more clearer. it talked about dithering colors, colors that are non-pixellated for different platforms and web-browsers. Also it showed a list of colors which will prove to be useful in the future.

The HTML 4.01 discusses the advancedment and a little short history of the HTML. It is obviously very confusing to me. But as i understood it, there are 41 new additions to it that one can use. Furthermore, HTML 4.01 is the most standard script that is supported in almost every browser.

XHTML is sort of a extension or another version of XML. In many cases, it is known to be more useful because it is more reliable in the sense that it checks your work. Also, it is more accessible (meaning that it can work with pretty much any browser). The coding is similar to a normal HTML or XML. The only difference is that all tags must be closed, all attributes must be in lower-case, and some other special forms. But as long as the coding is done right (which according to te article is not hard t do), it provides greater benefits. Also, it should be considered as another language and the format the you need to put at the to of he document is different from XML or HTML.

The "mobile" was about how phones now have developed and uppots different web browsers. It said that the web technology for phone has developed incredibly. Before say the iPhone, the phone browsers did not support HTML and therefore needed an entire different coding. But recently, almost all kind of language are supported with equally good browsers. It als gave few tips on how to design a website for phone users so that it wouldn't be too uncomfortable to browser your website.

The "redesigning" article was a little confusing. But it was basically about what to consider when you rebuild your page. The most important things were fonts, navigations, background, search box, and logical structure. I don't think i will be considering this article too heavily, since i doubt i will be even able to make a webpage itself. But still, these were things that i could consider for even the first website i'd make.

I did not read the "bookmarklets" article. It is bcause i will be designing my page in HTML, and bookmarkletsonly work in Javascript.

Sidebar: A list of Reminders-

I do quite agree. To summarize it greatly, it's basically saying make your website idiot-proof. Do not have a fancy website that is hollow, since your content is more important. Be concise and straight-to-the-point. Be consistent and check your content. That was pretty much it.

Design Brief-
There are some basic steps that i will do to create my product. The first one is to investigate how websites are made through going through various websites and looking for information on HTTP as we are doing in class. Then, I will hopefully work with dreamweaver to start creating the website. I will also research information about the topic of my blog (BS/MD prgrams) and think about methods to make the information more accessible to the readers.

Design Specifications-
1. My website will provide reliable information
2. The information on my website will be useful and easy-to-see
3. My navigations will facilitate the exploring of my website
4. The design (layout, color choice, etc) will not inhibit the eliciting of the information from the website (basically it won't be a distraction, but it doesn't need to be an appealing website either)
5. The website will not have an automatic video on the home page
6. The content of the website will have more importance than the design of the website itself.

Testing method-
Since my product will be a creation of an informative website on the BS/MD programs in the States, I should ask 2 or more students in our school who are planning to go into a medical career in the States and ask them to evaluate my website from 1-7 on these criteria: Content, Layout, and Design.

Bibliography-

White E.B. "Sidebar: A list of Reminders". Webstyle Guide 3rd Edition. 2009. 21 Mar. 2010. 'http://webstyleguide.com/wsg3/1-process/5-list-of-reminders.html'

Kyrnin, Jennifer. "What Designs Scare You?" About.com. 21 Mar. 2010. 'http://webdesign.about.com/u/ua/webdesignbasics/what-design-scares-you.htm'

Shannon, ROss. "Accessibility". 2000-2010. 21 Mar. 2010. 'http://www.yourhtmlsource.com/accessibility/'

Criterion E- Evaluation

Criterion A-
In Criterion A, we were supposed to research and investigate about wikipedia/wikiality. We had to learn what they were, and how they were run, edited, posted, created, etc. We also had to evaluate the reliability of wikipedia. We especially had to focus on the editing and posting aspect of wikipedia because that's what wikipedia/wikiality was all about: people editing and refining it constantly. We also had to find the relationship and importance of wikiality/pedia in our lives and society. Then we had to site all our sources properly. Then, we had to create a method of finding inaccuracies on wikipedia with my partner Brooke. Then I had to our method by finding an inaccuracy on wikipedia by:
- finding a suspected inaccuracy
- saving and citing the suspected inaccuracy
- then research to back up our corrections with citations
- then post the evidence.

We followed the guidelines/requirements of this criterion quite well. We answered what a wiki was, who creates them, why use them, who edit them. We described the relevance of wikipedia in our lives and society, and why they are especially important for our generation. Then with Brooke, we investigated where wikipedia gets their information from. We also tried to explore in depth how wikipedia is edited, how inaccuracies are found and we investigated the reliability of Wikipedia itself. Then with Brooke, we created a method for finding inaccuracies on wikipedia. The only problem was that we answered how to correct an inaccuracy correctly, but not really on how to find one (except pure luck). Then, we explored different wikipedia sites and found an inaccuracy on the Chuck site ( A spelling error). Then we saved it, and posted it on our blogs.

We could have done a better job in this criteria if we had explored the reliability and the history/creation of wikipedia, and where they get their information from since we only went through it very lightly.

Criterion B-
In this criteria, we had to post the wikipedia section that we planned to correct on our blogs and describe the suggested change. Then we had to show our corrections on our blogs, highlighting the incorrect information we wished to correct. Then we had to cite our sources (MLA). Then we had to make a list of 3 design specifications for our final wikipedia correction.

We followed this criterion well too. We posted the section that we planned to correct, giving our suggested changes, then we gave the dictionary definition as well as all the other pertinent sites in MLA format. Then we gave our 3 design specifications.

We could have improved on this criterion by giving more design specifications. We were very limited to giving redundant design specs since our change was very minor and quite insignificant.

Criterion C-
No C

Criterion D-
In this criteria, we had to first read and sign the "wikipedia responsibility agreement" then had to get it approved by Mrs. Wilson. Then we had to make the correction on Wikipedia including correct sources.

We did sign the agreement, got approved, and made the changed. but we could not include the source in wikipedia itself since it was a spelling error.


Evaluation-
Our project was a success. We have checked to see if anyone has changed our change, but no one did. It stands proudly. As much as I hate to admit, I doubt there will be a major influence in humanity/society. I mean, a spelling editing, at maximum, would have an influence on a little child reading the article (who is not a good speller) and now knows how to spell chagrin. Another influence can be that now people understand the paragraph more profoundly, since the spelling error could have marred the intention of the article itself.

It also met all the design specifications. Our spelling correction was accurate, it was properly cited, and we also made sure of our spelling correction. So it met all the design specs.

Criterion A- investigation, Criterion B- Design

We were introduced to a new unit. It is called wikiality. We are basically paired in twos to correct a wikipedia article that has faults. That is the final goal of this project.


A wiki is the short term for wikipedia, which is an online encyclopedia. It is created by people, and can be edited by people easily too. We use them as a source of information.


Our task for this unit is to work in a group of two to correct a wikipedia article that has faults and errors in it. It is definitely important for us to learn about wikipedia because wikipedia is a popular source of information in the internet world. As society is becoming more developed, the importance of internet is incredibly rising. Since wikipedia is a popular and common site for knowledge, is it crucial that we students, who are developing in a modern society with internet, learn about wikipedia.


I will be working with Brooke as a group of two for this particular unit.


Wikipedia gets its information from the people who edit it. These people have to cite their sources where they got it from for their editing to be finalized.

Furthermore, the people themselves decide what material will go on. But when major changes occur within a page, the wikipedia personnel looks over the change and decide whether or not to confirm the change.



I think that wikipedia is very reliable. Even though it is subject to constant vandalism, the vandalism is deleted almost instantaneously. For example, just for the sake of curiosity, I tried vandalism on the wikipedia page itself, but it was changed within 10 seconds. Furthermore, I heard that the accuracy of wikipedia is the same accuracy as a printed encyclopedia, which is amazing.



Since the people are required to site their sources when editing or publishing a wikipedia page, it naturally becomes an accurate and reliable page of information. When the correct sources are not given, the editing is deleted.



To make a wiki, all you have got to do is simply sign up for the website. Then, you just create a new page and write some things in it. It is a very simple process that takes a very short time as well.



Not much material has changed in our wiki. They just edited a few sentences and changed the names, but other than that, there were no major changes. I guess our page was a target of vandalism by our fellow classmates, without a particular reason. Personally, it didn't feel so bad. However, it was a little annoying, seeing all the weird changes that were made. But because nothing was insulting or very big, I didn't find it so bad.



To delete changes or go back to an older page, all the owner of the page has to do is go to page history. When the page is loaded, there will be options under each edit saying "view changes" or "delete". Therefore, the owner simply has to click on delete, and the change will be reversed.



Wikis could be used in various ways. For example, for a group project, one can post up a rough draft of a script, per say, and ask for their partner to look and go over it. So the partner can just edit the page to improve it, and so it can be used to do a group project without physically seeing each other, but having a better way of changing it better than IM, MSN, etc.

Another way it can be used is for an online encyclopedia, like Wikipedia itself. One can post one's knowledge and other people can constantly edit it.

It can be used for the purpose of facebook. where they leave posts and comments for each other. However, the probability is that it won't be used because other people might edit it in a bad way, like vandalism.

Also, it can be used for advertisements, surveys, a support group, a page for debate. Etc.

When there is a dispute between editors on whether a particular bit of information should or should not be included in an article, there is a process for deciding. First, one addresses the dispute on the talk page of that article asking other opinions of other editors or Wikipedia's dispute-resolving process. Then, they may either vote or dictate the way the editing will become.

How to find inaccuracies on Wikipedia:

1. Research the topic of the article title

2. Compare your answers with the Wikipedia entry

3. verify/Find out if there is anything that does not correspond

4. If there is something that does not corresponds, verify the validity of your research resource

5. If your research/resource is valid, then the Wikipedia entry has a fault and an inaccuracy

Bibliography:
"Wikipedia: About" Wikipedia: The Free Online Encyclopedia. 10 Feb. 2010. 8 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About>

Despite the effectiveness of our method, we did not use it to find the suspected inaccuracy. We were just exploring different Wikipedia pages and then we found a spelling error as shown below:

"As of Season 3, Chuck has willingly decided to become a real spy, to Sarah's chagin."

the correct spelling for the word "chagin" is chagrin.

"Chagrin Definition: n. A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event: To her chagrin, the party ended just as she arrived."

and there were no dictionary results for "chagin" except a Russian person in dictionary.com. Therefore, this was definitely a spelling error.

Bibliography-

"Chuck (TV series)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_%28TV_series%29.

"Chagrin." Dictionary.com. 17 Feb. 2010. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chagrin

Design specifications:
1. It needs to be accurate
2. It needs to be properly cited
3. We will make sure of the spelling using the online dictionary

Crtierion E- Evaluation

Criteria A: Investigation


For Critieria A, we were supposed to research and investigate podcasts in general. In order to do it, we were supposed to first discuss in class what podcasts are, listening to podcast of the teenagers that were on the New York Times. Then as homework, we were supposed to create a "mini practice podcast" to show that we understood what podcasts were, as well as a practice on the bigger assignment that we received later. Then, as homework, we were assigned to listen to 3 podcasts and comment about it, discussing the quality, topic, etc. I also investigated at home on my own what podcasts are through the internet. We also had to investigate how podcasts are made and recorded, and how to make them available for those who surf the internet. Also, I was then able to find a connection between the podcasts and society, how they are a new apparatus of expressing oneself and a new method of communication.


I think I did a fair job on criteria A. Through my research and investigation described above, I have been able to understand what podcasts are, and how they are made, and the types of podcasts. Also, my practice podcast was successful. I did everything that was required, and the outcome was also equally successful.

I could have improved on this criterion through basic improvements. I could have even researched and investigated even further, looking into deeper material. Also, i could have listened to different types of podcasts because for occasion, i listened to 3 podcasts done by the same person
Criteria B: Design


For criterion B, we were supposed to create an outline of our podcast. First of all, we had brainstorm several ideas and topics for the podcast. Then, we had to look at several methods of publishing and recording the podcast. We also had to give the intended audience. Then out of the methods, we had to choose which one we are going to use. Then we had to give design specifications, on what our podcast was going to be like. Then, we were to give 3-5 designs (just a simple outline) of possible podcasts that we could make. Then out of those 3, we were to pick one and give little more specifics.

We think that we have met all the necessary requirements for this criterion successfully. We have brainstormed and published several ideas for the podcast. We also investigated further from criterion A on methods to record and publish the podcast. We stated specifically who our intended audience was. Then, we gave 3 designs (outlines) that we could have made, and we chose one and gave what we will talk about (a bit more specifically than the other designs). However, we forgot to evaluate all three designs. But other than that, it was successful.

However, we could have improved this part. We could have designed even more designs. Also, we could have not forgotten to evaluate each and every design, giving the pros and cons of each design. Also, instead of just researching which methods were possible to use publish and record the podcasts, we could have actually tried a sample (because later, we could not do the one we actually decided upon).
Criterion C: Plan


For criterion C, we had to plan out our podcast. Rather than writing the script, we just had to give ourselves deadlines and steps in creating the product.

I successfully created the timetable giving specific and detailed steps with dates, resources, and other necessary items.
Other than even making the deadline more specific, I cannot think of improvements to be made,
Criterion D: Create


For criterion D, we had to create the product itself. But rather than creating it straight away, we had to write a script of what we are going to say in the podcast. We first had to create a rough draft, let the peers comment on it, and make improvements. Then we were to create the podcast and post it on a podcast website or our own blogs.

Therefore, we created a rough draft of our script. Even though it was not very specific, we could not decide the specifics (the body) because it was to be improvised for the sake of the flow of the podcast. After we posted it and received feedback, we improved the script and had the final script ready. Then using my laptop, we began to record multiple podcasts and saved them in wmv file. In total, we recorded 5 podcasts, of which 4 were rough drafts. Also, every rough draft podcast, we made our peers listen to it and give suggestions/improvements. So every time, the quality of our podcast improved every time. later, we faced a problem: we could not upload our podcast on http://www.mypodcast.com/ as we planned. Therefore, we used Windows Moviemaker to convert the wmv file into an mp4 file. Then, I added one image of both of us. Then, I uploaded the mp4 file on my blog instead.

there were several things that we could improve on this process. We could have searched beforehand on the podcasting websites before creating it so that we would not have had to go through the problem of finding ways to convert the file into a video file. Also, I could have made the podcast a bit more interesting. It was an interesting topic to begin with, however, because it needed to be appropriate for school, we had to delete many inappropriate but funny parts. But other than that, our product was quite successful.


Evaluation of our product:

I believe that our podcast was a mediocre success. Even though it was an interesting topic, the execution could have been better. First of all, here are our testing method and the results:

Questions we asked:

1- Can you relate to this podcast?

2- why or why not?

3- how often can you find yourself in this situation?

4- has this situation (dating in Mongolia) gotten any better?

5- from 1-7, rate how much you can relate to this podcast (1 being the least, 7 being I can totally relate to this)

6- What was good about our podcast?

7- What are some criticisms?


Brooke

1- Kind of

2- Because she is a teenager living in Mongolia

3- Not that often

4- Yes

5- 3

6- Informative, clear

7- kyu’s voice was painful


Ha Young

1-Yes

2-Because i live in Mongolia and am a teenager

3-Rarely

4-I think so

5-5

6-Imformative, funny

7-Could have added music


Elise

1-Yes kind of

2-Most things we said are true

3-Not that often, sometimes

4-No

5-4.5

6-Not that long, spoke clearly, interesting topic

7-Could be louder


Sonya

1- No

2- Doesn’t go on dates

3- Not that often

4- No

5- 2

6-Shorter, realistic, flowed well

l7- louder, repetition


Bilegt

1- Yes

2- Answers were true about Mongolia

3- Often

4- I don’t know

5- 5

6- Sound quality, entertaining, isn’t boring/dragging

7- Not as entertaining as previous trial podcasts


So looking at these testing results, our podcast seemed to be a mediocre success. Most people said they could relate with this podcast, but said the depth of their relatedness is rather just medium. Therefore, it was less successful then what we had hoped to achieve. Also, the sound quality seemed to be good, but we could have been louder. However, it said it was mostly good saying it was entertaining, and the sound quality was good. They also said that it was quite funny, and not boring. Still, we could have made a better podcast through performing a better execution. Furthermore, it could have been better with a more interesting interview. Also, while the topic was interesting, it is understandable that people cannot relate to it completely. Furthermore, the topic seemed a little niche, targeted towards teenage guys and girls. So those were some parts where we could improve and produce a better podcast.

I believe that our podcast had an influence on the society, as well as our surrounding. First of all, it was very clear that our podcast provided some insight upon the subject for Ms. Wilson. She says she has been clearly influenced, and that she became more knowledgeable upon the subject, and she was quite surprised of the new acquirement of the knowledge. However, this was only a small part of the influence that our podcast has had. For our practice podcasts as well as the final product, we made our peers listen to it. So as they listen to it, they have also gained (supposedly) the knowledge upon this subject of what their opposite gender thinks about this topic, as well as comparing their own ideas to their peers. Therefore, they will be able to now know what to expect on dates and the opposite gender's hopes/dreams. But more importantly, they will spread their knowledge to their friends and relatives, spreading their newly-acquired knowledge to the outer society. even though it might take a longer time and the direct evidence of our influence is not so clear as of right now, this is what we soon anticipate. Therefore, the society will slowly gain the knowledge and lead to a society where a better understanding of teenagers (for adult audiences) and opposite genders (for teenage audience) will be formed, leading to a better society and a harmonious world. Therefore, even though our results are not fully yet manifested, we anticipate that it will have a slow and a long-term effect.

Final Product- Kyu&Jiri Podcast :Dating in Mongolia

Hello, audience.

This is our first podcast,and probably the last, and the topic is on "Dating In Mongolia."

It was a collaborative work between me and my work partner Jiri.

Enjoy :D

*PG- 13 :D

Criterion D- Script (Final)

Wassup my name’s Jiri. Hey, I’m Kyu. Today we’re gonna talk about dating in Mongolia. Furthermore, what makes it even more intersting is that the situation in Mongolia is different from the situation in more developed countries such as the States Therefore, we thought it was the perfect topic to discuss on the theme "exploring adolescence and how it is different in Mongolia." Before we start, we have interviewed 5 girls and 3 guys to just see their opinion on dating in Mongolia, and in general terms. So the questions we asked them were: how often do they go out on dates, what do they look for in a guy/girl, what turns them on, what do they expect from a guy/girl after dates, whether they prefer talking over physical things during dates, what their dream dates are, are there a variety of dating partners to choose from in Mongolia, and how they expect their dates to act during dates.

(We will be reading some answers of each questions, and we will be talking in an improvising manner about their answers, and therefore, we did not create a specific script on this part on purpose). (The tone that we use during the improvisation will not be specified, since the answers will be varied and we must respond accordingly). (We will be exploring why they responded in that manner).

These answers might be affected by the fact that the interviewees are the students living in Mongolia. If we were to receive the responses to the same questions from the teenagers in the States, I can guarantee that many of these answers will be different. However, I think that some answers come to a universal agreement. So in order to compare and analyze some of the answers, we decided to gather the most common answers for all the questions of the 8 interviews. For how much people go on dates, the most common answer was "Not that often." However, if it was in the States, the response would be "often." Most of the people responded that they look for personality, looks, and body for someone who they would want to date. I guess that this would be much more of a universal answer. However, for the question of "What turns you on?" we could not reach a common answer because everyone's desire and tastes were different, and it would be accurate to say that the it would be the same response as the teenagers of the States. For the question "What do you expect from your partner after a date" was a hug, and nothing more physical. We are not sure whether this is universal, and therefore, we will not state any unsupported statements. It also seems that all of the interviewees preferred to talk on dates, rather than physical contact, and the same thing applies as sthe last question. However, the dream dates of the people varied by person, and therefore we could not reach a conclusion. Of course, this answer would be universal too because everyone's tastees are different. However, almost all of the responses of "Is there a variety of people to date to choose from?" were "NO!!!!" This would have been definitely different in the States. And finally, the most common answer for "How do theyt expect their dates to act during a date?" was "Confident and Open" and we believe this is also universal.

Well, we hope that we provided good information on this topic, and that you guys enjoyed the podcast. We hope that it enables you to go a step deeper on exploring adolescence, and how teenagers in Mongolia differ in different situations to the teenagers in other countries, especially on the topic of dating. I hope you can all understand or at least see the perspective of dating in Mongolia. Hope for the best, thanks for listening, and peace out.

Criterion D-Create (Script) (Rough Draft)

Wassup my name’s Jiri. Hey, I’m Kyu. Today we’re gonna talk about dating in Mongolia. Before we start, we have interviewed 5 girls and 3 guys to just see their opinion on dating in Mongolia, and in general terms. So the questions we asked them were: how often do they go out on dates, what do they look for in a guy/girl, what turns them on, what do they expect from a guy/girl after dates, whether they prefer talking over physical things during dates, what their dream dates are, are there a variety of dating partners to choose from in Mongolia, and how they expect their dates to act during dates.

(We will be reading some answers of each questions, and we will be talking in an improvising manner about their answers, and therefore, we did not create a specific script on this part on purpose). (The tone that we use during the improvisation will not be specified, since the answers will be varied and we must respond accordingly). (We will be exploring why they responded in that manner).

It seems that everyone had quite interesting answers. I think that the answers are even more special, because the responses came from guys and girls of our age in Mongolia. However, there seems to be a common pattern between the answers. Here is what I have noticed: (State the question with many similar answers). These answers might be affected by the fact that (…). In my opinion, there are also some universal answers, such as (…). Maybe it is due to (…). Well, thanks for listening, and I hope that we gave a good perspective on dating in Mongolia, as well as why we think the way we think about the subject.

Jiri will read the introduction, Kyu will read the conclusion. We will be rotating in a smooth manner in the middle -part, where we improvise.

Criterion C- Plan

Critierion B - Design

Jiri and Kyu have collaborated to create the podcast and therefore, will have the same material for criteria such B, which is Design, that we discussed together.
list of possible topics:
- Alcohol / Booze
- Sex
- Dating girls in Mongolia (also universally)
- Why classical music is better than hip-hop (and vice-verse)
- How to balance your academic, social, artistic, and athletic life
- How living in a developing country provides new difficulties and advantages compared to an advanced country
- How to drink wine and champagne with the consent of your parents
- Bad music taste of the teenagers
- Why or why not the TV series "Supernatural" is awesome


Intended audience:
People above the age of 13 including but not limited to adults, parents, relatives, etc. It can be both strangers and acquaintances.

How we can record and publish our podcast:
1) Record the podcast using the webcam, and post it up on Youtube: Broadcast Yourself
2) Use a voice recorder to record the podcast, and post it on a podcasting website http://www.mypodcast.com/.
3) Borrow a musical studio to record the podcast in a professional envrionment, and post it up on a podcasting website.
4) use a video recorder to record the podcast and post it up on our individual blog (for IT class)
5) Use a phone to record or video the podcast and post it up on Youtube or a podcasting website.

We will be using a voice recording device to record the podcast and publish it on a podcasting website. We chose this method because we thought it would be convinient and will produce a good quality sound.
We chose the topic of dating girls in Mongolia. We chose this topic because it is an interseting topic for teenagers, and it will be unique because the environment and opportunities of dating are different from other countries such as the States.
Another reason we chose this method was because we did not want to reveal our faces while creating a podcast. Also, we would not be able to borrow a professional music studio, so we were left with few choices, and we eventually chose the recording device and http://www.mypodcast.com/ because it is the most convinient way.

Design Specifications:
- A "Real" Podcast in a digital audio format
- A podcast that will have an audible sound quality
- A podcast where the participants (me and Jiri) will speak clearly
- The podcast will be around 10 minutes long
- It will be a collaboration between the two two participants
- It will be something personal
- It has to be published
- It has to be about being a teenager
3 Designs:
A:
- Why dating is different in Mongolia
- Country with less places to hang out
- The weather is really cold
- Transportation complications

- Where to go for dates
- Movie theatres
- Restaurants / Bars
- Double dates with friends
- Home-made dinners
- Study dates

- When to go on dates
- During school days
- During weekends

B:
- How to survive on dates
- How to break the awkward silence
- flirting the girls
- how to not act stupid
- How to get your game on
- how to look attractive
- how to turn girls on
- How to get them to want you

C:
- Interviews from girls about dating in Mongolia
- Girl A (hiba) or (Mila)
- Girl B (Nalini) or (Zina)
- Girl C (Urangoo)
- Our own commentary on the interview
- What we basically think about each interview

The collaborative group of Jiri and Kyu has come up to a decision of choosing the design C. Contemplating consceintiously of the multiple opportunities we could have chosen, we came up to this decision for various reason. First of all, we thought it will produce an unparallel topic, arousing great interst from all the audience. The interviewees might state unanticipated results, which will create a better discussion topic. This topic will fit the design specifications.If the podcast doesnt meet the time limit, we might add a part from Design B.

Questions that we will ask for the interviews:
- How often do you go on dates in mongolia
- What do you look for in a guy
- What turns you on
- What do you expect from a guy after a date
- Do you like to talk more on dates or do you expect more physical things
- What is your dream date
- Is there a variety of guys to pick from
- How do you expect the guy to act during a date

Criterion A- Investigation (Continued once more)

Podcasts are digital files (usually a video or recording) that are released episodicsally and that can be downloaded or heard/watched online. They are created for a non-commercial purpose because they can be downloaded for free legally. Therefore, most people create podcasts as a hobby or their interest. They are created by common people who know how to create a podcast. People who listen to podcasts include people who are interested in listening to other people's opinions about the topics they are interested it and web surfers. They are made either by audio or video. You can record it in various ways. You can use the webcam or use a video recorder. Or, you can record it on a microphone.

My task in this project is to cooperate with Jiri to create a podcast of our own. We will have to make a podcast about a topic of adolescence that we relate closely with. It is absolutely important to learn about podcasting because as time flows, technology is taking up a bigger portion of our lives everys ingle day. Therefore, getting to know those technology and learning how to make use of them is an important life skill. The podcast we will create might include an audience of classmates and teachers of our school, as well as web surfers if they come across our podcast.

i listened to some of my classmates' podcasts. here are my general comments:
Binderya-
The sound quality was bad, and the 2 people switching thing was a bit confusing
Urangoo-
great sound quality, good script, and good execution
Jiri-
Bad sound quality, interesting topic to discuss, intonation could be improved.
Sugii-
Acceptable sound quality, good intonation, and the topic was interesting.


Podcast 1:
This podcast was about Kevin interviewing a woman who still admired her high school lover, which was almost 30 years ago. She is married, and the high school guy is married too, but the woman cannot forget about him. She says that if she has the opportunity to be with her high school lover again, she will do it without hesitation. Kevin is amazed by this statement.
I found this podcast while I was searching on the http://www.mypodcast.com/ website.
I really liked this podcast. I personally think that all of Kevin Quinn's podcasts are amazing and interesting. The choice of the topic is intersting, and it's also highly debatable. Kevin seems to have much experience with the podcasts, since he has his own radio program. Kevin is a Caucasian American in the 30s, married, and happy.

Quinn, Kevin. "The One That Got Away." Best of Kevin Quinn. 30 Sep. 2009. 25 Nov. 2009.


Podcast 2:

It was about a guy named Kevin Quinn and his daily episode with his wife. One lunch, his wife got him barbecue from a restaruant called Pearls, with 3 types of barbecue Sauce. Hungry as he was, Kevin devoured the barbecue, and later realized that the sauce was really spicy. So he's jokingly suspicious about his wife trying to kill him.

It was extremely appealing to me. First, he described the barbecue and the eating scene so well that saliva was swelling in my mouth. Also, the sound was really clear, and the scenario was really funny, even to a teenager like me who doesn't know much about marriage relationships.

I found the recording while searching the word "food" on a website called http://www.mypodcast.com/.
Thye posting seems a bit irregular, because one day, he records 2 episodes, while in other occasions, he takes 10 days to make a podcast. He is a 30 year-old male living in the time zone of Greenwich.

Quinn, Kevin "Is my wife trying to kill me?" Best of kevin Quinn. 22 Sep. 2009: ? 25 Nov. 2009.





Podcast 3:

This was a semi-radio show about Christmas music before actual Christmas, starting from November. He received calls from several women who support the Chrstimas music, and kevin makes a commentary while interviewing these women. The format of the podcast was different from the podcast #2. There was actually an interaction among the interviewer and the interviewee. I am not sure whether this can be counted as a "podcast" though.

Again, like his previous podcast, i found it really funny and intersting. There were some profanity in it, but it wasn't very severe, and I really liked the mocking and sarcastic tone of Kevin. The sound quality seems to be really good. However, it seemed a bit too short and Kevin didn't express himself as much as podcast #2. But again, it might not be a problem since the definition of a "podcast" can be varied.

I found the podcast on kevin Quinn's website after listening to podcast #2. It seems that Kevin Quinn is actually the host of a radio show of 103.5, and that it's his career. I'm not sure how often it is published.

Quinn, Kevin. "Christmas Music In Spetember?" Best of Kevin Quinn. 10 Sep. 2009: ? 25 Nov. 2009.

There are various ways to record and publish podcasts. One simple way is recording yourself on the webcam and uploading it on a video-sharing website such as Youtube. Another way would be video-recording yourself and uploading it in an actual podcast website such as http://www.mypodcast.com/ or http://www.podomatic.com/. However, one doesn't have to record a video, because an audio also is valid as a podcast. One can record it through various media such as the cellphone, voice recorder, microphone, etc etc. Also, one can use dufferent recording programs and post them on iTunes. There are innumerous ways a podcast can be recorded and published, but I suggest that a podcast be made in Audio with a microphone and posted on a professional podcasting website because it promises good quality and good audience too.

Design Specifications-
- A "real" podcast
- A podcast that is created by the collaboration of me and my partner, Jiri
- A podcast that explores deeply of the topic of our choice
- A podcast that is at least 5 minutes long
- An audio file
- A podcast that other teenagers will be able to relate to

Test-
We will make our classmates listen to our product. Then we will ask them if they have experienced a similar situation, and whether you can relate to it or not. Then, we will evaluate the extent of their depth of it by asking them these series of questions:
- Why do you think it relates to you?
- How often can you find yourself in this situation?
- Has the situation gotten any better?
-From 1-7, number your empathy on this podcast
- What was good about our podcast?
- What are some potential criticsms?

Through these questions, we will evaluate their depth of relating to our podcast from 1~7. Then, from there, we will be able to evaluate whether our product was a success or a failure because our podcast is supposed to make people relate with it.

Practice podcast script

I picked the topic of computer/internet severity. I chose the topic because it is a modern issue that teenagers face, and the parents are deeply concerned about. The view of the teenager would be totally different from that of the parents', because the teenager would think it is a normal thing, and would think that their parents are just fussing about it. The parents would be extremely concerned about the child's social life as well as his health. Name: James Stough Age: 17 Country of birth: New York, USA current resident: Mongolia Current school: ISU Cultural/Other background: A typical American New York teenager who wants privacy from their parents. He is a good student with a good reputation, and has many close friends. He has lived in Mongolia for 2 years, and has found the internet to be terrible. He spends most of his spare time on the computer, but he is not the typical "addiction." He actually does some productive activities such as internet classes, reading newspaper, watching the news, video conferencing friends, etc. But because of the slow internet, his time spent on the computer is even further extended. It's quite irritating how my parents misunderstand the time spent on the computer. I know that they're concerned about me and everything, but every time I try to explain, it's like they shut their ears or something. I realize myself that I spend about 4~8 hours on a typical school day, but I really can't help it though. I'm always busy doing homeworks on the computer, because everyting needs to be typed, and all the research is done on the internet. Also, I chat with my friends from the States as well as my friends here. Furthermore, I even take internet classes for my own sake, and all my parents see me "in front of the computer" is me just "surfing the internet" and "wasting my time." Of course, there are some times when I surf the internet and stuff, but I actually do more work than play. I even read the papers online, because i can't get them here. I think that everytime I explain what I do everyday on the computer, all they hear is blah blah blah blah chatting with my friends blah blah blah go on facebook, and miss out other things that I do. They even try to come up to my room to check up on me, I think mostly for porn. My god, the internet's way too slow to even download porn you know. I get so stressed when they try to overthink everything. Besides, another reason I take so long every single day on the computer is because the internet is painfully slow here! I mean, to load a youtube video that is 3 minutes long, it TAKES 5 minutes. Anyways, my point that i'm trying to make here is that I just wish my parents were a bit more understanding, and not worry a little bit. I mean, it's not as if I'm a loner in the school and only get good grades in IT, you know. I actually socialize quite a lot outside, as well as via internet. I just hope that they are enlightened one day to realize that i'm not going to be a social outcast and a miserable internet addict.

Profile of our generation & characterization of our birth year (Crit. A continued)

I tried to create a profile of our generations. The interviews that I looked seemed to have bostly come from people who were born in the year of 1994 and 1993.

- We all seem to care about our family very much. Despite the minor conflicts and the feeling of "getting more distant" is seen, our generation still seems to value it very much.

- However, our generation also seem to place great value in friendship. We talk to them very often, even about subjects that we do not discuss with our family members. I think this is especially greater in the community we are staying though (international school of ulaanbaatar) because it's very small, and so we become even closer.

- Our generation seems immensely influenced by the advancedment of technology. The internet has provided us new medium to which we can talk and chat, which increases our friendship. However, it also led to things such as internet addiction, less socializing outside, etc. It also brought things such a pornography closer to the people (especially the guys.) Also, the media (especially the TV) influences our way of thinking and knowledge.

- Our generation cares about attraction between the opposite genders, but we do not see to think it as our top priority.

- Our generation also sees the growing responsibilities and expectations from the outside.

However, compared to the older generations, it seems that the generations seem much similar.

Therefore, if I was to "characterize our birth year," it would be the advancement of technology and the countries. Almost everyone has acknowledged the influence of technology in our lives, how we went from a black-and white camera to a cell phone that can take pictures, enables us to surf the internet, listen to music, etc. Also, we all have seen the developments in our countries, and how all of the countries became more wealthy (well mostly,) and how it became more cosmopolitan. Therefore, I think that our generation can be defined as "plugged in cosmopolitans."

Interviews (Crit.A continued)

The questions I asked:
1) What characterizes the year that you were born in time?
2) What defines your generation?
3) What are some good points of being an adolescent?
4) What are some bad points?
5) Do you wish that you were born in another generation? why or why not?
6) what are some problems you face as a teenager?
7) What influences your thinking during your teen years? (Moral, educational, and political)
8) How important is friendship to you as of right now?
9) How important is love to you as of right now?
10) Are you happy with your life?

`
Zina


1) What characterizes the year that you were born in time?
The war that started in 1992 and went on for 5 years.

2) What defines your generation?
Again, the war. Back home my generation is known as the “war kids”.

3) What are some good points of being an adolescent?
Everyone gets to be an adolescent in their life at one point. We do make mistakes but we learn from them. So in the future we will know what to do. And someday when we have kids we will know what they are dealing with and how to help them for example.

4) What are some bad points?
We are not as experienced and we do not make good decisions all the time. We don’t listen to the elders at times because we think that we are the smartest and don’t trust anyone.

5) Do you wish that you were born in another generation? why or why not?
Not really. This way I saw the bad things that happened during the war. I saw the development of my country from being the poor and helpless one to a developed country today.

6) what are some problems you face as a teenager?
Any family issues, school problems, friends, boyfriends etc.

7) What influences your thinking during your teen years? (Moral, educational, and political)
Mostly my family and friends. My family helps me a lot because they all have gone through similar things in their lives so they help me with making my decisions. While my friends help me also through advice but also through their attitudes. I think that it is important to see what my friends think of me and will they judge me which in my opinion is not an advantage in life.

8) How important is friendship to you as of right now?
Very important because friends are the ones that understand me the most I could say. They help me, listen to me, give advice and are mostly always there. And my best friends would never judge me.

9) How important is love to you as of right now?
Love of any kind is important because in life we need love and support to keep going. And I think in my life I need love to keep me going.

10) Are you happy with your life?
Well when I look at individual things in my life they are not as good as they can be. But life in general is satisfying and I personally cannot complain about it. And as the question states, I am happy. :)



Bilegt




1) 1994, right after when democracy showed up (after socialism).
2) No comment.
3) Time where you actually grow up to take care of you own life, not being told what to do etc.
4) the time where many changes happen, mentally and physically. this can change your life
5) i do not wish to be born in a different generation because there was no fun back in the 80's and 90's and its too weird to be born in the future.
6) emotional meltdowns, but i almost never face them. biggest problem is rejection, you feel very bad about yourself.
7) everything: parents, friends, things happening around you (news)
8) Very important. Every teen, not only teens, everyone hates rejection. they need people around them
9) not that important. Though we all want relationships, i first need to struggle for my own life
10) pretty much happy


Nalini


1. 1993 for me was when bill clinton became president
2. we have grown up in the 21st century with many more technological advancements
3. more freedom
4. more responsibilities
5. yes, i wish i was born in the 50's. because they had awesome diners where the waitresses would get payed to rollerblade. and they had awesome music and juke boxes.
6. school.
7. parents, friends, media
8. very important
9. not that important
10. ehh, for the most part


Mother-


My mom and me last year


My mother during her teenage years

Q. Tell me about your teenage years.
A. Well, my teenage years were similar to everybody else, I guess. Everyday, I would go to school, take the classes, and practice the piano until 5~6PM at the school. My school was really far away from my house, so it took 40 minutes by bus to even get there. The trips were absolutely nauseating, but that’s school (laughs.) I don’t think my teenage years were any different than yours. Ummmm… if there is anything, it would be that we didn’t have a cell phone, so we’d had to call beforehand and go to a friend’s house. I guess another different thing was the whole guy-girl relationships. My high school was an arts middle and high school, so there were very few guys, especially in high school. So I didn’t have a relationship until college. Ummm all my friends there were rich, so we usually hung out at good and fancy places. We didn’t face any financial challenges at all, because arts, especially music, takes a LOT of money. Oh, one more thing. My parents weren’t THAT strict about academics. They liked to see me be “the top of the class,” but I usually were there, and they didn’t force me. I guess the academics are more rigorous at my middle and high school though, because an arts school is similar to an ordinary high school, and ON TOP OF THAT, you have to do some form of art. So during school days, everyone is busy studying and practicing. But on weekends, we can go out. With my friends, we usually went to their house or to a café and mostly gossiped. Then, we went to church together and were in the choir. Parents would invite us over each week to have lunch or dinner. I don’t think we slept over at each other’s houses though. Also, we couldn’t hang out late, because there was this thing called “restriction hours” and no one is allowed to wander the streets after 10 PM. If you did they’d arrest you. So, there.
1) Based on the stories that you heard, how was parenting different when they were young?
It wasn’t extremely different. It would actually be closer to right now, where I am. However, if there was anything, the focus on academics weren’t that great, but nonetheless important. The parents didn’t allow you to sleep over at another’s house because it was considered rude in the Korean culture, especially during that time.
However, the rest are the same as today. The parents thought school was important. Family time was also important. The parents showed hospitality towards close friends of their children.

2) Why do you think adolescence has changed so much in the last thirty years?
I actually don’t think it has changed greatly. However, it did change. I think for the most part, it is the increase of population and therefore the increase in competition among the teenagers. The adults definitely see that, and they push their kids harder to study at school, so that they can get a good job and live happily.
I also think that it is due to the advancement of technology. As technology becomes more sophisticated everyday, we receive more information from all sources, especially the media and the internet. Therefore, we begin to communicate with our friends in a different way, than they used to during my mother’s generation. Even though we still hang out with our friends a lot of times, the time we spend chatting to each other online has increased dramatically.

3) Are you happy to be an adolescent today, or do you wish you had been born in a different era? Why?

I am actually quite content with my teenage life. Of course I have problems and conflicts such as the school work and other stuff, but still, I think it has its own merits. For example, I enjoy every moment of having a good quality TV as well as a laptop, which I wouldn’t have had before. I also am happy at the fact that I wouldn’t have to worry about getting home in time before the restriction hours.
Of course, sometimes, I wish I was born in the past generation. There was not much of pressure for studies, which is one of my largest portions of stress. However, I believe that wishing and hoping does not do anything. If I so much so desperately want to be born in a different era, I would try hard to act like I was in one. I see no practicality in hoping and therefore, I “do.” I do not “hope.”

4) I think our generation can be defined as the “plugged-in” generation. Teenagers are especially intimate with modern technology, so much so that we spend so much time using one, such as the TV, laptop, iPods, etc.
I also think that our generation can be defined as the one-in-hundred. What I mean by that is the competition level has increased so much from the past that only one out of hundred people become and do what they wanted to do. Of course, I’m only saying this in a metaphorical sense. So, if we want to be “successful,” we have to “stand out.”

Unit II criterion A- Inverstigation

This unit is called "podcasts to explore adolescence." This project is about creating a podcast (audio or video) that explores the period of a teenager. Therefore, we must seek into ourselves and explain how, what, and why we feel the things we feel during this period. It must effectively explain "adolescence." In this project, we were allowed to work in pairs, so I will be working with Jiri. This project will help us to know more about ourselves and expressing them. I think it is an extension of the first unit that we did. While the first unit was about discovering who yourself is, the second unit is to express who we are to the outside world in an effective manner using contemporary technology. Therefore, through this project, we will enable others to understand who we are and how the fragile years of adolescence is different to each and every one of us, and explore the differences between adolescence from the past.

A podcast is a digital media file in the form of audio or video. They are usually episodes and series where one can download them. The difference of other downloadable files is that one download it through special programs called "podcatchers" like iTunes, Zune, etc.

Adolescence is a time period where one matures both mentally and physically. There are larger amount of secretion of hormones, which distinguishes the gender more distinctly than before. However, because of these hormone bursts, one might experience insecurity. Therefore, it is important for teenagers to convey and communicate with adults and their environment on how they feel, why they feel, and what the environment should do to create the best result. Therefore, this project is crucial to our mental development and maturity and thus a valuable project to do.

So in IT class today, we were first introduced to the topic. We read an article from the New York Times and we read the years of adolescence of 17 year olds. Here are some of the parts where I found were inspiring and something that i could easily relate to. here are the things that inspired me: Adenike Thomas.

"I TAKE on so much and I have no time for myself. I do it on purpose. I love it and I hate it. If I’m not busy, I complain that I’m bored, but when I am busy, it’s like, oh, my God. On Mondays, I have dance. And I used to take acting lessons, with my friend. On Tuesdays, I have soccer games. On Wednesdays, I have newspaper or student government. I wanted to run for president, but I don’t have enough time. Then I have volunteer with little kids, and then I have dance. And then Thursdays, I have another game. We have soccer practices every morning. On Fridays I have a job, I work at a museum. And then Saturday, I just finished SAT prep; I’ve been doing that since last September. Sunday, sometimes it’s my rest day, to catch up on homework."

-This was a part of her interview. I totally agree with her in this situation. I don't exactly know what I am doing, but I somehow live around the clock and am always occupied. It's even hard for me to hang out with friends after school because I have so much stuff going on. In her case, they include her interests, and for me too, I spend quite a lot of time.

"And honestly, even though I do really well in school — I like getting good grades, I love it — but it’s more of a competitive thing for me. It’s nice to get good grades and stuff, but I have so much I want to do. Medicine is not the lifestyle for me. I want to do everything. That’s my problem. "

-This was another part that I agree. I do get good grades, and for the most part, I enjoy the competition of it. However, sometimes, I miss some grades because they overlap with my interests, but for the most part, I hold them up. For the most part, I thought that this girl was really similar to me and constantly occupied with everything, and that she is curious and interested in many things. So I could easily relate to her and the situations/conflicts she might face everyday.

We received a homework as a part of our investigation. We were supposed to interview a person from an older generation, and interview 3 teenager kids near our age. Then, we were supposed to answer the questions and compare the two on how they changed, etc.

Design Brief-
We will search for topics to explore adolescence. We will interview someone from an older generation and interview 3 teenagers and compare each other to see the difference and the changes that have occurred through the generations. Then I will discuss with my partner of these differences and choose the topic to talk about.

Design Specifications-
Our product shall be 5 minutes long at least, and will be in the form of an audio. It must be an audio that expresses who we are and what adolescence is to each person. it must also explain the changes (if any) of adolescence from the past. It may contain things such as difficulties and conflicts of adolescence and its years. It must effectively communicate the adolescence years.

bibliography-
"If I'm not busy, I complain that I'm bored, but when I am busy, It's like, Oh my god."
New York Times. 17 Sep. 2007. 3 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/nyregion/thecity/16over.html>

"Podcast." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2 Nov. 2009. 2 Nov. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast>

"Puberty and adolescence." MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. 2 Nov. 2009. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001950.htm>

Criterion F- Attitude

Personal Engagement:
I think I was well-engaged in the class overall. I wasn't jumping up and down because we started a new project, but I was (I believe) positive towards the things we did in class and certainly did not act negatively towards them. Also, during the project, I guess I was quite positive because I was writing endlessly when it was not even required, and I even encouraged my classmates to write more and I had "fun" doing so. I guess my independence lacked a little bit though. Because I was new to the MYP and its criteria, I had to ask frequently Ms.Wilson and my friends for help and instructions. However, the project itself, I was able to work autonomously.

Attitudes toward safety, cooperation, and respect for others:
I think I was very safe within the class. First of all, there weren't very many things that was concerned with safety, but I also followed the rules of the IT class concerning downloading, etc. I think I was cooperative with others too. I asked them for help, for example for my evaluation and questions about the criteria, while I also returned the favor by doing their evaluation/testing and give them examples to write about for their different criteria. Also, during the presentations, I tired to help and improve the quality of discussion by asking the hidden and subliminal intentions of the artist. I think I was respectful overall too. I didn't assert any negative comments of my peers and their works and tried to encourage them. Also, when I had to give objective criticism, I tried to use euphemism so that I wouldn't hurt the feelings while helping them.

test results

For your hair, you used octopus ink, because your hair is black and it makes a nice texture like kyu’s hair. For the face, when you put Korean writing on it you meant to show that you are Korean, you like to read Korean literature. Your glasses and mouth are white and black, because you have different sides of yourself. The other face has food on it, because you love food. The background is blue because the ocean is blue and you have different continents to show where you were and where you want to go. The sesame seeds show that you like sesame seeds and the rice represents that your Korean and u also like rice. I don't know what the acryllic paint symbolizes.

You pasted magazine cut-outs which were all pictures of food, so I am thinking that you are a food lover. The rice on the border of you hair tells me that you like to eat rice, which Koreans all do. Octopus ink tells me that you are a marine life lover, or you like things like fish. The color of the glasses and mouth tells me that you have faces or 2 people IN you telling you what to do, like devil and god. The two faces show that you want a twin.

I think black and white is showing your devil mind and angel mind. But the black side is kind of higher than white so your devil side is more than kindness maybe. And between two twin there are Africa and America which is telling u r half America and u lived in Africa or half Africa. And i can see u love eating and rice is your favourite. Also I notice from your angel face that u like to read Korean books.

Octopus ink is because I really don’t know what that is so I can’t think of a reason why u chose it. The rice because your Asian and you like to eat rice. The different food is because you like eating. The map symbolizes your likeness of MUN and other countries. Korean books you like literature.

Criterion E- Evaluation

making the product.

my final product

these were some of the photos that i had to show my product.

Criterion A-

For criterion A, we had to investigate to problem, state the main Areas of Interactions related with the interdisciplinary project. We also had to design questions that would guide through my investigation. I also had to develop my design briefly, including the necessary design specifications with some of the design specifications that I actually wanted. Furthermore, I had to research a bit using both online and primary sources. So we had to give definitions and facts about portraits. In art class, we had to research a portrait artist to further gain knowledge of portraits, which is the main idea of this project. Then, we had to give a bibliography of the research. Then, we had to give a method to evaluate our final work.

So, I did investigate the problem by stating what the project was, how it related to society, and how it could help me later with the future life. Then, I gave the main Areas of Interatction that I thought might have been related with the project, and they were Human Ingenuity and Approaches To Learning. Then, I gave an explanation for why I thought those areas of interactions were related with this particular project. Then, I wrote 5 questions that would guide me through the investigation. Then, I wrote down the necessary design specifications that Mrs. Wilson presented to the class and wrote some design specifications of my own. Then, extracting the base from the art lectures and IT classes of different portraits along with online sources that I looked up, I defined what a portrait is, what it contains, and its characteristics along with other things.

I think that this can be improved in several ways. One way is to have a larger research that will increase the understanding of the project.This can be improved also by having a more specific design specifications and needs.

Critierion B-
For criterion B, we had to generate few designs that we might use to create the actual artwork. The minimum number of design requirements was 5. We also had to evaluate each design with the design specifications. We also had to record chortly what we did and how we came up with the design. Furthermore, we had to state which one you were going to use for the creation process and include the reasons for the choice (justify the choice.)

I did the things that was required in this criteria. I generated 5 designs using various graphic software programs. I explained the process of creating them for each design. I compared all of my designs to the design specifications of criterion A. Some of them met my design specifications, but there was only one that actually met it to the full extent. So I chose the one that met all the design specifications and justified the choice.

To improve this criteria, I could design more designs, with giving even further explanations. Also, I could have created another design that met all the desing specifications and compare it with each other and choose one.

Criterion D-
For criterion D, we had to do several things. One of them was to elaborate the process of the creation. What you did, why you did it, things that went wrong, things that you changed, the source of inspiration. We had to follow our initial plan to the best. An appropriate quality of a creation must have been produced.

I think i mostly met the requirements for criterion D. I elaborate to a great extent of the process of my creation. I explained the reasons, dates, methods, materials, and pretty much everything. I followed my inital plan ver closely, but I eventually had to make some changes and I did elaborate why i did so. An appropriate quality of a creation was produced that was justified by Ms. Sudra.

I think that i could've taken a bit more care of my artwork: accidentally, a part of my work ripped. Even though it was unnoticeable, it is something that i could definitely improve on. Also, i could become more familiar with different art techniques that will improve the quality of my work.

Overall, I think that my results were successful. Here are the rest results. Names are anonymous due to privacy:

person 1)
For your hair, you used octopus ink, because your hair is black and it makes a nice texture like kyu’s hair. For the face, when you put Korean writing on it you meant to show that you are Korean, you like to read Korean literature. Your glasses and mouth are white and black, because you have different sides of yourself. The other face has food on it, because you love food. The background is blue because the ocean is blue and you have different continents to show where you were and where you want to go. The sesame seeds show that you like sesame seeds and the rice represents that your Korean and u also like rice.

person 2)
You pasted magazine cut-outs which were all pictures of food, so I am thinking that you are a food lover. The rice on the border of you hair tells me that you like to eat rice, which Koreans all do. Octopus ink tells me that you are a marine life lover, or you like things like fish. The color of the glasses and mouth tells me that you have faces or 2 people IN you telling you what to do, like devil and god. The two faces show that you want a twin.

person 3)
I think black and white is showing your devil mind and angel mind. But the black side is kind of higher than white so your devil side is more than kindness maybe. And between two twin there are Africa and America which is telling u r half America and u lived in Africa or half Africa. And i can see u love eating and rice is your favourite. Also I notice from your angel face that u like to read Korean books.

person 4)
Octopus ink is because I really don’t know what that is so I can’t think of a reason why u chose it. The rice because your Asian and you like to eat rice. The different food is because you like eating. The map symbolizes your likeness of MUN and other countries. Korean books you like literature.

The test results are mostly accurate. Some people understood the symbolisms, while other didn't. However, they mostly got all of the symbolisms that inserted. The deeper symbols were not mentioned because I did not ask for them. Mostly, the people were accurate about my artwork. I think that the main reason people did not get the deeper symbolisms was that they do not know me very well because I have only been in school for 2 months now.

I think that this project and the final product will have a great impact in my life. Sometimes, i feel insecure about my identity and am perplexed frequently. However, by exploring myself, i know myself better now and I feel much secure about my personality. This will help me with my future, because i will look more confident and self-assured to the people. So i will not only produce work of higher quality, but i will also be more successful.