little chief.

I miss the good old days of doing nothing, of going to high school and having no other commitment besides cheering at the football game on friday night for a few hours. Things in life just don't seem to get easier, but human kind  likes to think life will always get better.
Not to be Ms. Pessimistic here, but I guess I am growing up and learning that life is full of responsibilities.. and, as we get older, they just seem to pile on like a heap of bricks. A lot of you are probably saying.. yeah, duh.. when did you figure that one out?
My question is: When do we lose our childhood? When did life start becoming all about business and texting and walking to class with our eyes glued to our phones or ipads?
Don't get me wrong.. I am not going to be one of those "I am going to move to a 3rd world country because this first world life is too commercial for me" people. I love my Ifunny app and hours of pandora as much as the next person. All I am saying is that I miss the days of being a kid..the days of the neighbors actually coming to your door to ask you if you can "play." Sometimes I wonder if kids these days still do that.

I can tell I am starting to get old when I stress about every. little. thing.
Lucky for me, I have a fantastic mother who has learned throughout her years that stressing isn't even worth it. I call her to complain about my "oh so stressful" life multiple times a week.. she tells me the same thing every time, "Everything will be okay."
Four words have never been so comforting.


Everything will be okay, no matter what.

Announcement.

Hooray! It's not a post for a class :)


I don't even know where to begin. Life is busy and this semester is only getting more crazy.

Good News!


Bum-Ba-Na-Na...


This girl got a summer internship! IN NYC!!
I am absolutely thrilled about it, but of course sad to leave a really cute boy for 2 months. Oh, and the rest of my friends and family ;)

I will be interning at Shutterstock- an online stock photo company located in the Financial District of Manhattan (near Wall Street). That will be a fun series of blog posts :)


Lame post, I know. I am extremely tired and must get up to noodle it up tomorrow.


Goodnight readers. I promise I will post something worthwhile soon.

Safe Blogging Guidelines-ITLS 5205

This post is for my ITLS 5205 class

5 Safe Blogging Practices

1. Never give out any personal information.  

Just like with any other social media site, do not give out personal information. A good tip is to create an e-mail address specifically for your blog and use that as a contact. You never know who is going to read your blog (especially if it isn't private). 

2. Be careful of what you say.

The beauty of blogging is that it provides an easy way to exercise free speech. However, we must still practice cultural literacy especially when posting on the world wide web. Is this something you would say out loud in person? Be careful what you put on the internet because it is in writing, and writing is forever. That being said....

3. Never post a link to something you haven't personally read.

I don't really think much explaining is necessary here. You never know what it really says, if it's appropriate, or if it is something that even goes along with what you are trying to get across. Also, use reliable sources.

4. Be careful of how you portray yourself and others.

Mainstream media tends to give us false information (or not the entire truth) about most stories and people. Be sure to check your facts before making any claims about anyone or anything.

5. Always give constructive feedback.

Being able to comment and give advice is one of the biggest advantages to blogging and following blogs. Keeping a respectful and healthy discussion going is good for everyone involved. It is important to see multiple view points and healthy to debate. However, attacking someone's personal beliefs or (even worse) family, won't get you much respect. You'll probably end up looking like an ignorant jerk.

 

Source-      http://adifference.blogspot.com/2006/01/safe-blogging-resources.html

 

 

The Pedagogy of Blogs

This post is for my ITLS 5205 Class


The Pedagogy of Blogs

A blog is your unedited version of yourself.  We use them to share, create, learn and discuss. It is a huge community with everything from shopping lists and recipes to uncovering the truth about a media tainted issue.  They allow humans the ability to express themselves and discuss important issues.  However, blogs are used for more than just cakeball recipes and whining about the Presidential candidates. Blogs are becoming popular among educators worldwide.

Rachel Boyd- a 2nd year teacher in Auckland, New Zealand uses her blog to allow her students a creative outlet. She created a video that shares the reasons she allows her students to blog.
 http://bit.ly/zGUbbz



 The Mighty Writers of Arbor Heights Elementary School use their blog to show parents and other readers what they are up to. Their teacher, Mark Ahlness, posts many random pictures with the students' opinions or thoughts.  http://bit.ly/jAIkX

The Almighty Bloggers, 11 and 12 year old students from Auckland, New Zealand use their blog to update parents on what their accomplishments, adventures and homework assignments. http://bit.ly/zRZNRE Although the layout of this blog isn't the greatest, the content is great and the students seem to have a lot of fun.

Each of these teachers has a separate page for each child in the class to post his/her own thoughts. This gives the students a sense of identity and importance. It is also notable that each teacher allows for public comments and discussion. An open plane of discussion is crucial when it comes to learning. All view points are necessary. Keeping parents updated on events is beneficial because, in the past, with the exception of a couple Parent-Teacher Conferences...it has been up to the student to keep the parents in the loop.

Blogs seem to have an infinite number of uses, even for Rachel Boyd's 6 year old students in New Zealand.

JCOM 2010 ID Page

This post is for my JCOM 2010 Class- ID Page

The name is Jenna Black, but clearly I'm white. 

I am a junior at Utah State University and loving every minute of it.

I am a Journalism/Communication Major with a Public Relations emphasis, and a minor in multimedia development. What a mouthful.

My e-mail is jennablack@aggiemail.usu.edu

801.675.6800

Who am I? Good question. I am from Pleasant View, Utah... not to be mistaken for Pleasant Grove near Provo. Although I don't love Utah, growing up in the beehive state has made me who I am today. I am not a part of the majority religion, but wouldn't be who I am without it. My church is starbucks, and coffee is my worship. It may sound strange, but there's something about sitting in a coffee shop that makes me feel at ease. Call me a friggen hipster, go ahead. Blogging, traveling and socializing are my main hobbies. People, writing and music are my passions. I wouldn't say I have many physical characteristics that distinguish me from others, besides 2 tattoos I have: one on my right ring finger, the other on my right shoulder. 

Since my macbook is my baby, my most used news source is definitely the internet. Sadly, I get most of my information from social media. My goal from here on out is to actually read the news and keep up with what's going on so my views aren't being tainted by everyone and their dog on Facebook giving their two cents.

I would say I am a pretty liberal and independent woman. I am ready to take on the world and see what it has for me in return. 

"A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion....this is the place to go now. 

But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons." - Illusions by Richard Bach

calm before the storm.

With such a bittersweet end to the holiday break, I am nestled in my cute comfy apartment in none other than Logan, Utah. So much happened this holiday season that it's hard to imagine it was only just 3 weeks ago that I was living this life. It is nice to be back in the swing of things with classes starting tomorrow and all of my Kappa Delta sisters back at Utah State where they belong. I am; however, super sad to have had to say goodbye to a special someone who lives on the opposite end of the state. I guess it wasn't goodbye so much as "see you soon." Real soon. I can't wait very long, I'm kind of a baby like that.  Despite that awful part about the holiday break ending, I am ready to take this semester head on and get things done. Between work, school, Kappa Delta (and of course, finding time to blog) my plate is loaded. Let's do it.

Here are some highlights from my holiday fun.. I hope all of you had a fantastic holiday season :)

My girl friend Maddi and I at breakfast in St George.

Our room at Caesar's Palace! It was incredible.

Had to get the bathroom pic

Ty and I in Vegas

The girls. I have to make a sidenote that we had literally met these girls like 45 minutes before this picture was taken. They were the coolest girls ever. We went to the Victoria's Secret semi-annual sale 5 minutes after we had met and shared a dressing room. haha I love people who you can instantly be friends with.

Dancing on Christmas Eve.. one of my favorite nights ever.

2 of my bros and I at dinner. Re-united never felt so good.

YES I MADE THESE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO OOOHH and AHHHHH

Tyler and I on Christmas Eve

my baby. Okay not MY baby but my nephew. Adorbs.

Josh and Jordan playing Dance Central 2 on Kinect... haha I had to post a pic cause they'd die if I posted the video :)

Betsy and I on New Years Eve... and Tyler photo bombing in the background

Tracy and I. I adore this girl.

I love these boys! I wish you lived closer.

Ty and I at my momma's 50th party

My momma and her kids at her 50th party... You make a ravishing 50 year old mom!

And last but not least... stuffed french toast that my mom made this morning.. Oh yummy.

I think it's time to eat lettuce for the next month. The holidays have ruined me haha. 

For all of my college friends and KD sisters, I wish you the best of luck with this semester and I cannot wait for the memories to come this semester :) 

For all of my other readers, a very happy new year to you. I love you all and appreciate your love and support. I wish you the best in 2012!! Better make it a good one.... if the Mayans are right, this is our last year on earth. haha.. crazies.

I love you all. xoxo