First day of new internship!

Happy Friday! What an amazing way to start the weekend. My first day as intern at Mark Leisher Productions? Pinch me. I had done my research on them prior to meeting them at the Bethesda Green fair back in February and I wanted it so bad! I remember telling everyone, "I'm getting this! It's mine." And look, here I am. I remember meeting Susanna at the fair and she was so nice and welcoming. I had all the qualifications they were looking for and everything was looking up from there! I waited patiently to meet Mark and Shane, both co-founders for the production company and I was so thrilled to be able to meet with them that day!

Now I'm here today, in their offices, completely blessed for this opportunity. I have my hands full with some assignments already but surprisingly, I'm so excited to get started with this company! I'll be creating logos, finding articles for blogs on a website, going behind the scenes and documenting the team at work, attending networking events to meet new people, creating unique images to put on all our social media, and much, much, more.

I'll be blogging regularly about what I'm up to and all the exciting things coming my way!

Stay tuned!

Erica

Cross-Cultural Communication is Increasing in a Technology-Enhanced Environment.

Technology Influences Cross-Cultural Communication And Brings People Together Across Cultures

In past years, cross-cultural communication has been sometimes limited depending on location, language, time difference, and cultural barriers. In this newly developed era of technology, communication across borders is now very much possible. Websites for social media, blogs, videos, chat rooms all help individuals interact with one another across cultures. While culture and language are continuing to stay slow and stable, technology is fast and developing. According to the picture below, four in ten students believe that integrating social networks in the classroom would benefit their education.  

         To agree with those students, a team of researchers at Stanford University developed a study in the area of education on the use of digital technology and their results include, “Digital technology can motivate and influence people to approach cross-cultural communication and cultural exchanges with greater sensitivity, understanding, and ethical awareness in order to bring about positive international and social relations.” This ethical awareness can better help us to understand each others different cultures and allow everyone to exchange our ideas in a positive way. 

People Argue That Technology Can Enhance Learning or be a Distraction.

According to an article by Mashable Lifestyle, innovation is advancing in schools across all levels. The article states that, 91% of teachers in the United States have access to computers in the classrooms and 81% of teachers believe that tablets enrich classroom learning. Even 1 in 5 students have used a mobile app to stay organized with classwork. E-textbooks are expected to make up 11% of textbook revenue by 2013. With technology continuing to advance and become more useful, there's no doubt that the use of technology will increase in the classrooms. 

Roberta Z. Lavine, Director of Undergraduate Program and Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Maryland, has extensive experience in technology for instructional purposes. She received the University of Maryland Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology. In her classroom, there is a simulation for four to six weeks with students from Ecuador and students from the University. They negotiate with different technology tools over the Internet. Lavine allows students in the simulation to use whatever tools works better for them to communicate.

The following clip is from an interview with Professor Lavine about the challenges she faces with using technology in the classroom and in general.

According to an article by The New York Times, Matt Richtel writes “There is a widespread belief among teachers that students’ constant use of digital technology is hampering their attention spans and ability to persevere in the face of challenging tasks.” Is technology engaging students or distracting them? Lavine says in her interview, “People are distracted as they’re being talked at… It’s hard to engage all the students all the time. You have to think of a way to use every precious minute in a way that is productive for where you’re going but also lets students feel that they’re comfortable and that’s a challenge." She's right, people are distracted all the time, but it's important to let the students engage in the technology that's better for them and be able to learn through that method.

Spanish Culture and Language is Expanding. Technology is Allowing us to Embrace These Cultural Differences.

The most widely spoken romance language is Spanish. It’s the official language of Spain and much of Latin America. Over 14 million people who were born and live in the United States speak Spanish as their primary language. Spanish speakers are able to identity what Latin American country a person is from just by their accent. The Gilchrist Center of Cultural Diversity in Montgomery County, Maryland is just one of the many places that provide service to Spanish speakers. Volunteers are able to help these Spanish speakers in this computer classes by translating phrases into Spanish and helping them with basic computer details. Every culture, not only Spanish culture, is looking to use more technology to help communicate with their family across the country by using Skype and email. It can be a lot cheaper to use a library computer to communicate with your family then to buy phone cards but the biggest problem is that old generation don't know how to use technology. It's important to educate our fellow citizens, whatever the language may be, to enhance their knowledge of technology to help them communicate and become aware of this new era. 

The most important thing to do when dealing with cross-cultural environments is to not assume something about a particular person by the way they look or talk. Technology is allowing us to communicate within different cultures and sharing our ideas to find similarities and embrace differences. Technology is something the world has in common. It is continuing to grow and become better in different aspects and hopefully in the future, we will all be able to use technology and older generations will become more understanding of this new generation. 

Adrian, a senior at the University of Maryland, shares his view on how communicating across cultures is more effective through technology.

listen to ‘Is communicating across cultures more effective through the use of technology?’ on Audioboo

Use of Technology in Cross-Cultural Communication

My final project is on the use of technology in cross-cultural communication in the workplace and in the classroom. I'm focusing primarily on the Spanish culture, coming from a Spanish background.

The first question was: Is communicating across cultures more effective through the use of technology?

listen to ‘Is communicating across cultures more effective through the use of technology?’ on Audioboo

My second question was: Do you depend HIGHLY on the use of technology to communicate across cultures at work?

listen to ‘Do you depend highly on the use of technology to communicate across cultures at work?’ on Audioboo

Most "Successful" American Television Commercial of All Time.

Over the years, Apple focused on creating a need for people to have personal computers. It is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and successful American television commercials of all time.

The First Macintosh Commercial in "1984" is introduced.

In 1984, Apple launched the Macintosh. "1984" was the commercial that introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer for the very first time. It was aired during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. The commercial opens in an industrial setting with dark and gray tones, showing a line of people marching in unison through a long tunnel. The nameless runner is then stood out with her full colored uniform; she is running with a large hammer that is used at the end of the commercial. She is chased by four police officers wearing black uniforms and she races towards a large screen with the image of a Big Brother-like figure. The commercial ends with a voiceover that reads: “On January 24^th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984.” It leaves us wanting to know more about this very new and innovated product. Apple wanted the Mac to symbolize the idea of empowerment. This commercial helped introduce the Mac as a tool for combating comformity. It’s about letting the consumer know the idea of breaking the habit, this is true because they don’t show the product or have idea of what it looks like. It’s very analytic and not physical like it is now.

Apple is Very Effective in Their Advertising

Apple has been recognized in the past for its efforts towards effective advertising and marketing for its products, though its advertising has been criticized for the claims of some more recent campaigns, particularly 2005 Power Mac ads and iPhone ads in Britain. Apple's product commercials gained fame for launching musicians into stardom as a result of their eye-popping graphics and catchy tunes. The “1984” commercial was created by Chiat/Day, Apple’s advertising agency. Apple’s many different products including the Macbook, iPhone, iPad, etc. have including a variety of commercials but mostly focusing on the product itself and its features. The diction of the commercials now-a-days make you want to have the latest and greatest products ever.

Apple Commercials Today Focus on the Product

The new 13-inch Macbook Pro, was just announced this week, October 24. It’s a smaller version of the 15-inch Retina Macbook Pro that just launced earlier this year. This ad tends to focus just on the products features and why this laptop is better than any other laptop offered. The entire ad focuses on the laptop itself with a black background. This commercial doesn’t want us to look at the underlying message, just on the product itself. The resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels and amazing retina display and color tends to be the greatest reason to by this product. Just looking at all the different things you can do, makes you want to buy one right now. It’s thin, light and powerful. Now, it’s all about the product itself and not making the consumers wondering. Not just the Macbook Pro but most of all Apple's products put emphasis on the product being advertised, with black or white backgrounds.

"The Voice" vs. "The X Factor"

What are ratings and shares?

The difference between rating and shares is simple. Rating reflects the percentage of the total population of televisions tuned to a program. Share reflects the percentage of televisions that are actually in use. An example could be, Show “Z” earning a 5.6/11 during it’s broadcast. This means that on average, 5.6 percent of all television households were tuned into that program at any given time, while 11 percent of television households were tuned into that program during the time slot.

“The Voice” defeats “The X Factor” during season premieres.

The race in ratings between these two singing competitions was very close. NBC’s The Voice made a strategic move by extending their premiere week by adding a third night to compete against Fox’s The X Factor. Fox was the number 1 network, but NBC won with total amount of viewers. The premiere of The X Factor earned a 3.3 in ratings from adults 18-49, which went down drastically compared to last season’s premiere, which was a 4.4. During the common hour these two shows shared on Wednesday night, The X Factor scored a 2.7 and The Voice won during that 8PM slot. While 10.7 million people were watching The Voice, only around 8.5 million watched the premiere of The X Factor. Overall, both competition shows averaged at a 3.3 rating but The Voice won by amount of viewers and shares. (Numbers by TV by the numbers)

How “The Voice” and “The X Factor” are so different.

NBC’s The Voice has the most entertaining panel of judges on any other reality singing competition. Celebrity judges such as, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton all of offer a unique style of music to the competitors. The advantage that The Voice has on all the other singing shows is the round of blind auditions; it’s the first time that competitors are able to sing for judges without being based on their appearance. The title The Voice is the most accurate title; the judges compete between themselves to have a team with the best voices. 

Fox’s The X Factor, features Simon Cowell, who started this show in the UK but was brought to the states last year. He has taken a big risk this year by replacing judges with Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, but LA Reid is still a judge. The format of competitors is varied with individuals, boys, girls, elders, and groups. According to MTV news, Justin Bieber is rumored to be a mentor on the show, if that’s the case, when it comes to popular celebrity figures; The X Factor takes the cake. 

Television, Our Generation’s Preferred Mass Medium

“Television became a mass medium much faster than film, music, and radio. As it became more widespread, television displaced radio—which had displaced national magazines—as the medium providing a common set of experiences.” - Converging Media

Much like film, television includes both sound and visuals. So why is TV more popular than film? Well, we can watch it in the comfort of our own home for much less than the price of a movie. When we go to the movies, we spend money on gas, tickets, food and drinks… which can average to around $60 dollars for a family a four for ONE night. Therefore, it would make more sense to just stay home, spend time with your family and watch your favorite show or movie. Television provides entertainment, information and education with several different forms of shows; soap opera, comedy, sitcom, news, weather, sports, advertising, drama, etc. Transmitting information live is common in news, weather, and sports. If you miss a show also now there are recording options, which allows you to record programs and play it back later; this is an example of time shifting.

According to our text book, Converging Media, “…[T]here is no doubt that television continues to have a profound effect on people’s attitudes about a variety of social and cultural issues.” We all have our favorite TV shows, and it’s pretty obvious that not all of them benefit us in any way. Jersey Shore? Honey Boo Boo?!  The SCSU Journalism Department, says in America today, young people spend more time in front of the television than they do in class. By the time an average American graduates from high school, he or she will have spent about 12,000 hours in class and about 19,000 hours watching the tube. Yes that’s right, ladies and gentlemen, this is our future generation.

The audio-visual feature with televisions benefits us more than radio does, for example in sports, we’d rather much watch the recap on television to see the footage than having to listen to it on the radio and imagine it in our head. It makes for a more appealing and entertaining experience. We listen to radio mostly in the car, as a way to have some background noise or to not distract us fully. In our text book, 98 percent of U.S. households have at least one TV. I can honestly say in my house we have a television in every room except for two (not including bathrooms of course). 8 televisions in one house seems a bit ridiculous for a 4 person household, if you ask me.

         Throughout the years the quality of TV’s have absolutely evolved with flat screen, LCTV, HDTV, etc. It will be no surprise in the future if we continue to see the upgrade in visual and sound quality in our Televisions. Our textbook says, “the large screen, flat-panel, high-definition displays have changed the television-viewing experience, bringing nearly theater-quality sound and picture clarity to living rooms and even 3-D viewing now.” It all makes sense now, right? Maybe in the future we’ll get super fancy waterproof television screens in the shower. Just today, I saw entertainment news and commercials on the screen of a gas pump. What will they think of next?

So All in Favor of DRM…? *Crickets*

According to the textbook, Converging Media, DRM or Digital Rights Management is defined as “various technologies or security codes used to protect copyrighted works from being illegally downloaded,” (pg 115). It is found more common with online music downloads since this is where most of the illegal files are being distributed. This anti-piracy technology allows the copyright owners to control who gets to access their work. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 makes disabling a DRM system illegal in the United States, but no surprise that people find a way to sneak around it.

For downloaded music, DRM can restrict the types of devices that can play that particular song, the amount of time it can be played or limits the song in whatever way they choose. According to, Internet for Beginners, DRM has four common stages: packaging, distribution, license serving, and license acquisition. These stages all limit the access of, in this case, music and be able to lock and unlock files. The padlocks that prevent from using or copying a file are called “license encryption keys”.

Since DRM gets to decide how and when you can use their files, it basically means you don’t really “own” the file unless you pay for it. And even if you pay for it, like eBooks online through your kindle.. they can be deleted without your permission from Kindle or Amazon. There is a substantial amount of things we can download illegally from the internet now; music, movies, books, computer software, just about anything. We are now even able to download apps for free illegally THROUGH OUR IPHONES (if your phone is jailbroken). Take that DRM!