Youth In Action Walk

About a week ago, I spent 7am-1pm on a Sunday attending the 2009 Youth In Action Walk with about 60 kids from my church, contributing to the hundreds of people there alike. We ate breakfast and attended mass with our Diocese's Bishop in the morning, then began our 5k walk along the West Palm Beach Intercostal waterway, ending with lunch at 12. I am in the picture above from our local newspaper "The Palm Beach Post" second on the very front left with my friends at the mass. The walk raised more than $26,000 to fund after school programs and centers to keep kids and teens out of trouble. As well as for daycare centers and help for families with two working parents or single parents. The programs and centers will assist kids/teens with their education and sustaining their health by providing clean and safe environments for after school. They will provide homework assistance, outdoor activities and general supervision. In addition, the child daycare help and centers will aid families with income problems and provide places for their children while they work. Our motto this year was "kids helping kids". The picture below is also a shot from "The Palm Beach Post" of a few of us starting the walk. Overall, It was a great experience helping support the education and health of others, like many other events that I have done with my church. :) To view more information, you can read the article on the Palm Beach Post website: Click Here

MODULE #3: Katie's Brains On Media

The different parts of the brain that have effects on our thoughts are the Reptilian, Limbic and Neocortex parts of the brain. The first and inner part of the brain, the Reptilian brain, causes those instinctual reactions that you have, such as frightening, laughter, and confusion. The Limbic part of the brain is found in the middle and it controls the emotional part of your brain, such as what makes you sad or happy. Finally, the Neocortex is the most sophisticated part of your brain because it's in charge of anything that makes you read, comprehend, or try to think about something. Overall, ads utilize the power of how our brains are easily influenced and subjective to media.

I found 2 commercials on youtube that are prime examples of all these parts of the brain working together:





In this commercial, it is a normal girl and her grandfather at a pizzeria, but the sweet little girl orders a Pepsi and the bartender gives her a coke instead. This commercial makes you go like “What?” and laugh using the Reptilian part of your brain when she starts talking with the godfather’s voice. After the girl goes from talking in the godfather’s voice, she goes back to her sweet voice when saying thank you when the man gives her the Pepsi, which is how this commercial affects the Limbic part of your brain. In addition, when the waiter “pops his gum” it startles you like in the movie “The Godfather” when the Godfather “pops his gun”, which then affects the Reptilian brain again. Finally, the commercial reads “The Joy of Cola” which makes you think about how the commercial is tied into the power of the Pepsi taste compared to Coca-Cola and causes you to use the Neocortex “thinking” brain.






In this commercial, it is a normal girl in a normal house, but then when you see the dog talking it makes everyone that watches the commercial go like “What?” or “That’s not right?”, therefore, getting the attention of the Reptilian brain. Additionally, the Limbic brain is then focused on the dog tilting its sad face and puppy dog eyes while talking about how the girl has changed because of weed and that he’ll be waiting for her when she becomes herself again. The girl also has a guilty face, which makes you feel sympathy for the dog. Furthermore, the commercial then reads “How would you tell a friend?” which makes you try to understand the point and gives you the incentive to think out it using your Neocortex brain. Therefore, this commercial like the one above, is powerful enough to influence all three parts of your brain.


~I hope you enjoyed my Module 3 post about my "brains" on media! Sharing my thoughts with you all and learning about your own opinions is a wonderful experience. Be sure to check out the rest of my posts here on my DOTCOM blog! :)

MODULE #2: Katie's Personal Media Inventory

Hey again everyone!

Media is a major part of my everyday life. Your interests in media help others understand your personality and help you understand others. Many teens go with the hype or what is labeled “in” now. Others may try to branch out and not go with the flow, in order to stand out. There are pros and cons to media. For example, media, such as newspapers, internet and some television can be used for greater good to spread awareness of issues. However, some media like music, television and magazines bring out a very materialist or material focused world. In addition, all media has the possibility of not showing the truth or completeness of the whole story. It is often tainted with perception and image instead of truth and reality. Furthermore, I have many popular American culture based interests in media, so I will share them and hopefully you all will enjoy learning about them - because I am very keen to learn about the interests of those abroad as well. :)

BOOKS - Do you read books? What kinds of books do you like to read? What’s a book you are currently reading that you are enjoying?

Books surround me in whatever room I am in at my house on tables, bookshelves and desks. Reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I love reading fiction - romance, drama, mystery, and non-fiction novels. The series Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is an example of a very popular fiction book in modern literature, and I have read the whole series. This romance/drama series has hit the bookshelves of every single bookstore in the nation, much like the previous hype of Harry Potter and it has turned into the new reading sensation. However, I do not limit myself to just pop-literature, I most enjoy reading novels that provide meaning and learning. For leisure, I am currently reading the novel Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos, a touching story where the she writes from the heart about a young romance. In addition, for my AP English Language and Composition class I am beginning to read the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God written by African-American writer Zora Neale Hurston, after just completing The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, a novel of the Civil War. Overall, I believe that as media, books provide a hands on, enjoyable learning experience and allow for further discussion or interpretation.

NEWSPAPERS/MAGAZINES – Do you read newspapers or magazines? What kinds of newspapers and magazines do you enjoy and why?

I enjoy reading magazines and newspapers because they provide tangible means of information. It is beneficial to have practical and portable sources of media. Even though I personally prefer to obtain my information online, I see magazines and newspapers as a traditional and successful way of spreading important information. Examples of magazines that I enjoy reading are Seventeen, which is a popular young women’s magazine, and National Geographic, which contains articles about geography, popular science, history, culture, current events, and photography. I began reading National Geographic Kids at a young age and now I enjoy reading the interesting articles of the more mature version. In terms of newspapers, I like reading the Palm Beach Post, which is popular and very informative Florida newspaper that provides current events. In addition, and I enjoy reading local newspapers to find out the latest in my community.

MUSIC – Do you listen to or play music? What kinds of music do you like to listen to? How do you listen to music – via cassettes, MP3 files, radio, or live performances? Who is a musician you currently are listening to?


I consider listening to music to be one of my favorite leisure activities. Music is such a powerful and influential source of media. It can ignite emotion and action within people. I listen to music through the radio, my MP3 player (iPod commercials bellow) , internet websites,

and though live performances. The radio provides stations with various genres of music to listen in the car or through music players. My favorite way of listening to music is through my mp3 player because it is a portable means of entertainment; my cell phone even plays my MP3 files! Live performances are also a great way to listen to artists raw and real by watching them preform. I just recently watched Bruce Springsteen at the Super Bowl football half-time show, where he gave an action-packed performance in front of thousands of people in the crowd, and millions watching on TV, to rowdy them up for the next half of the game. I also enjoy watching music videos on TV channels like MTV and VH1. I believe that music is great for parties, for exercising, or for just relaxing.

I have an appreciation for all different music genres. However, my favorite types of music are Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, and Christian. Examples of artists that I am currently listening to are Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Nickelback, Chris Brown, and TobyMac. In addition, in my city, there are many local bands that I like to support by watching their shows or sharing their music with friends. Moreover, I enjoy playing for fun on the piano, and I am going to attempt to learn to play an acoustic guitar that I have. :)

TELEVISION – Do you watch television? (I have not watched TV for 20 years, but I used to watch hours of TV a day as a kid). What kinds of TV do you like to watch and why?

I enjoy watching different kinds of television shows and channels. For leisure, I watch shows like ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager, the CW’s Gossip Girl, and Fox’s House MD, which are dramas. In addition, I like watching reality shows such as MTV’s Made and Fox’s American Idol. These shows are fun to discuss with my friends and to find similar interests with others. The television is also useful for watching movies, whether on cable, store-bought or rented. I do not have that much time to watch TV but I do spend much time watching the news. I like to watch both the “Fair and Balanced” Fox News Channel and CNN, a far-left cable channel, because I prefer to be aware of both sides of the news and to find the pros or cons of each channel. Moreover, I have many friends who see the news as boring and would rather discuss their own lives. However, I believe the exact opposite, and that being aware of what is going on in the world is the most important factor in understanding the world. However, a downside about television is that it also brings propaganda into the "picture". I believe that the television is the one of the most prominent parts of the mass media system because of the amount of information it reaches to people. In 2006 is was recorded that 111,300,000 people in the US owned televisions.

VIDEO GAMES – Do you play video games? Which games do you play and why? What is your favorite video game experience right now?

I enjoy playing certain video games on occasion. Video games are becoming increasingly more popular now that the “video game geek” stereotype is being diminished because of the vast variety of games now available. No longer are there just "Sonic" or "Pokemon" games, but now “Guitar Hero” and “Wii”. These games provide fun and interaction with friends, at parties or just by yourself. My favorite video game used to be "Dance Dance Revolution" (DDR), my friends and I went crazy over standing on the"dance platform" or stage and hitting colored arrows laid out in a cross with the feet tapping them to musical and visual cues. My brothers and I just recently received Guitar Hero World Tour and the Wii for Christmas (See the youtube videos bellow for cool ads of the games!!!) and we enjoy them very much. We also enjoy playing on our Playstation 3 console with our various games. The only con of video games is that they substantially add to the “must need, must have” culture of people these days. However, videos games can be utilized for learning in an engaging way, such as Florida Virtual School's new American History Course, Conspiracy Code Game, which brings history to life in an interactive, 3D environment. CLICK HERE to watch a demonstration!!

COMPUTERS – Do you use computers much? What kinds of things do you do on your computer?

I use the computer constantly, and I know that my life would be very different without them. I remember that my first experience with computers was in 1st grade, over 10 years ago, in my elementary computer class where I learned to type and use the “paint” program. Since then, my knowledge and experience with computers has grown vastly. Today, I spend the majority of my computer time completing my schooling at Florida Virtual School (FLVS) everyday. I started my journey with FLVS 4 years ago beginning in 8th grade at the age of 12. In 2005-2006, Florida Virtual School delivered more than 68,000 individual course enrollments to approximately 31,000 students across Florida. Students access their courses on computers at their home, school or local library. I usually log on to FLVS from my home’s desktop, or my laptop for portable uses. I use many programs regularly on my computer for school, including Microsoft Word Doc, PowerPoint, and Windows Movie Maker. In addition, I enjoy using the computer for my photo editing, in software such as Picasa or Paint. One of my favorite uses of the computer is with the web conference tool Elluminate, which my teachers use for class interaction and collaboration on certain lessons or for events. Elluminate brings online conferencing to the 21st century by allowing participants to interact with each other through application desktop sharing, microphones and video camera. Moreover, my newest experience with computers is through my Web Design class, where they have the students in the course use the software Adobe Dreamweaver and Fireworks CS4 to create websites.

INTERNET – Do you spend much time on the Internet? What kinds of activities do you most enjoy pursuing on the Internet?

The internet is my favorite type of media. It contains a world of information, literally. As much as I value face-to-face contact and love interacting personably with others, I believe that the internet has opened up a new list of communication opportunities and resources. I spend most of my computer time on the internet, pursuing various activities. My first experience that I had with the internet that I remember was at around the age of 10, when my dad brought home his work laptop and I installed AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) and created my own email, to talk with my friends online. Today, I still spend a good amount of my computer time using applications like MSN, AIM, and email to keep contact with and to share media with my friends, family and even my teachers. I also use the internet for various sources such as for schoolwork, researching, social communication, music listening, gaming, reading news and articles, as well as for watching videos and shows. The most visited website on my browser would have to be FLVS.net, which is the website where I log into my school courses to complete my schoolwork. FLVS incorporates email, videos, links, discussion boards and many other various internet media applications into their school system. Examples, of websites that I like to visit for fun and to keep up-to-date on the latest information are wikipedia, youtube, MTV, and CNN. Additionally, to learn and research new things like a certain culture or just how to improve playing tennis, I love using the internet as an informtion portal, which is what I call Google. Furthermore, I use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and now Blogger to help stay in touch with everyone that I know. Programs with international communication like DOTCOM would not be available without resources from the internet. Moreover, I have started subcribing to "RSS Feeds", such as for the SAT test question of the Day. RSS feeds publish frequently updated peices like blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video in a standardized format. I believe that due to its source availability and accessibility, the internet has taken the place of several other types of media. I believe that the internet will continue to grow and increase in power; it is already available wirelessly in most places, as well as on my cell phone.
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Overall, I am thankful for each and every one of these sources of media and I am blessed to have the opportunity of using them throughout my whole life. Now I will rank my MEDIA PREFERENCES from 1 – 7, with 1 being my FAVORITE kind of media, and 7 being my last favorite based on my usage of the said media.
1. Internet (tie with 2.)
2. Computers
3. Television
4. Music (tie with 5.?)
5. Books
6. Newspapers/Magazines
7. Video Games

Well, that's the end of my Personal Media Inventory, hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you have any questions or comments! :)