Introduction Journal Week 1 5/30/2019
editIntroduction
editHello everyone! My name is Amanda McLean and welcome to my page. I'm currently a senior at MGA my major is BA in Interdisciplinary studies. My expected graduation date is fall 2019 in December. I also plan to go straight into the master program at MGA. Some of the things that I enjoy are traveling and swimming. One recent place I visited was the Grand Canyon,it was beautiful and breath taking. I also enjoy cooking different recipes and trying out different foods to eat. One interesting thing about me is that I write songs and I'm currently writing a Young Adult novel. I'm very excited about this class and hope to do my best. I'm taking this class so I can become a better writer and also I wouldn't mind becoming a editor for a news company or a magazine, right after I graduate with my BA. I'm looking forward to writing for the digital media and all types of media. Also I hope to learn how to use Wikipedia effectively.
- Hi Amanda! I like to write as well. Good luck on your post graduation endeavors!@Acm2625:--AmaniSensei (talk) 18:58, 3 June 2019 (UTC)
Journal 2nd entry 5/30/2019
editLearning
editI'm off to a good start I believe. This is my first time using Wikipedia for class so I'm excited to learn as much as I can. I linked my Wikipedia account to my Wiki Education. I'm looking forward to so much more. I do have a question maybe someone can help me with? I'm wondering do I just keep editing the same post every time I put a journal entry in? I'm looking forward to becoming a better writer and reading my fellow classmates post regarding different topics.
- @Acm2625: Great job, Amanda! Yes, this page is your journal, so edit it throughout the semester with new entries. My addition here is what a comment will look like. (Also, I fixed your formatting in your first entry. Watch those spaces before words.) —Grlucas (talk) 11:28, 31 May 2019 (UTC)
- @Acm2625: It is exciting and a little nerve wracking attempting all of these new things on this medium! I found myself spending quite a lot of time trying to navigate these first few days. It seems like you are doing a great job, Amanda, and Dr. Lucas seems here to help and to be providing great encouragement and feedback. I think we are in for a challenging yet rewarding summer.Jknox72 (talk) 00:03, 2 June 2019 (UTC)
Journal entry 6/3/2019
editNeutral tone
editThis week I'm looking over my assignment in Wiki Education. I'm learning about evaluating articles and how to find good sources. The modules explained about having a neutral tone. It also talked about having good structure and good sources for a article. I'm looking forward to how to edit wiki code vs visual editor. Also this week I'm using my sandbox to practice editing and using citations.
Article Evaluation 6/5/2019
editChattahoochee River
editThe article I selected to evaluate is the Chattahoochee River. I decide to pick this article to understand more facts about this beautiful Georgia river. After reading the article all the facts about the river were well organized and put together with proper citations. Chattahoochee River had a lot of interesting facts. I learned the rivers location, history, course , river borders, and flooding. However I did notice they had a section that was named "Nicknames". These sources for "nicknames" were probably from a personal point of view, (because not everyone may consider "hooch" as a nickname for the Chattahoochee River). I also noticed the tone of the article seemed to be neutral. The article looked okay as far as the visual aspect of it. I probably would change the headings in the article to have a cohesive flow of style. Under the heading "Atlanta" it mentioned about different controversy regarding the river. I think this could be a rumor because it was not factual. I also noticed in the flooding section of the article displayed a box that said "needs expansion" I thought this was a great way for someone to update and add to the section. In the "Talk" section of the article I can see where others have added to the article and added comments and notes to what they have changed. I think this is great for communication purposes. Some people added comments about how they can refine aspects of the article and accurate citations that work properly. This was a great read about the Chattahoochee River. The link to the article is : Chattahoochee River
- Great ReadChattahoochee River! I actually visited the site a couple times. The information on the page is surprisingly accurate. Also, I don't know if the nickname "hooch" is accurate but it is definitely what people call it @Acm2625:. --AmaniSensei (talk) 15:54, 6 June 2019 (UTC)
- Good suggestion for the article to read being Chattahoochee River. I have never visited but I have heard that it is beautiful. I think you did a great evaluation. I also like the talk page of the articles because they mention some of the important facts that I missed when I evaluated my article. Good job! Kehli.west (talk) 01:14, 8 June 2019 (UTC)
Thanks Kehli! @Kehli.west: -Acm2625 (talk) 12:59, 11 June 2019 (UTC)Acm2625
- @Acm2625: Just link the page without discussion; logically, a link should appear the first time you mention the page, like in your first sentence. You needn't make a big production about the link; people will not be confused. 😉 Be sure to proofread, especially for typos. The article seems pretty complete; how would you expand it (other than the § you mention)? —Grlucas (talk) 19:45, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
Hello Professor @Grlucas: Thanks I think I fixed my typos and I will double check.-Acm2625 (talk) 12:59, 11 June 2019 (UTC)Acm2625
Journal entry 6/13/2019
editControversial Topics
editThis week I'm learning a lot in my wiki education training library. I'm learning about how to avoid controversial topics and how to find a neutral article. I enjoyed learning about the different icons wiki displays to let you know what type of article your reading. Also I'm learning how to use the navigation template for different articles. I will practice some of the things I'm learning in my sandbox. I plan on putting some notes in my sandbox regarding this weeks chapter readings (5,6). I'm looking forward to starting on my next article.
- @Acm2625: It is great that you are learning a lot each week! The sandbox is definitely a very useful tool for planning and taking notes. I do recommend that you proofread your journal posts a bit more since there are some mistakes. It can be hard to catch sometimes since Wikipedia doesn't really catch mistakes.— Sabub (talk) 13:57, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
Sabub (talk) Thanks for your input! I did see some mistakes in my journal. However I noticed some in yours too. So you should proofread your as well! -Acm2625 (talk) 18:58, 14 June 2019 (UTC)Acm2625
- @Acm2625:Thanks for looking at my journal posts as well. It's easy to see mistakes in others work, but not so much our own! Thanks again for your input! — Sabub (talk) 19:18, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
- @Sabub: I agree with your top comment. It’s hard when Wikipedia doesn’t catch the mistakes in the sandbox. I have an issue with this as well and I’m starting to write my entries in Microsoft Word so that I minimize my mistakes. I’m starting to proof read more now too. It’s something I not used to doing but hopefully I am doing a better job at it. Strasburg7312 (talk) 14:02, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
Strasburg7312 (talk) I agree we will all get better over time when it comes to proofreading. I think the more we practice the better we will get. Also, this is new to me too and this is really my first time using Wikipedia. -Acm2625 (talk) 11:58, 18 June 2019 (UTC)Acm2625
Article Selection 6/14/2019
editOcmulgee River
editOne of the articles that I was considering was the Ocmulgee River. I think this is a great article for me to add some sources and edit. The river flows south through Macon, GA and it continues to go on the southeastern route towards the coast. I see a lot of information about the river, however I do not see many sources or citations. Also, I would add some more topics about the river such as activities and geological aspects of the river. The link to the page is: Ocmulgee River.
Tubman Museum
editThe next article I was considering was the Tubman museum which is located in Macon, Ga. It is a African American museum about Harriet Tubman and her life. I think this article can be updated with working url's websites and maybe I can add some more sources to the page. The link to the article is: Tubman Museum.
Allman Brothers Band Museum
editAnother article that seems like it can be edited according to the talk page is the Allman Brothers Band Museum. This is a museum in Macon,Ga about the Allman brothers. I think the article needs to be more factual. I noticed that the word "Probably" was used in describing how many bedrooms that the museum has. The link to this page is: The Allman Brothers Band Museum.
- @Acm2625: Please see ”Link Logic”. Why do you think I asked you to see that article? I think the Tubman Museum might be your best choice here. —Grlucas (talk) 11:28, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
Hello Professor, I read the link and I shouldn't have copy and paste the link. I should try to incorporate in the article. I was doing it the wrong way. I will try it the correct way. Thanks Grlucas (talk)
I decide to go with the Tubman Museum as my article to edit.
Copy & Editing a Article 6/20/2019
editCitations
editThis week I'm going to be working on adding citations to Tubman Museum.[1] I decide to go with this article ,because it looked like it could use some work especially with citations,sources and url's. I'm reading about citations now in WikiEdu. I will also be working on how to add references to my article. I will up date my progress as I start working on my article.
Knowing and Ethically Serving Your Audience
editAccording to chapter 6 Knowing and (Ethically) Serving Your Audience I will be trying to understand just what the audience may want when reading about the Tubman Museum. I will be adding headings with the proper sources under the headings in the article along with citations.
- @Acm2625: Good choice! I think you'll have a lot of ways to improve the article from how it currently is. Be careful though to not overestimate the amount of reliable sources you can find for free. I had issues in adding citations to my chosen article because while I thought a news archive such as the Macon Telegraph's might be free, it turned out to be a paid service. I'm sure you'll do great work on that page. Good luck! 1-800-OWLZ (talk) 21:31, 23 June 2019 (UTC)
- @Acm2625: I agree that the Tubman Museum is a good choice for content that needs revision. I would like to point out that the page seems to use an excessive amount of quotations, especially in its Mission subheading. Also, perhaps you could consider moving your references section for your Journal to the very bottom so that it is not lost in the future entries? Further, I recommend using only the internal in-text article link to the Tubman Museum and not the reference link you additionally added at the end of your first sentence in this section.—TSchiroMGA (talk) 11:16, 24 June 2019 (UTC)
Thanks TSchiroMGA (talk) I was just practicing here to see if I could do it. I know its in the wrong place. I put my actual reference page in my sandbox. Your doing great on your work. I appreciate the feed back thanks a lot :)-Acm2625 (talk) 13:12, 24 June 2019 (UTC)Acm2625
- ^ "Tubman Museum", Wikipedia, 2019-06-10, retrieved 2019-06-20
Journal entry 6/20/2019
editReferences
editToday is going great! I'm really learning a lot of new techniques on how to write a proper article. I'm learning about how to find reliable sources. Also I'm learning how to add proper references along with citations. I will start adding to my article today. I just finished watching my citation video and I'm ready to start practicing. I will add my progress as I finish with my article.
Editing my Article
editI started editing and adding sources and information to my article Tubman Museum . I arranged the headings and put information under the correct heading. The information about the museum was all mixed in together, so I added a History, Mission and Art section. I noticed under references it mentioned that the access date is required. I will try and go in and fixed these broken links later. I added a whole new section Art. I added my first citation in the article. I'm really making progress and will update as I go. Today I was practicing on my references and citations. I also added my reference page in my sandbox. I will be looking for more reliable sources as I go I will update.
- @Acm2625: Good job. Are encyclopedias considered good sources to cite? Also, your citation is not complete; some information, like author, is missing. —Grlucas (talk) 18:33, 25 June 2019 (UTC)
- @Acm2625: That is good. I checked the article you edited and it seems like the information that you added was very necessary. Ysabella Escalona (talk) 04:31, 28 June 2019 (UTC)
Journal entry 6/28/2019
editConstructive Criticism
editThis week I will be doing a peer review on a classmates article. I learned a lot on how to give constructive criticism when critique an article from my wiki education dashboard. When reviewing a article it is helpful to follow these guidelines: Does the article have clear structure, balanced coverage, Neutral content and reliable sources? These are a few guideline and steps that help complete an article. I'm looking forward to doing this today I will check back in with a follow up.
I added some of my contribution information regarding the Tubman Museum article. I added references and citations and some of the main topic such as History, Mission and Art to my User:Acm2625/sandbox please feel free to evaluate. I previously had already done this in my actual Tubman Museum article I just wanted to make it easier to find.
—Grlucas Hello Professor, I think at this point I did not decide who I was going to do a peer review on. I did not select anyone to review yet this is why I said "This week I will be doing a peer review on a classmates article" The following journal entry I did an update on who I decided to go with.
Journal entry Peer Review 6/28/2019
editPeer Review
editI will be reviewing Museum of Arts and Sciences (Macon, Georgia) by @1-800-OWLZ: I'm excited to get started on this. This is a museum that I would like to visit one day. I'm looking forward to applying what I learned in my Wikipedia education when I'm evaluating this article. I will check back in when I'm finished.
I just finished my peer review and I think I did okay. However it is a little tricky to give constructive feed back when I'm learning at the same time. I tried to follow close to what the training library suggested for peer reviews.
—Grlucas I put my peer review on the talk page I hope I did this correctly:) User talk:1-800-OWLZ/NMAC 3108 Journal/
- @Acm2625: I also found it tricky giving feedback, but I would say that the Wikipedia Education page helped more as I followed along with the training —Ajhawkins95 (talk)
Journal entry 7/05/2019
editMoving work out of my Sandbox
editThis week in the wiki dashboard, I learned about moving work out of my sandbox.( I think I finished this section earlier moving my work out of my User:Acm2625/sandbox), however, it's nice to review it and make sure I did it the correct way. I learned you should never copy and paste your draft over the entire article. Instead, you should make small edits and save as you go. I will be double-checking to make sure I'm on task and that I completed everything.
- @Acm2625: Are you sure about this clause: "I already had did this"? Where did you learn what you learned? When should you use sources? I would like to see a bit more effort in these posts. Who is your audience? —Grlucas (talk) 14:24, 8 July 2019 (UTC)
Hello—Grlucas I was referring to moving my work out of my User:Acm2625/sandbox. I change my wording to; I already finished this section earlier. I spend hours on Wikipedia putting in effort making sure everything is put together to the best of my ability. My journal post are not paragraphs, because you insisted that we not write "big blocks of text" -Acm2625 (talk) 16:35, 8 July 2019 (UTC)Acm2625
Journal Public Relations in a Digital Age 7/05-06/2019
editPublic Relations & Social Media
editThis week I will be reading chapter 9. I will update when I'm finished reading. The book describes the definition to public relations as "discipline that ethically fosters mutually beneficial relationships among social entities". The world has change so much with social media and every day their is new technology emerging. Chapter 9 mainly focuses on social media and social media platforms and how much it impacts public relations. I think the world is evolving every day and technology is more in demand than ever before, with social media replacing Pr.
Journal entry Finding a Image 7/12/2019
editFinding Pictures & Revising
editThis week I will be looking for images for the Tubman Museum article. Unfortunately I will not be able to visit the Tubman Museum to take pictures, because of the distance. However, I will be looking for different pictures I can use for the Tubman Museum article. (I will update when I'm finished). I will be using the visual editor to look for different images for the article. I also will be refining my work on the article. I will be looking for missing information, I will be reorganizing and expanding my work on the Tubman Museum article. Also, I will be working on adding links to the article.
- @Strasburg7312: I agree that uploading proper images can be a bigger hassle than first expected. I am in a similar situation as well. I tried taken a recent photo during my field trip this week but things ended disastrously–you can soon check that out on my recent Journal update. My second option was to upload a photo I used for a similar project I made during my freshman year. However because I am not sure it was one of the photos I took or whether I just took from another source, I am now in a mini dilemma as well so I understand that struggle for wiki images is real! Ousainou Adeniyi (talk) 17:20, 13 July 2019 (UTC)
Journal entry Navigating the Legal Landscape 7/12/2019
editChapter 10 summary
editI think understanding the legal aspect of writing is imperative for digital writers. Chapter ten in Writing and Editing for Digital Media[1] mentions; when you gather various information and publish information its important to understand your rights such as the First Amendment and the Constitution Decency Act and the protection in provides for many writers and digital writers. I think having credible sources and using proper citation and references can also help protect writers. Chapter ten in Writing and Editing for Digital Media[1] also mentions how you should obtain proper copyright permission to republish certain digital content. This is very useful information especially because I will be revising and refining my article for the Tubman Museum and looking for images.
- @Acm2625: You should be citing sources using the correct Wikipedia method. How do you use a semicolon? —Grlucas (talk) 13:34, 15 July 2019 (UTC)
—Grlucas a semicolon (;) "indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma". Also check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Acm2625/sandbox for sources and citation-Acm2625 (talk)Acm2625
Journal entry Reflective Essay 7/21/2019
editReflective Essay
editThis semester has been an interesting semester. I learned a lot of information when it comes to Writing for Digital Media and Contributing to the Wikipedia Platform. I had no idea what Wikipedia was capable of. One of the assignments that I enjoyed working on was critiquing a article. I learned about different guidelines that I should follow when critiquing an article such as the article should have clear structure, balanced coverage, neutral content and reliable sources. I tried to follow these guideline when I critiqued Museum of Arts and Sciences (Macon, Georgia) by @1-800-OWLZ:
Summarizing Contributions
editI also contributed to the Tubman Museum article on Wikipedia. I arranged the headings and put information under the correct headings. The information about the museum was all mixed in together, so I added a History, Mission and a Art section. I also fixed broken links and added my first citation. One edit that I thought was valuable was the Art section of the article. I thought it was important to convey the different type of art galleries that were available for visitors at the Tubman Museum. Overall I believe the article is better than what was previously with my contributions.
Peer Review
editI was very excited about doing my first peer review I went with Museum of Arts and Sciences (Macon, Georgia) by @1-800-OWLZ:. I believe I followed the guidelines accurate for my peer review. I suggested what was in the training module, it mentioned five steps; A lead section that is easy to understand, a clear structure, balance coverage, neutral content and reliable sources. I also suggested adding more content about what the Museum of Arts and Sciences (Macon, Georgia) has to offer.
Feedback
editI had a classmate check my article and they commented that "I provided useful information". I tried to write what I thought people would want to know if they were to visit the museum. I receive various comments through out my journal and I believe everything was constructive criticism for me. I think it stings a little when you get feedback that you really don't want to hear. However some feedback is better than no feed back. Also its good to know where you can improve as a writer.
Wikipedia Generally
editI really enjoyed contributing to Wikipedia. When I first started I did not know what to expect, but it got easier for me. I think Wikipedia is very hands on and it takes lots of practice to master it. I enjoyed this assignment it was different compared to other assignments I did in the past. I think Wikipedia is a useful tool to help people understand various topics. I think the more people that know about Wikipedia and how accurate and useful it is, eventually more people will start using Wikipedia.