Opening Activity 9.29.11

1. Open the battery cover (bottom of the camera) and gently push the card in as indicated until the card hits the bottom of the slot.

2. On the LCD monitor.

3. On the back of the camera under the zoom-in/zoom-out button.

4. Above the record button.

5. Press the MODE button and use the joystick to switch to My Works mode. Or press the play/pause button on the left side of the LCD monitor.

6. Press the menu button.

7. Video resolution, picture resolution, nightshot, WB, flashlight, video light, effect, exposure self-timer, histogram, icon...

Opening Activity 9.27.11

1. A sound bite, as described in the video, is a part of the interview that you will use in the story. A short clip of the interview not everything the person says.

2. B roll is the visual footage of whatever you are covering  that is used over interviews and audio that add to the story. Allows people to see and connect and is shot in the setting of the story.

Opening Activity 9.26.11

1. The topic of this article is indoor pools and their safety.
2. The angle is the negative health effects of too much exposure to the chemicals in and around indoor pools.
3. Criteria include unusualness, timeliness, and significance for people who swim a lot.
4. To make this a broadcast journalism piece I would shoot footage at an indoor pool. Adding shots a swim meet or kids playing in a health club pool would add to the effect of the story.

Opening Activity 9.23.11

1. His stand-up is in the middle towards the beginning.
2. In the middle to fit in the flow of the story and to give information that the audience can't visualize.
3. 3 to 5
4. Old people can play baseball too.

Opening Activity 9.22.11

On this Friday, the 23rd, the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is going to plummet to Earth. NASA officials and the U.S. Air Force are tracking the path of the satellite but it's not supposed to hit anywhere in North America. Researchers predict that the threat of human injuries is very low and it's likely that no people or buildings will be affected by the crash. This is a super interesting article, very unusual. The uncertainty of where exactly the satellite will hit and how much damage it will do definitely adds to the suspense and danger factor of the story.

Opening Activity 9.21.11

I found an article form Time.com that talked about the twelve strangest and often counterfeited products. The article included information on things like phony college diplomas, car parts and kiwi fruit. Also, the article discussed tips on how to avoid buying counterfeit items like knowing where products are typically sold and how much they normally cost. If it seems to good to be true it probably is. This story is unusual because one would not expect the items that are commonly faked and it's significant because things like fake gasoline or electrical components can damage people's homes and cars.

Story Topic

Topic: School spirit

Angle: What's a superfan?

Opneing Activity 9.20.11

Ruby Bridges grew up in New Orleans during the 1960s and is known as the first African-American child to attend an all white elementary school in the South. Bridges was the first example of integration in schools and at six years old she had to deal with things like being the only person in her class, the judgement and criticisms of others, and threats such as poison or seeing a black baby doll in a coffin that a protester made.

In-Class Questions

The rule of threes states that there people have three answers to each question you ask them. First they will tell you what you want to hear. Then they will explain their answer. Last, they will blurt out a soundbite. This soundbite is what fills the silence. Filling the silence is a technique used to get people to say something important or get a good quote. If you create a silence the interviewee will naturally want to fill it and after long enough they say what they really mean and answer the core component of the question.

The non-question question is a little bit complicated. It's basically getting an answer to a question you didn't ask. By working around the subject, being conversational and not asking direct questions you can get someone to give you the information you want.

Opening Activity 9.19.11

This article talks about a law in Wisconsin that bans restaurants from serving margarine on the tables instead of butter. There has been a history of arguments against margarine colored to imitate butter in Wisconsin but recently the law has been called silly and state Representative Kooyenga is trying to getnit repealed. I think this is a really funny story because it's hard to believe that the difference between butter and margarine was so important at one time that they made a law about it. It's especially interesting that butter had to be served to students and prisoners and patients in state facilities. They were serious about not using margarine. The article is timely (happening today) and unusual. I don't think there are many laws out there that are so trivial as banning the use of margarine and not butter.

Opening Activity 9.16.11

In 1998 Mitchell Johnson (age 13) and Andrew Golden (age 11) opened fire on their classmates after everyone had gathered outside because Golden pulled a fire alarm. They killed four stunts and one teacher, injuring ten others. If I were writing a story about this event my angle would be finding out more about the shooters and their lives. What makes such young children capable of such a horrible thing?

Opening Activity 9.15.11

A dangerous tropical mosquito has been found in San Gabriel Valley California. The Asian tiger mosquito attacks in the all throughout the day instead of early morning and at night swain and is an aggressive nonnative species that could spread disease. Authorities are hoping to wipe them out buy spraying pesticides. This is scary because responsible for outbreaks of dengue fever in Florida Texas and Hawaii. Mosquitoes really make me nervous because I get bit ALL the time and have bad allergic reactions so this story hits close to home for me. This news is unusual because the mosquito is nonnative and different from all natural species living in the U.S. It's also timely, the complaints about bites have occurred recently.

Opening Activity 9.14.11

According to an article from Star Tribune fire-fighters are working to conquer the flames of a 100,000 acre forest fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. This is the largest forest fire in Minnesota's history. It's a scary thing because there are several houses and buildings that could be in danger as the fire spreads. Luckily the cooling weather and low wind speeds are helping workers contain it. This is an interesting article because you don't hear about forest fires in Minnesota very often.

Opening Activity 9.13.11

This is a very interesting article. Gaming is a big part of different social networks and I can see why Google+ would want to incorporate it as well. I think Google+ is very smart in the fact that they are keeping the gaming separate from other social posts, chats etc. This will attract a lot more users that may have complaints about the constant gaming posts on Facebook. I think this type of social gaming is a fun and competitive way to challenge your friends and I'm glad that the are new opportunities for it.

9/11 Opening Activity

On Sunday evening President Barack Obama helped remember the victims and those affected by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. In his speech he said that "these past 10 years have shown that America does not give in to fear." The names of victims were said aloud and everyone joined in a time of silence and remembrance. During this time, there was increased security because of threats of a possible terrorist attack. While authorities were taking the threats seriously they assured that there was no actual evidence of a terrorist attack happening.

Opening Activity

" 'Contagion' is Purell terror" is an article review of the new movie Contagion. The compares the movie to Jaws, in both movies the main character is not a person but nature in the form of a shark or an epidemic. In the movie a doomsday disease is spreading quickly and killing everyone who contracts it. Several of the characters include a Minneapolis executive, a health blogger, CDC official and a World Health Organization official. Many stars are included in the cast such as Jude Law, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow. This thriller has been said to "have viewers flinching if anyone touches them."

Shorter Stories

Amber Mehr is a high school student in Apple Valley, Minnesota. She has many goals including the pursuit of a medical career, specifically physical therapy or nursing. Other things she wants to do in the future include visiting Europe and going skydiving, even though Amber is afraid of heights.

Amber Mehr wants to face her fears by skydiving, and challenge herself with a career in medicine.

Taking Risks, Skydiving and a Medical Career

Heavy Rain Moves North with Lee's Remnants (Article Summary)

Tropical Storm Lee has caused countless amounts of damage on the eastern coast of the United States. Areas as far north as New England are worried about flooding, especially after all the destruction left in the southern states after the storm. There have been reports of severe rainfall in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia as well as tornadoes across the South. Tar balls have also washed up on several beaches across the coast and research is being done to find out if they are a product of the BP oil spill last year.

Interview Assignment

For this activity I was lucky enough to talk to Amber Mehr. Amber lives in Apple Valley, Minnesota and is involved in LINC and basketball. She even recently went to Florida and Tennessee for basketball. Another interesting place that Amber has been to is the Dominican Republic. When she gets older Amber would like to pursue a medical career, specifically being a physical therapist or nurse. When she was younger one of the things Amber wanted most was an ant farm. So, like any other mom who wants to encourage her child's curiosities, Amber's mom ordered three Scholastic ant farms. One day the ants escaped. Her mom wasn't very happy about the ant farms then. In the future, Amber wants to go skydiving (despite the fact that she's afraid of heights) and visit Europe. One of her best birthday memories was when a magician actually came to perform in her house. The worst was when she got stung by a bee while eating a birthday celebrating Dilly Bar in the park. Amber likes listening to music, the crab Alfredo at Red Lobster and Thanksgiving.