Essay Number 2

1. Have you enjoyed reading the Wall Street Journal? Explain why you have enjoyed it, or why not.

Answer: I haven’t enjoyed reading the Wall Street Journal as much as I could have. I think the reason why is because anytime something is mandatory reading it automatically takes away a sense of enjoyment. If I had decided to read the paper on my own I may have enjoyed it more because it was my choice. I also think it’s less enjoyable because I know that we have to get tested on it. Reading for fun and reading in order to remember facts are two different things. Even if the topics interest me in the back of my head all I can think about is what I need to memorize.



2. How has reading the newspaper helped you learn about Mass Communications media? Explain, and give some examples of what you’ve learned.

Answer: I have learned about mass communications by reading the paper. There were several times when I would be reading about certain movies or books that opened my eyes to things that I was ignorant about. One example was the recent article about T.V. Guide being bought out for $1. I had no idea something like this was possible in the media market. To be able to purchase a company at that price no matter how unsuccessful, is remarkable. Another example was learning about how the media covers every possible topic. Reading an article about Yahoo in one section and then about a boy and an Obama sign in his front yard in another section showed me that there is no limit to what the media can cover. I was fascinated about how in depth these writers are, to be able to write about anything and make it sound interesting. That’s a real gift that not everyone has.


3. Compared to traditional textbook-based study and learning methods, is reading the newspaper a better or worse educational experience? Expand your answers with details and examples.

Answer:
I think that reading the newspaper is better for a real life education. Reading a traditional textbook does nothing to prepare for a career other than knowing certain facts that may help you in the long run. Memorizing dates and people I think is a way to pay homage to those that helped create what journalism is today but it does little to challenge students to create something new. I think having tests from a book would be easier because all you would have to do is cram for a few days, take a couple of tests and be done with it. The problem is the very next day all those facts would escape me and I would be left with nothing. Reading the newspaper although time consuming not only helped me to understand the media better but it also forced me to pay attention to small details in the articles. I believe that textbook-based learning methods fit better with typical grading standards but does very little to challenge the students. The grading system is built around teaching to the tests. Students only try to remember facts that they know will be on the test but don’t retain much information. Other forms of teaching may teach students in a better way but it is difficult to find a way to evaluate them.

4. Has the reading assignment changed your behavior, i.e., your daily schedule, your study habits, your desire for news and information?

Answer:
The reading assignment has changed my behavior because I had to budget my time differently. Most other classes I’d be able to put off studying until a few days before an exam but if I know that I have to take a quiz every time I go to class, my habits had to change. For the first few weeks I just collected the newspapers and read them all on Sunday night and Tuesday night but I quickly realized that it took too much time for one sitting. I started skimming the paper in the morning and then I would revisit the articles before class. I’m not a big morning person but reading the Wall Street Journal made me get up earlier. I think being required to read the paper on a daily basis helped my mind get a little sharper.

5. Are the weekly quizzes an effective way to measure what you’ve learned by reading the Wall Street Journal? If yes, why? If no, why? Add suggestions for other ways to measure learning.

Answer:
I think the quizzes are a good way to check up on students to see if we’re reading the paper. I think that it’s difficult to judge if it’s an effective measure on what we learned. The reason I say this is because the Wall Street Journal is filled with dates, numbers, and names. A person quite possible could read all the required articles and still forget a name or two. I do think that having the bonus questions on the quiz help to make up for it. If a topic is interesting to me I’m more likely to remember that article so it’s good to be able to have a larger variety of questions to choose from. Overall the quizzes keep us on our toes and allows us to read about real world situations instead of learning about the history of media itself. I think it makes class more enjoyable because there is a new topic of discussion everyday.

6. How likely are you to renew your subscription to The Wall Street Journal after this semester? Give an expansive answer, with reasons.

Answer:
I will not be getting a subscription to The Wall Street Journal after the semester is over. Although being required to read The Wall Journal has opened my eyes to some interesting events that are going on around the world, I didn’t enjoy reading the business portion of it. To be frank numbers bore me. I think the reason why some may find The Wall Street Journal boring is because , in my opinion, it lacks emotional language. Perhaps it’s only in the business section where this happens but it didn’t grab my attention. Every time the name of a company or a number followed by a percent sign showed up, my mind stopped caring. It’s not the fault of the paper, I think I’m just looking to find a poem hidden in a resume. My personality is more catered towards symbolism and opinion more than numbers and dates. I may subscribe to a Time magazine or something along those lines but not The Wall Street Journal.