Advice

I have really enjoyed this semester with Angela Rogers. It has been a fun experience through which I have learned a lot about business communication and correct methods for communication. By no means was it a hassel to go to class. After the last day of class, me and a few of my classmates were talking about how much fun we had working with each other throughout the semester and how we looked forward to the class!
If I could give any advice, it would be just to keep up with the assignments. There are a good many assignments that are really helpful and teach you a lot. It is important that you just keep up with the weekly "To Do" lists as Angie posts them each Sunday night. The work was never too much to complete in one week, but some of the assignments did require some thought and preparation.
Because this is a client based class, the big assignment is going to be your group proposal project. My group and I had a great time working on this assignment. It is a process, but as I mentioned earlier, as long as you keep up with the work, it will not be too stressful. On the topic of groups, this is a very important factor in this class. Make sure that you really do get to know your classmates during the "speed dating" exercise you will do within one of the first couple of class meetings. My group clicked extremely well and had a great time during our meetings. This group cohesion really made the proposal, along with the other group assignments, enjoyable and stress-free.
Angie makes this class very enjoyable in a relaxed atmosphere. You can not be relaxed on the workload, but during classtime, it is very easy to talk and interact as a class. Our class really got to know one another and enjoyed the time we spent together each class period. Enjoy this class and just make sure to keep up with the assignments!

PG&E Water Contamination

Our group chose to do our ethical research on the water contamination in Hinkley, CA during the 1960s. It is a topic that one may recognize because it is addressed in the movie "Erin Brockovich". I really enjoyed researching this case study and found out some very interesting information. According to the facts of the case, the movie did a very good job in portraying the sequence of events accurately. Basically, PG&E is a plant located in the Mohave desert, right near the little town of Hinkley. PG&E was dumping million of gallons of cancer-causing agents into unlined ponds as well as vaporizing the chemical and releasing it into the air. The chemical was chromium 6. There are 2 forms of this chemical, one that can be beneficial to one's health in small amounts, and the other deadly. They claimed that they were releasing the beneficial chromium 6 and that it was safe and the residents of Hinkly had nothing to worry about. The chromium 6 was being used in the plant to help reduce corrosion through the factory. Once the chromium 6 had gone through the system, the plant would dump the waste products into unlined ponds as well as evaporate the liquid and disperse it into the air. Test results proved that these chromium levels were thousands of times higher than the legal and healthy levels, but PG&E stuck with their story that the water was safe and there was nothing to worry about. Residents nearby and employees of the plant began to have multiple cases of cancer and other ailments such as headaches and nosebleeds. PG&E willingly paid for doctors to check the patients, but surprise, they stated that the water was not the source. Turns out that once the evidence was too damning for PG&E to deny anymore, they stated that they were unaware of these outrageous levels of chromium until the 1980s, yet employees and records state that they had knowledge of these deadly, cancer-causing chromium levels as far back as 1965.

Response to Ethical Lapses Article

I found the article on ethical lapses to be interesting. I think that the percentages and other statistics use are very powerful evidence. I found it particularly interesting that so many U.S. workers experience ethical lapses in the workplace and the reasons why or why they do not report those ethical lapses. I cannot imagine working in a place where there are numerous distractions multiple times a week and not reporting them! I have always felt at home at my work place, and as with any business, there are always distractions or conflicts, but the purpose of higher authority is to provide comfort and structure to your place of employment!
I believe that it is very important for the upper management of a company to make the rules and ways of the company very clear from the first day in order to avoid these ethical lapses. If one were to occur, I also think that it is extremely important that the company have an action plan set out for the employees as a means to reporting such an incident.
The reasons as to why people do not report such problems are what I expected. Not wanting to cause more problems, put yourself or others at odds, or just not knowing how to report problems are legitimate reasons for not reporting an ethical lapse; however, as mentioned earlier, I believe that it is the company's duty to provide support and guidance in these situations.

Writing on the Web vs. Writing on Paper

Writing on the web and writing on paper share many characteristics. Writing, in general, requires the use of correct grammer, spelling, diction, and other tactics to target your audience. It is important that writing on the web and on paper flows throughout the document with emphasis on your purpose and goals for the piece of writing. In order for your writing to have the greatest effect, it is vital that you organize your thoughts before hand, use plain language, and fully research and understand your subject.
Writing on the web is more difficult than writing on paper because of the different uses for which people may be using the web information. Many people use the internet to scan about information. Your web writing must be formatted in an appropriate way so that your audience can scan the document and get information they are seeking quickly and efficiently. When writing on the web, you are writing for the rapid consumption of your information; most people spend about 10 seconds on a page looking for what might interest them.
A good strategy to use while writing on the web is the inverted pyramid. You should begin with the bottom line (your conclusion) before stating all the data, facts, and logic. By placing this information at the beginning, you allow the readers to find what is most significant to your writing. Of course, you still need to provide the background information in order to prove those conclusions stated at the beginning. Another great benefit of writing on the web is the availability of hyperlinks. You can use these links to outside information to give further proof to your claims and provide additional information to your subject.

How Fast Time Flies

After the fall semester at Clemson, I always wonder what I am going to do during school when there is no football! Every year the same thing happens: spring semester seems to go by faster than fall semester! You would think that without football games to look forward to every weekend, time might go by a little slower! It takes a little while for spring break to get here, but once it does, the semester seems to absolutely fly by! It's hard to think that once we get back from spring break, we only have five weeks of class until we are out for summer! This means, that in most classes we have about one test left, or at least a big project still to come. Although work does not seem to let up, the time just disappears! I was trying to think about what makes the time go by so fast and I came up with a few answers. I think that the baseball games have a lot to do with it. When there are games during the week, it acts as a little break from school: it is almost like a mini-weekend. We get out of class, go meet up with friends, and go out to dinner and then the game (or vice versa). I think another factor that speeds up the semester is the gorgeous weather! This weekend may have been an exception, but for the most part the weather has been great! After class, my roommates and I always sit out on our porch and just relax. I think this relaxation really helps us to calm down about school and just takes things as they come. The weekends also serve as a great time to either go out on the lake, or take little day trips to nearby sites. Whatever it is that causes time to fly, I can't say I don't like it!

Class Presentations

I really enjoyed all of the presentations that were given in class this semester. It's very hard for me to pick one favorite because of all the different topics that were covered. All the presentations were interesting in their own way, whether it be about traveling, sports, culture, or hobbies. The presentation that grabbed my attention the most was the one with the chicken and how to show it. It could have been because I was focused on the chicken the whole time and was ready for it to fly around the room; either way, the presentation was different and interesting. I also enjoyed the presentations about travel, whether it be about studying abroad or just going a couple of hours from here. I love to travel and take little trips, so these presentations were right up my ally. As for the rest of the presentations, the ones that stand out are consist of the off season football schedule, the slang terms, and the coastal conservation association. I think the football was a great topic because it educated us about all the work they have to put in year around and not just during the season. The slang presentation was very unique and the words that were introduced were just great. As for the CCA, this really caught my attention because I am from Charleston and I am familiar with the effort. I could really relate to the pictures because the increase in population effects every aspect of my home life.
The presentations were a great way to get to know our classmates better while learning something about their topic. I think that this project is very fun and meaningful without consuming too much preparation time. The openess of the project is a great tool to get students to talk about what they know and practice their public speaking skills!

Interview Reflection

I felt that my mock interview went extremely well considering my experience with interviewing. The questions that were asked were very appropriate and hot topics in the educational field. Because I was being interviewed by a teacher, the questions were very helpful in making me think about what topics would most likely be covered during an interview for a teaching position. The advice that I received from Ms. Rogers was very thoughtful and meaningful. I realized that I really need to be up to date on political issues dealing with education such as the No Child Left Behind Act. With the up coming elections, this is a sure topic that would be covered in an interview.
Being prepared is very important and having questions for them can leave a great impression. I had questions in my mind, but I never thought about writing them down so that they can see that I had spent time preparing for the interview just as they did. This helpful suggestion is one that I haven't thought of and now I really appreciate it.
Because I haven't been through student teaching yet, there are still many questions that were somewhat difficult, but I felt that I handled them well.
Overall, this mock interview is a great idea that results in great preparation skills and knowledge about interviews that most of us will face in a year.

Spring Break

With March only a couple of days away, one thing seems to be on everyone's mind: Spring Break. Trying to find a low cost, fun, and warm destination seems to be most people's priority and the aspect of life we are most willing to work on at this time. Last year, my roommates and I were extremely lucky when it came to planning an amazing trip. Two weeks before Spring break and we still didn't have any plans, so we were just going to all head to our homes to spend a week with family and friends. To our surprise, we received a phone call from Advantage Property Management, who we rent through, and we had won $3000 to go towards any vacation within a years time. Of course, we immediately thought Spring break and headed to the travel agency where the money was in our name. Lots of places were booked and with that short notice, flights were out of control. Finally, we came across Punta Cana located in the Dominican Republic. Everything was great and all we needed to do now was get passports in only two weeks. That same day we went to the post office, filled out a form, got a picture and spent a rediculous amount of money for a little book. Not only did we have to overnight our information there and pay for them to overnight it back, but we had to expedite the passports as well. In reality, this is a stupid thing to complain about seeing how we all just won an amazing trip that ended up costing $200.
Unfortunately, we are not in any raffle or contest this spring but we have managed to find some fun things to do. We are all going out separete ways, mostly in Florida, but I'm sure that we will manage to have a great time, somehow !

Cover Letters

Something that really struck my attention was the first piece about the reality of cover letters. I agree on some points, but I can also still see the other side to the issue. When it states that a cover letter is never really looked at unless the employer is interested in the resume, I can see two sides. First, I can see that if it is a big corporation or company that this would be the case. On the other hand, if it is a smaller, more personable atmosphere, I see the boss taking the time to look at the effort put into the resume from beginning to end- looking at the whole package, not just the qualifications.
I do agree however, that cover letters should be directed for the intended audience, not to show who you are as a person. It is important to pitch yourself to the company, not just yourself to see if they like you.
I also learned that sending out mass resumes is not a good idea. I always thought "the more, the better" but as stated in the article, big corporations have teams designed to go throught resumes, and these unsolicited resumes often get passed by.

Preparing for an Interview

I chose to read the article "A Crash Course in Interview Preparation" for this week's blog. I found it very helpful with the hints and tips on how to not only make it through your interview, but to really impress your possible employers.
The first and most helpful hints for me where the ones on supply preparation. Having ample number of resumes and any other documents you may want to hand in is a great idea. Also, simply having everything organized and neat is also a great way to impress the company you are interviewing for.
A simple, yet very useful hint, that I would not have thought of is to have plenty of tissues! We have all been in a situation when we needed a tissue and there is none to be found! It may sound silly, but I think that this is a great tip to have when going in for an interview.
Another great tip was to have an umbrella on hand. The weather in Charleston is pretty predictable, but the occasional afternoon storm can come out of no where and have you soaking wet in two seconds. Having the umbrella really goes to show you are prepared and thinking about any possible situation that could come your way.
The mock interviews with either a friend or yourself is a great tip as well. Although they may not ask you any of the questions you practiced, the mock interview can help you think on your toes and create smoothe transitions between aspects of the interview. This preparation is another way to impress your possible boss.
All these hints really helped me to realize what I will need to do when my first rounds of interviews begins after graduation.

Persuasive Speeches

In class we discussed Martin Luther King Jr's letter from Birmingham Jail. This is one of the most famous, and influential examples of rhetoric. In his letter, Martin Luther King Jr uses ethos (appeach of the speaker), logos (appeal to logic), and pathos (appeal to emotion) in order to makethe letter persuasive. King Jr. makes sure that he touches his readers in every aspect throughout the letter- not only making his point, but giving himself credibility and working with the reader's emotion to see his point of view.
In class we also had guest speakers from the Army Recruit. Their presentation was very detailed on what makes a good persuasive speech, however, they never really gave us their persuasive speech. At the end of the presentation the class began to ask questions about being recruiters for the army and what they say to persuade people to join. It was at this time that I felt the class was interested and began to see what tactics they used. For example, money was a key ingredient in their success- they would say financial benefits and incentives and then pause so that the people could soak it in and think about it.
Just like what we saw in Martin Luther King Jr's letter and the Army recruiters, I saw in President Bush's speech on 9-11. In this speech, Bush touches all the key points of the rhetorical triangle. He begins by useing pathos- the appeal to our emotion- which is very appropriate seeing the subject that he is addressing. He recognizes the severity and emotional taxing nature of the event. Bush then begins to appeal to our logos by taking the people through the steps of why we would be a target yet still giving the people confidence that we are going to not only survive but prevail. Bush uses ethos, the appeal of the speaker, throughout the entire speech. One main way of doing this is by using "our", making him a part of the situation, not a third party just stating the facts and what we should do. He makes sure that the audience is connected with him, on the same emotional level, so that we feel in touch with him, therefore giving him our support. Bush goes back to using logos when he begins to explain the actions that he has already taken to ensure our security and what actions he intends to implement in the near future. Bush brings his speech to a close by asking the people of the United States for their prayers and support. By doing so, Bush is using ethos and pathos as a final reminder that he is one of us and is there for the long run. Bush also ends with a Psalm which appeals to the audience who is reaching out for prayer particularly at this point in time, and gives himself credibility because he is one of us. His last sentence appeals to all three points of the rhetorical triangle. He acknowledges the past and what we need to do about the future (logos), uses first person and makes him on the same level as his audience (ethos) and finally, gives us encouragement and hope for the future (logos): "This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world."

http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/George_W_Bush/index.htm

Ten Years from Now

Wow, it is kind of scary to think about where I will be in ten years. Ten years seems like so much, but really it is not that much time. Just think about how fast college flies by, it seems like yesturday that I was going to my first class at Clemson--and now, I'm getting ready to be a student teacher!
In ten years I will be 31 years old. I am sure that my friends who are jealous of my being older now will have made sure that I am well aware that I am older than them- the first to turn 21, then not soon after, the first to turn 30. Ideally, in my perfect world, I will be back in Charleston married to the guy I have yet to come across and working on a family. I would like to eventually have a family of about three or four children-but more importantly, healthy children. Of course, I would like to think that we would have our own house near my parents and my younger brother somewhere in old Mount Pleasant.
Career wise, I hope that by age 31 I will have my own pre-school or kindergarten class at a small, yet very successfull, school. I do not have a particular school in mind at this point, but somewhere clost to Mount Pleasant if not in Mount Pleasant. Assuming that I start teaching right after I graduate in 2009, I will have been teaching about eight or nine years. At this point, it would be perfectly possible for me to have my own student teachers- something that I really want in the future. I have not been a student teacher yet, but I have been observing schools all throughout the Clemson-Anderson areas. I would really like to have my own student teacher to help him or her focus on what teaching styles they perfer, how to set up their classroom, and to start creating their own curriculum.
I hope that in ten years, I still keep in touch with all the friends I have made up here in Clemson. I already have countless memories and I hope that we can all keep in touch- as difficult and I know that it will be. I can't wait for all the reunions and weekend trips with all the girls! I also look forward to seeing where life takes everyone else. I think it will be very interesting to see what the game of life as in store for all of us!

VIdeo Reaction

I found the YouTube video to be very interesting and entertaining. I didn't know what to expect when it first started and soon found myself really intrigued with the music along with the changing video aspects. I think that Web 2.0 can bring both a positive and negative effect on people entering the work force. First, it can allow a person to instantly be in touch with hundreds of companies by posting a resume or creating a page about their qualifications and goals as a part of the workforce. It can also allow companies to research clients and communicate efficiently when it comes to the matter of time. However, Web 2.0 is scary because of the windows it does open. Privacy no longer exists between all the links and databases on the internet. People no long have to impress a company with their social skills or charm; instead, just a posted resume with countless pages of records seems to be sufficient. Yes, people trying to get into the workforce are more available to companies, but are they truely concerned with giving the company their best?
As for people already in the workforce, the information available at the click of a mouse is incredible. Companies can pull up records of past companies to see what strategies worked and which ones didn't. Companies can also deal with their clientel completely online-more efficient in some eyes, less in others. Time is so crucial these days, Web 2.0 seems like a saving grace, yet what about personal interviews? social communication? shaking someone's hand? With this increased technology we are furthuring our capabilities but what are we doing to our social networks?
I think that the video hits the nail on the head when it states that we will have to rethink everything. We have to take a second look at everything on the web to make sure that it is legitimate and that we can trust the information. We no longer have the person to person contact through which we determined what was trustworthy and what wasn't. Everything in our lives is being done through technology- our schedules, meetings, shopping, research, and our communication skills are being channeled through these high tech machines. Letters are no longer fast enough, so we use email instead. Calendars are dated, so we use palm pilots. Personal meetings take too much time, so conference calls are set up to make huge decisions. Technology is changing not to keep up with people, instead, the people are changing to keep up with the technology.

Welcome! My name is Leigh and I am a student here at Clemson University majoring in Early Childhood Education. I am from Charleston, SC where I hope to return to teach after graduating from here in May 2009. I have always loved being outdoors and living an active lifestyle. Being from the coast, I really enjoy the boat and the water, but I also have a love for the mountains, especially during the early spring and late fall. I also enjoy playing tennis, going shopping and just hanging out with friends!