Iraq Project Info

This is a video about how and why the real story about Iraq doesn't actually make it out to the public.

The following is a description of my video. It is also the introduction I will read when I present the video to the public:

This is a story about what I saw while I was serving in Iraq. I personally don't feel that the media correctly depicts what is really happening in Iraq to the American public. While I was in Iraq I got the general feeling that the Iraqi people were extremely happy to see us there. As we consider our future presence in Iraq, what I find most disturbing is the thought that if we were to pull out our troops now we might as well as not even ousted Saddam Hussein and his regime.

What the American public fails to realize, because of false media reporting, is that most of the insurgents who are engaging coalition forces in combat, are not actually from Iraq. Instead Iraq has become a cesspit for all terrorist activities, attracting terrorists from many countries to use Iraq as a staging ground. Coalition forces are actively engaging insurgents from other countries such as Syria, Jordan, Iran, and other terrorist supporting countries.

Above all, my video focuses on the positive aspects of American involvement in Iraq. Our presence in greatly appreciated, a fact the media rarely portrays. I hope my video helps set the record straight.

Competency in major area of Study

When I first started attending classes at UAS I wasn't sure what I wanted to get out of my degree. I was ultimately just taking classes to take classes. Because of this, I was able to take a few communication classes, and, to my surprise, developed a fondness for the area of communications. I am now interested in obtaining a master degree in the communication field. Some of the skills I have learned are as follows:

• Speech giving ability which has been molded from giving multiple speeches in my communications courses.
• Organizational communication- developed through a class on organizational communication.
• nterpersonal Communication- developed within a class on interpersonal communication, in which I learned how to communicate more proficiently with others.

If you are interested in seeing some of the work I have done in these areas you can follow the link provided.

Competency in Critical Thinking

I think that this competency is a close second to the communication competency in terms of importance and relevance. Being able to think critically about ideas or theories is crucial in making informed decisions. One of the most important aspects of this competency is the idea of interpretation. I have learned through my many communication classes that there are three parts involved in communication, which are known as the three P's: partisan, problematic, and partial. I use the perspective of the three Ps to break down, evaluate and interpret what a speaker or writer is saying. Some of the skills related to this competency that I have learned are as follows:

• Evaluation- Having to evaluate my peers and give feedback about their ability to communicate effectively.
• Interpretation - Learning how to correctly interpret what other people mean or are trying to get across.
• Applying ideas and information - Applying what I have learned within the classroom to life outside the classroom.

Competency in Professional Behavior

Through having to deal with a professor who I consider to be one of the worst in the entire UA system I have learned a new meaning for the theory and application of professional behavior. What I find valuable about the goals of professional behavior is learning how to be civil with people from all walks of life. Even though I may not want to act professional towards some people, at times it is just better to swallow my pride. Some of the professional behavior skills I have developed include:

• Dealing with irrational people- Sometime the toes you step on might be connected to the ass you have to kiss the next day.
• Dealing with people with different beliefs - Since I have exited the Marine Corps I have really learned how to curb my desire to tell someone off because I don't agree with their beliefs.
  

Before attending college I would have disagreed with others in a very negative, unproductive way. Now I have become more willing to listen to what they have to say and also to evaluate their opinions and try to see their value, even if I don't agree with them.

Competency in Computer Usage

From the beginning of my college career I have been required to use a computer for just about every class. I have learned everything from new word processing procedures to different aspects of using digital media. From the capstone class alone I have learned how to make a movie using Windows Movie Maker and also how to publish certain kinds of documents, such as word processing documents and movies, on the internet. Some of the skills I learned include:

• Posting documents on the web - I maintained a blog for the Humanities Capstone course, and from within my blog linked to media and other files posted on the internet.Imovie and Windows Movie maker- Created a movie about my personal beliefs in regards to the current issue with Iraq.
• Using Imovie and Windows Movie maker - I created a movie about my personal beliefs in regards to the current issue with Iraq.
• Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel- I developed many different assignments for many of my classes using these software packages.

These skills will be crucial to me because the world of work is reliant upon a work force that is accomplished in the use of computers.

Competency in Information Literacy

This competency has always been one that I have enjoyed meeting. I think there is nothing more exciting than being tasked with finding information about a particular research topic. At the University I have honed my information literacy skills into a very efficient process that provides me with an ample amount of resources for a research paper in minimal amount of time. In the course of meeting this competency, I have been required to utilize the library and online resources to obtain pertinent information for many of my classes. Some of the most exciting things I learned while meeting this competency during the degree process are as follows:

• Internet research skills- Using the internet to find useful information about a certain topic.
• Cautions about using wikipedia- Learned to not take everything on wikipedia literally.
• New research methods for the library- Learning how to minimize my time spent in the library so I can actually begin writing my research paper.
• Ability to weed through unimportant information- Learning how to weed out unimportant information and to find the exact information that I need to complete the task at hand.

These skills have helped me to prepare valuable presentations for many of my classes. An example of this can be seen by clicking the link provided.

Competency in Quantitavie Skills

Even though I have fought the idea of learning math for many years the math classes that I have taken through Sitka have given me a new appreciation of math. Even though I don't think math is really as important as the University stresses, it in is important in obtaining a BLA in General studies. Some of the things I have learned are as follows:

• Analytical reasoning
• College Algebra
• Six step method for solving problems

I now have a new fondness for math because of the learning environment that I was in.

Comptency in Communication

I have become competent in my communication skills through attending many diverse classes at the University of Alaska. From being required to take classes in the communication field I have acquired a passion for learning more about communications as a theory.

• Given many speeches
• learned new skills on how to prepare and analyze speeches

Some of these skills can be seen in the following documents. I have prepared a couple of speech outlines for many of my communication classes. The first speech was about Marine Force Recon and the second speech was about why the Marine Corps is better than the Army. If you are interested in seeing either on of the outlines you can follow the links.

class project

I think it would be interesting to do a project that would involve showing the campus. It would be fun to do something to promote campus life and what it’s like to be a student at UAS through digital media. I think it would be interesting to produce a recruitment CD that shows many of the different aspects of college life. I think it would be interesting to produce a cd that could be sent to potential students. I feel that this would be much more interesting to do than do a campus wide event. I don’t think that many of the college students on campus would be very interested in partaking in something like that.

Post 1

From as far back as I can remember I have always been encouraged to do whatever I have be interested in. I can not ever recall a particular moment where anyone in my family has discouraged me from doing something. However, there have been a few times where my peers have thought that one of my creative ideas was a little much. Or that I was thinking to big to soon. The negativity and criticism from my peer group has only pushed me to accomplish my goals through different means. I would describe myself as an artist by traditional standards. However, I think that everything someone does can be viewed as an art form because their way of doing it is unique to them. Ultimately I view my self as a creative person who has artistic ideas that go against traditional art settings and forms. I would like to think of art as something that is not only limited to just the canvas or the clay but as something that is a form of expression about how ones mind works. With that in mind I don't really know how to answer the question of "who am I." Of course I can tell you how society and marketing has constructed me but I have not ever taken a chance to try to figure out who I really am. I think that most people are trapped by the bubble society has constructed around people. I also think this is way people view artists as eccentric individuals who couldn't amount to much in life. I am guilty of using that stereotype. I don't think I have ever really taken artists seriously, even the ones who have made lots of money through their art. Most of the art I have seen in life has not made me think "wow what an interesting piece of art," instead it has made me wonder, "why would someone pay that much money for that."

Class 2

Whats the role of new media in your life?

I have never been in a position where I have had to analyze how much of an effect digital media has on my life. I think this is because I have become so accustomed to using the internet that I actually numbed myself to that fact that I'm constantly surrounded by "digital media." Personally, I haven't produced any digital media of my own. However, now that I have been shown this "digital media" I think it would be something fun to pursue. From the presentation on "digital media,"I have learned that it doesn't take much to to put your ideas into a realm where it can be accessed by some many different people. In respects to this class session there are two points that I have taken away from the three hour session. They are as follows:

• Digital media is part of the future and their is no escaping it.
• Becoming digitally proficient will be necessary in advancing yourself socially and economically.