Set Out Runnin But I Take My Time

     I have learned several technological, ethical, and societal skills from this course.  I apply all three of these types of skills to my life on a consistent basis.  My academic and professional life revolves around technology, I consider myself to be an ethically-sound individual, and I constantly strive to contribute to our community.  As a result I have found this course to be significantly valuable to me.

     Primarily, the technological skills I have acquired include learning how to use the Adobe Photoshop CS5 software program, a DLSR camera, and how to use/update an online blog.  So far, I have already used my Photoshop techniques to edit photos for my summer internship to help promote our product.  I recently purchased a DSLR camera for this course specifically and I find the purchase a long term investment in which I will be able to use the camera for many years to come.  The camera is extremely high-tech and has many modes and functions in which I now understand how and when to use them.  Lastly, learning how to blog has been an incredibly fun experience.  I was unaware how easy and exciting blogging can be because my blogs focus on three of my passions: photography, animals, and giving back to the community. 

     Secondly, I have become more ethically aware as a result from learning how Wake County Animal Shelter functions.  I learned that several animals are admitted to the shelter daily due to negligence, irresponsibility, lack of motivation to care for a pet, financial circumstances, location displacement, and natural reasons.  Most importantly, I have learned that massive surpluses of animals are 100% preventable and curable by spaying & neutering your pet. Also, after reading several characteristic cards about some animals at the shelter I now have a better understanding of what taking care and adopting a pet means.

     Lastly, my societal skills have improved simply because I have submitted several volunteering hours at WCAS where I have contributed to the lives of many wonderful animals.  I notice our work as a class certainly helps the animals at the shelter and WCAS directly.  We improve the futures for dozens of animals and support the hard work from all of WCAS’s employees.  Although our course ends in just a week or so I plan to remain a WCAS paparazzi volunteer. 

     Overall, I find the online format of the course to be helpful yet debilitating at times. The online format allows us as students to manage our work at a personal time, location, and pace.  I highly enjoy this sense of freedom, especially because art is all about individuality and mostly-non structured compared to regimented general education courses.  On the other hand, the online spectrum completely prevents valuable and essential insight.  Artist desire regular feedback on their work and the online aspect prevents necessary verbal communication. 



As a result from this class, I was able to create this photograph using
my 'Photoshopping' and camera techniques in order to help promote a Festival.

 

This is what the image looked liked before I learned all my newly acquired skills.