Final portfolio

http://stephenmcnaughton.weebly.com/final-project.html

Interview

 Mrs. Williams essay on the bowling alley she researched showed how to properly conduct an interview. She didnt just use a list of questions and ask people them. She engaged her interviews by having a normal conversation with people. One example of this is when she was talking to the member of the women's bowling team. She struck up a conversation with the women and didnt use a list of set questions to find out information but let the women talk. She would then ask questions pertaining to the conversation and remain focused on the conversation listening intentively. This was definatley the best example out of the essay on how to conduct a good interview.

Group Presentations

 My group did a presentation on correct font and color use for powerpoint presentations. I feel that we worked very well on the project and split it up perfectly. We all chose a topic to address and present separately and molded the presentation together in the end. It worked out great because we all knew our topic very well. We basically focused on the best way to use fonts and colors. It seemed that it was necesary to use opposite colors when using fonts and backgrounds. The best way to do this is too use a lighter background and a darker font. We also talked about different tools that were available for use when designing a presentation. Overall it was a very well done presentation.

15 minutes in the library

February 17, 2011 2:20 p.m. Library

• The first floor is full of comfy chairs and also has a strarbucks, an IT center, and the entrence to the academic acheivement center. It is built to look like a comfortable area in general with a carpet and other homey feautures.
• There is an older man talking to younger women. The man looks to be in his 50's and the women looks more around 30. They are both holding coffees and discussing something involving Egypt. They must be talking about all the politics down there and everything. I wonder if they're professors.
• There is a girl that is sitting down in one of the chairs twords the center of the room. She has brown hair and is wearing glasses. She has her laptop out and is typing very fast. She must be finishing something up quickly before class. I hate when that happens.
• The people working the starbucks seem to actually be enjoying themselves. They are three middle age women and they are joking aroung and having a good time while they are working. Thats pretty funny I always thought that a job like that would be miserable.
• Theres a group of girls studying near the entrance. I dont think there actually studying though it looks like there just talking.

Its pretty weird studying an area and people watching. Sure i people watch myself often but ive never written down my thoughts. Its funny to notice all the little details and guess about what they are all doing. This is definatley a good practice for when i actually start my research though.

lay of the land

 This reading was extremely discriptive compared to anything else ive read in this class. The writer did a good job at capturing everything she noticed or heard. She observed how all the bowlers behaved with each other. She also picked out how the younger bowlers behaved compared to the older ones. The writer also described the area around her very well.
   The writer discussed the prices of all the food, bowling shoes, etc. She also found out what events were held and when and about all the different leagues that they hosted. She even talked to the owner of the bowling alley but he left before she could ask about the family buisness and what not.

Research Site

    I have decided to have my research site as Tilly dining hall. I feel that i can observe alot of student behaviors in a dining setting and find out things that the workers observe and interview them as well as students. I already know this dining hall is a all u can eat with many round tables where groups of students usually eat and discuss things with their friends. I know somewhat about the schedule of meals served throughout the week but Im not entirley sure about all of it.
    I do have questions about how it is run and how the food is cooked. I would also like to know the behaviors veiwed by the people who work there. I would like to find out how often other students eat their and maybe their favorite meals and such.

Truck Stop

I really enjoyed this ethnography. The author wrote it in an interesting fashion. He used different titles for parts of the story and explained thoes certain parts of the study in great detail. The author also seemed to not judge people at all, he took in their opinions and described their facial expressions and they way they talked very well. He seemed to always approach the right people as well and could tell if someone was getting annoyed with his questions. Overall the reading seemed to flow well and was told in great description by the author.