Media: An Academic Tool

I walk into my dorm after returning from class. As I plop myself down in front of my laptop I focus my eyes on its entrancing screen. I log into myUMBC webmail to check if my professors have sent out any e-mails that may be of importance to me. Then I log into Blackboard to see any assignments that I may have to complete or if there are any notes posted for my classes. If I have time I may briefly check out my facebook page. In the future I may even use it to contact classmates in order to study together. I turn on the news to see what is going on around the world so I will be prepared for a current events discussion in AMST. I call up a friend to see if he can assist me with my math homework that I so dreadfully don’t understand. While I wait on him to arrive I begin reading the next chapter in my Sociology textbook, McDonaldization. This is a typical day at college for me.

After entering college, media has become mostly a tool to help me succeed in my academic career. Before I entered college I used media more as a source of entertainment. I actually had the free time to follow numerous programs on television, go to the movie theatre to see the latest movie craze, listen to the newest songs on the radio, and talk to family and friends on my cell phone for hours. Media as an academic tool began increasing during my junior and senior years of high school when I checked my grades online at Blackboard, researched possible colleges to attend, and read enormous textbooks for my AP classes. During my junior and senior year I pushed myself to get straight “A’s” and do well on the AP exams by taking advantage of the available tools I had, such as my textbooks and the internet. By using the internet to research colleges, I knew I would have to get outstanding grades those two years to get into the college of my choice.

Now that I am attending my college of choice, I will continue to use media as a tool for academic achievement. In the future I envision using the media as a tool in pursuing my teaching career once I graduate. The media may assist me in informing others of my availability for a job and it may also assist me in finding a job opening.

Media is constantly evolving and will continue to do so. In just my 18 years of life I have experienced significant changes in media such as the popularity of the cell phone, the invention of the ipod, and the increasing use of the World Wide Web. I can only imagine how significantly media will change within my lifespan.

Who am I? Why am I here?

Hello! My name is Leanne Lenhart. I'm 18 years old. I am currently a freshman at UMBC. My hometown is Urbana, Maryland located in Frederick County. I have one brother who is 23 years old and graduated from UMBC in 2006 with a degree in Chemical Engineering. He currently lives in Chicago which is where the photo to the left was taken. My parents and I visited him there this past summer and fell in love with the city. My dad took the photo when my family and I took a bicycle ride along the shore of Lake Michigan.

I’m a very easy going person. People generally find me very easy to get along with. I enjoy spending time with family and friends. My favorite place to visit is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My family and I visit there usually at least once a year. I love the beach and the laid back atmosphere.

In my free time I enjoy watching movies. I watch everything from comedies to dramas to horror films. I also enjoy watching television. A few of my favorite shows includes Friends, Desperate Housewives and Mythbusters. During the warm months I like to be outdoors doing activities such as biking and hiking. In the winter I love to go skiing and shopping. One of my favorite activities to do year round is swimming. I was a member of my high school swimming and diving team for all four years. Before that I swam for several years on summer swim teams and one year on a club team.

I am very interested in traveling the world. I have not been fortunate enough in my 18 years to have traveled outside the United States. Sometime during my college career I would like to study abroad for a semester. I want to learn about different cultures and visit historical landmarks. I would particularly like to visit France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Greece.

I decided to attend UMBC because I really like the campus and the outstanding reputation the school holds as an honors university. I plan to major in Social Studies and receive a teaching certificate in order to teach at the high school level. I would love to teach Sociology and Psychology. Getting a college degree is a necessary step in becoming a teacher.

During high school I was an intern for a psychology teacher who was my teacher the previous year. The experience made me realize that I loved the subject and would greatly enjoy teaching it. I also took Sociology my senior year and grew fascinated with the subject.

I am enrolled in AMST 222 in order to understand the importance of communication as it relates to history and currently. I hope to become more comfortable speaking in front of an audience because being a teacher requires a lot of speaking and communication skills.