circaVie Timeline

Another absolutely cool assignment -- I can't believe how many new tricks I'll have when I return to UCA! I haven't posted the URL yet because I'm going to play with the timeline some more -- I'm going to take my scanner home this weekend and scan in some old photos from my pre-digital camera days to make the timeline more complete, photo-wise. Here's the link: http://www.circavie.com/timelines/e34a2a05-ec40-5f00-bf37-2c85c17bcd12

UPDATE: I picked up lots of old photos at my parents' house yesterday and spent some time today scanning them in. My timeline is probably more detailed than anyone cares about, but it was much fun to me, and I'm glad to get a lot of those old photos scanned.

My brain is also racing with new ideas for using this timeline technique in my classes, but also (more important at the moment) for my HIS 710 class this summer, during which I am preparing my prospectus for my dissertation on the history of the Arkansas Gazette, 1902-1991. I think this will be a great tool as I sketch out the prospectus. From my previous research, I have the idea outlined in my mind, but it will be nice to be able to see it sketched out visually as well as to organize many of the images that I have in my laptop — photographs from the various archival collections, pages from the newspaper, etc.

My biggest problem at the moment is wanting to spend all my time playing with all my new technological skills instead of doing homework like Stats!

Web site

I absolutely loved this assignment! I was even more green about creating a Web site than I was about doing a blog -- I can't believe how much I've already learned in this class -- and it's all such fun. My colleagues at UCA can't believe what I'm learning. I may have lots of new job duties when I return in the fall!

What has been the best part has been the empowered attitude I'm bringing to all these new tasks. Instead of being afraid of the technology, I'm jumping in head-first, and I find that I'm able to do almost everything. That is such a good feeling. The only thing I haven't been able to solve on this assignment is the table, and I'm enough ahead that I've sent out a call to my classmates for help before the deadline for posting the site.

UPDATE: Of course, my classmates came through, and I was able to complete the table. I will keep the info for future use.

One of the best parts of this class has been I've been forced to learn a lot of the technological tasks that I've wanted to learn but never had time or a reason to sit down and do. For example, that silly scanner -- I've had it for three years but never really had a reason to sit down and learn it — now I've got a new toy!

I plan to link my new personal Web site (http://donnalampkinstephens.googlepages.com) through the UCA site so that students can learn a little more about me. I've noticed many of my colleagues have linked their personal sites, so I'm slowly joining the crowd.

Another good thing about the last couple of weeks has been the lively discussions we've had. I'm looking forward to more.

IT 648 Blogfolio

For my IT 648 — Telecommunications in Education — class this summer, we are creating a blogfolio to document learning and provide reflection. We will reflect on each of our varied assignments: Web Searching, Creating our own Blog, Creating a Web Site About Ourselves, Creating Our Stories with an Interactive Timeline on circaVie, Creating a WebQuest, Creating a Video Message with Eyejot, and Creating an Online Presentation using SlideShare.

I have never taken an online class before, but after a little more than a week, I find that I like it, although it does take a little getting used to. Already, though, my mind is racing with new ideas about using these new technological tools (for me) in my classes.

The Web Searching exercise was a good introduction and way to get into the routine of summer school. I was familiar with most of the concepts, but I learned some new search tools from Dr. Yuen's Ultimate Search Page and a lot about new software downloads from Apple.

The Blog assignment has been fascinating — I've been a reader of blogs but never really had any desire to do one myself. I am amazed at how simple it is to create and maintain one. I'm excited to think about how I can use this tool in my classes. I am a little leery, though, of the whole idea of putting one's personal thoughts — really a journal — online for the world to see. I had an experience with this a few years ago in which one of my students blasted a ton of people — including me — on his blog. Of course, it came out to common knowledge around UCA, and that young man had a lot of apologizing to do. He never dreamed those words would come back to haunt him. It would have been far better for him to have unloaded his frustrations in a hard-copy journal. Something about the ability to put private thoughts for all the world to see — coupled with his amazing irresponsibility — makes me uneasy with the whole Blog phenomenon. Perhaps it's just a lesson for people to take responsibility for their online actions.

Introduction

I'm Donna Lampkin Stephens, a lecturer in journalism at the University of Central Arkansas and a Ph.D. student in Mass Communication at The University of Southern Mississippi. I grew up in the country near Camden, Ark., the oldest of four children, in a close extended family living on the 400 acres my great-grandparents owned and farmed. I'll be among the fourth generation of Lampkins buried in the Bell Chapel Cemetery a few hundred yards from where I grew up.

I went to the University of Arkansas for my undergraduate degree in journalism and worked as a sports writer for the Arkansas Gazette, which was the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River when it died Oct. 18, 1991. Since then I've earned master's degrees in Journalism (University of Arkansas) and Teaching Visually Impaired Children (Arkansas-Little Rock) and taught seven years in public schools in Arkansas before going to UCA, where I'll be starting my 10th year this fall. I continue to work as a freelance writer for several publications.

I produced a documentary film on the Gazette — The Old Gray Lady: Arkansas's First Newspaper — that premiered at the Clinton Presidential Center on the 15th anniversary of the closing of the Gazette (Oct. 18, 2006). That film is the foundation of my Ph.D. studies. I will use much of the research I did for that project for my dissertation, which will be a history of the Gazette, probably from 1902 through its death.

I'm married to Ken Stephens, a well-known football coach in Arkansas. We met on the football field; I was there as a sports writer covering Media Day at Arkansas Tech. After dating for seven years, we'll celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary on July 12. We have two dogs — Missy and Ruby — and two cats — Charlie and Ranger.

One of the great loves of my life is being an aunt to Jared, Tyler, Bradley, Wesley, Joshua, Peyton and Brandon. I love being their favorite auntie!