Discussion Journal #10

          This week in class (Nov 11-15) we learned about the differences in the PRT industry than those in service industries. We were shown why our industries are actually experience industries. Professor Wells stressed to us the importance of having both the Technical performance skills as well as the Artistic performance skills to create the correct atmosphere and provide each customer a great experience. She stressed to us that in order to provide the great experiences we want, we first must set up a great setting as the backdrop for our great experiences.
          It was while we were discussing settings that I became very interested. Professor Wells spoke about ensuring that when setting up an area you attempt to engage all of the senses sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. She spoke about how engaging each of these will help make the event more memorable as an example she showed us a clip from a U2 that was performed on a roof top saying that the people seeing them up on the roof, hearing them in the street, feeling the crowd grow around them, smelling the air as the wind blew. She pointed out that each of the people viewing probably talked about being there for weeks and remember it for the rest of their lives. We had also read about much of the same ideas in our reading "Be our guest"  in the reading they talk about how Disney focuses on each area. With sight he focused not only what you can see but what you can't see, by building a burm to block out the sight of the surrounding city. The reading was fascinating and informative.
        Based on what I have learned this week, I believe that when I begin to create and update the programs during my career I will pay more attention to all of the details. Even things I never thought of before such as smell. I have realized the areas that are often missed or left out of programming. Hopefully in the future all of the information that I am learning will contribute to the creating of better programming and better experiences for the guests visiting the parks I work in.

Discussion Journal #9

      The week of November 4 through November 8 flew by as we learned about leaders and managers. We learned that while both are often grouped together leaders are not necessarily managers, and managers are not necessarily leaders. Each category both managers and leaders have their own distinct characteristics about what makes fit that role. However, on rare occasion someone can be both a manager and a leader. While we talked about both, there was an emphasis put on leaders and how important they are within an organization. Prof. Bell told us that "leadership is the interpersonal influence exercised by a person or persons through the process of communication toward the attainment of an organizations goals." He then proceeded to tell us that there are three styles of leadership the democratic style, autocratic style, and the laissez faire style. The sheer amount of time that we spent learning about being leaders stresses the importance of the subject within our own lives.
     So in an attempt to help us learn more about the different styles of leadership and things that they have in common as well as the things that make them different prof. Bell continued to share with us the traits that a said to be associated with a leader. Theses traits were that they were honest, competent, forward-looking,  inspiring, and intelligent. As I look at these traits I started to wonder how many of them do I have , and how do I get better at the ones that I don't have. I would say that I believe that I have an honest person and I would also believe that I am forward-looking. I would say that I'm competent and intelligent in many things but definitely not everything. So that brings me to the last characteristic being inspiring, this is the trait I feel I probably lock the most in. I don't always work well in groups and it is difficult for me sometimes to raise up those around me. I know that this is an area I need to work in and improve.
       As I am continuing my education I hope to continue to improve on my characteristics of leadership and to make myself a better leader. This week is showing me how possessing the skills of a leader and having the characteristics can help to increase my chances within an organization to rise up and be placed in better positions. For this reason I hope that as I do proceed that i will focus more on honing my skills as a leader. To ensure that I am honest, and competent, forward-looking, intelligent, and inspiring to those around me. Also ensuring asking those around me for honest feedback on ways I can improve. 

Disscussion Journal #8

        This week (Oct 28- Nov 1) in our classes we learned about how to create effective and to the point questionnaires using closed and open ended questions. Prior to this week’s classes I had never really put any thought into the types of questions that go into surveys. Or why an organization may or may not use the questions they do. We learned how open ended questions can help a person express their experiences more clearly but often take more time to fill out and are also more difficult to log their answers into a mass data type format. While closed ended questions don’t allow much room for self-expression but can be coded easily for data analysis. All the info we received made me thing back to the many questionnaire I have filled out in the past few years and it helped me understand better why they were worded the way they were.
        So to help us understand how to create a questionnaire we all had to make one this week. On Thursday’s class we were asked to look at the data we had compiled for our projects that we are putting together, and create a questionnaire that could be used to evaluate how the program went. We were told to look at what our goals were, and to figure out how to ask questions in a way that would allow us to determine if our goals were met. The instructor told us to also try to make most of our questions be closed ended so the survey we created could be filled out and the data read off of it with ease. Starting the work on this questionnaire was at first difficult the questions were hard to think of and word properly and then once I had thought of one I would realize the data retrieved from its answers didn’t actually help me to know if any of my goals were met, so I would have to delete it and start over again. The longer I worked at it the better I became at wording the questions to fit the data I needed to know. I also made sure to ask our instructor Jeremy many questions as I worked my way through creating the questionnaire.
        I am grateful for all I have learned this week in class, as now I can create more effective surveys in the future to get feedback on programs I may be part of or running. Now that I have the knowledge of effective survey techniques I can gather info prior to and after putting on programs. Understanding the importance of running a test group to get the most effective survey also will help me develop the best possible surveys in the future. I am grateful for all I am learning in this class and continue to look forward to the information I will learn in weeks to come that will assist me in my future career.  

Discussion Journal #7

        Over the last week (Oct 21st - 25th) we have been learning about evaluations. What types of evaluations there are, and why people do evaluations. Professor Wells asked our class who thought they were an expert at evaluations. No one raised their hand, she then told us that we all were, and that to get through our everyday lives we all had to make many decisions based on evaluations about our environment. We evaluate what clothes to wear based on the weather, and what activities we plan on doing. We also must evaluate what we plan to do based on how much time we have and the priority of the activities we need to finish. Based on all of that she said we all were already experts of informal evaluations, but we were going to learn about formal evaluations.
        So that brings me to the core of what I learned this week. The reasons why we evaluate, so we can run the best programs possible, and to figure out what works and what does not work. A formal evaluation can be a very important tool in continuing to provide the public or investors with a positive interaction. Professor Wells gave us some tips when doing an evaluation, she told us to gather different perspectives. Meaning to be sure to ask a variety of people what they think of the program you are offering. That advice leads up to the next tip which is ask the people who know best. Don't ask a sales person about how marketing is set up, but instead go to the marketing director and vice verse. She also told us to look for the underlying issues, don't just accept that a problem is present because of what seem on the surface to be causing the issue always look for if there is an underlying issue at the root of the problem. We were also advised to use the information that we receive from our evaluations in ways that are meaningful. Not just to collect it and store it but to put the data into use. Use it and apply it in the areas that need the improvement, and continue to improve the areas that are doing well so they continue to do well.
        Based on the information that we learned the last week I believe I am now better prepared to conduct both formal and informal evaluations. I also know the value of conducting these evaluations, and the information that can be gained. As well as the trust or bond that you can form with the people within your program by asking them their opinions and genuinely caring about their answers. I will remember this valuable tool as I continue my education and into my career. I will conduct evaluations of both small and large programs or even of the classes I take. I have been made aware of the invaluable tool that is evaluations and plan to use to make all aspects of my life better.

Discussion Journal #6

         Hello again a good week of school (Sep 7th-11th) and then a great week off for Fall break. During break though it is good to look back on what was learned the weeks before. Last week we learned a lot about disabilities and the many barriers that people with disabilities face. In our reading "Barriers to Recreation Participation" I learned about intrinsic barriers and environmental barriers. Things I have never considered as a barrier like lack of knowledge, I realized are huge barriers even bigger than perhaps some of the physical barriers. I was also forced to realize to how many barriers there really are for the people who suffer from a disability and how hard it is for them to even go basic places like grocery shopping. When they leave their house they must find accessible transportation, a route that is architecturally designed to allow ease of access, and plan such outings for days that the weather will not create its own barriers.
          So as part of a class activity a small group of us went out on our campus to a building with a check list of requirements. The requirements were the ADA  building requirements for new buildings to be compliant. The list was very long, and had very precise measurement requirements from the width of parking stalls, how tall counters can be, how many inches a ramp can raise over the distance of a foot, and many more. We measured and recorded all the data to see how much thought has to go into that building and how precise the builders are when they construct it. I also started to notice things in other buildings, walking to class or going to the movies, I would notice building attributes that make it more or less accessible. I also learned that while for me it may feel good to offer to help a person with a disability for them it may insinuate that I don't think they can do it for them selves, and may cause them to feel like a lesser person.
         Because of all I have learned over that last week I hope to make more thoughtful decisions regarding my interactions with persons who are disabled. I also hope to help inform my friends and family about the many barriers that face people even those with very minor disabilities.

This week we are also supposed to report on what we think we have earned for a participation grade for the first half of this semester based on my attendance and participation. I believe that I have earned a 50 out of 50 for this portion of the semester.

Discussion Journal #5

Hello again everyone, last week (Sep 30- Oct 04) we had some very thought provoking and controversial topics that stemmed  from a persons identity and sexual orientation. These topics included core and thread identities, sexual identity, heterosexual dominance, conceptual issues in female sexual activity, and conceptual issues in female sexual desire. In general the topics of sex and sexual orientation are usually taboo to bring up and talk about with in a group of people, which is why I was not surprised to hear the chatter among my classmates on Thursday morning. People were shocked about the topic of the readings and were a bit uncomfortable about possibly discussing such topics with in the group.

The majority of the class period was spent discussing the topic of identity.We discussed how someones identity is made up of many pieces, and those pieces can be considered core or thread identities depending on how large a part of that persons life that identity is. We talked about how core identities are major parts of someones life and hoe they will affect every other aspect of a persons life. As an example if being a parent is an core identity  then all the choices you make will be based on the fact that you are a parent. You will dress differently and act differently in ways that portray that you are part of the group. You would also likely talk about your kids often. The other type of identity we talked about were thread identities are the parts of someones identity that only affect  part of their lives. Our reading gives an excellent example of a thread identity when it talked about the author's identity of being a professor. For the author when at home the fact that he is a professor is not a large part of his identity; however, when he is at the school in front of a class room it is a major part of his identity. Also the reading mentions that we do not always choose our core identities because sometimes things such as our skin color can decide that for us.

So for me all this talk about core and thread identities made me start to question what my core and thread identities were. Lets start with core, the first core identity of mine is that I am female this is not one I get to choose nor is it one that I find particularly important. The second one I identified was that I am ex-military. Many of my conversations with both friends and acquaintances will refer back to times when I was in the military and I like for people to know that I was in the military. Next is the fact that I am a student, I plan my work schedules, my home repairs, and my time with friends all around my class times and have many times told those around me I can't do something because I have homework to do. The last core identity I noticed was that I am athletic and enjoy physical sports. Much of my wardrobe are jerseys and t-shirts with the logos of sports I love, and I am always up for sport. I tell those around me to let me know if they need one more for a game unless I have school I would love to come play. Each of these categories female, ex-military, student, and athletic are very large and important part of how I want others  to see me. 

While examining thread identities I found that at different times I portray my self to the people around me to fit what I want them to see. At work I want my coworkers to see me as tough so I act as though I can handle anything and am always sharing stories about difficult situations I have had to work through. When with close friends it is important to me that they know I am lesbian which is something I don't share with any other group I hang out with. When working on projects I want to be seen as a professional and an adult so I will dress nicer and act more mature.  

While looking at the many parts of my identity I found it much harder to identify my thread identities. I was also shocked at the areas that I was putting a lot of emphasis on, in the future I would like to perhaps not emphasis my military experience so much, and stress more the side of me as an mature adult. While I was shocked at the priority levels of some of the areas I identified I was not shocked about any of the specific areas I do express as important to me. 

I think a persons identity is very important, and I also think it is important that people understand the concept of core and thread identities. Once people do understand they can be more aware of the self identity that they are projecting to the people around them, and they will also understand that their identities can change at anytime as they grow and learn new things.  

Discussion Journal #4

Over the last week (Sep 23- Sep 27) among the many topics covered was the topic if white privilege. Now, stay with my because I know many of you are thinking that same thing I was when we first started this topic which is, what are you talking about white privilege.  Firstly what is privilege? Well if you look at dictionary.com it is defined as “a right, immunity, or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most”.  Knowing this and how I felt prior to this week’s readings and lectures, had I been asked to list off my privileges I might have said having both my parents, playing multiple sports growing up, and growing up in the US. However, I would have never listed my race as a privilege I had never thought about the benefits that come with my inherited white skin. These privileges were only pointed out as I read White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack an article written by Peggy McIntosh.  In her article she talks about the many privileges that she has as a white woman. Also about how society almost makes a point of ensuring that those who hold the privileges of being white don’t recognize them as privileges but merely as the way things are.

So what types of privilege come with my white race, I have never been looked down on because of the color of my skin, people are more likely to trust me, all of my teachers in grade school were the same skin color as me and so I had many same race role models. I have also never been looked at as an outsider, never been told to go back to “my land/country”.  While discussing white privilege Peggy McIntosh lists 26 different privileges she has because of her race. She mentions flesh colored Band-Aids, the accessibility of dolls that resemble her race, and also that the color of her skin does not make people question her financial stability. All of the above also apply to me and to every other person who has been born part of the Caucasian race. Whether we realize it or not we are granted the rights and benefits of the white race, and immune to the stereotypical assumptions that come with other ethnic races.

Now I know I didn’t ask for these privileges, and neither did anyone else. None the less we were born with them, and so they are given to us, and it is what we do with this knowledge that is up to us. Our teacher this week played for us a rap by the artist Macklemore titled White Privilege, in this rap he mentions how the white culture takes over things originally started by other races and how he as a white artist gets away with more than a black artist would with lines like “I speak freely when I write this if a black emcee examined race there goes half of his fan base”. Lyrics like this refer to the fact that he as a white rapper can question a whites place in the rap community, but if a black artist asked the same question or pointed the same fingers there would be a more hostile reaction. It is in situations like that that we can use our white privilege to benefit those who are not receiving these privileges.

So as I am a member of the white race having acknowledged my privileges, and what comes with those privileges. In the future I want to remind those around me that when we fight for equality it should not be just for equality with in a position or with in a company but equality across the races. Hopefully helping others become aware of the privileges they have and the ways they benefit from those privileges.  From that point it all falls down to a choice that everyone must make for themselves.  They can silently acknowledge the privileges we have and do nothing to make it right, or they can use their new found awareness to fight for the rights of those who were not born with such privileges. 

Discussion Journal #3

        Another week gone (Sep 16 -Sep 20), and more knowledge acquired. This weeks discussions were on topics like diversity within race, and the impact of a persons age on there ability to do recreation. I found the second topic particularly fascinating. During the week while I was reading it really made me think about the people in my family. How much recreation and how leisure time each of them have, and how old they are. In our reading "Changes in leisure behavior over the life span" there was a graph showing participation in recreation and leisure declining as the participants age increases. Looking at my own family I don't necessarily see the same results that the graph depicts. While my younger siblings do participate in many more physically demanding activities, my grandparents spend just as much time if not more doing the things they enjoy. I am unsure if the chart would look the same if the data used was from more current times.
        Despite how the chart looks and my feelings on the mater the fact is that if not in the present then in the recent past it was true that older people tended to do less. The idea of that makes me very sad, and makes me want to ensure that within the lives of the people I know and care about that they continue to participate in the activities that make them happy. While in class discussing the same issue, we talked about how children are still developing balance even into their teen years. I believe that just as children participate in activities to increase their ability's, the older generations should be maintaining their ability's through participation in group events and activities.
        Based on all I have learned about in class and from reading, I realize that as I grow older and as my parents grow older it is important to ensure our health stays well both mentally and physically. Recently I downloaded one of those mind puzzle game applications because I now understand that if I don't continue to challenge my brain and body then as I get older they will both become weaker. I plan to continue to challenge my self as often as possible.I also think I will challenge my mom and sisters to start doing the same so we can grow old and happy together, continuing to do the activities we love long into the future.

Discussion Journal #2

         Hello again everyone, this week’s (Sep 9-Sep13) class lectures were on readings about Disney’s storyboarding techniques, Disney U, and on logic models. While all the reading were all important to understand as I develop and continue in my degree, and eventually into the employment field I really enjoyed the ones about Disney. The reading explaining storyboarding and its uses within everyday business not just in producing stories or movies, as well as the one explaining Disney U and showing the emphases that Disney puts on customer service both stuck with me.
         Of the book titled “The Disney Way” we only read chapter 10 which highlighted storyboarding. I had heard of storyboarding before but only in the concept of movies, some of the Disney films I watched as a child would talk about the storyboarding process in the special features. I had never thought about how you could use the same process to as the reading puts it, “solve complex business problems”. We learned that storyboarding allows individuals with in a company give their ideas anonymously and therefore promotes even the shyest of employees to share their ideas without the fear of being ridiculed. This is a huge pro to using this process as it is important to get feedback from all employees when setting up new projects or even reviewing old ones. I started to think about how awesome it would be if my employer used storyboarding to get feedback from us, and about all the issues that would finally be brought up and perhaps resolved if we could just write it down and post it.
         We also read a small excerpt from the book “Disney U”. The pages we read were all about orientation when first hired and how important customer service is within the Disney parks and business. The book talks about how Disney employees are called cast members and they are all part of a big show that Disney is putting on. Disney is well known for how welcoming its parks are this leads to its being called the happiest place on earth. As I work in a customer service driven industry I understand the need to keep the behind the scene stuff exactly there behind the scene. I also realize how devastating of a blow a company can take when the right precautions are not taken to ensure the public are kept out of internal business.
         Both these articles talk about ways to make your business better both for the employees and guests. While in class professor Mary Wells explained further the extent that Disney goes to ensure guests feel welcome, she described how Walt Disney did research on how long a person will hold on to a piece of trash before letting is drop to the ground. Although a small detail this research makes all Disney parks better, because when he found out it was only 27 steps he decided to place trashcans with in 27steps of anywhere in the park. By placing trashcans so often it helps reduce the amount of trash being dropped and helps the park stay clean, in return the cleanliness of the park makes people feel happy and comfortable inside the park. This is a lot of thought that when into such a small detail, a question now posed to myself is, do I put that much thought into anything I do, and if not why? I have many things in my life that are very important to me and usually I just run on auto pilot this should change.
         I am glad I am learning so much about business and the important aspects often overlooked. I hope as I advance in whatever organization I work for in the future that, I will remember to treat my employees well so that their happiness with the company will reflect in their interactions with our guests. I am also delighted and grateful to have learned about storyboarding and am sure in the future it will be a very practical tool to use to brainstorm ideas either in group projects in school or within a company.

Discussion Journal #1

Over the past week (Sep 1-Sep 7) in class we discussed many topic such as what is race and ethnicity, diversity inside of organizations, social justice with in a diverse society, sustainability, and constructed categories of difference to name a few. While many of these topics had interesting points within the readings and class lectures, one of them provoked much more thought about my life and about the people around me. The reading titled “Constructing Categories of Difference” addressed multiple ways in which people view the world and many of the categories that people are placed in before they even have a chance to introduce themselves.

After reading the article “Constructing Categories of Difference” last week I began to look closer at the way I am treated by others as well as the presumptions I put on others based on what the article labeled as master statuses (i.e., Gender, disability, race). I realized that no matter how I see myself, to others first I am always a woman and therefore that is my master status. I will be prejudged on things I can or cannot do based not on past life experience but based on my gender. As I looked at my relationships with others I also realized that without even noticing it I was doing the same to others using phrases like “my German friend Hanni was reading a book” the fact that she is from Germany has nothing to do with her reading the book and yet I will add it in there.

“Constructing Categories of Difference” also addressed the essentialist and constructionist world views and how they differ from each other. Making the point that the essentialist sees things as they are, and that there is no room for interpretation as things are independent from him.  Also stating that the constructionist sees thing from his perspective and uses his beliefs and experiences to interpret the world around him and make decisions based on a total grouping of those experiences. Looking closer at these points and listening to the in-class discussion I would place myself in a “somewhat removed from pure essentialism” (Constructing, 3) category. This means that I take in a lot of what I am told is true but that I believe that it is also correct to include some individual interpretation into my decision.

You might be reading this and saying yea ok so this is great information but what is the point? Well the point is that because of preconceived notions based on the white male society that the United States started as, anyone without the master status of white male is starting off at a disadvantage. The realization of this made me stop and think more about the role that gender or race play in a day to day society. My professor Steve made this clearer as he was discussing his master status of being black. He said that from a distance before you can even tell if he is male or female people will always know he is black and they will make their first judgment based on that fact alone, also that people are shocked when he says that he is a professor because most people assume he is a coach or that he works within the athletics department. Having realized the judgments I make on a daily basis pertaining to similar situations, I realized that I need to challenge the way that I look at life and the people around me. I need to make the point to see people as they can be and not try to fit them into a cookie cutter idea of what the dominant culture says they are.

Based on the new information I learned last week and the discussions we had in our class I am going to try to step back get to know the people I meet better before I make a judgment on who they are. I understand now the tendency to judge people on the color of their skin or on their gender or even on a perceived disability but that these things don’t make a person who they are they are just parts of who they are and there is so much more that what is visible to take into account. I plan in the future to intentionally be more open-minded when meeting new people and to get to know them prior to deciding who they are or what they can do. I will do my best not to categorize the people around me, and instead I hope to see them as the individual that they are and be grateful for the skills they have to offer.

Intro

Hey everyone my name is Jessica Farmer, I am 28 years old and am currently attending the University of Utah. This Blog is being designed to turn in discussion journals for one of my classes feel free to read and comment. Just so everyone knows here are the goals of each post as I have had it explained to me,

I will complete a short journal submission that includes reflections on class discussions, readings and homework from previous the week in the context of my life. Each reflective journal submission will aim to answer the following three questions:

·         What? Over the course of the week, what did I experience and how does it relate to the week’s readings, materials, field experiences or in-class/on-line discussions?

·         So what? Yeah…so these things happened. I went and did something or something happened to me. What is/was the POINT? How did it make me feel? Did it challenge the way I understood something?

·         Now what? So…based on what happened/what I experienced, what am I going to do, not do, or do differently? Have my understandings or viewpoints changed? What’s my action plan?

So now that we all know what is expected lets continue.