Hello everyone! Now that I’ve finished the courses section on on digital media foundations I’ve had some time to reflect back on the classes readings and overall learning objectives. As a whole the first three modules of the class taught me a great deal about the base foundations that today’s current multimedia landscape is built upon.

The classes most recent readings, Multimedia Foundations, Chapter Eight, introduced concepts that I have previously over looked. The chapter touched on the subject of typography, which is defined as, “the art of deigning and arranging type,” (Costello, 236). At first glance, I thought the subject would be something I had already understood through my years of working with fonts on a computer, but shortly after beginning my readings, I realized that the letters presented on a screen, or through print media, help to structure specifically tailored messages. For instance, the Serif typeface, notably used by the New York Times, as well as this blog post, helps to present a more serious message. In contrast, the Sans Serif typeface, notably used by USA Today, presents a more modern and current styled message. The different uses of typeface exemplifies some of the nuanced topics, that hold serious weight in todays multimedia landscape. Chapter eight helped me understand the idea that, no matter how small the detail may seem when it comes to crafting a message for any form of media, there is a level of importance that should not be overlooked.

“Imagination is the only key to the future. Without it none exists – with it all things are possible.”

— Ida Tarbell.

Hello everyone, welcome to my blog! On this site you can expect regular blog posts about my life and my journey to becoming a digital media professional this semester in JMS 315W. All blog posts can be found inside of the tab on the left side of this page title “Blog Posts.”

Hello Professor Schmitz Weiss! I look forward to working to build my skills as a digital media professional this semester. There are some specific aspects of the class I’m particularly excited for, but I’d like to first introduce myself as an individual. My name is Joshua Avalos, and I was born and raised in Fresno, CA. I am a third year student here at San Diego State, majoring in journalism with a minor in history. I would like to consider myself a student leader on campus, as I am currently serving as the Vice President of Finance for the College Council of PSFA, and the Associated Students Representative of PSFA. Professionally, I aspire to attend law school after I complete my undergraduate studies.

My general expectations as a student in JMS 315W are to develop my skills in multimedia design, as it pertains to the field of journalism, as well as learning how to effectively apply these skills as a practicing journalist in the real world. I’m particularly excited to engage with the creative aspects of this class when it comes to creating multimedia content, as well as learning new methods of digital content creation. I can’t wait to see what this semester has in store, and I hope you enjoy my future blog posts!