Unit 1 Portfolio

1.  

http://www.english.illinois.edu/-people-/faculty/debaron/essays/pencils.htm 

In Dennis Baron’s “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology”, he describes how writing technologies have advanced since the first tool which was just a mere pencil.  He goes onto explain how the pencil slowly evolved into new forms of technology that people used to share their ideas and communicate. On would come the printing press, telegraph, telephone, typewriters, and of course the computer.  And as also when something new and innovative comes out, there were many critiques that came along with them.  Each technology was shaped for the consumer ultimately.  Today, we see how much the computer has changed from what we first knew it as twenty years ago; a machine that was basically a large-scale calculator.  Now, the computer has been molded into something much more that we would not be able to live without due to the consumer’s command for increases in technology.   

I believe Baron did succeed in the point he was trying to get across.  This article clearly explains the evolution of writing technologies and the affect it has had on writing and the world in general.  Baron states, “When we began to use computers in university writing classes, instructors didn’t tell students about the spell-check programs on their wordprocessors, fearing the students would forget how to spell. The hackers found the spelling checkers anyway, and now teachers complain if their students don’t run the spell check before they turn their papers in” (Baron, 1).  Technology and the way we write go hand in hand and will continue to evolve as we move forward.  I am doing my research on how ESPN uses technology to reach as many viewers as possible and expand it’s horizons.  “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology” can help me on this journey because ESPN was established in 1979, before the age of computers and smartphones.  

Baron, Dennis. “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technology.” english.illinios.edu, 2000, http://www.english.illinois.edu/-people-/faculty/debaron/essays/pencils.htm 

2)

https://www.fastcompany.com/3060717/the-technology-behind-espns-digital-transformation 

The author of this article was given a tour of ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.  He explains how the headquarters its ran on technology and even though it is almost five years old, looks brand new and up to date.  He states, “When you think about ESPN maybe five years ago, it was really a linear television company with digital add-ons” (McCracken, 1).  Thinking about this is crazy.  ESPN now has over fifty applications for smartphones, is all over the internet and is still dominating television with over five different channels offered.  ESPN was always on the forefront of technological exploration and was always looking for the next big thing.  For example, “In 2006, ESPN even tried to become a wireless carrier, introducing an ESPN-branded cellular service with ESPN-branded phones” (McCracken, 1).  This shows ESPN was not scared to work outside it’s comfort zone in order to expand.  ESPN is now working on getting 4K television for live sporting events.  They also acknowledged that they are not certain of what the next big thing is; but when it comes out, they want to be the ones perfecting it.  

I believe this article was very successful because it explained not only the history of technology at ESPN, but also the present and future goals.  At one point, the article states, “The day before the iPhone was announced, the Nokia 6600 bar phone was the number one selling phone in the U.S.” (McCracken, 1).  This was an analogy for the uncertainty of technology.  Even though they can not predict what is the next breakthrough, they can keep working to enhance the game one step at a time.  I believe this source fits perfectly with my larger conversation about how ESPN is using technology to reach the masses.  

McCracken, Harry. “The Technology Behind ESPN'S Digital Transformation.” Fast Company, 16 June 2016, www.fastcompany.com/3060717/the-technology-behind-espns-digital-transformation. 

3)

http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol2no1/02Hancherick.pdf 

“Tweet Talking: How Modern Technology and Social Media Are Changing Sports Communication” by Drew Hancherick of Elon University discusses how Twitter is affecting sports communication.  He dives into past forms of communication of sporting news such as newspapers, radio, television, magazines and the internet.  He goes on to explain why each of these where important breakthroughs of their day and the contributions to the sports world.  Hancherick uses a few examples to show the implications that the internet and Twitter may have.  One of his major points is that with this new convenient platform, fans will always want more.  This may be seen as a good thing from a business perspective, although, reporters will never be able to live up to their expectations. He states, “With such frequent access to their news sources, people will expect, even demand, a constant bar- rage of new information, whether it is newsworthy or not. This paves the way for stories based on gossip, speculation, and hearsay to receive as much time in the headlines” (Hancherick, 20).  This may lead to misinformation due to some media outlets pulling the trigger to get the news out first before knowing for certain.  Hancherick also explores the idea that Twitter is taking away from person to person skills that players and managers used to need in order to conduct interviews.  He argues with the internet so easily accessible to millions, players will reach out to the public via Twitter and take away the feeling that fans are getting closer to the players.  

I believe this article did succeed because he used examples and was concise on how the internet and twitter are affecting sport communication.  Whether it is between the media and fans or players and fans, sport media is changing due to technology.  This source fits my conversation about how ESPN is evolving due to technology and how they are reaching a bigger audience.  Whether some may think of it as good or bad, Twitter is changing the ways reporters do their job.  

Hancherick, Drew. “Tweet Talking: How Modern Technology and Social Media Are Changing Sports Communication.” Elon University. 2011.  

http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol2no1/02Hancherick.pdf

4)

https://www.si.com/tech-media/2018/09/17/espn-monday-night-football-sound-micd-up-khalil-mack 

In this article, the series of videos are from ESPN’s Monday Night Football.  They have been using technology in new ways that allow fans to seemingly get closer to a football game.  The star athletes were given microphones during the game.  This was an initiative that was being used to drive ratings.  In the videos, you can hear how they talk while mid-play, interact with teammates, and communicate on the sidelines.  The brief writing in the article describes why ESPN is doing this and what their ultimate goals are.  

In this article, there are a few videos that I feel are important to my topic of ESPN’s technological advances.  They are hoping that allowing fans to feel closer to the game will boost ratings.  This allows for fans to get insight into aspects of the game they had never seen before.  They can feel as if they are on the field with the players or on the sidelines talking over new game plans.  Jay Rothmans, who is a lead producer of Monday Night Football, stated, “No disrespect to the NFL, but I brought them examples of what Major League Baseball has done with it’s audio, what the NBA has done, and how the NFL is behind” (Feldman, 1).  The NFL and ESPN acknowledge this may not be their solution to fix their ratings, but want to catch up with technology and see if it can solve the mystery.  

Feldman, Jacob. “ESPN Is All in on Sound for Monday Night Football.” SI.com, 17 Sept. 2018, www.si.com/tech-media/2018/09/17/espn-monday-night-football-sound-micd-up-khalil-mack.