Progress Report 6/12/08

Introduction
I am writing a proposal for what I hope will become my master's thesis. I want to study the Net Generation's communication styles, specifically the ways they express themselves online. I am interested in seeing if this generation distinguishes between formal and informal communication. The study will involve analyzing online writing samples of the Net Generation and sharing them with people in other generations to learn from their feedback. This should give me insight on the way new technology changes the way we communicate and how these changes affect intergenerational exchanges.

Work Completed
Over the weekend, I put all the separate pieces of my proposal together into one rough draft. I also put all my sources together as a bibliography. So far I have 20 sources, although I don't cite them all in my proposal. I worked on expanding the current situation/literature review section. I've done some thinking about my presentation. Although we talked about film in class, I don't think that's the best medium for my topic. Since I'm discussing communication on the Internet, I'm going to use screen capture software record different sites I visit and a voice over with my observations. I've decided to look at a Facebook profile, a blog, an e-portfolio, and Epsilen (a combination social networking and e-portfolio site).

Next Steps
My proposal still needs a lot of work. It's only about halfway complete. The project plan needs the most work, as it's still only a rough outline. I also need to work on my presentation. Before I record, I have to decide exactly which sites to visit and make notes about what I want to say about each one. The final proposal and the presentation are due a week from tomorrow, so this upcoming week is going to be a busy one.

Conclusion
It still seems like I have a lot of work to do. I'm glad I have a rough draft of the proposal. Actually, the proposal should be the easy part. The presentation will probably be more challenging, as I've never used this screen capture program before. Luckily, my colleagues in the MATRF can help me. This week is going to be challenging, but if I manage my time efficiently I should be able to finish everything.