Blog 14: Independent Component 1

LITERAL

1. I, Elijah Garcia, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 31 hours and 45 minutes of work.
2. My current mentor, Shawn Strand, helped me complete my independent component. I also used management methods from the Yearbook Editor Handbook, published by Herff Jones.
1. "YEARBOOK EDITORS: Effective Strategies." Editor Handbook, pg 15. 2014. Herff Jones. Print.
2. "STAFF MOTIVATION: Keep Them Happy Campers." Editor Handbook, pg 64. 2014. Herff Jones. Print.
3. Kruse, Kevin. "What Is Employee Engagement." Forbes.com. 22 Sep 2012. Web.
4. "Tips for managing flexible working employees." flexible-working.org. Cornwall Development Company, 2012. Web.
3. Updated, yes. You can find the log of my independent component hours by visiting the Senior Project Hours link in the sidebar.
4. I have completed the first deadline of the yearbook. I have done so with the help of the yearbook staff. We submitted two signatures (a signature is a group of 16 pages), a total of 32 pages. I organized elective time, created beat groups, set up training days, assigned stories to staffers, designed spreads, and helped quality check submitted content. As Editor-in-Chief, I overall led the staff to the completion of the deadline.

INTERPRETIVE

It’s fine to research staff management techniques and how to run an editorial publication, but this research would be useless without application. I applied the lessons from my research in  . My work with the yearbook staff has taught me things that research simply cannot. For instance, the human factor can’t be completely captured by essays or reports. Part of my duties was to work closely with the staff. I did my best to make everyone feel valued and appreciated, as well as collaborated with the staffers and editors on what direction the coverage should go. The hours I completed for this component consist of the time I spent actively working with the staff or editors towards finishing the deadline, during the yearbook elective and outside of class.

APPLIED

Essentially, my topic deals with organizational and people skills. This component helped me work on these skills. For example, I gave every staffer my contact information, and let them know that they could approach me with questions or comments at any time. I made myself available to them, and communication has become one of our strengths as a staff this year. I have also learned how to properly delegate, so every member of a team can be involved and no one is left twiddling their thumbs. I gave every beat group 2-3 assignments, and every editor had a specific duty to accomplish.

Below is a link to a photo album, with evidence of the completion of this component:

https://plus.google.com/photos/100359302248856938606/albums/6112214181951909249?authkey=CL_3-dOQ6dTWKQ