Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL

A ) “I, Elijah Garcia, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 31 hours of work.”

B ) The following sources helped me in the completion of this independent component:

• Dodd, Julie. "7 tips for starting your own magazine." ThoughtsOnTeaching, 20 Jun. 2013. Web.

• Newell, Susan. "How to Start a High School Newspaper." schooljournalism.org. ASNE's Youth Journalism Initiative, n.d. Web.

• Strand, Shawn. Mentor.

C ) My Independent Component 2 Log can be found in the sidebar of my blog, or by clicking this link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14sU5AIA8UI23SbV8Ku4E95j5MSeMrKp00dYnnbcYhmg/edit#gid=0

D ) I have founded and run IPoly’s first student-run magazine (well, first to my knowledge). I have recruited a staff, developed the artistic and journalistic vision for the publication, designed spreads, and managed the staff in general as we worked towards the completion of each publication. By the time I submit this independent component, my staff and I will have completed two issues of “Ink&Paper” Magazine, one issue for March and another for April, but  The magazine staff has received club certification, and is set up in a format that would allow for this club to continue after I graduate, for years to come.

INTERPRETIVE

It isn’t easy to create, manage, and publish a journalistic publication. It takes time to gather a staff and to generate content that is both unique and meaningful to the target audience, which is the IPoly student body in this case. Once the content has been created (all of the interviews have been documented, copy has been written, photos have been either taken or, if found, properly attributed), then all that’s left is to design the spreads and cover. Designing takes an especially long amount of time, because photos must be arranged in a visually appealing manner, and copy must be placed in a way that makes it readable yet interesting. Once everything is actually complete, the publication must be reviewed by the staff and analyzed to ensure it’s safe to be published.

I have posted a link to the Ink&Paper account on issuu.com, which will serve as evidence of the 30 hours of work.

APPLIED

This independent component looks at my EQ, “What is the most effective method of managing a yearbook staff, while promoting morale and the success of the book?”, from a different angle. While I wasn’t managing a yearbook staff, I was managing the magazine club staff. The objectives of both are similar, in that they set out to produce a journalistic publication focused on students. The difference with this independent component is that my staff of 8 others, plus my co-captain Maylon, all had to put in special effort into joining. This isn’t for a grade or for pay, they joined because they wanted to make a great magazine (I’ve yet to tell them that Strand will be rewarding them with community service hours). The motivation and dedication of my staff serves as reinforcement of my first answer, “A successful editor-in-chief develops a shared vision with his or her staff, using the philosophy of employee engagement.” My staff and I developed this magazine’s format and agreed on what we would cover in the content sections. Since everyone was equally involved and had an equal say in how the magazine was run, nobody really shirked their work. There haven’t been any personal conflicts that have needed resolving, unlike in yearbook. Also, everyone already in the fields they chose to work in, so dealing with my third answer (which has to do with training) wasn’t an issue. The designers already knew how to work with InDesign, and our photographer has had ROP experience. They were all dedicated, and though we haven’t advertised the magazine as well as we could have, we created a product that we’re all proud of. That checks off “promoting morale” and “success of the [product].”