Bibliographic Annotation #9 and #10

Bibliographic Annotation #9: OUTFRONT Media

PR, Newswire. “OUTFRONT Media Signs New Contract with Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.” PR Newswire US 05 Dec. 2014: Regional Business News. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

This article is mainly about MARTA’s new agreement with OUTFRONT Media. A company that is North America’s largest transit company. Marta decided to team with them for a 5-year contract beginning in 2015. This is very exciting for MARTA’s since OUTFRONT Media is dedicated and one of the best companies in transport advertising. With the addition of OUTFRONT Media, Marta expects to add $25 million dollars in Revenue. This is completely relevant to my argument, since it provides more evidence that MARTA is concerned with changing it’s publics perception and that a positive light on MARTA is necessary for growth. The best point made is that OUTFRONT Media cover the advertising for the hemisphere’s largest transportation cities, including the extremely efficient New York Cities. Although, I do this this article could have used a bit more explanation on how OUTFRONTmedia expands to advertise. It is hard to find relevance in an article, when they don’t give you reasoning or a map of their plans for the city.

 

 

Bibliographic Annotation #10: BRS Labs and MARTA

BRS, Labs. “City of Atlanta’s MARTA Selects BRS Labs as Provider of Artificial Intelligence Video Analytics to Enhance Public Safety.” Business Wire (English) 8: Regional Business News. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

The main issue with MARTA throughout the past is it’s non-effectiveness of controlling a safe, clean and crime free riding experience for the general public using their facilities. This article is in regards to MARTA’s teaming with BRS Labs and their new award winning artificial intelligence to monitor MARTA and its surroundings. This is directly correlated to my other articles/annotations and arguments, because it is the final piece I need. The issue MARTA was failing prior to Keith Parker’s reform was the safety, and lack of efficiency the rail system had. This article illustrates MARTA’s attempt to completely turn that around and make MARTA safe again for all riders and the immediate surrounding public. I wish, similiarly to Article #9, that BRS Labs could have provided some sort of plan of action in how they exactly decide to monitor Behavioral Recognition, but I still think the article was  a great source to explain the continual push of MARTA in the right direction.

Bibliographic Annotation 8

Bibliographic Annotation #8: “Communal Commuting: What I’ve Learned From Riding Marta”

Maddux, Rachael, and KENDRICK BRIHSON. “Communal Commuting: What I’ve Learned From Riding MARTA.” Atlanta 53.2 (2013): 82-97. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

 

This article is a day in the life that Rachel Maddux experienced whiled taking MARTA on a daily commute. She explains the purpose of her riding and the pros and cons her of her daily commutes. In comparison, she follows up with what the ride means to her and how she believes it has changed her ability to live life as a better person. It was valid to my argument because it gives a first hand experience and helps further my point that MARTA is a necessary form of transit that gives everyone a chance to commute and find work elsewhere, not just an immediate surrounding. I believe this was a well-wrapped article and lacked no weaknesses She developed a thorough built environment description and gave me a first hand feel of her daily travels. She then mentioned the pros and cons and gave some factual evidence to support the necessity of MARTA. I believe this will directly correlate with my writing and additional sources, because she drives home the point that everyone on MARTA should be treated equal and not of a lesser person.

Architectural Roadblocks Within The Classroom

Reading Summary #6

Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage; it sounds so familiar to us nowadays, because those are words that are being used so freely to describe our society’s necessity to adapt and move forward in our way of thinking and teaching. Transform, Interact, Learn and Engage; or better known as, “TILE”. It is a an acronym used to discuss the forward thinking and innovative learning centers being placed within the University of Iowa’s Campus’. Nowadays, everyone is looking for new ways to learn faster and gather information quicker than the person to their left or right. This has forced the world to adapt and start thinking of alternative learning styles that can help the new generation of students learn how they are meant to learn. The traditional class room was a blockade to the built environment of our classroom and required restructure for us to excel to our fullest potential. I mean, let’s be honest, how well do you pay attention in a classroom like this?

UCT_Leslie_Social_Science_classroom

 

In this Journal of Learning Space, Vol 1, No 2; Sam Van Horne describes this necessity and backs up his claims based on factual evidence. Page 2, paragraph 2, he describes how even the size of the table made for the room is not by accident. In their findings, a table that is smaller than 7 feet would make students cramped but a table larger would promote table wide discussions. They were able to determine that a 7 foot wide table was the perfect size in diameter for promotion of collaboration and appropriate level of conversations.

TILE-Van-Allen3

In a day in age, where technology is advancing faster than we can keep it up; it is crucial that we seek these alternative atmospheres to maintain an edge on the learning curve and help develop students in a more modern sense rather than difficulty. Van Horne even explains this further on Page 5 under the section entitled, “Preparing Faculty to Use New Teaching Strategies: The Tile Institute Workshop”. They explain the intensive learning course and what each instructor must go through to help workshop their classroom into a cohesive course that utilized the new furniture. This, in my eyes, and I believe in the eyes of Van Horne, is the most important part of the TILE initiative. It is imperative that the seasoned instructors learn how to tailor their lectures to more of an activity sense to promote collaboration and an open learning environment with the common day student. It is a difficult bridge to gap, but a necessary one to ensure that the full benefits and resources are developed from the TILE classroom.

In comparison, Sam Van Horne is completely correct that the metamorphosis from a standard, Polaroid image of a classroom, to a more advanced collaborative and intuitive classroom is a necessity. We have the ability to shape, teach and develop the mind better than we ever had and with our leaps and bounds with technology it would be a shame not to do what is humanly necessary to achieve this feat. The research is there and it clearly shows that we (the vast majority) of students cannot learn in a maze of outdated architectural roadblocks within the classroom.