Exercise 2 — Paired Observation
Conduct an observation with a partner
- Decide on a place, a time, and a common frame or question to organize your observation.
- Make sure you orient yourselves the same way (for example, label people and the objects in the setting the same way, so that it is easier for you to compare your observations).
- Keep fieldnotes,
- Write up your notes into a reflection.
- Exchange your notes and reflection.
- Write a half page to a page responding to your partner’s work (strengths and weaknesses)
- Submit the Fieldnotes, Reflection, and Response from your partner in one document here. (Make sure you clearly label the Response with your name and your partner’s name.)
OK, Who wants to partner up? Mon, Wed, or Fri at CSU easiest for me, but I can also do Modesto tues or thurs.
Hi There,
I believe we did this in class. Or, am I mistaken? Do we need to do this exercise again?
Is this the exercise we did in class on Tuesday?
Nope, this is a different exercise in which you should observe a place and ideally some people, not just one individual object.
James, I can meet Monday at CSU any time before 1 or after 5. Let me know if that works.
Ned, do you want to pair up for this activity? Tuesday, 2/24, before class, say 5pm?
James, I can partner up. Call me on my cell: 606-6779.
I can’t make it to campus before the start of class. If anyone is in the same situation, can we pair up during break on Tuesday? 2/24/09?
Maria J. Garcia
Yeah, Mike that would be good. If you get this in time give me a call. 513-315-4860
Paired Observation: Adam Russell with James Dyer
At 4:00 on 2/24 I sat down with James Dyer to watch the daily video from the Kirkwood Ski Resort website. Since we both have experience on the mountain, it was a good choice for the two of us. We opened up the webpage from James’ laptop and noticed that it had a very sleek design with cool colors such as green and blue with a large picture of a skier, chest deep in powder “rippin’ it up”. We clicked on the video and it started with a close-up of resort employee Tim Cohee, a middle-aged man who talked about the great conditions and the fresh snow they recently received. He used clever rhetorical devices to appeal to all riders and encouraged people to come up to the mountain. We then were showed a montage of snowboarders making long, arching turns down the mountain. Since they were shot at a low-angle, they managed to look like they were going fast while simultaneously taking it easy in terms of physical exertion. In practically every shot, they filmed the boarders in the tree line so that the viewer could see the snow that collected on the branches which indicates fresh snow. With the exception of one brief shot of a skier, every shot was of a snowboarder exerting themselves with various levels of difficulty. While they showed the montage, the played a blues-based, boogie-woogie type song in a laid back ¾ time which mirrored the easy going nature of the boarders riding. The clip ended with a long shot of the mountain to give a sense of scope and then faded to black with the banner “Music by AJ & the Shapes” in white letters.
Before we watched the video, we established the criteria of whether or not it would appeal to the proper demographic and showcase the culture of the mountain. In my opinion, they focused primarily on snowboarders and capitalized on the stereotypical laid back snowboard culture through its use of montage and music, although the man introducing the video and the picture on the front page were more in league with skier culture. Since I have a season’s pass to Kirkwood, I know that they primarily cater to skiers, but snowboarders compile a large portion of their demographic. Even though the video appealed primarily to one demographic (the snowboarder), it still effectively offered all viewers a comprehensive look at what they represent as an institution (laid back manner, fun being the primary objective), and what the mountain has to offer.