MEDIA USAGE DIARY GUIDELINES & RUBRIC
COMM 1154
For this assignment, your media usage diary report will be presented electronically on either PowerPoint,
Prezi, Google Slides, or a program of your choice or as an internet blog. If using the blog option, please
see more details further in these guidelines.
Rubric to follow for this presentation (also found in Syllabus)
A PowerPoint, Prezi, Google Slides, etc. template
A colorful slideshow which enhances the overall presentation; choose appropriate
background colors for each slide
Title page information should be listed and correct
A standard font type such as Times Roman or Courier
A presentable font size should be used (14 to 18 is recommended); not too small and not too
large
1” margins on top, bottom, left, and right
Single or Double-spaced content on each slide is recommended
Spelling, grammar, proper sentence structure should be used; avoid typos and misspellings
Images should NOT be distorted
All sections in this assignment must be completed. Assignment guidelines fully discuss those
sections.
General Guidelines
Step 1: Record your media usage for waking hours for 1 day (at least 12 hours)
You should keep track of all the media you use - newspapers, online news websites, CDs, DVDs,
terrestrial radio (AM/FM), Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, books, the Web, magazines, email,
Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, etc. You are NOT required to use all of the media mentioned in the
previous sentence but only your own personal habits when using media. Keep notes for your waking
hours during a 12-hour period (meaning no need to record your sleep time), recording the following:
● the estimated time of day of your media usage
● the media you used (or that was on while you were sleeping or working)
● the estimated period of time you were using each form of media
● a brief description of why you were using it (e.g., for academic purposes, for relaxation, to
accompany a workout)
● what else, if anything, you were doing while the media was being used (were you driving and
listening to the radio, for example).
Start from the time you get up - do you have a clock radio set to play a radio station as your alarm? Keep
a record until you go to bed - do you watch TV to fall asleep? Is there a TV on in the cafeteria? Do you
listen to the radio in the car? Is there music on at the gym? Do you listen to your own music using
headphones/earpods while at the gym? Do you read the school or local newspaper? How about your town
newspaper online? Record ALL of your media use.
For media usage where it is difficult to record the time, just provide an estimate.
