I’ve learned a lot throughout this semester. When I first signed up for this class, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It definitely wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t know what digital media was, let alone the digital world. This class definitely challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and try things I had never even heard of. The course caused me to think critically and apply the knowledge that I learned through the various readings, assignments, and projects.
Jenkins’ article, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century, was the first article that we read and it’s interesting that it brought the course full circle. The list of eleven terms that Jenkins referenced really did apply to this course.
Play, according to Jenkins, is the capacity to experiment with one’s surroundings as a form of problem-solving. Project 1 required us to use play throughout it’s entirety. I, along with most of the class, had no experience working with wikis. In order to execute the project we had to problem solve to learn how to insert text, hyperlinks, images, videos, etc. into the wiki.
Performance, the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery, was shown. We demonstrated performance in this course through the Manovich reading. Manovich states that we are in the middle of a new media revolution, but we can apply performance to his reading because old media still plays a role in the creation of new media. As we explore various types of new media, we have to adopt the identity of old media in order to create and understand new media.
Simulation is the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real world processes. Project 3 required a resume, Linkedin profile, experience map, and video resume that were all targeted toward the career that I want to pursue. Although it’s a class project, all of these will help me in the real world when applying for jobs that I want to pursue.
Appropriation, the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content, was shown in Project 2. For this project I took a picture found on a creative common (Flickr) and edited the image. I, then combined it with audio to create my own definition of digital writing.
Multitasking is the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details. I had to engage in a lot of multitasking when working on Project 3. Most of the components of this projects required much of the same information, but I had to change the way that I display that information to cater to each audience.
Distributed cognition is the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities. I utilized this concept throughout Project 2. I had never worked with AudioMemos, iMovie, or Photoshop Express before and used all three of these tools in the production of this project. I was able to expand my knowledge of editing software by teaching myself software that i had never used before.
Collective intelligence is the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal. This was used throughout Project 1. Although the wiki was not successful, it required us to work together as a class. We all had to pool our knowledge and the skills learning in this course to create project 1.
Judgment, the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources. I just judgment when using my Diigo account. The purpose of the Diigo account was to bookmarking websites that were relevant to the concepts learning throughout the course. I was to use judgment to figure out which sites were relevant and which weren’t.
Transmedia navigation is the ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities. The digital world is ever-growing and changing everyday. This requires us to learn new technologies and adapt to how they fit into our world. By reading various articles on the digital world and creating our own digital media, we are able to learn and process this information and use it to create our own digital identities.
Networking is the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information. Networking is so important in the world that we live in, especially within the professional world. I utilized this through my Linkedin profile for project 3. This profile allows me to connection to to other people within the world of Public Relations and allow them to see the skills and abilities that I bring to the field. By being able to connect to hundreds of people at one, I am able to look for more opportunities within my chosen career path.
Negotiation is the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms. This was a big part of Project 1. In our class discussion about the project, many of us had differing opinions about the information that should go in the wiki and how that information should have been displayed. We had to listen to everyone’s input and respect their opinions even when we didn’t agree with it.
The three course outcomes that I used the most were appropriation, play, and distributed cognition. Throughout this course, I got to experiment with technologies that I had never used, expand my knowledge of the digital world, and create digital work that I am proud of. A few course outcomes that I would like to spend more time on would be networking and multitasking. I’ve always believed that it’s not what you know, but who you know and establishing that is all about networking. Networking is so important within the field that I want to study and the more that I get my name and abilities out, the more I will appeal to potential employers. As far as multitasking, it is important to utilize because it allows to us shift our focus when necessary. Not everything one does or produces is catered toward the same specific audience and being able to change things when needed is key.
I learned that new media is ever-evolving and that is consists of more than just what I thought it was before. Prior to taking this class I thought that new media was mostly based on social media. After what I’ve learned from this course, I learned that digital writing and the digital world consists of even simple things like remixing a video or using maps and timelines to account for personal experiences. I do believe that I am more educated based on this shift in perception because I now understand that digital media is a broader array of categories. I also have more skills to create digital media is various forms. This class showed me that I am not only a consumer of digital media, but also a producer of digital media.