Portfolio Summary
Here is the link to my group’s project for English 239. www.myspace.com/ismyspaceurspace
Also listed is my commentary for the project. Click on it, and download to hear it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?hkj23dmfxjv
To say I walked into English 239 blindly is simply an understatement. When I received an email from writing minor advisor Mark Vegter telling me I was unable to get an override for Introduction to Creative Writing, I was a bit let down. Later on in the email, Vegter told me that I could take English 239 as an elective. I felt relieved. Phew, a class that is actually open. –“Wait, what’s English 239?” I asked anxiously. I scrambled about my dorm room frantically trying to find my course catalog to see what exactly this course entailed. Upon my finding I quickly read “Workshop emphasizing rhetorical analysis and composition of digital texts in a variety of modes including graphics, typography, audio, video, animation.” I paused for a second, and signed up for the course not knowing it would be one of the most interesting classes I have taken at a collegiate level.
Now, when I read the course description, I assumed it was going to play a vital role for my major, visual communications. I saw “composing” and “graphics” and imagined this class was going to be more of a literary design class – If that even makes any sense, I’m not completely sure it does. Regardless, at the time, it seemed right up my alley.
Flashback set aside, this class has been a very more than just a learning experience. I was never really aure what to expect from the class besides a lot of work and effort. I found that out on the first day of class. I was going to finally become more digitally literate after this course.
Since I was also enrolled in a visual communication class and learning to be become digitally literate, I thought that Eng239 would overlap with my Com240 class. We jumped right in to reading scholarship that pertained to digital literacy and this term “new media.” When I thought of new media, I thought of texts in a mediated format. Whether it was picture animations, still photographs, or video, I thought it all was a form of new media. But I learned so fast that new media goes above and beyond that. New media is everywhere, and I know believe that new media is very similar to multimodal composing.
We were required to create a blog for this class, another great example of new media. I was somewhat familiar with using a blog, I created one this past summer for my whoever to read my thoughts, view my photos and so on. What I thought was really great was how the blog was integrated in this class. It made perfect sense. It was like a cooler more up to date Blackboard where we as students were supposed to respond to readings, and keep our classmates updated on what we were working on. It was the little things I found so useful in this class, like screen shot capturing. I wouldn’t have been able to complete my Screenshot Analysis if I didn’t understand the simple tool of pressing PrntScrn and paste it into a document for me to edit. Simple and easy, yes. Could I have figured this out by Google searching it? Yes. But that’s not the point. The point is what I did with this assignment by using skills and digital literacy I learned in the class.
This course was unlike any English course I have taken. I found that updating my Facebook status is way of composing. A text message, and IM is a form of composing. Attending the Watson Conference was not only really fun, but really interesting. Meeting professors from around the states to come together to explain what exactly “the new work of composing” really is, was very educational. It was if I was brought into a different light. I suddenly became aware of everything I was doing was a way of composing. Listening to my iPod on the way to class and dancing across the quad… yes I consider it to be a work of composing. I am expressing myself, and at the beginning of this class we recorded a video introduction. We were asked what writing meant to us, and me included with several classmates said it was a form of expressionism. With technology these days, people are no longer just composing with pen and paper or opening a word document. This class has taught me that it goes further.
Working with programs like Windows Movie Maker helped me create my call for papers. I have never made a video or put it on YouTube. It seemed ridiculous because many of my friends had YouTube accounts with their videos posted, but I never did such a thing. I thought YouTube was just a place to watch silly video clips. I never thought I’d actually use it for an educational purpose. By using Movie Maker I was able to edit and place transitions into my call for papers. I never thought about how much effort goes into videos. That was until I had to shoot and edit my own. It’s tough work.
With the group project, we all worked really hard. After being let down by professors we wanted to talk to via Skype and AIM, we still pulled through. We were able to accomplish our goal, which was providing a MySpace for people to view and understand why social networks inside the classroom are a good idea. After all the long hours and sudden mishaps, my group was satisfied with the work we put into the project.
So, would I still walk into a class blindly with a description of “emphasizing rhetorical analysis and composition of digital texts in a variety of modes including graphics, typography, audio, video, animation?” I probably would because this subject matter is ever changing. As soon as something new is introduced, we start back at square one. For instance, cell phones are continuously making new additions. The iPhone is something I never would have dreamed of existing a few years ago. That is what is so interesting about this course. Being able to change with technology will be a challenge for future courses, but with great instruction, it will be tackled.
I wanted to personally thank-you Dr. Ball for the experiences in the class. It was a great learning experience and I hope I’m able to apply the skills I learned outside the classroom.
