Linking Assignment
Task # 3 from Robyn Oliver
When Robyn analyzes her story that was done through voice to text on MS Office, she mentions findings that are similar to mine. We both found the lack of periods and commas that would represent pauses in our speech did not show up. This had a drastic affect on both our stories. She discussed repetition and poor punctuation due to the story being unscripted. The fact that it was unscripted affected her storytelling. I had the same issue.
When discussing important roles in oral and written storytelling, we bring up different people. Robyn discusses the storyteller while I mention the listener. I think we are making a similar point, we just went at it from a different angle. In oral storytelling, Robyn mentions that the individual speaking is just as important as the message. While I agree with this, I mention the listener making less errors in receiving the intended message. I mention choosing your words carefully in written storytelling so the intent message comes across. Robyn discusses the author removing themselves from the words so the reader may interpret and create their own meaning.
Task # 7 from Zheng Xiong
In task 7, Zheng and myself mention different priorities when it comes to mode-bending. Zheng regularly mentions the importance of teachers presenting material in different modes. For example, Zheng states “some students learn faster when there are visual teaching aids, then teachers need to consider and incorporate the visual components into teaching.” I agree with “consider”, but the “need to incorporate” echoes the opposite of one of my main points that highlighted my task 7 assignment. That is, mode-bending should not just be expected anytime and anywhere. It has to be beneficial, and it should be unreasonable for the student(s) to attempt the task in the mode originally presented.
Task #4 from Marlis Enders
Marlis took a vastly different approach then I did to completing task #4. In the process, she brings up vastly different experiences and perspectives. This is why I probably enjoyed reading her work.
Marlis describes owning a typewriter, which I personally find so cool to hear about because I have no experience with one. She did not use it often as it was challenging to fix typing errors. She then goes on to describe writing in pencil versus pen. Again, she mentions challenges in fixing errors as part of her reason for choosing a pencil. She also completed task #4 with paper and pencil. This made me ponder about writing mediums suited for personality over functionality. I recall sitting in lecture halls and witnessing all the other students taking notes with a pen as the professor spoke (if they weren’t using a digital method). I don’t remember seeing students get up to sharpen their pencil, or put more lead in a mechanical pencil. I would use a pen and simply cross out any errors made while I was taking notes. Yet Marlis mentions “whenever I take notes or journal, I prefer to write with a pencil” and “a good eraser is never far away.” I could be completely wrong, but I got the feeling she would not like to have notes partially crossed out and continue somewhere else on the page. She is clearly capable of working on a laptop and we are doing a Masters program online. She mentions the convenience of editing in a digital format. However, I found it interesting that she does not want to apply that to note taking. I spoke of none of these areas when completing the assignment, and found little of our colleagues did as well.
Task #10 from Karen Wong
https://karenw0801.wixsite.com/mysite/post/task-10-attention-economy
Karen experienced similar struggles with the first page of the User Inyerface game. The difference is she was able to overcome the challenges while I fell short. We both found the wording of the password requirement odd. What “should” be included and what “must” be included caused us to hesitate. That hesitation opened us up to the various distractions on the page which were all competing for our attention.
Karen used Wix for this task while I posted mine on WordPress. Both tasks were shared on a simple, easy to read page that had a general comment section box. Both allow for communication to take place easily on the webpage. However, at the bottom of Karen’s page one can find icons such as that for facebook and twitter, which allow for comments and sharing to take place at ease. Although both pages are simple, Karen’s end user interface contains more conveniences for the individual.
Task #6 from A. Trainor.
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A. Trainor took a different approach with using emojis. Trainor relied on “ideas and characters” to be expressed and ultimately reveal the title and plot. While I attempted to basically translate sentences to symbols. When reading the emoji’s Trainor strung together, I took the same approach. That is, trying to translate the emojis to sentences. I was unable to figure out the movie and plot. I figure this is largely due to my narrow approach.
Trainor mentions how emojis were not enough to capture what makes the movie great. This is an interesting point, and it makes me ponder about how the various forms of text in our present life may assist and harm. The communication that my students use to express themselves may be lost in translation when interpreted by me.
Task #12 from Noelle
I enjoyed how Noelle used “Weaver” for both the utopian and dystopian stories. Drawing a connection to both realms shows there is always a possibility that things can get out of control. Noelle is an additional language teacher who used their skillset well in the stories. Both stories were short, yet creative. The dystopian story had 3rd person narrative and flashbacks, which all displayed Noelle’s writing background. As for me, the text in my dystopian story reflected a trades background. Being able to draw on our own experiences and skills made this task appropriate for such a diverse group of masters students.