On this page, you will find my reflections on visiting my classmate’s websites on 6 tasks, reflecting on content connections with my own blog. Although I read my colleagues’ blogs throughout the course, if I am to be fully honest I used this more as a reflective tool towards the end of this course, seeing the different learning experiences my colleagues have had has made me reflect more on my own.
Anton Didak 64C – What’s in your bag
I was interested to see what contents a male counterpart would have within their bag. I appreciated how Anton made a simple video explaining his contents, it added a more personal touch and made me feel as a reader that I got to know him a little better. I found a lot of similarities within our bags when it came to tech items and what is needed for our day-to-day. I can easily see how prepared and organized he is, from the mouse he uses to easily use different devices to deliver his lessons, to his notebook with reminders from his students why he does what he does. I appreciate his minimalist approach and of course the always having coffee! The extra watch he carries around gives me the sense of how responsible he is. I liked how he used the video, I find this more effective than just the picture that I posted. I have to admit that I was not surprised to see such a minimalist bag, based on my own assumptions of what a male teacher would carry with him.
Robyn Oliver 64C – Manual Scripts and Potato Printing
As I chose to do the manual script for this task I wanted a perspective from a potato pinter. I appreciate how Robyn used her background in art and newly dug up potatoes to create her word. As I challenged myself to first find paper in my home and then work on making my printing legibly, Robyn also challenged herself by just carving the letter without pre-drawing it first, which signifies how she wanted to get the full potato printing experience. I enjoyed reading her reflection on the appreciation of how print truly is an art. I thought it wonderful as she thanked the artisans at the end, a true reflection of how print started, where it is today and the importance of preserving where it all started.
Angela Beckett 64B – Twine Task
I liked coming across Angela’s Twine task as she clearly laid out her process and more importantly her struggles when completing this task. Her screenshot showed how her story progressed which I thought she did a better job than me, I had arrows going in all directions, whereas if I laid it out as Angela did I feel I could have given better details in my adventure tail. The way she divides her experience into four stages is a great way for the reader to understand her process of completing this task. The accompanying images add humour and visuals to her process. I appreciate how she writes about looking at Youtube and how-to sites to complete this task, I was in the same boat. Angela however does a great job of adding different fonts and lettering, which I feel adds more depth to her adventure story. Although adding sounds and music would have created more suspense, her writing skills still keep you on your toes during her journey with a laugh at the end. Reflecting on mine I feel Angela gives more of an adventure story perspective which I enjoyed.
Richard Wong 64B – Emoji Story
I connected with Richard’s story as I just finished watching the movie. I was excited that I could easily decipher what the movie was, I got my emoji on. I appreciate how he clearly discusses what he had challenges with, as I as well would have different symbols show up when I posted on my blog. I found his site easy to navigate with a detailed description of the story task. In his reflection Richard states, “Bolter (2001) discussed the idea of ekphrasis, using words to describe vivid scenes. I wonder if using words to describe the movie plot would have been more effective in this task. While it certainly would not be able to capture all of the contexts, emotions, and backgrounds of the movie, perhaps it would be easier for the reader to guess the movie.” Great reflection on the power of words, no matter what new text features come about. This is through my perception, while students of today would understand the emoji version easier than if words were used.
Marlis Enders 64A – Golden Record Curation
Coming across Marlis’s reflection I connected with how she looked at the origins of the songs, which I honestly did not, and made the choice for her list by making sure it was representative of the different cultures. Celebrating our diverse cultures when a different life form comes across the music, is a perfect way for an Earthly impression. In her blog, she states, “If that species were to form an image of Earth based on that record, the cultures and people that they would find here so many years later could be quite different. Music is ever-changing and evolving, just as humanity itself.” I did not think of this perspective, to me the music chosen is timeless and when looking at a certain point of human history it will always fit. I took a different approach if a snapshot was taken from our history. I only looked at one point of our history the pandemic, as we are living it now to me this is a defining moment on earth, just as I am sure others thought when surviving the plague or world wars. Humanity is always evolving so I appreciate Marlis’s take on this task, a celebration of how wonderfully diverse our world is.
Braden Litt 64A – Speculative Futures
It was interesting looking at Braden’s writing. His narratives create such a clear picture of what our futures may hold. He hits on so many points as to what is happening now that yes his two narratives are believable. I appreciate how he created both a dystopian and utopian future, but in the end, it has you wondering was anything really improved? Is there an ideal society? Which one had the better outcome? I connected with his post because I believe his 2 narratives could easily be our future. Within my own task, I guess I wanted to look at technology as a way to help us, stop, reflect and just enjoy the human experience of being good people. I guess when looking at both our narratives the similarity is there is still a human choice and as we learn about new technologies and AI I believe we will always have a choice. No matter how bleak the narratives are on Braden’s post or how too hopeful they are on mine, you can clearly see choices were made by humans, and that makes me speculate that we will have a bright, positive future, with some cool technology to help us.