MyNewCreature

Hi everyone! My name is Victoria Simonyakina! This is my last assignment for English Digital Writing class at Old Dominion University.

Throughout the entire semester I have learned to be not only active consumer of digital writing but also an active producer of it. Digital Writing class thought me how to use modern solutions in the modern lifestyle. The outcomes of the class were based on the work of Jenkins’ article, “Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century.”  This what I learned in the class:

• Play — In an experimental way I was able to work on my projects: website, postcard, and online identity. It took me some time to figure out how I wanted it to look like. I didn’t simply think of it I played with it. For Wiki project I moved pages around until I found a way to fit my needs. The example in this case would be a process and the result of playing would be final version of the Wiki. For postcard project I first created one text and recorded it with Text to Voice program; however, I played with another idea – the final version with my own voice and it worked better.
• Performance — While working on Project 2 I was able to adopt female student identity for the purpose of delivering message on Digital Writing topic. I have chosen appropriate resources to create the message which made it look and sound attractive to female students.
• Simulation — as part of Project 3 I created my Resume, LinkedIn profile, Timeline, and Video Resume. However, while it was graded it still is resource I can directly use in my real life which can help me benefit building my online professional identity.
• Appropriation — While I worked on Project 2 my goal was to define Digital Writing appropriately with the intended audience. Therefore, I found appropriate resources: image and music. I chose appropriate information, mixed it, edited it, and came up with the ready-to-go postcard which contains meaningful information for appropriate audience.
• Multitasking —While working on Project 3 I had to use different resources to create my Traditional Resume, Timeline, and Video Resume. I had to choose information I wanted to include in those. However, the purpose of each of these three components are different. While wanting to look professional, I had to shift my attention from one component to another in order not to lose the purpose of each.
• Distributed Cognition — While working on my projects I had to expand my reasoning skills on what to include in them. I had to play with different type of technologies which could do something I would not be able to do without. For example, editing images, making movie. From some of the articles we used I discovered terms and issues I have never thought about. They expended my knowledge and taught me critical thinking lessons.
• Collective Intelligence — Perfect example of it would be what we did as team during the while working on Project 1. During the first part we had to provide the wiki with different information we learned in class. Each team member contributed his or her time, knowledge, and skills. During the second part we sorted the information and organized it in a meaningful way.
• Judgment and networking  — would be examples of how I searched, chose, mixed, and evaluated information. There are lots of outside sources which I used during the project. As digital writer I were able to find information and process it. I chose the appropriate and reliable information. In addition, I gave credits for the authors by citing all the works used.
• Transmedia Navigation — The media is always changing; therefor, during the period of one semester we tried to play with different types of media and technology: Wiki, Music, Video, Online Articles, Network Websites, etc. We were taught the basic skills necessary to play with technology. Upon these knowledge in future it would be easier for us to adopt to newer technologies.
• Negotiation — While working on Project 1, we worked as a team. Each member of the team has his or her own point of view depending on his or her values, experiences, culture, etc. While trying to find the common grown, we first listened to all opinions and second chosen the idea which fits all of the opinions.

The most outcomes I applied this semester were play (experimented with different type of technologies), appropriation (rhetoric on the town – appropriate sources for appropriate audience), and simulation (real life tasks like Professional Online Identities).

I would like to work more on negotiation (working in teams) and multitasking (shifting attention while having common goal).

Posted on Flicker by Krissy.Venosdale

In today’s world women hesitate taking classes or choosing majors which deal with technology thinking that it might be too hard for them. I was not an exception. It happens because in our society male association with technology predominates. Women are socialized as passive consumers of digital writing when in reality they are not only active consumers but also are more than capable to become successful producers in the digital world. I learned that taking a picture, editing it, and posting it online is already digital writing. Some may argue that if it is so easy why take this class? The answer is you need to explore digital writing tools. Thee are so many of them today and we are in process of changing all the time. This class teaches critical thinking and basic skills we need to be able to work with ever changing technology because they all are built upon the certain structures just keep improving. A lot of products of digital writing uses multimedia. For example, when making postcard one uses music, video, voice recorder, and, eventually, medium to put it together and share. This class gave me more confidence that I can be a digital writing producer just need to practice my skills I gained during the class. I consider myself more educated primarily because I am aware of the tendency and structure of digital world, even though still need to improve my skills.

Thank you Professor Rodrigo!

Comments are closed.