As someone who has never made, edited or presented a video I think I am most nervous about learning and using new technology in a timely manner. I know that I can write a convincing paper but I do not know if I can make a substantial video essay as well. I believe that ultimately my struggles will lie in the hands of time. I do trust that I can learn to record and edit videos and podcasts but I am concerned that I will not be able to do so with the time I feel I can dedicate to this class while also keeping up with the weekly modules and assignments. Ultimately my worry rests with both time management and the usage of new technology.
2. What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects?
Ignoring my reservations towards new technology I am actually very excited to be taking an English class that has been tailored to fit the twenty-first century. All my life I have been writing papers but not once have I been assigned a literary project that actually seemed applicable to a technologically advancing world. I am excited to find and explore effective literary genres that could potentially apply to my fields of study.
3. Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignment sheets challenge your time management skills this semester?
For me the most major element, aside from general time management and planning, is making sure I have all the materials I need when I need them. Be it a film editing program or a recording device of some kind I know that I will have to be planning ahead and getting my materials early so I don’t run into an issue where I don’t have the materials I need or the time I need either. I am a generally organized student. I keep a planner that includes classes, homework, and extracurricular activities but this semester will be pushing my time management to the limit. The four outlined projects, while interesting, are obviously not made to be easy. They all require a different, time consuming element. I believe my discipline regarding sticking to my outlined schedule will be the challenged the most this semester.
4. How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?
Quite honestly, I am not sure if my past English experiences have prepared me for this course. I took all AP classes in high school but I have never taken and English course where straight forward reading and writing was not the most major content. I am prepared in the sense that I am used to and AP student workload and therefore know who to make a schedule and can survive on little sleep and lots of coffee and still produce quality work, but I do not feel as though I am particularly prepared for the genres of this classes projects.
5. Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?
After watching and listening to the examples all I really wonder is how am I supposed to know how to do that? Will there be any form of guidance on how to produce each genre or will that be another element for which we should factor in some time?
Reflection
After reading others posts I feel more confident. We all seem to be a bit concerned and worried about our time management and work load but also excited to try new things. We also all seem to see eye-to-eye as honors students who worked hard in high school. We may not feel prepared for the new genres but we do understand how to do quality work in limited time.
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone when it comes to being nervous about the technological aspect of the course! I am equally as nervous, and it looks as if many of our classmates are too! After looking ahead at this next week's assignments, I agree with you that I am a little wary about how my organizational skills will hold up with all the blog posts, AND research, AND technology struggles, AND other course work. However, you seem to have very solid organizational skills, so it seems that you will do very well. Also, I'm sure that if people in our class have questions, others will be willing to give them advice and help them out.
All the best! :)
Michaela
I really appreciate what you said about a twenty-first century English class. I'm also very excited by the prospect of working in genres a bit closer to the modern world than the standard essay, though I agree that the technology aspect of the class is daunting too. While I do have a bit of experience with audio and video, I'm also concerned about the time they take, especially when learning new techniques (though I feel like the tools are getting more and more user-friendly, and online tutorials more helpful). That said, like you, I'm more confident after finding that we all share the same concerns. I feel much better having read your post.
ReplyDeleteGood luck this semester!
Jules,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I can relate to someone in regards to new technology and how confusing it can be (in 40 years time I'll be the typical technologically oblivious grandpa). I'm also confident that I can learn to edit/create appropriately, but there will probably be some struggles along the way. That being said, it excites me to know that you and a lot of other classmates are excited for the work we'll be doing. Thanks a lot for your post!
Note on conventions of the blog post genre: Revisit Step 1.5 from "Deadline 1" to re-familiarize yourself with the conventions of blogging. You're missing one item on the bulleted list of conventions there.
ReplyDelete