Reflective Hypertext Essay
When I chose this course to complete my final writing requirement, I was not entirely sure how the course would be designed or what, specifically, I would be learning; however, I knew I would like the topic of participatory cultures and how it would interplay with the social media that has come to dominate much of modern-day societal interactions. I was excited to try writing in new mediums, such as comics and timelines, rather than the typical linear essays. Though I have always enjoyed academic writing, I looked forward to delving into not only the material but also the unique writing opportunities presented.
The first chance to do so came quickly in the semester, when we were instructed to create a comic illustrating a conversation between the authors of the PCH Handbook and Fuchs. My own comic, Bring Back Beth!, was made using Bitstrip, and allowed me to explore the material in a unique way. It was also the first time I had ever created a comic, something I found difficult but fun, as I was able to incorporate and example of popular culture in my educational piece. Though I did not engage the material deeply, my goal was to the leave the audience with a question and curiosity in their minds. The second assignment allowed me to be a bit more in my element of teaching: a Quiz on Participatory Cultures. As a private tutor, I was able to utilize strategies I have used in quizzing students so that they learn key points of the material in my own quiz. The next two assignments were also ones I particularly enjoyed. I had written a Socratic dialogue in high school, so trying my hand at a Socratic Dialogue between Fuchs and Jenkins in college let me draw upon past learning experiences. Creating a timeline of Key Issues of Copyright gave me the opportunity to think in a logical, linear matter and put events tied together in the historical context by placing them on a timeline, something I tend to do in real life when told stories. I am a fan of understanding series of events and how they connect, but it is always helpful to see the order in which they occurred.
However, some of the latter assignments were a bit more difficult both in terms of understanding the reading as well as applying the topics I wanted to convey. Through the blog discussion of Fuchs Chapters 4 and 8 and a number of responses (to Deliberative Democracy, to Fuchs 4 and 8, to Fuchs 4 and 8, to PCH 23, to PCH 28, to Fuchs 8), I was able to engage in intellectual discussion with my classmates, and I felt as though I was able to fully engage the material in those conversations, several of which continued outside of the course blog. Thus, the most difficult assignment for me was the book review of Wark's Spectacle of Disintegration. Though I did read the entire book and spent a significant portion of time googling both terms and the movement, I never felt as though I had a firm grasp of the material, which negatively impacted my ability to complete the assignment to my liking. Nevertheless, I felt I was able to redeem myself by my presentation on Kelley and Mickenberg. I enjoyed both readings, and, though I have not recently had to make a powerpoint comparing and contrasting two books, I enjoyed this particular assignment because I enjoyed and understood the material to a point that I would have felt comfortable presenting on it or being asked questions about it. Thus, I am glad to have ended the informal writing assignments with one I felt comfortable saying I had done my best and was proud of.
Nevertheless, I think that the majority of my learning came, not from the smaller, informal writing assignments but from the two projects. My midterm project, Asian American Identity in US Television, a research hypertext project, allowed me to push myself even further, and I was very proud of the result. Having never made a website or even used hypertext before, I had a bit of a learning curve, but I believe I was able to overcome that through sheer dedication and willpower. I created my first hypertext literature review as well as my first infographic and conducted interviews to collect data before turning the entire site into a powerpoint. This entire experience was my first time using weebly and navigating hypertext, so I was able to learn a significant amount about design and usability, something I had not envisioned learning in this course. I was also able to conduct additional research; though it took me a significant amount of time to narrow my topic, I am ultimately proud with the work I completed and the results I found.
As a result, I was faster and more confident when starting my final, a tactical media project focused on depression, and that again gave me the opportunity to strengthen my creation of a literature review and infographic. I also was able to practice creating a literature review in comic form, memes, a video, and an interactive learning component, complete with a badge, in addition to creating over 15 hypertext pages with research content and a linear essay. The end result was a call to action page urging individuals to truly be the friend.
Overall, I am proud of the work that I was able to accomplish in this class. Though a majority of the discussions were open-ended, and the topics discussed have no clear ending and few clear answers, I believe I am leaving the course with a more thorough understanding of participatory culture both as a theory and as a practice. I am also proud to look back over my writing, as I am able to see how I improved in getting my ideas across clearly and demonstrate my engagement with the texts and other assigned readings. Though I occasionally felt lost or challenged, I believe I was able to grow as a result of that, and I believe the course allowed me to become a better writer and a more critical student and scholar.
The first chance to do so came quickly in the semester, when we were instructed to create a comic illustrating a conversation between the authors of the PCH Handbook and Fuchs. My own comic, Bring Back Beth!, was made using Bitstrip, and allowed me to explore the material in a unique way. It was also the first time I had ever created a comic, something I found difficult but fun, as I was able to incorporate and example of popular culture in my educational piece. Though I did not engage the material deeply, my goal was to the leave the audience with a question and curiosity in their minds. The second assignment allowed me to be a bit more in my element of teaching: a Quiz on Participatory Cultures. As a private tutor, I was able to utilize strategies I have used in quizzing students so that they learn key points of the material in my own quiz. The next two assignments were also ones I particularly enjoyed. I had written a Socratic dialogue in high school, so trying my hand at a Socratic Dialogue between Fuchs and Jenkins in college let me draw upon past learning experiences. Creating a timeline of Key Issues of Copyright gave me the opportunity to think in a logical, linear matter and put events tied together in the historical context by placing them on a timeline, something I tend to do in real life when told stories. I am a fan of understanding series of events and how they connect, but it is always helpful to see the order in which they occurred.
However, some of the latter assignments were a bit more difficult both in terms of understanding the reading as well as applying the topics I wanted to convey. Through the blog discussion of Fuchs Chapters 4 and 8 and a number of responses (to Deliberative Democracy, to Fuchs 4 and 8, to Fuchs 4 and 8, to PCH 23, to PCH 28, to Fuchs 8), I was able to engage in intellectual discussion with my classmates, and I felt as though I was able to fully engage the material in those conversations, several of which continued outside of the course blog. Thus, the most difficult assignment for me was the book review of Wark's Spectacle of Disintegration. Though I did read the entire book and spent a significant portion of time googling both terms and the movement, I never felt as though I had a firm grasp of the material, which negatively impacted my ability to complete the assignment to my liking. Nevertheless, I felt I was able to redeem myself by my presentation on Kelley and Mickenberg. I enjoyed both readings, and, though I have not recently had to make a powerpoint comparing and contrasting two books, I enjoyed this particular assignment because I enjoyed and understood the material to a point that I would have felt comfortable presenting on it or being asked questions about it. Thus, I am glad to have ended the informal writing assignments with one I felt comfortable saying I had done my best and was proud of.
Nevertheless, I think that the majority of my learning came, not from the smaller, informal writing assignments but from the two projects. My midterm project, Asian American Identity in US Television, a research hypertext project, allowed me to push myself even further, and I was very proud of the result. Having never made a website or even used hypertext before, I had a bit of a learning curve, but I believe I was able to overcome that through sheer dedication and willpower. I created my first hypertext literature review as well as my first infographic and conducted interviews to collect data before turning the entire site into a powerpoint. This entire experience was my first time using weebly and navigating hypertext, so I was able to learn a significant amount about design and usability, something I had not envisioned learning in this course. I was also able to conduct additional research; though it took me a significant amount of time to narrow my topic, I am ultimately proud with the work I completed and the results I found.
As a result, I was faster and more confident when starting my final, a tactical media project focused on depression, and that again gave me the opportunity to strengthen my creation of a literature review and infographic. I also was able to practice creating a literature review in comic form, memes, a video, and an interactive learning component, complete with a badge, in addition to creating over 15 hypertext pages with research content and a linear essay. The end result was a call to action page urging individuals to truly be the friend.
Overall, I am proud of the work that I was able to accomplish in this class. Though a majority of the discussions were open-ended, and the topics discussed have no clear ending and few clear answers, I believe I am leaving the course with a more thorough understanding of participatory culture both as a theory and as a practice. I am also proud to look back over my writing, as I am able to see how I improved in getting my ideas across clearly and demonstrate my engagement with the texts and other assigned readings. Though I occasionally felt lost or challenged, I believe I was able to grow as a result of that, and I believe the course allowed me to become a better writer and a more critical student and scholar.
This page was created for Marc Bousquet's English 363 at Emory University.