Hello World (But Most Likely No One Except Maybe Sundi, Suzanne, And A Person Who Arrived Here Accidentally),
So it is officially the end of TWO complete weeks in my course on Digital Design, and I think it’s time I stop and reflect on the PROCESS of it all, or maybe I’ll stick to a portion because everything would simply be too much for an already-scattered me. It’s definitely been a “getting my feet wet” kind of thing— new language, new tools, new peers and faces, a new discipline. A lot of NEW, FRESH material. I didn’t really know Digital Humes was a full blown-up thing at all until this week, really. I also didn’t know that words like “syndicator” or other digital buzz words are common lingo, and I didn’t know there were so many neat projects and people out there working on how to bring education, books, academia, and the whole nine yards into the World Wide Web.
As far my process in coming across all of these things. . .well, it feels a bit like cranking up an old car that isn’t running quite smooth yet. That is, I haven’t quite gotten into a rhythm for learning about Digital Design (i.e. this course & all it entails). I do my homework when I can; I got sick halfway through and couldn’t keep up with my peers’ About Me posts; I missed a day of class, and I haven’t figured out where/how I’m going to annotate my readings or what my project is going to be on. My process of reading— I generally like to read well and take notes on the side. I like that strategy so it goes fine. I may try shifting to Hypothes.is. But my process for going through the digital articles & sites— I’m never quite sure how to do it. Should I read everything A to Z like I would a book? Should I skim and skip around? Does it just depend and I figure it out on the fly?
This is particularly concerning for me perhaps when I explored one digital annotated book type-of thing called Thresholds, a ZINE! I wasn’t sure whether to read page by page, or scroll through.
I guess it’s even more particularly concerning for me because Nicholas Carr’s argument has haunted me ever since I read it a couple weeks ago. But that’s a conversation for another day.
The area where I may be struggling the most in all of this is what to do with class sessions…what’s my process there? I take notes, but I would like to figure out how to do better note-taking. I listen to my peers, but I would like to figure out how do I really value what they say besides seeing it as just their two cents on the matter (rather pessimistic way of saying it). My intent here is not to devalue conversations in the classroom. A contraire, I’m just not sure what to make of them besides what I already make of them. I already try my best to listen and hear what was said and write down important or relevant things, such a tool or a resource or an inspirational idea. But it just seems….not enough. I think I may try something different in these next coming weeks. So until the next time I sit down and get to processing, here are some goals I have for myself:
- Get into a rhythm of being engaged in a conversation about Digital Design (this means I would ideally like to do my readings on the same day-time each week). I just want it to have a flow and harmony to it, not just with MW 2:30-3:45 but also when I do my work outside of class.
- Take Better Class Notes/Figure Out How to Make Best Use of Classroom Time— will I stop taking notes all together and just try to be present the whole time? Or… will I take more notes so I can go back and remember the whole session? Or I am just complicating this whole thing? I do want some better cohesion of my note-taking and what it means for me to be present in class though, perhaps an orientation and reminder of what this course means to me and why I am taking it right before each session starts. We shall see…
Until Next Time World,
(But Most Likely No One Except Maybe Sundi, Suzanne, And That Person Who Arrived Here Accidentally)
Fern
One of our first ideas from the course was having you all keep a technology mindful journal, to pay attention to and keep track of how you approach using digital in your daily life. This may be something you’d like to do. Whatever you decide, I look forward to hearing how it goes.
Hmmmmm….I’m over a month late to this comment, but I still like the idea. I think I might add that along with my process reflections.
I love the way your post admits the excitement and terror of diving into a whole new sea of knowledge that you didn’t even know exists. I feel like my life has been a series of diving into similar seas, and feeling the same sense of not being able to touch the bottom. It’s happened enough for me to know recognize that such destabilizing equilibrium is a sign that I’m learning. I won’t actually ever get my feet to touch the bottom, but I will get more comfortable riding the waves.
I hope that happens to you, too, and suggest you worry less about the right way to read or take notes, and instead use this process blog to reflect on the different strategies you’re using, so that you can look back and decide which ones to take with you beyond this course.
Thanks, Suzanne. I don’t know how in the world I missed these comments from you and Sundi, but I’m just now seeing them and how fitting for me to stumble across them now because I actually just made a post about this “destabilizing equilibrium” I’ve been feeling this week, and how I think it means I’m learning and growing (I would hope). Might as well get comfortable with the fact that my feet aren’t going to be touching the bottom then!