Participation Template Update #4

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I want to take a moment to respectfully retract the pat on the back I awarded myself in my last Participation Template Update – the past fortnight has been a shocker in terms of meeting my participation template goals.

In my defence, I have had the added pressure of three separate assignments due in that time (all the while battling my way through the first flu of the season), but I acknowledge that improvement in reaching my goals is critical if I want to make the most out of this class.

So here we are again! My new list of quantitive goals for the week:
– THREE new blog posts by this time next week.
– Actively (verbally) contribute to class AT LEAST TWICE per class.
– Read ONE chapter of Alien Phenomenology
– Make ONE PAGE of notes per class.
– Maintain ONE DAY free of social or work commitments.

I reduced the number of blog posts I aim to complete this week because I hope that by making my goals more achievable, I will be able to accomplish and then build on them.

Here we go, Gen. You can do it.

Participation Template Update #3

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What a week!

I almost reached my goal of five blog posts, I managed to finish chapters one and two of Bogost, I took notes galore AND allocated a whole day specifically to my studies. Not a bad start to a new Participation Template but I know there’s still plenty of room for improvement.

Quantitive goals for the week (in list form, for obvious reasons) :
– FIVE new blog posts by this time next week.
– Actively (verbally) contribute to class AT LEAST TWICE per class.
– Read ONE more chapter of Bogost AND read Shield OR Ingold.
– Make ONE PAGE of notes per class.
– Maintain ONE DAY free of social or work commitments.

And though it is not an item on my Participation Template, next week I vow not to be late to class…

Pat on the back Gen, you’re getting there.

Blogging-Avoidance-Syndrome and Goldfish

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So. To combat my blogging-avoidance-syndrome, I have decided I am going to start a lifestyle blogging series. It will be a lot less about class and a lot more about actually noticing the small details of my life – which, in a roundabout way, makes it relevant to my studies. I figure that maybe if i release myself from the limitations of writing about this specific class, perhaps this whole blogging malarky will come a little more naturally (and help me reach my 5-a-week goal!). At the very least, hopefully this self-imposed exercise will help me nurture my written communication abilities…

Today’s topic: My fish.

I’ve had pet fish for almost two years now. When I arrived home from my gap year adventures, I felt that my life lacked purpose. Naturally, I filled this void with goldfish. Eighteen months, one overzealous tank filter and a couple of Fish Funerals later, here we are: four goldfish and three black tetras thriving in aquatic harmony.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my little guys. They’re cute and fun to watch, but good grief fish-parenting is one expensive venture. On that fateful afternoon way back in September of 2015, poor little past-Gen had no idea what she was getting herself into; a life of tank cleaning, filter replacing and aquatic plant cultivating hell on Earth. And what for? A couple of quick finger nibbles before they locate the real food and I’m left forlornly standing there, ignored and dripping on the carpet.

In spite of all this, I still find myself caring immensely for the little nuisances. Sure, I put a lot of money into their existence and get little to no acknowledgement in return, but they’ve become a part of my everyday. During a recent two week trip, I even left a spare key with a friend of mine to check in on them periodically. Fish Parenting is as exhausting as having an unrequited crush – I constantly agonise over their wellbeing (Is the water temperature good? Are the chemical levels adequate? Are they all eating enough? Do Nor and Neg get along?) and am met with pure indifference.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a deceptively high maintenance, unexpectedly expensive, maximum emotional investment for minimal satisfaction pet: Goldfish are for you.

PS. PSA: Under no circumstances would I recommend naming your fish after people you care about. It just makes their deaths and funerals all the more upsetting/awkward… Rest In Peace Ryan Gosling.

First Soundscape Musings

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I’ve found this assignment to be virtually pain-free so far which, as most university students will know, is rare for a group project. Superhero Paige recorded all of our sounds on Friday, Grace the Champion wrote and recorded our script this morning and I edited and mixed it all together this afternoon.

We have yet to polish off the draft soundscape but with more than 17 hours until the product is due, I’m thrilled with our progress. I wish the individual tasks could have been completed more collaboratively – if only for the valuable input of my fellow media-savvy team mates, but given the timeframe I think we’ve done a pretty darn good job.

The only thing I’m worried about at this point is whether our decision to explore the ontology of a whole room (Paige’s kitchen, to be precise) instead of a single commodity or concept will compromise our ability to carefully and intricately capture the essence of the subject…

I don’t know how I’ll answer this concern but if or when I do, I’ll let you know.

Graphing Our Strengths

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Today we completed a task which saw us graphing our perceived strengths and weaknesses with direct regards to skills relevant to the upcoming assessment.


The key for my graph:

  1. Brainstorm
  2. Decide Equipment
  3. Write Script
  4. Edit Script
  5. Record voice
  6. Record Location Sound
  7. Edit Sound
  8. Mix Sound
  9. Brainstorm Images
  10. Decide Video Equipment
  11. Record Images
  12. Record on Location
  13. Edit Video
  14. Mix Video
  15. Find References
  16. Do Readings
  17. Take Notes
  18. Plan Essay
  19. Write Essay
  20. Edit Essay

It wasn’t until we were stood in our overall strength groups that I admitted to myself that perhaps my strength does not correspond to my interest and that I may have been blinded by my passions when completing my graph.
Though I don’t overly enjoy writing essays, I have a pretty good grasp on the practice and probably wasn’t fair on myself when completing the graph – I’m definitely more competent at essay writing than I am at working with audio.

I’m now the “essay specialist” in my group for the upcoming assignment which I admit is a reasonable role for me and will probably offer me the opportunity to learn from my “sound specialist” and “video specialist” peers in a more worthwhile capacity than I could have from a fellow competent writer.

Participation Template Update #2

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So I think now would be a good time to reassess my Participation Template. It’s week three and I’m finally getting back to the student routine which has exposed the actual flaws in my approach to studying – as opposed to the flaws I predicted when initially creating my Participation Template. In order to get the most out of this class, I need to refocus my energy into a new list of weekly goals.

Blogging has been a problem for me. I’ve struggled to actually do anything and I could attribute it to any number of things but I think it is predominantly laziness. After four months off, reacquainting myself with the workload of university has been an arduous endeavour. My goal for this week: 5 blog posts.

After the success of completing my week one reading, I suffered an unfortunate relapse back into my old habits. I printed out the subsequent readings and intended to complete them however I never made the time to sit down and actually accomplish the task. My goal for this week is to have completed the Bogost reading.

Both of these things are primarily a result of laziness but I also think I need to acknowledge that their being neglected is collateral damage in my attempt to maintain the same lifestyle I lead over the four-month break. I need to re-order my priorities and allocate more time to my studies. My goal is to give myself one day a week where I do not make any social or work commitments.

One of my original Participation Template goals which I have successfully realised (thus far) has been my note-taking during class. Despite accomplishing this goal, it will maintain its position on my Participation Template as I think note taking remains an important study aid and, as proven by my struggle with completing the readings, initial success is not indicative of an ongoing habit. My specific measurable goal for the next week is to bring my notebook to class and take at least a page worth of notes in each class.

The final thing I would like to include on my new Participation Template is to become a more active contributor in class. I didn’t incorporate this goal to my original Participation Template as it has never been an issue for me in the past. I think one of the reasons for my lack of specific participation in this class could be attributed to the fact that I have been behind in the readings and thus felt out of my comfort zone with regards to voicing my opinion. However, I also think that there have been fewer opportunities to actively contribute to this class in comparison to other classes I have completed and would like to see more opportunity for class discussions and the input of my peers’ opinions on the topics we explore in class and in the readings. For the coming week, my objective to fulfil this new goal is to contribute at least two comments, opinions or questions per class.

Feedback and Self Improvement

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Today in class I was fortunate to have my Assessment One task (My Water Bottle Saves Lives) presented to the class and, as a result, I was able to receive copious amounts of feedback from everyone. I was rather happy with the final product which made it easier to be comfortable with my work being shown and also was a way to receive particularly valuable feedback; the Black and Yellow feedback (being recommendations for how I can improve a piece with which I am already happy) are predominantly ideas which I had not considered and thus give me direction on where to explore and develop my skills in order to improve the quality of my work.

The pieces of feedback which stood out to me most and which will direct me in where to focus my attention for improving my work are as follows:

  • “Maybe adding a backing track?” (Jack)
    Audio is the area of media production with which I’m least acquainted. I agree that a backing track could have made a huge difference to this piece and is imperative to the integrity of film so it is an area of knowledge and skill which I want to focus on expanding this semester.
  • “Editing a little awkward – could have better rhythm.” (Ellie)
    This is something I’ve always struggled with. I always hoped that perhaps the editing felt awkward to me because it was my own work and I knew what to expect but I think it is an area I need to focus on a little more. Youtube tutorials here I come.
  • “Different shots – all felt very close up.” (Ellie) (Also similar to Adrian’s feedback regarding experimenting with depth of field and focus)
    I haven’t played with my camera for a while and this assignment reminded me of my love of getting creative with it – if only I wasn’t so out of practice. Some of the other works which stood out to me as being polished and high quality made extensive use of more complex photography and filming techniques and I think that this is a skill which can immediately increase the impact and quality of a final product.

So shoutout to Ellie for all of her feedback, it really stood out to me as being something I could actively work on and once I read her points I understood and agreed with exactly what she was saying. I enjoyed this first task and I’m looking forward to acting on this feedback and seeing where it will take me.

Why I think I should blog…

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Essentially what I gained from today’s discussion is that we’re blogging to invest in our futures.

It’s only second week and already I’m very clearly struggling to keep myself motivated and enthusiastic about blogging. Adrian mentioned that the hardest part of establishing a good habit or routine is in the beginning when the habit is not routine. He also mentioned the value of incentive. I think I need to find a way to incentivise myself to maintain my blog – at least for the time being.

We’re all in this class because we want to be in an industry which thrives on communication technology so developing good habits and skills is imperative to our future success and by way of maintaining a blog we are constantly putting these skills to use. I think it is also important to develop a distinctive personal voice in our online presence. Though I don’t consider myself to be there yet – I’m still somewhat trapped in this formal tone, I think (and hope) that with time and familiarising myself with the whole blogging atmosphere I will become more comfortable and more myself in my writing.

So although I know eventually I will (hopefully) blog because it is an easy enjoyable way to further my career, in the interim I’ll use the threat of this blog appearing in google searches of my name as motivation to keep it alive and thriving. After all, I don’t want the first item which pops up in a google search of my name to expose me as lazy or a quitter.

Participation Template Update #1

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I started class today feeling accomplished; despite being one of my biggest vices and the first item on my Participation Template, I managed to complete the set reading! Ordinarily I find completing readings to be particularly difficult and tedious as I cannot help but feel that reading is not the most productive thing I could be doing with my time. I know this outlook is ridiculous and I am aware that our readings contain a wealth of relevant, valuable knowledge and that they are specifically chosen for this purpose – but old habits die hard.

Although I didn’t make notes in the first class, I consider myself to be off to a positive start with regards to my note taking – for the second class of the semester I made a conscious effort to bring a notebook and pen with the intention to take notes. Baby steps, but baby steps in the right direction nonetheless.

I have yet to conduct any research outside of that which we were guided to complete but it is also early and I have not yet been captivated by anything to the extent that I want to complete further research on the matter. With that said, perhaps it is more important for me to seek out things to research rather than passively wait for something of interest to be dropped into my lap? File this one under “ideas for consideration”.

I feel it is too early to comment on the final two points on my Participation Template as we have yet to complete anything for which to seek feedback and have yet to indulge in any real class discussions.

Participation Template

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In order to get the most out of Ecologies of Noticing, we have created our own personal “Participation Templates” which we believe will help up get the most out of this course based on our individual objectives.

I think the most important and difficult goal for me to focus on will be to keep up with the readings. My track record isn’t the greatest when it comes to getting the readings done, hence its place at the top of my Participation Template. I also think that the idea of actively receiving feedback will be a way I can improve my skills beyond simply refining those I already possess.