Entering this course I had no idea what to expect, as graduated high school in 2011 and hadn’t studied since. The Learning Graph follows my progress throughout the semester in regards to a few key aspects of the course.
I chose the following 5 blog posts to demonstrate my journey through the semester (with 1. being the earliest and 5. being the most recent:
1. Things I want to be able to do by the completion of my degree
I’ve learnt a lot this semester, both about media in general and my own creative and technical processes. One of the most important things I have learnt is the importance of noticing media all around me, and the scope of this. Rather than dismissing or overlooking media around me, this course has made me look into it and think about it from a theoretical mindset. I also learnt how to give and recieve feedback in a constructive way, using the coloured hats method many times throughout the semester. Receiving feedback on project briefs was incredibly important, as it allowed me to continue making improvements. In regards to technical abilities, I have become far more confident with editing through iMovie and have learnt how to use the Zoom H2n sound recorder, which I had never used before. It was really satisfying to see my work improve throughout the semester, using feedback from each Project Brief to improve on the next one.
I have learnt that I learn best in an interactive mode. I always enjoyed the lectorials that had a lot of mixed media content, such as the ones on remix culture and narrative. I found myself learning the most about using equipment such as the Sony MC50 or iMove simply through hands on experience and playing around with all of the different things they can do. I also realised that I really struggle with planning out my projects and that I am far more likely to just ‘wing it’ when it comes to the creative process. I will definately need to improve on this, as it was evident that things generally turn out better when you plan at least a little bit.
My biggest challenge was just getting back into the rhythm of studying after having a couple of years off. Going to classes and getting Project Brief’s submitted was fine, but finding time to sit down and get things like reading or blogging done was a bit of a struggle. This wasn’t helped by the fact that I have been in a semester long struggle with Centrelink and I’ve had to work far more than desired in order to pay my rent, but that’s a whole other story!
This semester has given me a great overview of both the theoretical and practical components of media and I look forward to strengthening and adding onto the skills I have developed over the next few years.
