This curtain call will be my final post curating my top 5 blog posts, as well as talking about my learning graph and reflecting on the semester that has just passed.


Above is my learning graph that we were asked to complete in class, I found this exercise to be extremely fascinating as it really made me think – what week did I have a “light-bulb” moment, what week was I a little flat? I found it fun to re-read my blog posts to find out exactly what happened each week. So, in reference to my learning graph, the blue line reflects how much have I learnt about making media objects and stories, the red line reflects my ability to work independently in unfamiliar ways or with new systems and tools, the blue line details just how much do I understand and think critically and creatively about what I make, and finally, the yellow line outlines my understanding of the role and value of the blog. I really felt as though this graph positively and accurately reflects my semester 1 at RMIT University.
Now for my 5 top blog posts… I believe that these 5 posts reflect exactly how I used my blog over the past 13 weeks: in a fun, enlightening and honest way – put simply, I was just being Kristian.

My first post is Blog #5: Q&A (Political Chats) with Kristian [https://www.mediafactory.org.au/kristian-grigoriou/2015/03/12/blog-5-qa-political-chats-with-kristian/]
I have extremely strong feelings towards the mistreatment of Indigenous Australians and racism in general so I wanted to make sure that I dedicated a blog post to the topic of the moment which was the forced relocation of Aboriginal people.

At number 2 is Blog #14: Does This Hat Suit Me? [https://www.mediafactory.org.au/kristian-grigoriou/2015/03/19/blog-14-does-this-hat-look-good-on-me/]
This blog reflected De Bono’s different coloured hats and his approach to feedback, which I thought was such a good idea and a perfect introduction to giving constructive criticism and feedback to our fellow media peers.

Number 3 in my top 5 is Blog #45: (Nearly) Married at First Sight [https://www.mediafactory.org.au/kristian-grigoriou/2015/05/18/blog-45-nearly-married-at-first-sight/]
I chose to include this post as I thought it outlined my creativity and awareness of media and current hot topics. I really love this show as I think it is groundbreaking and highly controversial – something I don’t tend to shy away from.

Coming in at number 4 is Blog #53: Reading Over then Re-Reading the Reading [https://www.mediafactory.org.au/kristian-grigoriou/2015/05/22/blog-53-reading-over-then-re-reading-the-reading/]
In this blog, I decided to discuss the reading for week 11 which was all about remixes and sampling. I loved this topic as it is something that I have read up a lot on, however I learnt a lot more about it from our lecturer for that week.

Finally, number 5 is Blog #57: Sit Back and Observe [https://www.mediafactory.org.au/kristian-grigoriou/2015/05/26/blog-57-sit-back-and-observe/]
This is the perfect blog to end on as it shows my growth from the start of week 1 to where I’m currently at. Before, sitting on the train would be the perfect time to scroll through Instagram, have a look at Facebook or get a bit of shut-eye… now, I notice myself looking around at others and seeing what media they are enthralled by. I loved this blog as it was something that Rachel had suggested I write about and I really took her ideas on board as I value her knowledge and expertise.

Altogether I believe that my blog has been anything but boring, I used it as an escape tool, a way to communicate my thoughts, and a place to discuss how I felt about the course. There was connections between my three subjects, discussions on hot and trending topics, rants about the readings and in-class activities, one-sided arguments about my life and some personal pictures. Overall, I loved the idea of blogging my life away and can’t wait to continue with it next semester.
Coming into this course as an overly enthusiastic, excited yet apprehensive interstate student, I have found the start to my Media degree extremely amazing. It is hard to put into 500 words every single thing that I’ve learned over my first 12 weeks of study, but the main idea that sticks out to me is how much I notice now. I’ve learned to notice every last piece of media around me – from phones to laptops, print to radio – it’s truly an astonishing thing to think about! Not only have I learned to notice my surroundings, I’ve learnt a great deal about editing – a skill I had little knowledge of coming into this course. Having had a master-class in editing from several students in my class, as well as receiving feedback from teachers and students alike, I have found it to be a really valuable experience. Editing was something I was never interested in, and for this reason I have always convinced myself that I was never that good at it, but after this course I feel competent and overjoyed with my efforts and results I have received in my editing briefs. I have come to the conclusion that through this, my learning style has changed over time… from being a very individual worker to now valuing the opinion and feedback from others. I believe that my learning style is kinesthetic which means that I prefer to carry out physical activities, rather than listening to a lecture or watching demonstrations. Put simply, tutorials and workshops are where I learn the most rather than in lectures as these smaller groups are more hands-on rather than one-sided.

I have found the most challenging part of the course to be the lectures as I found them to be a little disengaging and draining. There were some parts of the lectures that were engaging and entertaining, but I wouldn’t say that I found an entirety of a lecture to be fascinating. I have genuinely tried with the lectures, attending every single one, however I have just found that I learn better in tutorials. In this, however, I have discovered my creative practice is to be different with my ideas, work as hard as I can and produce something I am proud of. My creative practice is different to most others as I love brainstorming everything and I love discussing with my peers about creativity and ideas. Overall, while this first semester has had many struggles, difficulties and trying times; I am proud of how everything has come together. I have displayed immense growth in how I work and have challenged myself in everything I do. My creativity has grown as well and I have proven myself in both solo projects as well as group work – I couldn’t be happier with how this first semester has gone!