IM Class Four

Due to last week’s stomach flu debacle, I can’t help but feel behind with the week’s class discussions and readings. Luckily, I was fortunate to be able to come to this week’s essential class on the use of the Korsakow application.

The class began with the ‘usual’ (apparently) post-discussion of the lecture last Monday, which roughly turned out to be an affirmation of the discussions (and debates) regarding narrative and its separation from life. I admit that at the end of the lecture, I was unconvinced of Adrian’s explanations on why ‘life is not a narrative’, for I could see loopholes in his direction (such as: Is the knowledge of how everything turns out the only basis of a story? Isn’t life, like stories, a plot with a hero whose future we wish to turn out a certain way but do not necessarily? Are we really in no control of our lives? Etc.) However, his explanation in class about the choices a writer has versus the choices we have in life helped me understand where he was coming from (with the help of his trusty diagrams). I confidently say that this is the “Why is” section fulfilled.

In terms of “How”, the rest of the period was dedicated to instructing us in the use of the Korsakow application, taken from a gentle, beginner’s point of view. Certainly, there were a lot of things to keep in mind in the use of a program that required precise organisational skills and folder use. In the end, it was more effective for me as a kinaesthetic learner to practice with actual footage, in a trial and error process.

IM Class Two

The second class of the year mostly consisted of the presentation of the students’ sample works (even though some were unable to because of technical issues).

Besides the self-evaluation that preceded the demonstrations which allowed me to step outside of myself and critique my learning progress, assessment of other students’ works using the scaffolding technique gave me the opportunity to look beyond what is “good” and “bad”, employing the subject’s “not why is, but how” concept. A four step process of: initial reaction, positives, negatives and room for improvement; four class members took on each “hat” and gave response to the creator’s hard-earned (or maybe not) recognition.

A criterium of “being brave” witnessed myself being courageous in speaking for and against other people’s works, something one does not always do out of professional courtesy. The subject continues to seek expansion of the students’ skills, and in this case, competency in communication between peers regarding conceptual products.