Author Archives: Ellen

Just Go

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I’ve noticed a difference between the way in which my parents choose a place to visit, and the way in which I do. While my parents might say “let’s drive to Healesville and have a look around”, I would say “I heard there’s a new cafe that’s meant to be really good in Healesville, we should go”.

I find it very hard to go somewhere new, or in fact just ‘go’, without first researching that somewhere online. If I have to be somewhere for a job interview, I will find out where the good cafes are nearby before I leave. If I have a spare Sunday afternoon, I will check Broadsheet before I decide to leave the house. My parents, on the other hand, will happily just get in the car and drive until they see a cafe that ‘looks alright’. They still aren’t quite used to having hundreds of reviews at the fingertips, and so they don’t rely on the internet to pick a destination.

I wonder if we are too pre-occupied with what we find online about a place. I have a romantic idea of driving off with a tent in my boot and just following the road north like my parents did 30 years ago. But I don’t think I’d be able to. I’d feel unsafe and unsure. My terrible sense of direction would get me lost and I would panic. I’d probably spend half my time wondering if something better was nearby.

The way we view places, and Places, has changed in the last 30 years. Probably for the better overall, but I think I will always hold on that vision of just being able to explore without the need to check urbanspoon first.

New Perspective

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Reading through A Skilled Hand and Cultivated Mind (Edquist, 2012), I started to realise that I’ve never really looked at the RMIT campus. For just over a year, I’ve been coming to RMIT for classes, arriving just on time and leaving as soon as I can. Apart from the occasional trip to the library or walk through the Alumni Courtyard, I’ve never really explored RMIT outside of the classrooms to which I am assigned.

RMIT’s location in the heart of the CBD is unique, and it’s ties to the old judicial precinct and Old Melbourne Gaol should have been enough to spike my interest in the buildings of the university. But like most people, I’ve never really taken the time to explore the places that I visit so frequently.

Edquist’s book has made me realise I need to take a closer look at what is around me. The fig tree has me especially interested, since I’d never even realised such an odd tree was on campus.

This act of noticing is described by John Mason in The Discipline of Noticing. In the introductory chapter, Mason talks of how even though we spend out days noticing things, we do not mark them. He also mentions that there are vast amounts of things we simply just do to notice. By making an effort to notice certain things, say the way the buildings look at RMIT, we can become more reflective about these things. So, from here on I will notice the way buildings are designed at RMIT. Hopefully this will help me reflect on place throughout this semester.

People and Places

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We were asked in class this week to name our favourite place. For most people, the place they chose was strongly influenced by the people they associate with that place. For myself however, my favourite place (Central Park in New York) is a place that I visited mostly alone, occasionally with a friend.

I wondered if I was the outlier, if everyone else’s connection to places because of people was normal, and I was abnormal. I had thought that my love of Central Park stemmed from it’s peacefulness, the lack of humanity in a city of 8 million people. But then I realised that my favourite places within the park were the ones where I could people watch. The Bethesda Fountain, the Wollman Rink, the paths at the southern end that are buzzing with tourists. These were the places where I spent the most time, sitting and watching as other people did whatever it was that they were doing. So while my connection to Central Park was not tied to any people I know, it is tied to people.

And while Central Park may top my list of favourite places, those coming in second, third, tenth, are all places where I have spent time with family or friends. So now I wonder, do place and people always have to be tied together, or is it possible to separate the two? Maybe I’ll find out this semester.

State Library

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Our first ‘excursion’ from RMIT was to the State Library today.

On this visit we were talked through how to use the libraries vast collection and what sort of things we’ll be able to find. It was interesting hearing about the newspapers, photos, and plans kept at the library; it is not just book upon book upon books.

I had had no idea that you could request things be brought in to the library from their warehouses, and was impressed at how quickly they can do it.

I am always blown away by the amount of knowledge librarians have about their collections. Even the at the small library at my high school, it’s always good to know that there are people that know every book on site.

While hearing about the collections was interesting, I did struggle to keep my eyes open when we were learning how to best use the search system. It was just one of those days where you can’t avoid sleep.

 

On getting my shit together

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Today is the start of the second last week of uni classes for the year. It’s a bit over three weeks until my final assessment is due. I have never been so keen to be done with schooling for the year, and yet I can not seem to get my shit together.

While I have written a draft essay for Networked Media, I haven’t looked at it in over a week. It’s also 10.30 on Monday night and I’m just now writing my mandatory blog posts for the week. I’ll admit I haven’t yet read a second reading for the week, but that’s next on my list. I haven’t even begun to think about my other classes.

I could use the fact that between uni and work, I hadn’t had a day off in over three weeks until today as an excuse, but I won’t because most people are in the same situation. And to be honest, I’ve managed to watch two seasons of Sex and the City as well as keep up to date with all the other TV shows I watch which are beginning their Fall Seasons. I really have no excuses, apart from sheer laziness, as to why I haven’t kept on top of things.

So this is me pledging, at 10.27pm, on Monday the 6th of October, 2014, to get my shit together. I will return to my essay drafts. I will read that second reading. I will stay for the entire tute tomorrow. And I will put Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte on hold until I am on top of things.

 

Symposium 10

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This week had a bit of discussion about the 80/20 rule and a bit of discussion about essays.

Now I love a bit of debate. I will happily argue with someone all day long. I’ll happily watch other people argue all day long. Every week, we get to here the opinions of our tutors, which is great and I often find it helpful in gauging where i personally lie on the spectrum. But this week our mighty leaders were arguing over how best to write our creative essays. While Adrian likes that a creative essay can flow in any direction, take any turn and be about any topic (relating to the subject of course), Betty thinks that the essay should follow a clear path, with footnotes being the way in which to express other ideas. So who are we meant to listen to? The course coordinator who designed the classes and assessments, or our tutor, who in the end will be the one marking the essay? Obviously I’m going to write my essay in a way that will earn me a higher mark with Betty, but I think I like Adrian’s way of thinking more.

Kenton gives a good summary here of what Adrian was saying during the symposium, and I also agree with him about the 80/20 stuff being a bit boring.

Kiralee also seems concerned with the lack of cohesion between tutors, and summarises Betty’s stance on the essay.

And finally, on my travels through the world of peers’ blogs, I came across Kerri’s Blog. I don’t know Kerri, but she sure does have a nice little banner at the top of her blog. I like it, a hell of a lot.

A Change of Pace

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Out of dozens of readings that have been assigned in this course, this week’s second reading was just the first (that I can see) that was written by a woman. We’re in week 11 now. I’m not going to go in to what this may say about the industry we are looking into (an maybe even this course) but it is something to think about.

This introduction to Lisa Gitelman’s book Always Already New: Media, History, and the Data of Culture (2008) seemed like more of a week one reading that a week eleven extract. The author introduces the idea of using the word ‘media’ both collectively and singularly, and adds her own definition of what media are.

Gitelman believes that media are ‘socially realised structures of communication’ and that each has it’s own set of histories and rules that govern how it is used and how users understand it. Here is where I believe our prior learning in Networked Media comes in handy. Gitelman explains that though we may not know how the media came to be, or how it works exactly, we are still considered able users of a media, in much the same way that a scientist does not have to understand how a telescope works in order to use it expertly.

Throughout this course, many a debate has been had over whether or not it is important for us as media students to know the ins and outs of the technologies we should be proficient at using. Adrian likes to argue that, for example, a knowledge of how to build websites using HTML is important to using though websites professionally. This is contradicted by Gitelman and I have to say I agree. I believe that is possible to be proficient at using a technology, including in a professional capacity without knowing exactly how and why it works. I also believe that if a person is using a technology so frequently they will pick up the ins and outs. Yes, knowing more will always be better, but it won’t always be necessary.

 

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So a couple of weeks ago I finally got around to booking my New York trip. Now my life has become an agonising wait to December 5th, when I can finally hop off a plane at JFK with my dreams and a cardigan.

Draft Essay Writing

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So last week was the cut off date to receive five bonus marks for handing in a draft of the final creative essay. I was going to submit a draft, until I found out that it would not be read by my tutor and no feedback would be given. I then said, ‘what’s the point?’ and continued pursuing other interests instead.

The point, apparently, is to give us an incentive to write a draft. This is perplexing to me. As university students, we are constantly being told that we have to take matters into our own hands, be responsible for ourselves, and do the work we need to in order to achieve what we want to achieve. Why then are we being persuaded to write a draft essay with the allure of five bonus marks? I always draft essays. My first draft is always completely demolished by the time I’m ready to hand it in. I believe that most other students wishing to achieve above a pass do the same thing. We are capable of pushing ourselves and getting things done, we don’t need 5 extra points for trying. Good on the students who finished a draft and handed it in. For me, working to yet another deadline, adding that pressure to my already stressful timetable just didn’t seem worth it. I write this draft, I hand it in, and I get no feedback? Great. I’d rather write it on my own time, ask my tutor how it’s going, and continue on my merry way towards week 12.