In this course I’ve learned a great deal about media ideology from the lectorials. This semester I learnt most about remix as it was covered in a lectorial and was also the focus of my group project. I found that actually researching a topic contributed a great deal to how much I learnt about it. Another topic I feel was covered quite well was narrative. By relating this to a text I had studied in a different subject, I was able to explore the idea further.

In-class discussions in which we were able to explore ideas were particularly helpful in cementing ideas for me. Additionally the practical tasks in the lectorial were useful in that we were able to put into practise what we had just learned. For example after learning about institutions in Week 10, the activity of defining what exactly constituted certain media outlets such as ‘Newscorp’ as being an institution served to solidify the idea of an institution for me. I also learnt a great deal from the exposure to new concepts that were quite abstract and very philosophical. For example topics such as narrative vs non-narrative intrigued me and held my attention.

What I found most challenging about this course was time management. I would often underestimate how long it would take for me to complete tasks. This is in part due to my incompetence with technology. Whilst I can navigate editing programs etc it is the actual exporting, importing and uploading of things that I struggle greatly with. Another challenging part of this course was understanding certain topics and readings. However this was an enjoyable challenge as I was able to discuss the topics with peers and comment and reflect upon it in order to understand it.

What I discovered about my own creative practice is that I work best in groups. In the final project I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with my group members. I felt I was able to achieve a better result creatively by discussing ideas with my group members and feeding off each other’s ideas. Furthermore I felt as though I was able to work more efficiently as each group member had different strengths that we were able to take advantage of by dividing up jobs that would play to these strengths. Finally I experienced less self doubt as I was able to pitch my ideas to the group and receive instant feedback rather than have to wait until the project was completed and receive a mark from a staff member.